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國際時事跟讀 Ep. L208: TSMC's Three-Front Strategy

Highlights 主題摘要
TSMC and Sony have signed an MOU to jointly build next-generation image sensors for automotive and robotics AI applications in Japan.
At home, TSMC is spending over NT$100 billion to upgrade its Central Taiwan fab and accelerating its 1.4nm facility ahead of schedule.
April revenue rose 17.5%, with analysts forecasting Q2 growth of around 35%, as hyperscalers commit US$725 billion to AI this year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co is extending its reach beyond data centres into the physical world. The chipmaker has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Sony Semiconductor Solutions to establish a joint venture focused on next-generation image sensors, targeting physical AI applications in automotive systems and robotics. Sony will serve as majority and controlling shareholder, with development and production lines housed at its newly constructed fab in Koshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. Investments are structured in phases, contingent on market demand, and are expected to receive Japanese government support.

台積電正將觸角從資料中心延伸至實體世界。這家晶片巨頭與索尼半導體製造公司簽署非約束性合作備忘錄，計畫合組新公司開發次世代影像感測器，目標市場鎖定車用系統與機器人等實體 AI 應用。索尼將擔任合資公司的多數股東並握有控制權，研發與生產線設於其在日本熊本縣合志市的新廠。投資計畫將視市場需求分階段實施，並以取得日本政府支持為前提。

The arrangement reflects a deliberate strategic calculus: by anchoring the venture in Japan and ceding majority control to Sony, TSMC secures a foothold in the image sensor market while navigating the geopolitical pressures that increasingly dictate where advanced chips are made. Back in Taiwan, that same logic is driving an equally aggressive domestic push. Fab 15A in Central Taiwan Science Park, originally designed for 28nm and 22nm processes, is being overhauled to support 4nm production, with legacy equipment relocated to its Dresden facility in Germany for automotive and industrial use, at a total investment expected to exceed NT$100 billion.

這次的合作安排背後有清晰的戰略考量：將合資公司落腳日本、並將多數控制權讓予索尼，讓台積電得以在地緣政治日益主導先進晶片生產版圖的當下，悄然布局影像感測器市場。在台灣本土，同樣的邏輯也驅動著一場同等積極的擴產攻勢。位於中部科學園區的 Fab 15A 原以 28 奈米至 22 奈米成熟製程為主，目前正全面改建以支援 4 奈米生產，舊有設備移往德國德勒斯登廠，供應車用與工業市場，總投資預計超過新台幣千億元。

Separately, construction of a 1.4nm fab at the Phase 2 Central Taiwan site is running ahead of schedule, with trial production potentially beginning in the third quarter of 2027 and mass production targeted for the second half of 2028. Once all fabs at the complex are fully operational, the site is positioned to become the world's largest production base for AI and high-performance computing chips.

另一方面，台中二期園區 1.4 奈米新廠的建設進度超前，最快可望於 2027 年第三季展開試產，並以 2028 年下半年量產為目標。待園區各廠全數投入運作後，這座園區有望成為全球規模最大的 AI 與高效能運算晶片生產基地。

These moves come as TSMC reported April revenue of NT$410.7 billion, up 17.5 percent year-on-year — the company's slowest monthly gain since October. Analysts, however, expect second-quarter growth to accelerate to around 35 percent. The broader spending climate supports that optimism: Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft have collectively committed US$725 billion to AI investment this year, well above earlier forecasts. TSMC has responded by raising its full-year sales guidance and signalling capital expenditure toward the upper end of a range reaching as high as US$56 billion. The message across all three fronts is consistent — the company is not letting up.

上述布局恰逢台積電公布四月份營收新台幣 4,107 億元，年增 17.5%，但增速為近六個月來最低。分析師預估第二季成長率將加速至約 35%。大環境同樣提供了樂觀的支撐：Alphabet、Amazon、Meta 與微軟今年合計承諾投入 7,250 億美元於 AI 建設，遠高於先前預期。台積電也隨之上調全年營收展望，並表示資本支出將趨向最高達 560 億美元預測區間的上緣。三條戰線傳遞的訊號一致，台積電並無放緩的打算。

Keyword Drills 關鍵字
Contingent on [adjective phrase, dependent on a specific condition being met]: The deal is contingent on regulatory approval.
Strategic calculus [noun phrase, a careful weighing of risks and benefits behind a major decision]: Every expansion involves a strategic calculus about long-term gains.
Overhauled [verb, past tense, to completely rebuild or restructure a facility or system]: The aging plant was overhauled to meet new standards.
Ahead of schedule [adverb phrase, progressing faster than originally planned]: Construction is ahead of schedule and may finish early.
Let up [verb phrase, to reduce effort or slow down]: Despite headwinds, the company refused to let up.

Reference article:
1. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2026/05/09/2003857002
2. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-08/tsmc-sales-grow-17-5-on-extended-ai-buildout-boom
3. https://www.trendforce.com/news/2026/05/06/news-tsmc-reportedly-upgrades-central-taiwan-2822nm-fab-to-4nm-phase-2-1-4nm-trial-production-may-begin-in-3q27/

Hi there! 歡迎收聽 Look Back Sunday 回顧星期天，在這個節目 John 老師會彙整過去不同國家與主題的熱門跟讀文章，讓你可以在十五分鐘內吸收最精華的世界時事趣聞！我們這週聽聽火車相關的文章，Let's get started!

Topic 1: Sightseeing train turns 'problem' Kyoto line into talk of the town

A railway here in Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture once on the verge of being defunct has a new lease on life with its slow-moving sightseeing train featuring a cafe-like interior. （日本）京都府宮津一條曾瀕臨廢線的鐵路，憑藉內部裝潢有如咖啡館的觀光慢車，得以續命綿延。

The Tango Aka-Matsu is operated by Kyoto Tango Railway (Tantetsu), whose lines were famously dubbed the symbol of unprofitable train routes in the Heisei Era, which started in 1989. 京都丹後鐵道（簡稱丹鐵）負責營運的「丹後赤松號」觀光列車所行駛的路線，被稱為是始於 1989 年平成時代的知名不賺錢路線的象徵。

The train, which connects Nishi-Maizuru and Amanohashidate stations, runs at reduced speeds offering scenic views. 這列連接西舞鶴站與天橋立站的觀光列車，以較慢速度行駛，好讓乘客能夠欣賞美景。

Passengers let out cries of delight on a weekend in December as the fully occupied 33-seat train approached Yuragawa Kyoryo bridge over the Yuragawa river. 去年 12 月的某個週末，當 33 個座位都坐滿的觀光列車駛向跨越由良川的由良川橋時，車上乘客一陣驚呼。
"It's amazing. It's like we are on the sea," one passenger said. 「太棒了。我們好像在海上，」一名乘客如是說。

The 550-meter-long bridge is only a few meters above the river, making passengers feel as if the train is traveling on the water. 這座 550 公尺長的鐵道橋，只比河面高幾公尺，讓乘客覺得火車彷彿行駛在水面上。

Topic 2: Emergency bathroom run lands Japanese "bullet train" driver in hot water

The famed high-speed "bullet train" in Japan got some unwanted attention from regulators last month after the driver briefly abandoned his controls to take a bathroom break — leaving the train and its 160 passengers to hurtle along the tracks at 93 miles-per-hour. 日本知名的高速「子彈列車」上月因一名司機員暫離駕駛室去上廁所而被監管人員盯上——（他）讓列車與車上 160 名乘客以 93 英里的時速奔馳於鐵軌上。

The train departed Tokyo Station at 7:33 a.m., bound for Shin-Osaka station. At 8:14, outside the city of Odawara southwest of Tokyo, the driver suffered a bout of abdominal distress. 這班前往新大阪站的列車在早上 7 時 33 分從東京站出發。8 時 14 分來到東京西南方的小田原市外圍時，司機員感到一陣腹痛。

Instead of stopping the train to run to the bathroom, he called in the conductor to occupy the control room for three minutes, until he was able to scramble back to his post. 與其停車以便跑去上廁所，他反而找來車掌在駕駛室待 3 分鐘，直到他趕回與重返駕駛崗位。
"Many of our conductors are licensed to take the controls," Central Japan Railway public relations representative Ryumon Hashimoto said. "But this one wasn't." 「我們的許多車掌有（列車）駕駛執照，」JR 東海公關部的橋本龍門（譯音）說。「但這位沒有。」

Topic 3: Aesthetic makeover: TRA launches new tour train

When the plans for the Taiwan Railway Administration's (TRA) NT$79 million (US$2.6 million) 29 "Formosa Express" passenger tour carriages were revealed earlier this year, the designs were met with an avalanche of criticism. In response, TRA director Chang Cheng-yuan announced in April that the company would hold consultations on the design, and that the most vehement detractors would be invited to contribute. 台鐵局今年耗資新台幣七千九百萬元，打造二十九輛環島之星觀光列車，曝光後設計卻遭批評。台鐵局長張政源在今年四月宣布，成立台鐵美學設計諮詢審議小組，「把罵台鐵最凶的統統找來」。由設計師吳漢中為代表，齊聚各界專家，把二十九輛當中尚未施作完工的十三輛列車，邀請在國內外得過許多設計大獎的台灣設計團隊「柏成設計」，導入美學概念重新改造。

Headed by designer Han Wu, the team of consultants brought together experts from various fields, and the award-winning Taiwanese design firm J. C. Architecture was invited to undertake an aesthetic makeover, designing the 13 cars yet to be converted. Unveiled on Friday, the newly designed TRA Tour Train sports a black and orange exterior, imparting an air of gravitas to its new look. Redundant signs distracting from the minimalist interior design were removed, and soft lighting was introduced to create a comfortable, relaxing ambience, to give passengers the impression of being in a hotel. 新設計的台鐵觀光列車上週五亮相，外觀改用尊榮感十足的黑、橘色，內裝採減法設計，去掉多餘的指標，燈光使用溫和的色溫，讓旅客有如進到飯店的舒適氛圍。

The curtains in the carriages are based on the works of Yuma Taru, an aboriginal craftswoman, employing geometric shapes suggestive of mountains, while the upholstery utilizes blues and grays, a reference to Taiwan's oceans, rocks and mountains. The overall effect goes beyond that of a simple means of transportation, and now has more of an emotional impact. 車廂中的窗簾，是參考原住民工藝家尤瑪．達陸的作品，以幾何圖形堆疊出山脈造型；座椅顏色為藍、灰色，象徵台灣的海洋、石頭與山，讓火車不再只是生硬的交通工具，同時也富有情感。

Commenting on why black and orange were chosen for the exterior, Nora Wang, co-founder of J. C. Architecture, says that black imparts a sense of mystery and sobriety, and that old photos of TRA train carriages show that black was widely used for train exteriors in the past. The orange, meanwhile, is a reference to the Chu Kuang Express train designs. The tour train's black and orange theme is therefore a link to railway history, reinvented from and recombining older design elements. 列車外觀使用黑、橘二色，柏成設計合夥創辦人王菱檥表示，黑色具有神秘的尊榮感，尤其觀察過往台鐵車體照片時，發現有一段時期大量採用黑色設計，因此激盪出新的想法。經典橘色則是延續莒光號原有的橘，保有車輛的歷史，將舊元素重新組合，迸出新的設計火花。

Wang's favorite design is the bar counter area, reminiscent of a hotel reception, featuring a small lamp on the dining table, giving boarding passengers the impression they are entering a hotel. Passengers get to experience the hotel-like service, too, reclining in the train's parlor car accompanied by friends and family, leisurely sipping coffee. The windows offer magnificent ocean views to the east and vistas of rice paddies and mountains to the west. 有如飯店接待大廳的吧台區是王菱檥最喜愛的設計，餐桌台上放了一盞小燈，當旅客踏上這輛觀光列車時，感覺就像是踏進飯店一樣。跟親朋好友坐在客廳車，悠閒喝著咖啡，從觀景窗往外望，東邊有海岸線壯闊海景，西邊則有稻穗、山脈，帶給大家有如旅館式的服務體驗。

Wang says, "The TRA train is not just a means of transportation, it is a starting point for a journey." She hopes that the TRA Tour Train will help promote rail travel in Taiwan. Tour trains in countries such as Japan and Italy attract visitors from all over the world every year, and Wang believes Taiwan has the potential to be like this. "Taiwan's landscape is so beautiful," she says, and "some scenery can only be seen from the train." 王菱檥說：「台鐵不只是交通工具，而是旅遊的起始點。」她希望未來可帶動民眾搭乘火車在島內旅遊的風氣，放眼各國的觀光列車如日本、義大利等，每年吸引全球民眾到訪，「相信台灣有這方面的潛力，台灣景觀太美了，有些景色只有坐火車才看得到」。

Topic 4: The hydrogen, or hydrail, train is set to run in Lower Saxony starting in December 2017.

氫動力火車，或稱「hydrail」，2017 年 12 月將在德國西北部的下薩克森邦上路。
The train — called the "Coradia iLint" — has been developed over the past two years by French company Alstom. 這種火車稱為「柯納狄亞」，由法國「阿斯頓」公司耗時 2 年開發。

The hydrogen train operates using a hydrogen fuel tank, stored on the roof of the train, that in turn powers a fuel cell to produce electrical energy. This technology provides a new environmentally friendly alternative to the diesel trains that are still used across much of Germany. 這種氫動力火車的動力來自位於車頂的氫氣箱，可驅動燃料電池產生電力。這項技術為德國許多地區仍在使用的柴油火車提供新的環保替代選擇。

Engineers have been developing 'hydrail' technology for the last 15 years, but mostly with freight trains. 工程師研發氫動力火車技術已有 15 年之久，但主要用途多限於貨運。

The new Alstom train will be the first hydrogen passenger train to regularly operate on long-distance journeys. 阿斯頓公司的新火車將是第一種固定長途行駛的氫動力客運火車。

With a full tank, the new locomotive will be able to travel 600 to 800 kilometers. 一旦氫氣箱滿載，這種新式火車頭將可行駛 600 至 800 公里。

Because of its much larger fuel capacity, the train does not have to confront the same problems that hydro-cars face with refueling. Another advantage is its quietness: even at its top speed of 140 km/h, the only noise is that produced by the motion of the wheels and air resistance. 由於具備更大燃料儲載，氫動力火車可免於以往氫氣車輛必須經常充電的老問題。另外一個優點則是安靜：即便是以每小時 140 公里的極速行駛，也只有車輪運動與空氣阻力產生的噪音。

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讀了一堆自我成長的書，每本講的都不一樣，看完反而更迷茫？選A也對、選B也對，結果什麼都沒選，就這樣耗著。這集阿鍵老師帶來一本書——Michael Hyatt 的《Free to Focus》，裡面有個概念叫 Freedom Compass，一個羅盤，直接幫你搞清楚你的時間和精力到底該往哪個方向去。
四個方向，你現在站在哪一格？
想像一下，你每天在竹科開車上班，路上塞著，ICRT 開著，但你根本不知道剛才播了什麼。聽是有聽，心思早就飄走了。這就是問題所在。
Freedom Compass 把你的所有活動分成四個象限，一個軸是你的熱情（有沒有興趣），另一個軸是你的能力（做不做得來）。
最理想的當然是兩個都高——叫做 Desire Zone。你有興趣、你做得到，你每天就會愈做愈想做。聽起來很廢話，可是大部分的人根本搞不清楚自己到底對什麼有感。John老師分享說他有一段時間突然迷上研究電動磨豆機，每晚睡前一定要看一段 YouTube，從完全看不懂零件名稱，到最後搞懂整台構造，那個過程其實就是 Desire Zone，學到爽為止。
那個讓你覺得很安全但其實沒在進步的區域
台北上班族最常待的地方，其實是 Distraction Zone。高能力、低熱情。你做起來很順手、很不費力，但沒什麼成就感，就是那種薪水小偷的 autopilot 狀態。
用學英文來說，就是你現在還在背單字。考試型英文背了二十年，很熟，但對你現在要用英文開會、做簡報、跟外國客戶 small talk，其實幫助有限。繼續做同樣的事，邊際效應越來越薄，你以為自己在學，其實只是讓自己感覺有在學。
然後還有一格最慘——Disinterest Zone。你沒有熱情，也沒有能力，完全不想碰、可是又被逼著要做。像是公司要你考一張根本不知道有什麼用的英文證照，或是老闆說年底前要用英文做一份報告，完全找不到動力那種感覺。John老師說，這一格就只有消耗，消耗你的時間、你的熱情、你對學習這件事的信心。能不待就不要待。
「成長」不一定要很痛，但要有點挑戰
最值得聊的是第四格——Disruption Zone。你有興趣，但能力還跟不上，有點challenge、有點吃力，但是那個成就感很真實。
阿鍵老師說他每週在準備 English Café 的筆記，必須先自己消化才能整理，那個過程對他來說就是 Disruption Zone。John老師也說，有時候看美劇看到一句長句子，翻譯翻得不好，他會倒帶、自己重新理解一遍，然後發現自己懂了——那個瞬間你就升到 Desire Zone 了，因為你喜歡這個解謎的過程。
重點不是你今天是哪一格，因為這個羅盤是動態的，你的狀態一直在變。但如果你每次通勤都把 podcast 當背景音樂在聽，嗯，可能要好好想一下，你是在學英文，還是在讓自己覺得有在學英文。

Summary
About 20 years ago, a landmark study found that toddlers before the age of 3 in low-income families would hear 30million less words than the more affluent families, putting them at disadvantage before they start school. Now, a growing number of researches has found that it’s the quality of communication between children, parents, and caregivers that is more important than the number of words children hear. According to research observations, the frequent use of parentese — the slow, high-pitched voice commonly used for talking to babies — were reliable predictors of language ability at age 2. Professor Anne Fernald of Stanford suggests that increased quantity of language inevitably leads to better quality. When you learn to talk more, you tend to speak in more diverse ways and elaborate more, and that helps the child’s cognitive development.

原討論文章: https://www.15mins.today/blog/ep-938-new-thoughts-on-math-of-effective-baby-talk

Vocabulary and Sample Sentences:

Affluent adj. having a great deal of money The affluent families were previously thought to have an advantage in children’s development. Affluent communities tend to have more educational resources available for children

Correlation n. mutual relationship or connection to two or more things The total number of words heard by a child has no correlation to the child’s future ability. Research has found high correlation between oil prices and the American dollar.

Proficiency n. high degree of competence or skill Toastmasters club is a great place to improve your English proficiency. Language proficiency comes with practice and long-term use.

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台股衝破歷史新高 40,000 點！這個消息最近是不是也在你的 Line 群組裡炸鍋了？本週《英語咖啡館》John 老師和剛結束蜜月旅行回歸的 Patrick 老師，要來聊聊這波台股熱潮背後的市場心理、投資觀念，以及不可不學的財經英文（還是我們通勤家族早就都會了？）

兩位老師不僅討論了 TSMC 的市場狂熱(frenzy)、FOMO 錯失恐懼心理，還有 ETF、EPS、本益比等投資新手必知關鍵字。節目中也分享了各自的投資啟蒙故事，以及東西方在「談錢」這件事上很不一樣的文化態度，原來在西方，公開聊投資可能會被認為是在炫耀！？

Taiwan's stock market broke the historic high of 40,000 points! Has this news been blowing up your Line group chats recently too? This week on English Cafe, John and Patrick, who just returned from his honeymoon, discuss the market psychology behind this Taiwan stock market surge, investment concepts, and essential financial English vocabulary (or do our 15Mins family already know it all?)

The two hosts not only discuss TSMC's market frenzy, FOMO (fear of missing out), but also key terms for investment beginners like ETF, EPS, and P/E ratio. The show also shares their own investment origin stories and the very different cultural attitudes between East and West when it comes to "talking about money"—turns out in the West, openly discussing investments might be seen as bragging!?