Wireless networking solution provider AboCom System has seen clear order visibility for the next five months, encouraging it to negotiate higher prices with customers, according to the company.
GaAs foundry Win Semiconductors expects robust power amplifier (PA) demand for 5G and Wi-Fi 6E applications to drive its revenue growth in the second half of 2021.
Asia Pacific Telecom (APT) is set to launch its MOCN (multi-operator core network) 5G services in the third quarter of 2021 with target download rate to be maintained at over 300Mbps, according to company chairman Fang Ming Lu.
Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) under Malaysia's Ministry of Finance has invited Ericsson, Huawei, ZTE, Cisco, NEC, Nokia, Samsung Electronics and FiberHome to participate in the bidding for constructing 5G infrastructure in the country, according to a report from The Edge Markets.
HTC plans to venture into the Open RAN market in cooperation with strategic partners, optimizing its expertise related to 5G private networks, communications protocols and edge computing, according to Raymond Pao, vice president of enterprise solutions.
Industry-wide shortage of foundry capacity has sent fabless IC design houses scrambling for support. They are now diversifying their foundry service suppliers in order to secure support. Foundry houses and fabless IC firms may be eager to increase their spending on capacity expansions or R&D, but backend services firms are more conservative, giving priority to raising capacity utilization and expanding capacity for mature processes. But Taiwanese backend firms are helping Apple develop dual-band 5G AiP modules that may be featured in upcoming iPhones.
Taiwania Capital is set to complete the fifth round of fundraising in June, targeting startups at Pre-A as well as Series A and Series B rounds, according to company CEO David Weng.
India-based Bharti Enterprises is to develop IoT and other communication devices with local EMS Dixon Technologies to capitalize on the government policy designed to encourage local production, according to a media report from India.
Networking device maker Arcadyan Technology expects its revenues to hit a new high in 2021, driven mainly by its enhanced product and customer portfolios despite the adverse impacts of rising production costs resulting from component shortages.
TSMC is scheduled to hold its investors' conference later this week. Market observers speculate that the foundry house may disclose plans to revise upward its capex budget for 2021, judging from the fact TSMC has recently vowed to spend US$100 billion on capacity expansions in the next three years. ODMs Quanta Computer and Compal Electronics are optimistic about their notebook shipment growths in second-quarter 2021, but remain wary of components shortages undermining their shipments for full-year 2021. Shortages of audio+LAN chips from Realtek have been described as one of the major factors stalling production for many end-market devices, including Chromebooks.
The short supply of automobile-use Ethernet chips from Taiwan-based Realtek Semiconductor is unlikely to result in significant impacts on the global automotive supply chains, according to industry observers.
Network and communication IC supplier Realtek Semiconductor reportedly is currently unable to fulfill its orders for audio+LAN chips from a number of clients, affecting the production of end-market devices such as Chromebooks, according to industry sources.
Chipmakers are set to roll out Wi-Fi 6E chip solutions in the second half of the year, bringing new business opportunities for IC test and certification labs including Sporton International.
Vietnam has joined the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) and RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), and has signed FTAs (free-trade agreements) with the EU and the UK. These deals have positioned Vietnam as a preferred location for manufacturers seeking to disperse their capacity deployments amid the US-China trade disputes.
Despite recent speculation about decreasing demand from Apple for semiconductor manufacturing services, the latest news from the supply chain has indicated TSMC will start shipping chips for the next-generation iPhones by the end of May ahead of schedule, with the foundry set to see major increases in output from its advanced processes. The Taiwanese foundry has also recently obtained rush orders from Qualcomm for making the US client's high-end 5G chips. For wireless connectivity, Digitimes recently interviewed Ignion CEO Carles Puente to learn more about the company's Virtual Antenna - a small off-the-shelf antenna booster that he says simplies the design of devices and shorten their time-to-market.
Fractus Antennas, formed by engineers who invented the technology allowing smartphone antennas to automatically switch between different bandwidth networks and launched mini-antennas for the Internet of Things (IoT) era, has recently rebranded itself as Ignion.
Taiwan's III-V semiconductor players including foundries Win Semiconductors and Advanced Wireless Semiconductor (AWSC), and IDM Transcom have all reported impressive sales results for March 2021, driven by a ramp-up in power amplifier (PA) and RF demand for smartphones and Wi-Fi 6 devices, according to industry sources.
The supply chain of networking devices is experiencing the worst chip shortage in 30 years, heaping significant pressure on business operations of networking solutions providers, according to Gordon Yang, CEO of Unizyx Holding.
Taiwan's Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) is looking to establish an IoV R&D and certification center in a bid to boost development and application.
The current short supply of semiconductor fab capacity is not normal, as the overall capacity should be more than enough to satisfy all demand in normal times, according TSMC chairman Mark Liu, who describes as "economically unrealistic" attempts by the US and Europe to expand their own fab capacity to satisfy all of their needs. But the short supply has been sending foundry quotes rising, with UMC and PSMC set to adjust upward their quotes by 10-20% starting April for rush orders. The eletric vehicle (EV) industry has seen fast development with rosy long-term outlook, thanks to government policy support, according to industry experts speaking at a forum on future cars held in Taipei.
China-based PCB maker Wus Printed Circuits will see its revenue performance for 2021 hinge largely on whether demand for 5G infrastructure applications in China will rebound, according to industry sources.
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.
Global chips shortages have spread to the networking segment from notebook and automotive sectors, with delivery lead times for networking chips from vendors already extended to as long as 50 weeks due to extremely tight foundry capacity, according to James Wang, president at Sercomm, a Taiwan-based broadband networking solutions provider.
