Autonomous driving solutions developer Mobileye and China-based automaker FAW announced on September 14 that they have established a strategic partnership. Mobileye's SuperVision and Chauffeur platforms will enable advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) on FAW's vehicles starting at the end of 2024.
Tesla's Mexican plant is under construction. Besides the EV giant, emerging US carmakers like Lucid and Rivian and veteran General Motors and Ford all plan to set up a production base at the US-Mexico border. Monterrey and Juarez City host most of the companies.
The Chinese government and state-owned enterprise employees have long been "discouraged" from using foreign brand smartphones, including Apple's iPhone, during official hours. Recent reports from The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times have reignited discussions on this topic. In response, Chinese officials have officially stated that there is no explicit ban on iPhones.
In the face of the semiconductor industry's downturn, GlobalWafers continues to maintain a strong performance, achieving record-high combined revenue in the first half of 2023. However, for the South Korean semiconductor industry, it is currently facing a challenging situation due to its prior high-priced, long-term contracts with GlobalWafers, making it difficult to manage the increasing inventory in these tough economic times.
Competition between the Arm architecture and open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) RISC-V has heated up recently and become a focal point as TSMC invests in Arm. Premium and strategy flexibility are the two main topics in the race.
Before 2022, one 6-inch SiC wafer without epitaxy produced by European and US foundries cost about US$1,000. While the quote has stayed at the same level for several years, it might only be a reference as the supply was unstable.
The European Commission announced on September 13 that it will initiate an investigation to decide whether it will increase tariffs on China-made EVs. While the Chinese automotive industry has anticipated the move, it said the European Union should view the development of China-based EV makers objectively rather than increasing their operation costs.
Even though SMIC is lagging behind TSMC and Samsung Electronics by 5-6 and 4-5 years, respectively, it still managed to cross the threshold of advanced semiconductor manufacturing by successfully manufacturing Huawei's Kirin 9000S processor with multiple exposure processes using its FinFET N+2 node on immersion DUV machines. However, the Kirin 9000S chip that SMIC produced for Huawei is not a "breakthrough." It is only a "breakout" of the restrictions imposed by the US.
Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on September 11 that the country will develop a policy to ban the exports of rare earth raw materials in an effort to boost local industry, according to local news outlet New Strait Times.
As Tesla proceeds with the construction project of a gigafactory in Mexico, the total investment is said to surge, according to Mexico's Nuevo Leon governor, Samuel Garcia, who added that the EV maker and its suppliers are expected to invest a total of US$15 billion, triple the original amount.
Recently, Chinese smartphone manufacturers are aggressively incorporating large language models (LLMs) into their devices, and this trend deserves a closer look. Apple appears not in a hurry to join the battle any time soon, and therefore do not expect the iPhone 15 that is slated to be launched these days to have LLM inside.
Leading Chinese EV industry players BYD, CATL and Horizon Robotics participated in the IAA Mobility 2023 in Germany last week. Robin Zeng, CATL's founder and chairman, mentioned the sustainability of batteries and said the company already operates four zero-carbon battery plants. His remarks were viewed as a response to the European Union's new Batteries Regulation.
Apple's competitors in the handset market are making conservative production plans for next year, as they have yet to see a clear picture of 2024, according to sources at OSATs.
