Highlights of the day: DRAM prices rising
DRAM supply has already fallen short of demand with the chip shortages worsening. DRAM contract prices are expected to continue rising in second-quarter 2021. The coronavirus pandemic has decimated many industries, but the semiconductor...
SEMI upbeat about semiconductor market outlook
The emerging 5G, HPC, AI and automotive applications will be driving the global semiconductor market growth in 2021 and over the next several years, according to Clark Tseng, director of Industry Research and Statistics at SEMI.
About 795.7 million smartphone application processors will be shipped to China-based handset vendors in 2021, up 12.2% on year, forecasts Digitimes Research.
Qualcomm chip supply reportedly tight
Qualcomm reportedly has extended the delivery lead times for its mobile chips as the global semiconductor supply chain remains under pressure amid tight capacity, according to industry sources.
Rising foundry and backend quotes are prompting IC design houses to make efforts to pass on higher production costs to customers, according to industry sources in Taiwan.
Memory-IC design house Elite Semiconductor Memory Technology (ESMT) has reported net profit surged over 50% sequentially and 100% on year to NT$139 million (US$4.99 million) in January 2021, driven by a rally in specialty DRAM prices. EPS for the month came to NT$0.48.
Global semiconductor sales increase in January 2021
Worldwide sales of semiconductors reached US$40 billion in January 2021, rising 13.2% on year and about 1% sequentially, according to SIA.
TSMC prioritizes 12-inch fab expansion
TSMC has prioritized expanding 12-inch fabs over 8-inch ones, and it may be easier for the foundry house to squeeze in extra orders from some clients its 12-inch fabs in the second quarter, according to industry sources.
Highlights of the day: TSMC expanding 5nm capacity
TSMC is fast expanding capacity for 5nm process to meet strong demand from a host of heavyweight clients, including Apple, AMD and MediaTek. The foundry house's capacity for 5nm process is expected hike by one third in second-half 2021...
Phison puts increased focus on non-CE apps
Phison Electronics, which specializes in flash storage devices and controller ICs, has put increased focus on enterprise, automotive and industrial applications while lowering sales generated from the consumer electronics sector as a proportion of company revenue to 30%.
MediaTek has obtained sufficient 6nm and 7nm process capacity at TSMC, which will allow the mobile SoC specialist to boost its 5G chip shipments in 2021, according to industry sources.
IC manufacturing capacity has been tight, resulting in chip shortages that some expect to last into 2020. Shortages amid strong demand are sending product prices up - one of those being MOSFET...
China MOSFET suppliers to raise prices again
China-based power MOSFET and other power device suppliers have already raised their quotes by 10-15% recently amid tight foundry capacity, and will make another upward price adjustments, according to industry sources.
Macroblock has developed miniLED backlighting driver ICs and is likely to begin volume shipments for such driver ICs for use in tablets, notebooks, gaming monitors and TVs in second-half 2021, according to company chairman Yang Li-chang.
Foundry and backend capacity constraints resulting in a global shortage of semiconductors will likely persist through 2022, according to Silicon Motion Technology, a Taiwan-based NAND flash device controller specialist.
Silicon Motion breaks ground for new HQ
Flash device controller IC company Silicon Motion Technology held a groundbreaking ceremony on February 24 for its new headquarters in northern Taiwan.
Unusually low rainfalls in Taiwan over the past year have resulted in water shortages, particularly in the southern parts of the country. Some companies at the Southern Taiwan Science Park, including TSMC, have started buying truckloads...
Qualcomm may switch to TSMC 4nm node in 2022
Qualcomm will continue to fabricate its next-generation 5G mobile chip, tentatively dubbed Snapdragon 895, at Samsung Electronics built using an upgraded 5nm process, but may switch to TSMC in 2022 using its 4nm process, according to industry sources.
Airoha terminates acquisition deal with IC Plus
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chipmaker Airoha Technology has terminated a plan to acquire fellow PHY transceiver and media controller IC vendor IC Plus, as the latter's shareholders have decided to waive the planned acquisition project.
Holtek upbeat about 2021 and beyond
MCU specialist Holtek Semiconductor is optimistic about its sales and profits in 2021 and beyond, as the company has seen its order visibility extend into 2022, according to company president Gordon Gau.
The frigid weather that halted production in the US state of Texas may prompt IDMs to mull adjusting outsourcing strategies. Seeking more support from manufacturing partners, particularly those in Taiwan, may be a way for IDMs to diversify...
Billings among North American manufacturers of semiconductor production equipment topped US$3 billion in January 2021, according to SEMI.
MediaTek keen to maintain momentum in 5G SoC market
Having seen its revenues hit a record high of over US$10 billion in 2020, MediaTek is lookking to cash in on the momentum to push the sale of its next-generation 5G SoC solutions, according to industry sources.
Taiwan-based IC design houses backed by large-scale and well-established parent companies, such as LCD driver IC firms Fitipower Integrated Technology and Raydium Semiconductor, will be more capable of mitigating the impact of increasingly tight capacity at foundries in 2021, according to market sou...
Taiwan suppliers of high-end IC substrates, HDI boards, rigid PCBs with high layer counts and flexible...
Key components news coverage
Taiwan large-size LCD panels – 4Q 2020
Taiwan's large-size LCD panel shipments grew 4.4% sequentially and 26.5% on year to come to 74.76 million units in the fourth...
Global tablet market – 4Q 2020
Fourth-quarter 2020 global tablet shipments amounted to 51.56 million units, soaring 17.6% from a quarter ago and 19.3% from...
China smartphone AP shipments – 4Q 2020
Fourth-quarter 2020 smartphone AP shipments to China-based vendors amounted to 211.6 million units, up 9.9% quarter-over-quarter...
Global server shipment forecast and industry analysis, 2021
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China semiconductor industry: From 13th 5-year Plan to 14th 5-year Plan, 2015-2025
China government has always attached great importance to advances of the semiconductor sector, but semiconductors' vital role...
Global LCD panel shipment forecast, 2021 and beyond
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