Arm is expanding its presence in the edge computing server market as its server solutions' lower power consumption and costs are giving the chip designer competitiveness.First-tier cloud computing operators and server brands such as Amazon, Huawei and Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) have invested in development of Arm-based chips and systems, and Arm has also begun pushing Project Cassini, aiming to strengthen its server platform's ecosystem and compatibility with edge computing devices.Amazon is expected to become a major client of Arm-based cloud computing solutions. In addition to its Arm-based AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) services, the US-based datacenter operator is also set to release Arm-based Outposts hybrid cloud services by the end of 2021 to target the enterprise edge computing business.Arm-based solutions currently only account for a limited share in the server market and still have issues concerning compatibility with x86-based server hardware and software. Their ecosystem are still not yet comprehensive.But they are expected to gradually penetrate into the edge server market that is currently dominated by the x86 solutions, with more server brands and cloud computing operators to develop products based on the Arm architecture, Digitimes Research believes.

IC testing interface solution provider Chunghwa Precision Test (CHPT) has upgraded its factory in northern Taiwan into 5G-based smart facility through cooperation with Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), its parent company, according to CHPT.CHT provides a 5G enterprise-use private network mainly consisting of dedicated base stations and MEC (multi-access edge computing) equipment to match CHPT-developed smart manufacturing solutions featuring AR production management, AIoT sensors, edge computing, and AI-enhanced management.CHPT has developed smart manufacturing solutions for in-house for five years, with more than 1,000 AIoT sensors deployed at production lines. Through cooperation with CHT, these sensors are connected to perform various smart functions: sensors are used to real-time analyze and adjust concentrations of metals and compounds in chemical liquids; and edge computing systems are integrated with equipment, MES (manufacturing execution system), RFID and AGVs (automated guided vehicles).Smart manufacturing solutions have improved production efficiency, yield rates and working environments, and have decreased wastewater and wastes, said CHPT chairman Lin Kuo-feng.CHT Sheih Chi-mau (left) and CHPT chairman Lin Kuo-fengPhoto: Shihmin Fu, Digitimes, April 2021

TSMC has aggressive plans for expanding its fab capacity. In a recent letter sent to clients about canceling discounts for foundry service quotes, TSMC discloses it plans to spend US$100 billion on capacity expansions for the next three years - an annually average that is more than its 2021 capex budget. Chip shortages have been sending vendors in many sectors scrambling for supply - from manufacturing services, components to devices. Notebook ODMs describe the volumes of orders they have been receiving as "ridiculously" big, clearly as a result of overbooking by clients who just keep placing orders, despite possibilities that end-market demand could chill overnight. And chip shortages may not ease until at least first-half 2022, according to Arm Taiwan's president.TSMC to spend US$100 billion on capacity expansion in 3 years: TSMC has notified customers that price discounts for all orders next year will be canceled and that it will spend US$100 billion on capacity expansion projects in the next three years, according to sources from the IC design sector.Notebook ODMs express concerns about overbooking: Notebook ODMs have expressed concerns about overbooking by clients who continue to step up their pace of orders, according to industry sources.Chip shortage may ease as early as 1H22, says Arm Taiwan: Chip shortages may start easing as early as the first half of 2022, according to CK Tseng, president for Arm Taiwan.

Natural disasters represent a major threat to infrastructure, industries, and human civilization. That is why the scientific and technological communities have always paid close attention to research related to earthquake prediction. The R&D team at Symroc, an innovative technology company in Canada, has developed an earthquake monitoring solution based on high-performance ultra-low frequency sensing technology. It has been applied to oil wells and natural gas extraction operations, and has been tremendously successful in many cases.Symroc was initially founded to resolve two key issues. First, the limitations of sensing technology make it difficult to verify stratum movements. Interpretations based on poor data also cause misjudgments, false alarms, waste of time and costs to do repeated inspections. All of these issues are causing major headaches for the industry. Second, building a comprehensive vibration detection system possessing high-precision sensors and data analysis capabilities would require heavy investment.Cost effective, real-time, and ultra-high quality sensing technology shapes a successful business modelSymroc's innovative geological vibration sensors feature innovative patented industrial designs and technologies, allowing them to simultaneously resolve the two aforementioned issues. Its cost advantages and ultra-high quality sensing results are highly praised by customers and users for their outstanding sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio, precision, and timeliness in real-time data transmission.At present, Symroc already boasts unique experience and designs for dealing with strong and weak seismic wave detections, early earthquake warnings, land sliding and slope monitoring in civil engineering, and other related applications.Using vibration signal detection to facilitate machine maintenance and efficient malfunction diagnosisSymroc has also entered the industrial applications field and actively developed risk control solutions to predict shutdown maintenance schedules, misdiagnosis, etc. for machines and other critical facilities and structures. Take the Canadian Pacific Railway as an example. It uses Symroc's technology to detect rail wear and tear as well as fractures. This helps the company to adopt a partial replacement method and save millions in replacement costs. The technology also allows the Canadian Pacific Railway to collect the continuously-updated first-hand vibration data, which are vital to safety assessment and data analysis.At present, Symroc's commercial deployment in Taiwan includes the kickoff of preliminary partnerships formed with National Taiwan University, National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE), and Sanlien Technology. Symroc is also maintaining its connections with the industry and actively searching for new business opportunities with assistance from the Trade Office of Canada in Taipei.Canada-based startup Symroc CEO, Wilson Howe

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.US, Europe "unrealistic" in fab expansion drive, says TSMC chair: It would be "economically unrealistic" for the US and Europe to expand semiconductor fab capacity to satisfy their own needs, according to TSMC chairman Mark Liu.UMC, PSMC to raise foundry quotes by another 10-20%: Pure-play foundries United Microelectronics (UMC) and Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing (PSMC) will initiate further price hikes of about 10-20% with the new pricing to be effective starting April, according to industry sources.EV industry bracing for long-term growth: Despite the pandemic-induced impacts, global electric vehicle (EV) shipments reached as high as 2.5 million units in 2020 - an achievement that has encouraged governments in advanced economies to accelerate policy formation that will be favorable to the advancement of the EV industry, according to industry experts.

Smartphones released by first-tier brands in India in 2020 were mostly models priced below INR15,000 (US$205), showing the purchasing power of Indian consumers is still rather weak, according to Digitimes Research's latest study on India's smartphone market.In India's entry-level handset market segment, Oppo's sub-brand Realme and Transsion's local brand had stronger on-year sales growths than most other vendors in 2020, enabled by their strategies of flooding the market with multiple different-spec models.In the high-end market segment, Apple had the best shipment performance in 2020.Despite the coronavirus pandemic and the Indian government raising goods and service tax (GST), India's smartphone sales only went down slightly from a year ago in 2020, Digitimes Research's data shows.Smartphones with 5G support also entered the India market and are gradually becoming more price-friendly. The release of OnePlus' Nord series 5G devices in the third quarter triggered a price decline in the entry-level segment.But 4G will remain the mainstream telecom technology in India for the upcoming few years, as 5G commercialization and infrastructure construction are still progressing slowly.

The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is speeding up. As thinking shifts from fossil fuels to all-electric, visions of a brighter, more optimistic world come into view. But even here, there are challenges ahead, especially when it comes to fuse protection of the battery.An electric vehicle charging station, also called EV charging point, is a specialist piece of equipment that supplies electric energy for the recharging of electric vehicles, such as 100% battery electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrids.As plug-in hybrid, electric vehicles and battery electric vehicle ownership is expanding, there is a growing need for widely distributed publicly accessible charging stations, some of which support faster charging at higher voltages and currents than are available from residential EV charging points. Many charging stations are on-street facilities provided by electric utility companies or located at retail shopping centers and operated by many private companies. These charging stations provide one or a range of heavy duty or special connectors that conform to the variety of electric charging connector standards.Current electric vehicles increasingly require stronger fuses, for example in the form of a fusible link, as the power density of the batteries increases. Therefore, additional, more powerful fuses must protect the circuits from over-current and short circuit. These not only have to reliably protect the system against high currents, they also have to function safely at ever higher system voltages. Failure of the protective devices can result in injuries to the operator and serious damage to the system.Fuses for electric vehicles consist of a fusible link that connects two electrical contacts and is surrounded by an insulating housing. In use, the electrical contacts are galvanically separated, so that the melting of the fusible link interrupts the circuit. The choice of material and geometry of the fusible link are decisive for the tripping characteristics of the respective fuse. Fusible conductors are usually made of fine silver or a copper-silver alloy.Such a fuse element is heated by the current flowing through it. If the rated current of the fuse is significantly exceeded for a certain period of time, the fuse element will melt. After the fusible conductor metal has melted, a plasma is created in the gaseous state of the fusible conductor and an arc is formed, the intensity of which depends largely on the current strength and voltage of the current to be switched off. In the event of a short circuit, this current can be several orders of magnitude higher than the rated current of the fuse.To extinguish the arc, the fusible conductor is surrounded by compacted, high-purity quartz sand, which melts in the area of influence of the arc and combines with the fusible metal to form a non-conductive sintered body. After the arc has been extinguished, the circuit to be protected is disconnected. The sand filling also suppresses the gas pressure of the explosively vaporizing fuse element. The purity, grain size and packing density of the quartz sand used are decisive for arc extinguishing. Minor inorganic contamination can lead to vitrification of the sand. This is absolutely undesirable because glass is electrically conductive when molten.In the event of a short circuit, the fuse must safely switch off the expected maximum current. The external shape of the fuse must remain intact. The tripping time of a fuse depends on the characteristics, as well as on the current as a factor of the rated current. The rated current of a fuse is not a hard limit at which a fuse trips if it is only slightly exceeded.High-voltage overcurrent fuses for electric car are relatively new products. They combine the properties of low-voltage fuses and automotive fuses. Manufacturers must take into account the special environmental condition for mobile use in vehicles when constructing and designing components.Mechanical loads from shocks and vibrations must not affect the functional reliability and service life, just like electrical load changes or extreme ambient temperatures and high humidity. This is why they differ significantly in terms of structure and material selection from those fuses that are only intended for stationary use.With the increased power density of electrical storage devices for electric vehicles, the requirements for electrical protective components are also changing. Increasingly stronger fuses are therefore required both for the charging infrastructure and for use in the on-board systems.For electric vehicle companies that require absolute protection for sensitive internal components and a quality guarantee, look no further. Certified under one of the automotive industry's most widely used-standard for quality management - IATF 16949 - Conquer fuses are sure to deliver outstanding quality and safety. As the automotive industry delivers increasingly richer and fuller in-car entertainment experiences, Conquer is keeping pace to ensure electric vehicles with higher electricity loads can continue to deliver outstanding product safety. Supported by state-of-the-art, fully automated production facilities, Conquer enable leaders across the industry to safely keep up with the latest trends.Conquer power fuse K8F series, with voltage rating up to 800V, offer optimal protection against overload and short-circuit events in high power AC/DC circuits.Conquer - The best choice for automotive circuit protectionConquer power fuse K8F series, with voltage rating up to 800V, offer optimal protection against overload and short-circuit events in high power AC/DC

TSMC is fast advancing its manufacturing processes. The foundry house's N4 - an extension of its 5nm process family - will be available for volume production in fourth-quarter 2021 ahead of its original scheduled. Supply constraints have been haunting many industry sectors for months, and Macronix expects NOR flash supply to stay tight for the next two years. In the display sector, Corning has announced price hikes for its glass substrates starting second-quarter 2021 to reflect increasing production costs and expenses.TSMC to volume produce 4nm chips ahead of schedule: TSMC will move N4 (namely 4nm process) to volume production in the fourth quarter of 2021, ahead of the 2022 timeframe set previously, according to sources at fab toolmakers.NOR flash supply to stay tight in next 2 years, says Macronix chair: The ongoing tight supply of NOR flash chips will likely persist over the next two years, according to Miin Wu, chairman for Macronix International.Corning to hike glass substrate prices in 2Q21: Corning has disclosed plans to hike its display glass substrate prices in the second quarter of 2021 to reflect increased costs in logistics, energy, raw materials and other operational expenses during the current glass shortage.

As supply of LCD panels remains tight, demand is expected to stay robust in the second quarter of 2021 with their prices also expected to remain in growth track. The tight supply of analog chips, in addition to their rising quotes, also further extended the lead times needed for the delivery. MOSFETS and protective devices are also experiencing brisk orders from automotive, transmission and fast charging applications.LCD panel prices to continue rising in 2Q21: LCD panel prices will continue moving upward in second-quarter 2021 after making significant gains in the first quarter, as the supply remains constrained due to shortages of crucial upstream parts and materials, including glass substrates and LCD driver ICs, according to industry sources.Lead times for analog chips prolonged: Delivery lead times for analog chips including MCU and power MOSFET chips have been further extended, which will continue to boost the chip prices in the second quarter of 2021, according to industry sources in Taiwan.MOSFETs, protective devices badly needed for car, consumer applications: Demand for discrete power components such as MOSFET and rectifier diodes as well as TVS (transient voltage surge suppressor) and ESD (electrostatic discharge) protection devices is ramping up significantly for automotive, transmission and consumer fast charging applications, according to industry sources.

Apply's supply chain has started production for next-generation AirPods. Backend service supplier ASE Technology is packaging and testing optical sensors for new AirPods expected to launch in third-quarter 2021. Amid serious shortages of chipmaking capacity, pure-play foundry house PSMC has broken ground for a new 12-inch fab in northern Taiwan. Semiconductor costs are rising, and makers must be eager to find out whether they are having the best prices. Digitimes recently talked to Lytica chairman Ken Bradley to find out how his Canada-based company's SaaS service helps clients make better deals when buying or selling components.ASE starts optical sensors production for next-generation AirPods: Backend house ASE Technology has kicked off optical sensors production for the next-generation AirPods slated for launch in the third quarter of 2021, according to industry sources.PSMC breaks ground for new 12-inch wafer fab in northern Taiwan: Pure-play foundry Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing (PSMC) broke ground for a new 12-inch wafer fab at the Tongluo campus of the Hsinchu Science Park (HSP) on March 25.SaaS for component pricing: Q&A with Lytica chairman Ken Bradley: How much should one pay for a chip or a component? Lytica, a Canadian supply-chain pricing analytics company, has the answer. Founded by former Nortel chief procurement officer Ken Bradley, who, like many others in the IT industry, was once bemused by component pricing, Lytica is transforming itself into a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, helping OEM and EMS make well-informed deals when buying or selling.