Strong demand from various product sectors and tight supply from chip vendors, DRAM pricing is expected to stay robust through third-quarter 2021 before correction occurs in th elast quarter of the year. Tight capacity is troubling the semiconductor ecosystem across different sectors. GaAs foundry AWSC is looking to raise quotes for its 6-inch fab quotes to reflect strong demand amid tight supply. Meanwhile, Apple reportedly will upgrade the camera specs for its next-generation iPhones to be launched this year. All new iPhone models for 2021 are said to be coming with sensor-shift stabilization technology.DRAM prices to rise through 3Q21: DRAM prices are expected to rise through the third quarter of 2021 before heading for a correction in the fourth quarter, according to industry sources.GaAs foundry AWSC raises quotes: GaAs foundry Advanced Wireless Semiconductor Company (AWSC) has notified its clients about an around 10% hike in its 6-inch foundry quotes, according to industry sources.Next-gen iPhones to all feature sensor-shift stabilization technology: Apple's next-generation iPhones slated for launch in the second half of 2021 will all come with sensor-shift stabilization technology, according to industry sources.

Digital transformation of the manufacturing sector driven by Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and autonomous driving enabled by Internet of Vehicles (IoV) are key focus areas of today's industrial development and they offer tremendous business opportunities. In particular, with 5G commercialization kicking off, vendors have high hopes for the explosive market potential to be ignited by 5G, featuring low latency and high-speed data transmission.However, flourishing market developments also introduce rising cybersecurity risks to the diversity of connected devices. There have been frequent reports about manufacturers under cyberattacks. It is foreseeable that cybersecurity risks will only multiply when the Internet of Everything (IoE) era is here. Accordingly, both suppliers that look to capture preemptive IoT opportunities and manufacturers that want to undertake digital transformation cannot afford to overlook the importance of how to meet the latest cybersecurity requirements.During a recent interview, TUV NORD management gave an in-depth look into IEC 62443, a series of standards aimed to address the security of industrial automation and control systems (IACS), Automotive Software Performance Improvement and Capability Etermination (ASPICE), which provides the framework for software development and capability test in the automotive industry, and ISO/SAE 21434, which provides standardized cybersecurity engineering elements for vehicles. TUV NORD hopes to keep vendors abreast of the latest standards and enable them to begin early preparation and to foster a cybersecurity culture so that they can capture rising opportunities and ensure sustainable success.Becoming the target of cyberattacks, manufacturers must deal with IACS cybersecurity threatsAccording to David Lin, Senior Technical Manager, Industrial Service, TUV NORD, manufacturers have always focused on safety, making efforts to prevent equipment failure from causing harm to human safety. However, when factory machines now become connected to networks, manufacturers have to start taking into consideration how security will affect safety. IEC 62443 was established with an aim to address this issue. It provides a set of standards for IoT applications that complement what was missing from operational technology (OT) security frameworks in the past. The IEC 62443 standard is different from the Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation (referred to as Common Criteria or CC), which the IT industry has long been practicing.Jack Liao, Senior Manager, Product Certification, Industrial Service, TUV NORD, added IEC 62443 makes it clear that it is aimed to ensure the availability of critical infrastructure such as harbors, power plants, docks and airports and prevent cybersecurity breaches from disrupting services. It is not the same as ISO 27001, which is a specification for an information security management system that highlights data confidentiality.This is also why the EU is strongly promoting IEC 62443 as IACS standards. When cyberattacks are launched against a country, it is imperative that infrastructure services maintain continuous operation without interruption. The same is true in the case of Taiwan, nicknamed Silicon Island. Should the semiconductor supply chain that Taiwan takes great pride in fall under cyberattacks, the global market will feel the impact.This sheds light on the importance of IEC 62443 and the challenges it is intended to address. Within the vast scope of IACS cybersecurity, IEC 62443 highlights "defense in depth," a multi-layered defense mechanism with several levels of security requirements distributed throughout the system from the outer layer management to the core product technology. More specifically, taking network devices for example, IEC 62443 specifies requirements for each of the seven layers of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, enabling all-round protection against any potential cybersecurity threat.IEC 62443 includes four parts - General, Policy and Procedure, system and Component. Taiwan-based manufacturers have to pay attention to establishing a management system that guarantees the security of the connected devices and minimizes the risks of cyberattacks. With global IACS manufacturers taking the lead in obtaining IEC 62443 compliance certification, Taiwan-based IACS manufacturers have to follow suit so as to be able to enter the global market and capture the next wave of opportunities. In the meantime, they also need to build up IEC 62443 compliant development processes and create IEC 62443 compliant products.David Lin noted that although parts of the IEC 62443 standard are still under development, the quantity of certificates issued worldwide has increased from three in 2019 to more than 50 in 2020, indicating the new standard is growingly accepted. With EU mandating IEC 62443 compliance for all infrastructure equipment by year-end 2023, IEC 62443 will become widespread and vendors should take early action and get a closer look at IACS cybersecurity.Three main automotive electronics standards ensure information security and functional safetyAmong automotive network security standards, the Cyber Security Management System (CSMS) and ISO/SAE 21434 are two new sets of standards. According to Jack Liao, CSMS and ISO/SAE 21434 can be considered as extensions of IEC 62443. CSMS focuses on the management system while ISO/SAE 21434 addresses the technology and development process.In line with the spirit of IEC 62443, CSMS and ISO/SAE 21434 also highlight availability and defense in depth with an aim to ensure cybersecurity for automotive networks. CSMS is set to go into effect in January 2021. EU will mandate a certified CSMS for approval of new vehicle types from 2022 and for first registrations of all existing vehicle types by 2024.As to ISO/SAE 21434, which looks at cybersecurity engineering and the entire development process, there is currently only a draft version as IEC 62443 is still under development. The finished version is not expected until the first half of 2021. Nevertheless, with automakers strongly promoting ISO/SAE 21434, all automotive electronics component suppliers will have to get ready to meet their customers' requirements.Apart from automotive network security, automotive electronics suppliers also need to take functional safety standard ISO 26262 and ASPICE into consideration.David Lin thinks ISO/SAE 21434, ISO 26262 and ASPICE are the three indispensable elements to Taiwan-based suppliers looking to foray into the automotive electronics market.In practice, ISO/SAE 21434 and ISO 26262 focus more on the methodology while ASPICE provides a framework that connects the development process. As such, suppliers are advised to first incorporate the ASPICE process and then based on that, introduce the ISO/SAE 21434 and ISO 26262 frameworks to reap the biggest benefit.Jack Liao added that ISO/SAE 21434 and ISO 26262 are similar in that they are both based on a V-model as a reference process model for the different phases of product development. The difference is that the former targets information security and the latter functional safety. As software will play a critical role in autonomous driving in the future, if suppliers develop software using the ASPICE process, they will be able to ensure robust security for the entire automotive electronics system. Taiwan-based automotive electronics suppliers including developers of IC chips, software, modules and subsystems all need to follow ISO/SAE 21434, ISO 26262 and ASPICE to build their products in accordance with their product's characteristics.In conclusion, Jack Liao emphasized that IEC 62443, ISO/SAE 21434 and ISO 26262 are all established with an aim to drive security policy formation and foster security culture. This has to be a full-scale effort by every level of the corporation from top to bottom. Only by doing so can a corporation internalize cybersecurity awareness instead of just using the security certification to penetrate into the market.As a wide variety of IoT applications reach maturity over the next few years, cybersecurity incidents will skyrocket. It should be noted that all these cybersecurity standards will go into effect by 2024. It is essential that suppliers take early action and actively build up a cybersecurity culture to enable themselves to overcome future security challenges and capture rising opportunities.Jack Liao (right), senior manager of Product Certification and David Lin (left), senior technical manager, Industrial Service, TUV NORD

As shortages of components continue to haunt the semiconductor industry, LED chipmakers are now looking to raise their product quotes, which will drive downstream LED lighting product vendors to also increase their prices to reflect the costs. Meanwhile, Taiwanese IC design houses have seen their supply being seriously constrained by foundries' insufficient capacity, while backend houses extending their delivery time will also have some effect. Server shipments, however, are expected to enjoy double-digit on-year increases in 2021 thanks to robust demand for cloud computing services.LED chipmakers, downstream vendors raising prices: LED chipmakers in Taiwan and China have seen their delivery lead times extend, and have raised quotes for some of their products particularly non-blue light LED chips, which in turn has also driven downstream LED lamp vendors or illumination solutions providers to hike sales prices to reflect increased materials costs, according to industry sources.Taiwan IC design houses see supply constrained: Taiwan-based IC design houses have seen their supply constrained by tight foundry capacity, as well as longer delivery times at backend houses, according to industry sources.Taiwan server makers eyeing double-digit increases for 2021 shipments: Taiwan-based server makers including Quanta Computer, Inventec, Wiwynn, Mitac Computing Technology and Foxconn Technology are optimistic about their business prospects this year with expectations that their 2021 cloud server shipments will see double-digit on-year increases, according to industry sources.

Because of Apple's promotion of UWB (ultra-wide band)-enabled devices, applications based on UWB technology have increased and have a broader coverage, according to Digitimes Research.Apple has adopted the UWB technology for iPhone 11 and 12 series, Apple Watch 6 and HomePod mini, while Samsung Electronics has launched UWB-enabled smartphones including the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and the Galaxy Flip 2 and China-based Xiaomi has also offered a UWB-enabled smartphone model, Digitimes Research indicated.However, Apple seems to be uninterested in joining UWB Alliance or FiRa (fine ranging) Consortium but prefers Car Connectivity Consortium in which it is expected to promote addition of UWB technology to digital car keys.Other China-based smartphone vendors including Oppo and Vivo are expected to adopt UWB technology for their flagship models.NXP Semiconductors, at its NXP Connects 2020 taking place in the Netherlands in October, presented scenarios of applying UWB technology and urged standardization of UWB specifications.STMicroelectronics and US-based semiconductor maker Qorvo have obtained UWB patented technologies via merger acquisition.

Electric vehicle (EV)-use lithium batteries suffer large decreases in operating efficiency when exposed to working environment of very low temperatures, but the problem can be solved by a few methods, according to Digitimes Research's findings.Working temperatures for normal operation of such batteries range from -20 degrees to 60 degrees Celsius, Digitimes Research indicated. If working temperatures drop to below -20 degree, electrolytic solution becomes more viscous like hair spray and consequently, mobility of lithium ions is reduced and so is operating efficiency for batteries, Research Insight explained.Heating of batteries or addition of anti-freezing agents to electrolytic solution can solve the problem.Similar to heating of copper sulfate solution in batteries used to start fuel cars in freezing environment, additional heating devices are used to hike working temperatures of batteries to -20 degree to let batteries start normal operation and then working temperatures will rise to above -20 degree after EVs run.In order for higher operating efficiency, some EV vendors adopt thermal management technology for which heat-circulating pipes provide heat to maintain batteries at optimal working temperatures.Alternatively, anti-freezing agents can be added to electrolytic solution to prevent it from getting more viscous. However, formulas of anti-freezing agents should be matched with electrolytic solution, cathode and anode materials, separation film of batteries to avoid reduction in battery's operating efficiency and service lives.A fundamental solution of the problem is solid-state batteries, for solid-state electrolyte of them does not have the problem concerning viscosity of liquid. However, technological development of solid-state batteries is not yet mature and commercial use is estimated to begin three years after.Besides impact of very low temperatures, chemical activity of batteries decreases when working temperatures drop to below zero degree, resulting in lower capability of discharging power and accordingly EVs' less endurance running distance.Most of new EV models are equipped with cloud computing-based battery management systems to enable drivers to inquire about remaining power storage capacities of batteries via smartphones for estimating residual endurance running distance. This also enables EV vendors to detect low levels of power storage capacity and remind drivers of the need for power charging via smartphones.

As demand for semiconductor products has continued picking up, their supply has also grown tighter. Foundries' supply of automotive MCUs, storage controller chips and power management ICs has already fallen short of demand by 25-40%, while HPC, server and 5G networking chips are also seeing insufficient supply of high-end ABF substrates due partly to low yield rates. Automotive chip makers have also been pushing keenly to obtain services from foundries as the automotive industry has started to recover.Foundries see supply for auto chips fall far short of demand: Pure-play foundries have seen their supply for automotive ICs, including MCUs, storage controller chips and power management ICs, fall short of demand by 25-40%, according to industry sources.High-end ABF substrates in increasingly short supply for HPC, server chips: The supply of more lucrative high-end ABF substrates for use in HPC, server and 5G networking chips has been increasingly short of demand due partly to insufficient yield rates at IC substrate suppliers, squeezing suppliers' capacity allocation for ABF substrates needed to process notebook processors long in shortage, according to industry sources.More automotive chipmakers seek foundry support amid tight capacity: More automotive chipmakers have approached Taiwan-based foundry houses TSMC, UMC and Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) seeking capacity support to meet a ramp-up in automotive chip demand from automakers who are recovering from the pandemic-induced factory shutdowns, according to industry sources.

SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) is essential to navigation systems of mobile robots and there are various depth sensors used in SLAM including 2D and 3D LiDARs, stereoscopic cameras, laser ToF (time of flight) cameras, radars and ultrasonic radars, according to Digitimes Research.Stereoscopic cameras are based on stereoscopic vision for depth sensing, while the other sensors aforementioned are based on ToF technology, Digitimes Research indicated.As navigation of mobile robots entails self-localization, map building (mapping) and path planning, SLAM can simultaneously undertake the first two tasks and thus becomes a key navigation technology.ToF consists of direct ToF (dToF) based on single pulse wave and indirect ToF (iToF) based on continuous wave, with the former superior in measurable distance but inferior in measurement accuracy and power consumption to the latter.Stereoscopic cameras are increasingly used in SLAM because cost is lower than that for ToF-based depth sensors, while its performance is bettered by computer vision based on deep learning and improvement in vision algorithm. However, such depth sensors have the largest shortcoming that measurable distance is only several meters, much shorter than 10-100 meters for iToF and hundreds of meters for dToF, and errors in depth (distance) sensing get larger exponentially with increasing depth.

Smart Home Data Catalog, a platform for collecting data from connected electric home appliances launched in October 2020 by Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), is expected to promote development of smart home services in the local market.The platform enables vendors of electric home appliances to allow others to use and integrate data from their devices, and to use the data to develop innovative smart home services, Digitimes Research indicated.Sharp took the initiative to allow data on its 12 connected electric home appliances, including TVs, air conditioners, air purifiers and refrigerators, for licensed use. JEITA hopes to increase the number of data-providing enterprises to 10 along with more than 100 categories of connected electric home appliances.So far five startups have used data available at the platform to develop smart home services including purchasing agent services based on cooking records, environmental diagnosis based on air purifying data, house rental services, with these services to be launched soon. AIoT Cloud, Sharp's wholly-owned subsidiary, is the most active startup among the five.Kansai Electric Power has cooperated with AIoT Cloud for combined use of power consumption data and operating data on Sharp's connected air purifiers and refrigerators to monitor old people or children for safety purposes.

The LCD industry getting so mature that existing players are keen to look for new opportunities and technologies. Innolux's executive VP Chin-Lung Ting has told Digitimes that the company will adhere to TFT-LCD as its core technology, but is exploring a new business model that he calls "panel semiconductor," seeking to integrate a wide range of sectors to cater to non-display applications. In the semiconductor sector, foundry house UMC is set to expand its 12-inch manufacturing capacity to meet strong demand for 28nm process. And both UMC and TSMC are expected to fully utilize their 28nm node capacity through third-quarter 2021.Innolux proposes concept of panel semiconductor: South Korean panel makers are withdrawing from the LCD market, while their Chinese competitors, after frenzy expansion propelled them to the top of the LCD sector, are not expected to further expand their capacity significantly in the future, as they no longer have priority in receiving government resources.UMC on track to expand 12-inch foundry capacity: United Microelectronics (UMC) is on track to expand its foundry capacity for 12-inch wafer fabrication services in response to staggering demand for 28nm products, according to industry sources.TSMC, UMC to see full capacity utilization for 28nm node through 3Q21: Both TSMC and UMC are expected to sustain full capacity utilization for 28nm manufacturing process at their 8-inch and 12-inch fabs throughout third-quarter 2021, with gross margins from the mature node hitting new highs and clients' race for their capacity support expected to last through the end of the year, according to industry sources.

Japan is establishing a nationwide smart logistics platform to collect data about entire delivery processes of selected products from production, transportation, distribution to sales and customers for shared use by producers, logistics operators, regional distributors and retail operators, a bid to hike overall logistics efficiency by 20%.The selected products will be mainly daily necessities, merchandise items sold at convenience stores and drugstores as well as medical materials, devices and equipment. GPS, RFID labeling, real-time sensing, image recognition and other sensing technologies will used in the data collection under the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program.For each selected product, data to be collected include output, inventory, sales volumes and the corresponding customers as well as conditions of transportation such as locations of or other information on ships or trucks. Data will be digitized and visualized for being recorded at the platform and digital data will be processed to become analyzable to allow any interested party to undertake analytics for own commercial purposes. The platform will be responsible for providing processed digital data for open use but will not intervene in competition in analyzing data for value-added application.Scheduled for completion at the end of March 2023, the platform is expected to particularly help small- to medium-size enterprises upgrade logistics incurred to their business operation, believes Digitimes Research