Automakers have been diversifying battery supply in response to the surging demand for electric vehicles (EVs). Several of them, including Tesla, have taken the path to self-produce or self-develop batteries. Tesla recently said it plans to start the production of 4680 battery cells in Texas in third-quarter 2022.
Instead of selling memory chips for Japan- and US-based brands, Sahasra Semiconductors has decided to set up a memory chip assembly, test, and packaging (ATMP) unit in India and sell its own chips by December, which may be India's first memory chip ATMP plant from scratch.
India's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) incentive schemes seems to attract attention from global electronics manufacturers; however, applicants are facing new issues about custom duties on imports and delayed payout.
China's major battery makers including BYD and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) are actively proceeding with capacity expansions to meet ever-increasing demand amid growing penetration of new energy vehicles in the auto market, according to industry sources.
Amid India's efforts to build a local semiconductor supply chain, a Taiwanese delegation, with members including semiconductor manufacturers, is reportedly planning to visit India for semiconductor cooperation.
China-based power management IC (PMIC) makers are keen on developing LED driver ICs optimizing mature technology. Chinese LCD driver IC suppliers have caught up with international players technologically and have thus improved their competitiveness globally. With the global LED lighting manufacturing industry continuing to root in China, the production value of China's LED driver ICs will likely rise further accordingly.
TechInsights has claimed that Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) uses 7nm process technology to manufacture the MinerVa Bitcoin Miner SoC. The China-based foundry is still banned from purchasing crucial equipment needed to make cutting-edge chips.
Amid the global supply chain relocation, India is wooing investments to build a self-reliant electronics ecosystem. However, the Indian government is reportedly delaying the payment of subsidies, and manufacturers argue that India cannot improve its status in the global value chain without Chinese investments.
The application of power management ICs (PMIC) and power semiconductor components has expanded substantially in recent years due in part to the increasing demand from the consumer electronics, communications, industrial control and automobile sectors and in part to an accelerated replacement pace for electronics equipment.
NOR flash memory prices are poised to drop 10-15% in the third quarter of 2022, as China-based suppliers scale up their output and offer more competitive prices, according to industry sources.
Advanced computing is becoming an integral part of many verticals. Artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing (HPC), machine learning, graphics computing, and video processing applications are all demonstrating how to increase efficiency and productivity.
DIGITIMES Research recently conducted a survey of China's IC design industry. According to the data collected, China's total semiconductor imports in 2021 reached US$432.5 billion, up 23.6% from 2020, while exports totaled US$153.8 billion, up 31.9%, with a trade deficit of US$278.7 billion. Customs data is usually not too far off, but Taiwan is a major semiconductor producer and yet its exports reached only US$155.5 billion in 2021, so the structure of China's imports and exports clearly needs more explanation.
As part of its efforts to pursue net-zero carbon emissions, China has activated a new round of subsidy program to stimulate purchases of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in rural areas, which is expected to boost sales for component makers in the EV ecosystem in the second half of the year, according to supply chain sources.
