With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the NAND flash market is experiencing significant growth. This has reignited the competition between Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix for dominance in the 3D NAND market, and their rivalry in stacking more than 400 layers of 3D NAND is expected to intensify further in 2025.
Wuhan Xinxin Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (XMC) has begun the IPO process. However, the pure-play foundry faces a challenging journey as it seeks to differentiate itself in a fiercely competitive market dominated by numerous players engaged in mature node manufacturing in China.
The US government reportedly plans to raise tariffs on China-made clean energy products, especially EVs. Supply chain sources said the move will likely achieve instant success: protecting the US automotive industry from China's price war and fostering America's local supply chain.
Huawei has recently launched its Pura 70 series smartphones featuring its in-house developed Kirin 9010 application processors made using SMIC's 7nm N+2 manufacturing process.
The newly-elected governor of Kumamoto Prefecture said he's ready to ensure wide-ranging support to woo Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to build its third Japanese chip factory there.
SMIC released its first-quarter financial report for 2024, with revenue performance showing a year-on-year increase of 19.7% to $1.75 billion, slightly better than market expectations and comparable to UMC. It also indicated continuous growth in shipment volume and a capacity utilization rate of 80.8%, higher than 76.8% in the fourth quarter of 2023 and 68.1% in the first quarter of 2023, showcasing a significant improvement.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) is reportedly expediting the development of its semiconductor packaging-use Glass Core Substrate (GCS) business by advancing the construction of a glass substrate trial production line by one quarter, aiming to stay competitive in the semiconductor materials market.
The US is poised to take a tough stance on China's clean energy products. The Biden administration reportedly will soon announce new tariffs on China-made EVs, solar goods, and other products, with EVs likely seeing their levy quadruple.
Since the commercial operation launch of China's 5G communication system in October 2019, the number of 5G mobile users in China has exceeded 800 million. The monthly shipment proportion of 5G smartphones has also increased to over 80%, becoming the mainstream specification in the market.
China's homegrown car companies attracted the automotive industry's attention at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show last week, while global automakers gathered at the site.
President Joe Biden's administration is poised to unveil a sweeping decision on China tariffs as soon as next week, one that's expected to target key strategic sectors while rejecting the across-the-board hikes sought by Donald Trump, people familiar with the matter said.
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. expects its average selling price to fall this quarter as chipmakers increase capacity, raising the alarm about growing price competition in the global market.
Market research firm DSCC recently stated that for Apple's OLED iPad launched in 2024, LG Display (LGD) is expected to account for over 65% of the panel shipments, ahead of Samsung Display (SDC). Observers in the South Korean industry have raised concerns about Apple issuing rather harsh requirements, suspecting that Apple may be attempting to shift the "responsibility" of weak sales and shipments onto the South Korean panel manufacturers
