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.
Micron Technology announced to invest in engineering and operation centers in Mexico on May 10 that it will hire at least 100 workers by the end of 2024. It shows that in less than 6 weeks after the US and Mexico announced the Grow and Diversify the Global Semiconductor Ecosystem Initiative, semiconductor companies are quick to take action.
Leading IC packaging and testing company, ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd. reported a revenue of NT$45.82 billion for April, showing a monthly increase of 0.3% and a year-on-year increase of 5.8%. Among them, revenue from Packaging, Testing, and Materials (ATM) was approximately NT$25.19 billion, a decrease of 2.1% compared to the previous month but an increase of 8% compared to the same period last year.
Introspect Technology, a Canadian private company, introduced its M5512 GDDR7 Memory Test System, which is designed for testing GDDR7 memory controllers, GDDR7 physical layers, and GDDR7 SGRAM chips, less than one month after the graphics memory specification was announced in March 2024.
In 2000, Bill Gates visited Taiwan for the World Congress of Information Technology (WCIT), and in 2009, Steve Ballmer, the second president of Microsoft, visited Taiwan only for one day. These were the only two times that the CEOs of Microsoft visited Taiwan.
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.
N Chandrasekaran, Tata Sons chairman, will assume the role of chairman of Tata Electronics, highlighting Tata's determination to enter the semiconductor industry as the group forays into semiconductors, EVs, and iPhone manufacturing amid India's ambition to develop a local high-tech ecosystem.
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.
The explosive growth in Generative AI (GenAI) business opportunities spurred by ChatGPT drives the demand for hardware and software related to the GenAI supply chain. TSMC, the sole supplier of AI chips for Nvidia and other vendors, is also bolstering its supply chain partners with recent capacity expansions.
An Indian startup is commercializing globally significant Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology with applications in wireless transmitters and 5G networks.
Lam Research is expanding its investments to help India grow a chipmaking ecosystem. India-based Mindgroove Technologies introduced a RISC-V SoC to meet local demands.
TSMC reported consolidated net revenue of over NT$236 billion (US$7.3 billion) in April 2024 while Apple's iPhone deliveries slowed and the company still experiences the aftereffects of a strong earthquake in Taiwan on April 3.
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.
The US will triple its domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity from 2022—when the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS) was enacted—to 2032. The projected 203% growth is the largest projected percent increase in the world over that time, according to a recent SIA report.
In a recent move aimed at bolstering national security measures, the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has added 37 People's Republic of China (PRC) entities to the Entity List under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). What is noteworthy is that quantum technology is specifically mentioned for 22 newly added to the Entity List.
Compared to TSMC, Samsung Electronics, and even Intel Foundry, which have moved into sub-7nm advanced processes, GlobalFoundries (GF), which announced in August 2018 that it would indefinitely shelve its sub-7nm development, still has a chance to enter the AI market pie. Is there still a chance for GF to get a piece of the AI market pie?
Japan's semiconductor foundry startup Rapidus, now on a mission to mass produce 2nm chips by 2027, is developing advanced packaging and chiplet technologies, with a particular focus on interposer technology crucial for connecting chips with substrates. However, Rapidus is also tackling the challenge of improving production yield to win more advanced-packaging customers.
According to SMIC's financial results, it reported rising sales in the first quarter but saw worsening profits due to intensifying competition in China, particularly in commoditized products like DDI and CIS. SMIC reiterated its commitment to build fabs, with depreciation pressures expected to mount further.
Backend house ChipMOS Technologies has made upward revisions to its capex for the second half of 2024 in response to strong demand for high-end Display Driver ICs (DDI), according to the company.
Taiwan-Asia Semiconductor Corporation (TASC), in its transition from optoelectronic sensing, reported a post-tax loss of NT$38 million in the first quarter of 2024.
