SoftBank Group Corp. is in talks to acquire Graphcore Ltd., a struggling British semiconductor startup once valued at $2.8 billion, according to people familiar with the deals.
The European Parliament made a significant announcement on March 13, 2024, declaring the passage of the "AI Act," set to be implemented in phases beginning in mid-2025.
AP Memory Technology, specializing in customized IoT RAM and other DRAM memory, saw a sequential fall in operating profits of approximately 63% in the first quarter of 2024 owing to seasonality. However, the company remains optimistic about its business prospects for the second half of 2024.
The use of Generative AI (GenAI) with Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to expedite the design process has emerged as a new trend, according to Cadence Design Systems.
Apple unveiled its newest iPads, including its slimmest offering yet, and introduced the groundbreaking M4 chip, a technological marvel capable of tackling AI tasks on the device. However, Apple provided limited details about the AI capabilities, with plans to reveal more at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10.
During the 2024 World Governments Summit, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang championed the concept of Sovereign AI, advocating for nations worldwide to establish their own national AI infrastructure.
According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Apple is said to be working on a chip designed specifically for running artificial intelligence software on data center servers. Internally referred to as Project ACDC (Apple Chips in Data Center), the project has been in progress for several years, intending to utilize Apple's expertise to enhance the company's server infrastructure. Apple declined to comment.
The first year of the AI PC era saw major Chinese manufacturers like Lenovo and Huawei aggressively positioning themselves in the AI PC market to capture higher market shares. Looking at the Chinese market, the second half of 2024 is expected to see a replacement wave for PCs, driven not only by the advent of AI PCs but also because domestic PC purchases made 2-3 years ago are approaching their replacement cycle.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently concluded his Southeast Asia tour, during which he visited Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia, and met with government leaders. From Nadella's itinerary and Microsoft's announcements, it can be observed that Microsoft is bullish on the development potential of AI in Southeast Asia and is accelerating local data center infrastructure construction and digital talent cultivation.
In an exclusive video interview with DIGITIMES Asia managing editor Judy Lin (JL), Marc Hijink (MH), the acclaimed Dutch journalist and author of "Focus - the ASML Way," during his visit to Taipei, Taiwan, delves into the intricate world of ASML, a global leader in semiconductor lithography machines.
Taiwan-based IC design houses are generally bullish about their market prospects for the second half of 2024, notwithstanding the persistently unfavorable macroeconomic climate, according to industry sources.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.'s shares jumped to a record high after posting its strongest monthly sales growth since the start of 2023, potentially raising expectations for iPhone and AI server sales.
SK Hynix reportedly designated its M17 factory site as another new DRAM production base soon after announcing in late April its investment in the M15X DRAM plant in Cheongiu, South Korea, aiming to start production before the completion of the Yongin semiconductor cluster to ensure sufficient capacity for next-generation DRAM, including High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), for AI applications. SK Hynix, however, has denied the report.
At its recent earnings conference for the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, Apple finally strayed away from its past tight-lipped approach regarding AI and Generative AI, openly discussing them during questioning. Naturally, AI became one of the most discussed topics during the earnings conference, second only to the Chinese market.
AI PCs are estimated to be a focal point of the industry in the second half of 2024. However, there has yet to be a clear definition of what constitutes an AI PC. Analysis by the notebook supply chain pointed out that, from an Industrial Design (ID) perspective, two design aspects of AI PCs are most likely to subvert the industry's imagination: keyboards and screens.
The most unexpected development in Qisda's history occurred in 2005, when the company's predecessor, BenQ, failed to merge with Siemens Mobile. It made a large loss of NT$30 billion (US$927.4 million) at the time. For the industry, BenQ's failure to integrate Siemens Mobile remains a lethal mergers and acquisitions lesson.
The shortage of Nvidia GPU supply is easing, allowing players in the server supply chain, such as cooling solutions provider Sunon, to ramp up shipments starting in the first quarter of 2024 and expect continued quarter-by-quarter growth, according to industry sources.
Amidst the global economic downturn and the continuous slowdown in end-product IT demand, Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) and LG Innotek, which previously experienced severe performance slumps, have outperformed industry expectations in the first quarter of 2024 by supplying high-value-added products for AI and EV demand.
In the first quarter of 2024, AMD's data center and client revenue experienced year-on-year growth rates of over 80%. The company is optimistic that AI will fuel these two businesses to continue to grow. In contrast, AMD's gaming business saw a significant decline of nearly 50%, with prospects appearing even bleaker. It's speculated that this could affect the launch of new products.
