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.
When the world is de-globalizing, it is the best time for Taiwan to re-connect to the global market. When a Taiwan-based IC distributor is moving toward the European and American markets via acquisition, how can Taiwanese fabless companies not gauge the pulse of this important trend?
Tata Electronics, the subsidiary of Tata Group engaged in iPhone case manufacturing, generated revenues from mobile phone parts manufacturing but incurred huge losses.
Malaysia and the broader 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations have emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of the supply chain realignment caused by rising US-China tensions, according to Trade Minister Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
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.
Light electric vehicles are rising in Asia. Canadian startup Zen Energy sees the opportunity and has developed batteries with quadruple lifetime for two and three-wheelers. The company has chosen India as a launchpad to expand its business in Asia.
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.
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.
As the talks between Tesla and the Indian government are reportedly ongoing, Tesla has been sourcing components from India, which is expected to increase in 2023.
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.
China and India have both contributed to the initial production volumes of the iPhone 15 series but the share from China is still larger than that from India with the latter still having room for growth. iPhones made in India are primarily for satisfying local demand and neighboring markets, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.
