Executives over at Texas Instruments/Acer Inc., the computer-chip joint venture of TI and Taiwan's leading computer maker, took a look in June at plunging prices for memory chips and did the sensible thing--they postponed construction of a $1 billion semiconductor factory. Another Taiwanese company, Hualon Co., went a step further, canceling a new plant. With Taiwanese companies building 13 chipmaking plants in the coming 18 months, no doubt other Taiwanese who have ordered expensive machinery wish they could apply the brakes, too. They might not need to. Yes, a worldwide glut in dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips has pushed prices to unforeseen lows. While a shakeout seems likely among newer arrivals, the island's nimble companies may stand a better chance to gain market share in the medium term than giants in Japan and the U.S. "This could be a very good opportunity for Taiwan companies," says strategist John Nelson at Jardine Fleming Securities in Taipei.