Apple is expected to soon unveil a miniLED-backlit iPad Pro, and its miniLED supply chain is ready to expand shipments, having improved yield rates. In the semiconductor sector, supply for packaging tools has been extremely tight, with equipment vendors reluctant to expand production, wary of possibly a lurking bubble in the market. And MediaTek is keen to maintain its leadership in the 5G phone market segment. The IC vendor has stepped up purchases of BT substrates for use in its 5G mobile SoCs to make sure it has enough supply.
TSMC chairman Mark Liu took part in a White House-hosted online meeting of the world's semiconductor powerhouses on Tuesday. After the meeting, Liu reiterated the Taiwan-based foundry house's commitment to building a wafer fab in the US state of Arizona. The semiconductor supply chain has been troubled by shortages for months, with major Taiwanese IC vendors set for another wave of price hikes in second-quarter 2021. Development of microLED applications have been gaining momentum, and commercialized products may be available as early as year-end 2021.
FitTech has received significant orders for equipment for probing, testing and sorting miniLED used in backlighting, with shipments scheduled until September 2021, according to company chairman Hsu Chiu-tien.
Leading China-based panel makers China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT), BOE Technology and Tianma Micro-electronics have stepped up efforts developing miniLED applications, according to industry sources.
Ennostar has invested less than NT$3.0 billion (US$106 million) to take an about 10% stake in LED chip and Si-based sensor maker Tyntek, according to industry sources.
China-based Lijing Microelectronics Technology (Jiangsu) will expand monthly miniLED packaging capacity to 800 million chips by the end of May 2021, seven months ahead of schedule, according to one of its parent companies, Leyard Optoelectronics.
LED chip and Si-based sensor chip maker Opto Tech will set up a platform for integrating sensing system technologies in a bid to offer one-stop services in the segment, according to company president David Huang.
Viewing that demand for infrared (IR) LED photo couplers has remained strong since 2020, Taiwan-based Lite-On Technology and Everlight Electronics have raised quotes by 10-20% and 10-30%, respectively in the first quarter of 2021.
Third-party foundries will continue to play an important role in Intel's freshly unveiled IDM 2.0 strategy. TSMC is currently a major contract chipmaker for the US chip giant, and is expected to remain so in the foreseeable future. Chip shortages are worsening, spreading across many different market segments. Sercomm has disclosed networking chip lead times have now extended to a year. In Taiwan, some major companies, such as Compal and Asustek, are eyeing smart pole business opportunities. They have formed an alliance aiming to set smart pole standards for the worldwide market.
A total of 25 companies in Taiwan have newly formed a 5G Smart Pole Standard Promotion Alliance, aiming to draft technological standards and tap huge smart-city business opportunities worldwide.
LED and Si-based sensor chip maker Opto Tech has raised quotes for all product lines by 10-30%, with orders received since the beginning of 2021 subject to new pricing, according to company president David Huang.
