South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. is considering an expansion of its production in the US in a bid to triple sales from energy storage systems, according to a senior executive.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are trying to dominate the rapidly growing high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market both through expanding capacities and revolutionizing the next-generation processing technology.

Taiwan-based LFP battery material manufacturer Advanced Lithium Electrochemistry (Aleees) updated its website on September 11, revealing that it now works with over 48 global customers. Compared with what it disclosed in January 2023, Aleees added one large EV customer in the US and one energy storage system (ESS) customer in Taiwan and Japan, respectively. It also supplies six more companies in India.

On August 29th, Huawei unexpectedly launched the Mate 60 Pro, which has attracted widespread attention over the past 10 days. However, concerns have arisen due to challenges related to yield rates, production capacity, as a result of shift of key components, such as HiSilicon Kirin processors, to the Chinese supply chain. These concerns raise doubts about the stability of the supply.

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.

As shown in the latest IAA Mobility 2023, China-based zero or low-emission automakers are actively expanding globally, challenging established European and US competitors.

In light of the fact that Chinese foundries can still obtain used equipment and consumables for process technology upgrades despite the US ban, the US could target advanced packaging for sanctions next, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

The extent and impact of China's prohibition on the use of iPhones in the public sector remain unclear. It will certainly negatively impact iPhone sales in China, but Taiwanese IC design firms may unexpectedly become beneficiaries.

South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. is struggling to ramp up production at its plant in Poland, partly because of the attitude of local workers, its chief technology officer said.

The global foundry industry is expected to see its combined revenues return to growth in 2024, but chip demand is still estimated to be influenced by uncertainties in the consumer electronics industry, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest 20-plus page report, covering the foundry industry's latest deployment, next-generation node and technology roadmaps and capacity expansion and revenue data.

China-based new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturers have scaled up in the past years, driving the semiconductor market growth. The automotive-grade MCU market has also expanded.

China-based battery maker Gotion High-tech took another step forward to expand in the US. The company will establish a battery plant in Manteno, Illinois, in response to the growing market. The facility is slated to start production next year.

Benefitting from strong demand in the Japanese market and providing testing services to major customer TSMC, semiconductor testing giant Materials Analysis Technology's (MA-tek) Kumamoto laboratory has officially opened. It has already obtained certifications from multiple semiconductor manufacturers and received orders. Its production capacity is expected to be in high demand, and it is anticipated to significantly contribute to revenue starting in the fourth quarter of 2023.

While Apple is about to launch its iPhone 15 series, the Chinese government reportedly has ordered civil servants to stop using overseas brand mobile phones. The directive, in addition to posing a direct challenge to Apple and its supply chain, may again impact Samsung Electronics, which is seeking a sales turnaround in the Chinese market through foldable phones, as well as LG Electronics.

Samsung Electronics regards artificial intelligence (AI) as a key innovation for next-generation home appliances, and starting from 2024, the company plans to equip all its new home appliance products with neural processing units (NPUs) and invest in related chip development. The Korean tech giant will also adopt generative AI technology for Bixby, its voice assistant, to provide differentiated services.