India-based Continental Device India (CDIL Semiconductors) announced a comeback in the semiconductor manufacturing business, with two ATMP lines expected on board. The oldest discrete semiconductor provider in India is looking to capitalize on the rising demand for electronics and a growing ecosystem in India.
Chipmaking and PCB production equipment suppliers are bullish on advanced chip demand as a result of a surge in AI servers and related products, according to industry sources.
Taiwan PCB Techvest (TPT) is constructing a new plant in Vietnam that will manufacture PCBs for primarily automotive and network device applications, and expects it to be fully operational and ready for production in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Semiconductor material distributors, such as Niching Industrial, Chang Wah Technology (CWTC), Topco Scientific, and Wahlee Industrial, continue to observe relatively stable demand for automotive chips and advanced packaging, while demand for mass-market consumer devices remains slow, according to industry sources.
Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) is optimistic about GaN despite geopolitical challenges and the changing landscape in the compound semiconductor sector.
Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor company Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) is taking a fresh stab at the power component landscape, challenging the longstanding silicon hegemony. The US-based firm recently made headlines due to its ongoing patent battle with China-based GaN leader, Innoscience.
The Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) and the Thailand Trade and Economic Office (TTEO) recently jointly held the inaugural "Thai Student PCB Job Fair" aiming to help Taiwanese PCB makers address the urgent need for Thai talent to serve at their newly expanded manufacturing facilities in Thailand.
The semiconductor industry's correction period has already exceeded one year due to weak demand for smartphones and notebook computers. Nevertheless, there is a light at the end of the tunnel – applications created by generative AI are propelling robust growth for AI servers, but what comes as a surprise is the strong shipment growth seen by motherboard manufacturers.
Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, professor and Edgar L. and Harold H. Buttner Chair of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the University of California, Berkeley, sat down to an exclusive interview with DIGITIMES Asia at the sidelines of SEMICON Taiwan 2023 on September 8. As a legend who created two of the world's most prominent electronic design automation (EDA) companies and who has accumulated decades of knowledge and experience in the semiconductor industry, Professor Sangiovanni-Vincentelli shed light on how far generative AI can go as a tool to advance the semiconductor industry. He also shared his thoughts on the solution of geopolitical tensions surrounding the semiconductor supply chain. Here is part one of the interview:
With NAND flash spot prices seeing a recent bounce back, the market expected that the atmosphere of industry-wide price increases will help customers restart procurement, which can lead to an improvement in NOR Flash demand. Macronix president Chih-Yuan Lu stated that Macronix's average utilization rate has converged and capacity has recovered to around 80%. Macronix's NOR prices are 30–40% higher than its peers. If customer orders meet expectations, the company's fourth-quarter performance is expected to be better than the third quarter.
In a recent interview with DIGITIMES Asia, Fujitsu Executive Director of Strategic Alliance Unit Taisuke Iwai finds digital annealing is the game changer in the field of quantum computing.
Taiwanese gallium arsenide (GaAs) manufacturers are looking to capitalize on prospects in aerospace, defense, and satellite communications, according to industry sources.
IC packaging leadframe suppliers are bracing for on-year profit decreases in 2023, as demand for automotive chips cannot offset the impact of diminishing consumer chip demand, according to industry sources.
As India emerges as a global electronics manufacturing hub, Taiwan-based electronics suppliers are participating in Electronica India 2023, looking to expand their presence in the large market.
Taiwan-based passive component makers continue to experience sluggish demand for consumer electronics, placing their hopes on demand for automotive applications to fuel second-half revenue growth, according to industry sources.
Taiwan's flexible PCB (FPCB) production value is estimated to slip 12.6% on year to US$17.2 billion in 2023, primarily due to high inventory and sluggish demand for consumer electronics, but is expected to return to a growth track in 2024, according to a global FPCB market outlook report jointly released by the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) and the Industry, Science and Technology International Strategy Center under the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).
Lithuania, now dominating over 80% of global supply of femtosecond laser resources, has seen 14 local enterprises in the sector collaborate with Taiwan's government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to set up the Ultrafast Laser Technology Research and Innovation Center in southern Taiwan for the joint development of next-generation femtosecond laser processing equipment targeting both medical and industrial-grade applications. Both parties will each contribute EUR1.5 million to the new facility.
In the words of John Lee, chairman of Merck Group Taiwan, innovation is a key factor behind human progress. As a German company with a 355-year history, Merck has been able to weather challenges not just because of its commitment to sustainability management, but also its capacity to drive innovation.
As the trade and tech conflicts between China and the US escalate, there's a burgeoning trend among international businesses to hedge their bets despite the large local market in China. Many companies are implementing a "China+1" risk diversification plan, looking beyond China for new regional manufacturing bases.
Partly attributable to the influence of generative AI, the semiconductor sector has stabilized after its decline. Nonetheless, the industry continues to anticipate a complete rebound as both the smartphone and PC industries remain in their downturns.
Driven by the AI frenzy, high-performance computing (HPC) chips are becoming pivotal in the semiconductor landscape, spotlighting advanced packaging technologies like CoWoS. Heat dissipation characteristics in HPC chips packaged through advanced techniques are now a focal point, and this trend has bolstered the operational performance of semiconductor verification and reliability analysis (RA) labs.
According to Korean media Money S, the South Korean government and major semiconductor firms have signed a "Semiconductor Advanced Packaging Technology Cooperation Development Agreement" to collaborate in advanced IC packaging technology research and development (R&D), so to secure South Korea's competitiveness in next-generation technologies.
Thermalytica, a spin-off startup from Japan's National Institute of Materials Science (NIMS), has developed an ultra-low density and lightweight silica-based thermal insulation material. The material, TIISA, is revolutionary in its structure; its volume can expand up to ten times larger than traditional aerogel when compared at the same weight.
