Canada-based startup FLITE Material Sciences focuses development efforts on two main areas. First, FLITE develops innovative processing techniques and manufacturing technologies that protect and strengthen materials or products. The FLITE product R&D team is especially interested in green and sustainable technologies. Second, FLITE takes an in-depth look into challenges facing the manufacturing sector today and tackles them with enthusiasm and courage, particularly critical challenges that pose risks of loss or damage to corporations and societies.FLITE looks to commercialize its core technologies developed through specialized R&D strength and join forces with customers to create instantaneous values. In sum, FLITE hopes to develop products and processing techniques that are safer, more durable and more environmentally friendly.Laser surface functionalization enabling resistance to water, oil and contaminantsIn alignment with its development roadmap, FLITE's core business now focuses on laser surface functionalization. Using FLITE's clean and safe laser engineering techniques to improve surface properties of materials and thus enable resistance to water, oil and contaminants, manufacturers can protect their products while furnishing them with anti-dust, anti-fouling, anti-icing and anti-bacterial surfaces with no or reduced use of conventional chemical coating processes and techniques that may have negative environmental effects.FLITE's laser surface functionalization can also be used to reduce surface roughness and therefore lower the risks of temperature increase resulting from surface friction. It is actively exploring significant contributions to the manufacturing process of applications such as the manufacture of semiconductors, aircraft, and oil and gas products. FLITE expects that the laser engineering field testing and market validation will lead to becoming a trusted and adopted solution in multiple industries. FLITE also licenses its patented laser devices and technologies built on the foundation of its laser engineering to manufacturers or system maintenance service providers with a view to fostering long-term win-win partnerships.With promising potential for application in high-precision processing, laser surface functionalization drives industrial upgradeUnder the match-making efforts of startup incubator Canadian Technology Accelerator and startup community Garage+, FLITE has reached out to manufacturers in Taiwan and is set to begin closer partnership talks for a few promising applications after the Lunar New Year holidays. If everything goes as expected, FLITE will set up a branch office in Taiwan, which will enable it to not only provide prompt technical support locally but also explore greater and broader partnership opportunities.As a startup in its early stage of development, FLITE expects to engage in 18 joint development projects by year-end 2021, which span across aerospace, automotive, healthcare, energy and food industries. FLITE looks to expand applications into industrial and urban water systems, marine science and semiconductor manufacturing. It is hoped that FLITE's technology will enable a balance between commercial viability and eco-friendliness and create a win-win situation.

Taiwan's semiconductor industry continues suffering from tight supply with GlobalWafers seeing its capacity fully loaded all the way to the second half of 2021. Meanwhile, the shortage of copper foil is creating increased costs to CCL and PCB suppliers with them already planning to raise their quotes. With wafer foundries reportedly may increase their prices in the second half of 2021, many IC designers have already begun mulling prices hikes.GlobalWafers to see tight capacity through 2H21: Silicon wafer company GlobalWafers expects to run all its production lines for 12-, 8- and 6-inch silicon wafers at full capacity through the second half of this year.Copper foil shortage worsens: Shortages of copper foils for making copper clad laminates (CCL) and PCBs have become severe, according to industry sources.IC designers may hike quotes to reflect further foundry cost increases: Taiwan's IC design houses will have no other choice but to directly pass increased costs to downstream clients if their foundry partners raise quotes again in the second half of the year, according to industry sources.

Canada is the fourth largest vehicle exporting country in the world, making 2.1 million cars a year. And the country is keen to take its car industry to a new level. Last year, Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA) launched Project Arrow - an initiative for developing electric vehicles (EV).Digitimes recently talked to Warren Ali, SVP of innovation at APMA to learn more about Project Arrow and Canada's vision of future mobility.Q: It has been one year since APMA launched Project Arrow at CES 2020. But not many people are familiar with this project. Could you please introduce the reason for launching the project, and the goals that you are looking to achieve through the project?A: Let me walk you back with a bit of the background. The APMA is Canada's national association that represents automotive OEM producers of parts, equipment, tools, supplies and advanced technologies across Canada. This year is actually our 69th year.For the past five or six years, we have been focusing on demonstrative projects, using a vehicle as a platform, to showcase Canadian autonomous and connected technologies and applications. Both in terms of infotainment and smart cars, as well as cyber security, quantum encryption, and other things like LiDAR, and the system that has the cars interacting with the things around it.That was a very successful program, but for the factors that are driving the auto industry - connected, autonomous, electric, and shared - we didn't really have anything to showcase for electric cars, the new energy aspect. We have been using production line vehicles. While that is useful for showcasing autonomous and connected vehicles, you really cannot use it to showcase new EV technologies.So we thought, what better ways are there than building the electrical vehicles from the ground up? We can showcase many elements that are not on the market yet. Last year we launched Project Arrow, as an extension of what we've been doing in the autonomous and connected space. It really showcased zero-emission technology capabilities of Canada.At CES last year, we launched the initiative, basically divided into four phases. The first phase is design. We wanted it to embody some Canadian culture. So a competition's held across the country. We got dozens of submissions, and the winning design was from a team of four from a non-traditional industrial design school. And now we are on the second phase, which is RFP and engineering, core technology and components. We are building this concept car from ground up. Of course we need software, but we also need things like doors, windshield, tire, which are in the traditional space. So we recently kicked off the request for proposals (RFP) at CES 2021. It closes on March 1; so far we have over 200 companies registered to submit proposals. There are a whole host of products, applications and services we are sourcing. We have set up a portal site for Canadian companies which are interested in contributing by submitting their proposals and information, such as the area they are interested in participating.Q: So only Canadians can participate? Are companies of other countries able to join this project?A: We are here to showcase as much as we can of the Canadian EV/automotive ecosystems. And what I am saying by "Canadian" are companies which are operating and able to supply out of operations in Canada. We can source all kinds of things from all over the world, but the idea is that this vehicle is going to be designed and produced. We are trying to showcase the sources of stuff which is done in Canada as much as we can. There is no vehicles in the world that source completely from within one country. Every vehicle in North America sources things from United States, Mexico, and Canada, no matter where the assembly is. Just like in Europe, there is no one country that can produce cars that only source within its borders. Even in Asia, you are sourcing parts from all over the world. It is not only an electrical vehicle platform, but also a technology platform. So technology supplier across Canada don't need to be located next to the final assembly facility to be able to supply it. This is a unique opportunity for the complete automotive and auto-tech system to come together and teaming with our EV team in Canada.Q: What about phase three and four? Will it be available for mass production next year? What role can Taiwan play in the collaboration with Canadian industries?A: Phase three and four kind of happen concurrently. Phase three is designing the digital twin, and phase four is production. So we are designing the full functioning of the digital version of the vehicle itself. And then the production of the concept car as well.Q: What is the function of the digital twin? What are the use case or effect you want it to perform?A: This is one of the rare opportunities we want to showcase how a vehicle could be made and will be made in the future. In the past, whenever you want to participate in the manufacturing of a vehicle, you have to build and make physical components and do various iterations. From the digital twin side, you can not only create digital versions of the files, but also test it dynamically and digitally in many types of environments. We are partnering with several institutions in Canada on the virtual showcase. We are working at the ecosystem out of the Windsor area, which involves Windsor Economic Development Corporation, as well as University of Winsor, etc. We are also working with Ontario Tech University, and they have a wind tunnel to do all-weather testing in physical ways but also digitally with all the data accumulated.So the digital twin will allow us not only to do a lot more dynamic testing in showcasing, but also enable a lot more participants to join in. You can only have so many suppliers in a produced vehicle, but in a digital environment, you can mix up, plug and play, for the optimal results without having to worry about the tooling cost and everything else you need to spend on producing all the elements. And you can combine other technologies within it, in more dynamic and quicker ways. What is great about the digital twin is that it can travel with you in your pocket. It is easier to bring around and interact around the world in real time whether we are home or abroad and give people the platform to engage with the vehicle to see how different things are working in concert with one another, and how they operate independent systems in different environments.Q: It certainly is a very interesting new way to build cars in the future. Foxconn recently announced their MIH framework and a joint venture with Geely to build future electric cars. Do you see any possibility for their model to work for Project Arrow? Or is it more of a competitive kind of things?A: I am somewhat familiar with what they are trying to do. A lot of companies now are looking at this opportunity to revolutionize the way vehicles are made. Using a more technological foundation, being more flexible and dynamic, incorporating new ideas into the systems that are going to be built, is allowing new players to enter this space.One thing is for certain. There will be competitions, but there will also be cooperation across the market. Because with all of the investment and work being done, EV still makes up a small percentage in actual vehicles on the road. It's going to increase over time. But it is going to need the cooperation with OEMs, to work with the market to cause consumer shifts that changes mindsets, use cases, buying preferences, etc. As much as you want to compete with one another, there is going to have some cooperation. It is one of those areas where there may be partnerships that we have never seen before. For example, Honda with GM, working together on Cruise, here in North America; or BMW and Mercedes in Europe; and battery initiatives between France and Germany.There is going to be work between countries and between companies. So there is a lot of areas we can participate. One thing is for sure: electronics and the hardware within the vehicle have been and will be playing an ever-increasingly important role in the value of EVs going forward. We know Taiwan has a lot of advanced works in those fields that they have been doing for a long time. The people and experts in Taiwan will have a lot to give. The market in Taiwan is big, but not massive, while the Canadian market is huge in geography with tiny population based in some urban centers and rural areas.There will always be room for cooperation to look for new markets and new opportunities. Sometimes a couple of different applications working in concert will provide new ideas and new opportunities to work with different consumers and different customers, and even new investors.Q: Which sectors of Taiwanese manufacturers are having the most opportunity of cooperation with Project Arrow, in your opinion?A: One of the companies we are looking forward to working with is a company called E-One Moli out of Vancouver. They have been around for a very long time. Tesla's battery has its roots out of E-One Moli. And E-One Moli actually produces battery cells out of Taiwan. So there is cross linkages of some of the companies leading the future of EV space, such as Tesla, it is investing in talent that came out of that facility, which is now manufacturing out of Taiwan. There are connective tissues of cooperation that we can definitely build upon. And you have expertise in electronics. And we can also cooperate in R&D to improve batteries in terms of weights, volumes, and range. The batteries are great, but people in Canada will always be worried about warmth and cold. The batteries power everything in the vehicles now. So everything has a pull on the electronics, which includes software and everything else. It is going to affect the range and the performance. So there is all kinds of stuff in the software and battery management system that the Taiwanese ecosystem has been working on for a while now. There is definitely an opportunity to learn. But there will also be competition. No doubt about that. You have companies hiring away talent from other firms and bringing them on board. But while volumes of EV are still small, healthy cooperation in line of competition is going to be necessary to get to the point where the inflection of EVs becomes predominant across the world.CES 2020 gave us a new way to see mobility in the future. You walk into the booth of Hyundai expecting to see a car, but actually they're showcasing a vehicle without wheels. The automotive world is moving towards technological space, and it is more about future mobility and the connection with a customer journey and how they want to move from one place to another. We are seeing more investments in flying taxis/cars as well as micro mobility vehicles such as electrical scooters, e-bikes or autonomous shuttles, different types of urban transit vehicles.GM has announced at CES about building flying Cadillac, and Fiat-Chrysler is teaming up with flying EV startup Archer. The investments are more than just the itinerary of internal combustion vehicles themselves, but also in hydrogen cars, solid state batteries, etc. All of those things are not only converging but they are accelerating their developments as well.We welcome interactions from Taiwanese companies on our platforms, and will be hosting a multitude of new events. I would encourage you to engage with our trade offices, which are excellent conduits, to look for opportunities of cooperation. Our platform is open; there is no harm in reaching out to us asking what can we do together. The new NAFTA agreement would go into effect on July 1st. It has opened up at minimum 6-8 billion dollars' worth of new automotive business opportunities here in Canada. So there is room for growth. I would be very happy to help look for opportunities for R&D and business development.Warren Ali, SVP of innovation at APMAPhoto: APMA

Acer and Asustek are set to see strong notebook shipments in first-half 2021, with order visibililty becoming clear for the second half of the year, despite recent concerns that the PC market may weaken later in the year. Asustek and fellow graphics card vendors are also expected to post strong profits in 2021, fueled by stay-at-home needs and cryptomining applications. In the semiconductgor sector, as CIS vendors move to devote more to developing automotive applications, backend partners are also eyeing growing opportunities from the segment.Acer, Asustek to see strong shipments in 1H21: Acer and Asustek Computer are both set to report strong notebook shipments, particularly shipments of Chromebooks, in the first half of 2021, according to industry sources.Taiwan graphics card makers to see profits surge in 2021: Taiwan-based graphics card makers including Asustek Computer, Gigabyte Technology and Micro-Star International (MSI) are expected to generate handsome profits in 2021, thanks to pandemic-driven demand and the cryptomining fever, according to market sources.Taiwan IC packaging-testing firms eyeing automotive CIS: As international design houses of smartphone-use CMOS image sensors (CIS) including Sony, Samsung Electronics, OmniVision and On Semiconductor have shifted 2021 business focus to automotive CIS, Taiwan-based IC packaging/testing service providers have obtained or stand a good chance of obtaining corresponding orders from them, according to industry sources.

The stethoscope may be the one instrument common to all medical professionals today in the 21st century. Its development process from invention to widespread use over the past 200 years is probably hard to imagine. The traditional stethoscope is an easily accessible tool, so too will be the future ultrasound device. Canada-based biotech startup MEDO.ai has developed a software platform based on AI and cloud computing technologies. When coupled with a handheld ultrasound device, MEDO.ai's solution can simplify the acquisition and interpretation of ultrasound images for diagnosing common and critical conditions for medical professionals, allowing them to work more efficiently and reliably.Handheld ultrasound devices - a diversified tool to family doctorsTaiwan-based Qisda and Leltek as well as US-based Butterfly Network are among the firms looking to expand into the market of handheld ultrasound devices and providing more affordable medical care access to remote areas. The innovation that MEDO.ai brings forward is the adoption of its AI model that makes ultrasound device available to everyone - regardless of expertise. According to MEDO.ai vice president David Quail, MEDO.ai's software can be integrated with both non-portable and portable ultrasound devices. In view of the fact that selling hardware is the dominant business model in the ultrasound device market with a US$9 billion value, MEDO.ai looks to offer its software platform through subscription plans so as to create a competitive edge.MEDO.ai's online platform obtained FDA clearance as a marketable 510(K) Class II medical device in June 2020. It plans to submit its solutions for Developmental Hip Dysplasia (DDH) screening, pre-natal health examination and lung scan for FDA clearance in the future as well.Technological barrier and data quality are the considerations leading MEDO.ai to take a different pathMost research teams working on AI-powered medical imaging focus on computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) rather than targeting ultrasound imaging. However, Quail points out that those other modalities can be costly, harmful to human body, and hard to move around, for example, to fit in the back of the pickup truck can be challenging; whereas, the ultrasound device equipped with the AI technology can be lean, agile, non-invasive and much more impactful in terms of the enhancement of general wellbeing.The decision was also made for the reason that ultrasound imaging has a high technological barrier. Not only do ultrasound imaging innovations need to deliver better picture quality but they also need to offer complete solutions and applications, which will determine their success.Apart from working with point of care (POC) doctors, MEDO.ai also collaborates with radiologists, to whom the system can automatically generate reports, including thyroid nodule detection and classification.MEDO.ai looks forward to working with the medical industry ecosystem in Taiwan, its first choice as a manufacturing baseWell aware of Taiwan's status as a manufacturing heavyweight and a frontrunner in smart medical solutions, Quail hopes to find an OEM partner in Taiwan and to collaborate with the local picture archiving and communication system (PACS) industry ecosystem. He also looks forward to in-depth interactions with potential customers and sales channel partners. Founded in 2018, MEDO.ai employs a team of 20 professionals, including product managers, employees with gaming industry experience and AI engineers. Proceeding into A round funding, MEDO.ai plans to add specialists in image processing, visualization, labeling, regulatory affairs and business administration to its workforce.Canada-based biotech startup MEDO.ai vice president David QuailPhoto: Company

Taiwan-based foundry houses are running at full capacity for their 28nm and more mature processes, and are said to have already reached agreements with their clients for supply in 2022. The supply of 28nm and more mature processes has already fallen short of demand, which is expected to grow further in 2022 and worsen the shortage. Canada is devoting efforts to promote an ecological transition in transportation. Digitimes recently talked to Propulsion Quebec CEO Sarah Houde to find out how the Canadian province is building its EV value chain.Taiwan foundries running at full capacity for mature processes: TSMC, United Microelectronics (UMC), Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) and Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing (PSMC) continue to run at full capacity for their 28nm and above process technologies, which may persist through the end of this year, according to industry sources.Foundries to see demand for 28nm process surge in 2022: Foundries have seen their 28nm process capacity become tight due mainly to supply-side issues, but the shortage will worsen in 2022 as chip orders demanding the process manufacturing will surge, according to industry sources.Ecological transition in transportation: Q&A with Propulsion Quebec CEO Sarah Houde: As electrification becomes a clear trend for future cars, solutions for infrastructure, power supply and batteries are very much in need to develop a sound and sustainable ecosystem in line with such a trend. Propulsion Quebec is an NPO created to support the ecological transition of transportation by enhancing the collaborative efforts of the industry.

As electrification becomes a clear trend for future cars, solutions for infrastructure, power supply and batteries are very much in need to develop a sound and sustainable ecosystem in line with such a trend. Propulsion Quebec is an NPO created to support the ecological transition of transportation by enhancing the collaborative efforts of the industry.Digitimes recently talked to Propulsion Quebec CEO Sarah Houde to better understand how the Canadian province of Quebec is developing its EV ecosystem through her organization.Q: Please give a brief introduction to your organization and your mission.A: We are a non-profit organization that was created with the initiative of the government of Quebec to accelerate the development of our high potential industries. It was created in 2017. At the moment it is still an emerging industry, but is very fast growing and with high potential for many different reasons. Our key performance index would focus on the number of jobs, the contribution to Quebec economy, and the number of companies and their size, as well as exports. We have 210 members right now, most of them are manufacturing and services in five different sectors, such as electric vehicles (EV), smart vehicles, smart infrastructure, mobility services, and charging infrastructure.In the electrical vehicle sector, they range from mining companies that provide strategic and critical elements for the batteries, to the vehicles at the OEMs. We don't manufacture that many cars, but we do everything else. Our spectrum spans from electrical scooters, and electrical trains, and everything in between, such as electric buses, trucks, snowmobile, garbage trucks, bikes, etc.In the charging industry, we have members manufacturing charging stations, components, hardware and software for smart vehicles and infrastructure.Our 5th sector is the innovative business model of smart mobility, such as bike-sharing, car-pooling, mass mobility as a service, apps, etc.We are a team of 20 people, based in Montreal, but we are covering all Quebec. We have members all across the territory.By identifying obstacles for our industry, we are concentrating all our efforts towards, basically, regulation and public policies, to help transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to more sustainable mobility. We also work on R&D, experimentation, demonstration and commercialization, which covers the cycle of developing a product. We also work on workforce issue, to make sure conditions such as we are growing the industry but we don't have candidates to fill the positions won't happen. That's not worth it, so we work with post-secondary institutions so that they offer the right training. And we help our companies to attract the right credential candidates. Finally, we work with private funding, private equity funds, banks, just to make sure our industry gets the right portion of private investments to meet their needs to growth.Q: Since your establishment, there have been exponential growth in your membership. Can you also share with us the trends of significant growth in the industry?A: Sure. Across the world, there has been exponential growth for electrical vehicles of all sorts. We see that in Quebec because we have manufacturers that were there at very early stages and have been growing. We had zero members when we were established in 2017, and now we have 210 (all Quebec companies). All of our KPIs, including the number of the companies, their sizes, exports, sales, and contributions to Quebec GDPs, we calculated them in 2018. At the time KPMG did the calculation, and there were 147 companies, and now we have 210. Lion Electric company (a Canadian company that manufactures electrical vehicles) now has six models, compared to only one model just three years ago. It is mind blowing.Q: What is Canada's vision for future transportation behind this project? What goals and purposes were set for this endeavor?A: I do not speak for the government of Canada. But I think we share this vision of using ecological transition as a development tool. We are tapping on our assets, such as hydraulic electricity in Quebec, which contributes a great deal of power we use at very low tariffs. That makes a business case for electrification. We also have the critical minerals I mentioned for the batteries. We have the natural resources, and pool of expertise from the National Research Center on electricity. We also have a pool of experts from artificial intelligence (AI), which is super useful for optimization of transportation flow, logistics, etc. There are very innovative elements plus the natural resources, and when put together, you can hope to create an economic development movement that is supporting the transition into a more sustainable growth. Here in Canada, or Quebec, transportation is responsible for 43% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, so when we transition on transportation, we really have a significant impact on the environment. So it is in Canada's vision to invest in that sector to achieve economic development goals as well as GHG emission reduction.Q: How can Taiwan be a partner to support Canada's transition in smart transportation industry? Any specific companies that you have in mind to become partners as such?A: Yes, we think we should be attractive to many Taiwanese companies. Besides all those assets as I mentioned, the cost of living here in Quebec and especially Montreal is also low. We also have government incentives for R&D, so we do have attractive elements for Taiwanese tech companies related to smart transportation and electrical vehicle sectors. This is where we would both benefit from a closer relationship.Q: The Taiwanese companies play a very dominant role in the global supply chain, serving lots of North American companies in the electricity, EV industry. Now Taiwan also has a big EV ecosystem proposed by Foxconn, which is called MIH. What kind of opportunities are open to Taiwanese tech companies? Would you consider MIH a potential member for your alliance?A: Yes of course. It would be a win-win cooperation. Maybe there are also opportunities for the Taiwanese companies in working with us in R&D, prototypes, advanced manufacturing, finding solutions for complex problems, etc. We are working on a EV with a battery that can get you further, carry heavier loads, with faster charging - everybody all around the world are trying to invent those things. If we can work with Taiwanese companies, especially your readers, I think it would be on R&D projects. We are developing an innovation hub, called "sustainable mobility city," for companies that are big, small, local, and international to work together on collaborative research projects with researchers from Quebec to find solutions on those complex problems. They work together in a neutralized space, use neutralized equipment and shared IP. The idea is to accelerate the R&D process in the sustainable mobility sector. This is a highly competitive sector at the international level. This is where we should be working together.Q: As you mentioned EV and batteries are important industries in Quebec. Are there rare earth deposits and mining in Quebec as well?A: Yes. We have lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite. These are the most present minerals we have. There are also other kinds of rare earth in Canada, but these four are the most present.Q: Canada is very advanced on the AI field, while Taiwanese companies are very strong on the hardware side. They are very complementary.A: Quebec seems to be a perfect place to develop batteries, because we have the natural resources, stable and predictable political environment. We also have the cleanest energy mix in America, ideal for batteries supply chain. Manufacturing 4.0 is such a big program here, to ensure we use as much automation as possible to enhance productivity across the country, definitely a priority. For complex vehicles that we manufacture in Canada, we also need automation to build, sustain, and maintain them.Q: Propulsion Quebec has already led 16 trade missions to different markets around the world. What are the markets that you have visited, and do you have plans to visit Asia?A: Most of our trade missions are in the US, because they are our main export market. We have had 16 trade mission in three years. We had one in Europe, and have been to Asia twice. In 2019 we went to Singapore, and the year before that we went to China and Japan. Our next stops in Asia would probably be South Korea and Taiwan when Covid is behind us.Propulsion Quebec CEO Sarah HoudePhoto: Propulsion Quebec

LCD panel makers have seen orders picking up, in turn boosting their demand for driver ICs. But supply of LCD driver ICs has fallen far short of demand, prompting vendors to consider raising prices. Many other components are also in short supply, including networking chips. Some networking chip vendors, such as Braodcom, have had to extend their delivery lead times. At TSMC, its foundry services are expected to see strong demand from 5G, HPC and automotive sectors during second-quarter 2021.LCD driver IC supply falling short of demand by over 20%: The supply of LCD driver ICs has fallen short of demand by more than 20%, prompting Taiwan-based suppliers to consider price hikes, according to industry sources.Networking chip supply getting tight: Some networking chip vendors, such as Broadcom, have extended their delivery lead times to as long as 50 weeks due to the tight supply of critical parts and components, heralding the tight supply of networking chips in the second half of 2021, according to industry sources.TSMC 2Q21 capacity filled by orders for 5G, HPC and auto chips: TSMC has seen its production capacity during the second quarter filled by a strong pull-in of orders for 5G, HPC and automotive electronics chips, according to industry sources.

The global top-5 notebook brands saw their combined shipments, excluding those of detachable models, decline 8% sequentially in February while the top-3 notebook ODMs' combined shipments fell 9% on month, according to Digitimes Research.End demand for notebooks in February was stronger than that of the same month a year ago, but shortages of manpower and components were worse.Hewlett-Packard's (HP) Chromebook shipments continued to rise in February with the US-based brand's overall notebook shipments only dipping slightly from a month ago, Digitimes Research's figures show.Lenovo was the only top-5 brand with on-month shipment growth in February thanks to its robust gaming and education model shipments. Dell's February shipments performed weaker than those of its competitors as the company had entered a new fiscal year in the month.ODM Quanta Computer experienced an on-month shipment increase in February thanks to brisk orders for Chromebooks and MacBooks.

There may be uncertainty lying ahead for the notebook market in second-half 2021 amid overbooking concerns and speculations about stay-at-home needs waning later this year. But currently demand remains strong. Memory suppliers still see strong order momentum from their notebook clients. In the graphics cards segment, Nvidia's GeForce RTX 30 series has been in server shortage, partly due to production issues at its foundry partner and partly due to strong demand from cryptominers. The ongoing short supply from the foundry sector has highlighted the importance and dominance of TSMC. Now Taiwan's science park authorities are building an even stronger ecosystem around TSMC.Memory demand for notebooks still robust: Brand notebook vendors and OEMs continue to step up their pace of chip orders, including those for memory chips and devices, despite overbooking concerns, according to sources at memory suppliers.Shortage of Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 series unlikely to ease by 3Q21: Nvidia's GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards are still in short supply, which is unlikely to ease by the third quarter of this year, according to sources at graphics card makers.Semiconductor materials and equipment vendors gaining presence at STSP: The Southern Taiwan Industrial Park (STSP) Administration is enlisting more semiconductor upstream materials and equipment vendors to further strengthen the core IC manufacturing ecosystem at the park, according to CK Su, director general of the administration.