Samsung is keen on catching up with TSMC in advanced node semiconductor manufacturing, but sources blame unsatisfactory yield rates for 8nm process at the Korean foundry for short supply of Nvidia's new GeForce RTX 30 GPUs. The Korean giant, however, has a clear leadership in commercializing microLED displays. Its 110-inch microLED TV is set to be available in first-quarter 2021. Samsung and fellow memory maker SK Hynix have both reduced output for speciaty DRAM, prices for which are expected to go up further in 2021.New Nvidia GPU in short supply due to unsatisfactory yield at Samsung, sources say: Nvidia's new GeForce RTX 30 GPUs have been in tight supply due to unsatisfactory 8nm process yield rates at its foundry partner Samsung, according to industry sources.Samsung set to commercialize microLED TVs in 2021: Samsung Electronics is set to launch its microLED TV lineup in the first quarter of 2021, heralding the arrival of the next-generation TV products.Specialty DRAM prices to continue rally in 2021: Specialty DRAM prices, which have started rising recently, will continue their rally next year due to tight supply, according to industry sources.

The number of FinTech startups in Vietnam has almost tripled from 44 to 121 between 2017 and 2020, with 31% of them operating in payments, according to a report released by Fintech News Singapore.FinTech is expected to grow even more with favorable regulations, including the upcoming FinTech regulatory sandbox and the legal framework for digital assets and cryptocurrencies, said the report.VIR reported that as of October 2020, there are 39 authorized non-bank payment service providers in Vietnam, with MoMo, Payoo, Moca, ZaloPay and ViettelPay being the five largest e-purse providers. The number of players operating in the payments industry in Vietnam is large and very competitive, but there are still many opportunities for growth.Fintech News Singapore stressed that despite the rapid development, the Vietnamese FinTech industry is still new compared to Singapore and areas including data/credit/scoring management and crowdfunding are still non-existent in Vietnam. Vietnam's FinTech industry is dominated by B2C players, while the less developed B2B segment is poised for growth.

Despite the pandemic and US-China trade tensions, Southeast Asian capital markets have remained resilient, with local IPO activity from January up to mid October 2020 reaching pre-pandemic levels, and with 100 IPOs raising a total of US$6.44 billion.TAY Hwee Ling, head of Southeast Asia and Singapore at Deloitte, was cited as saying companies were able to find new growth by changing their business models during the crisis, and that areas such as healthcare and its suppliers have benefited amid the pandemic.Thailand Business News reported that for the second consecutive year, Thailand was the top fundraising country in Southeast Asia, with Central Retail and SCG Packaging raising US$1.77 billion and US$1.27 billion, respectively.

Wafer fab capacity has been tight with Taiwanese foundry houses seeign clear order visibility through 2021. Foundry houses have raised their quotes to reflect tight capacity, further buoyign their profitability. LCD panel prices have also been rising, thanks to strong demand amid tight supply as a result of component shortages. Panel quotes are expected rise by about 20% in fourth-quarter 2020. The notebook sector has also seen robust demand driven by pandemic-fueled stay-at-home economy. Notebook ODMs expect shipments to buck the seasonal trend in first-half 2021.Taiwan foundries see clear order visibility through 2021: Taiwan-based foundries particularly 8-inch ones are expected to see their production capacities stay tight through the end of 2021, with upward adjustments in their foundry quotes set to buoy their profitability next year, according to industry sources.LCD panel prices to rise another 20% in 4Q20: LCD panel prices are expected to rise by about 20% in fourth-quarter 2020 following a 30% rally in the prior quarter, as demand for diverse sizes of panels from end-market brand vendors remains strong, according to industry sources.Notebook ODMs to enjoy strong 1H21: Notebook ODMs are expected to enjoy a particularly strong first half of 2021, thanks to a continued ramp-up in orders from clients, according to industry sources.

In view of the fact that academic research has always been a key force driving national economic development, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) commissioned the Center of Industry Accelerator and Patent Strategy (IAPS), National Chiao Tung University to carry out the Integrated Cross-campus Accelerator Network (iCAN) program in 2016 and further established the Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) in 2018 for the purpose of commercializing research results and promoting academia-industry collaborations. To demonstrate the strength of the startup teams that MOST has fostered, 2020 iCAN X TTA Batch#2 Demo Day was held on December 1, 2020 at TTA and was attended by venture capital fund managers and corporate executives as well as iCAN startup teams.Not only was the event aimed to enable partnership opportunities between startups and enterprises, but intended to recognize the startup teams that performed outstandingly during the second half of 2020.Chun-Yi Tu, deputy director-general, Department of Academia-Industry Collaboration and Science Park Affairs (DAICSPA), MOST, remarked in her speech that the cabinet and all the ministries exert active efforts to drive changes to Taiwan's startup incubation policies in hopes of building a healthy environment that can foster a flourishing startup scene. To this end, MOST has launched programs that aim to guide startup teams across different stages of development by providing them counseling, accelerator services, or global partnership match-making. Gathering a myriad of outstanding startups, the event is proof that the policy goal is gradually becoming a reality. MOST will keep investing resources to optimize Taiwan's startup ecosystem.Creating an ideal startup incubation environmentCommenting on iCAN's achievements in 2020, IAPS managing director Hank Huang noted that the program aims to commercialize academic research results and thereby fulfill MOST's goal to perfect Taiwan's startup ecosystem, drive a burgeoning startup scene, promote cross-campus collaboration and communication, boost foreign investments in Taiwan and accelerate industry development. Since July 2016, iCAN's efforts in promoting partnerships with business corporations and communication with international startup communities have successfully helped Taiwan's startups secure NT$450 million (US$15.94 million) worth of investments and orders from foreign and domestic enterprises. Specifically, in terms of partnerships with business corporations, iCAN brings in industry resources and provides tailored guidance every step of the way to enable startup teams to maximize their value while spurring the growth of existing corporations.Huang added that operating on the core concept of refined guidance and targeted investment, iCAN implements a three-step process when incubating a startup. The first step is guided by industry mentors, wherein a number of CXOs and professional mentors with 20 to 30 years of experience working for publicly listed companies as well as four leading accounting firms provide one-on-one counseling to help assess the startup's technology, finance, operation and marketing strength. The second step is meeting with angel investors, wherein the startup team will meet with close to 100 angel investors, venture capitalists and corporate investors one by one, who with insight into specific industries will offer suggestions on the adjustments the startup team should make. The third step is president investment, wherein the startup team will present directly to the corporate presidents at iCAN events to gain partnership opportunities in the form of strategic investments, product R&D collaborations and/or precise sales channel development. Thirteen such events have been held over the past four years.The biggest difference between what iCAN has been doing in 2020 and the past is that it is strengthening practical implementations such as collaborations with corporations, field testing and capital investments to accelerate startup growth. This part of iCAN's efforts further includes three aspects - engaging foreign investments, accelerating startup training and commercialization guidance. As of the end of November 2020, iCAN has held more than 500 refined counseling sessions, which were all planned with startup needs in mind. In each of these sessions, a group of corporate CXOs or professionals were selected based on an initial assessment of the startup team's needs. The selected mentors then provided suggestions from a wide range of perspectives including business operation strategies, analysis of market needs, core values, scaling growth, business and technology partnership matchmaking, multi-national finance planning and patent portfolio planning.Aside from the tailor-made refined counseling sessions, iCAN has also organized more than 25 training series and 100 investment matchmaking events to connect startups with corporations, helping startups precisely target a market segment and accelerate growth by tapping industry resources, working with enterprises and following market mechanism. Through its four and a half years of efforts, iCAN's cross-campus program has incubated 99 startup teams from 53 participating universities, successfully bringing in nearly NT$400 million worth of third-party investment and NT$50 million worth of business partnership. According to Huang, iCAN has created a business environment that fosters startup growth in the most practical way. Feedbacks and evaluations from the group of close to 100 startups have been positive across the board. The response rate from the 2020 survey reached 77.7% and the overall average satisfaction rating was 4.4 stars.Taiwan's vibrant startup sceneRecognized for their corporate health, market orientation, business progress, appeal to foreign and domestic corporations as well as potential as an investment target, six startup teams were awarded at the event. Among them, Sounds Great and CytoArm received the Most Promising Elite Award; Micro PC received the Fast Progress Award; YILI Railway Technology received the Domestic Firms' Favorite Award; Rovilus received the Foreign Firms' Favorite Award; and RedEye Biomedical received the Rising Star Investment Target Award. To encourage the teams to strengthen their product offerings and boost their operation efficiency, each of the awarded startups will have a chance to engage in a close partnership with a corporation.The event also included product presentations by eight teams with promising potential selected from biomedical and healthcare, artificial intelligence (AI), IoT, green energy and smart machinery sectors. Their products demonstrate practicality and creativity. For example, LuminX has developed a one-stop cellular pharmacokinetics test platform for pre-clinical cellular pharmacokinetics evaluation of cell therapies. DeepMentor provides the DeepLog miniaturized electronics design automation tool that can shorten the time it takes to deploy edge devices for cloud-based AI systems. Moldintel proposes a cutting-edge cloud-based molding solution.A total of 13 startup teams including the eight that gave presentations exhibited their products at the event and communicated with participating corporate executives and venture capitalists. Combining technology with field know-how, these teams have come up with products showing promising commercialization potential. For example, Lockists' scooter sharing platform allows members to share their motorcycles with other members without any intrusive modification. Neopower Technologies provides highly customized single-source or hybrid power system controllers which not only engage in real-time communication with subsystems and modules but also operate on self-developed algorithms to deliver benefits in performance and cost-effectiveness. NetFay's devices and services for smartphone backup and home surveillance ensure privacy protection while enabling optimal user experience.Chun-Yi Tu, deputy director-general of DAICSPA (front, third from right) and IAPS managing director Hank Huang (front, third from left) at 2020 iCAN X TTA Batch#2 Demo DayPhoto:Digitimes, December, 2020

Taiwan-based semiconductor makers such as Unimicron and Kinsus are expected to see their orders for 5G handsets to pick up significantly in 2021 as demand for 5G phones is expected to be brisk. Meanwhile, UMC will also see its capacity utilization rates stay in high gear in the first half of 2021 because of strong orders for wafer services. Taiwanese panel component suppliers are also enjoying China-based AMOLED panel makers' orders as they kicked off the operation of its AMOLED lines.Unimicron, Kinsus to embrace 5G handset sales boom in 2021: Taiwan's IC substrate makers Unimicron Technology and Kinsus Interconnect are poised to benefit significantly from 5G handset sales boom expected in 2021 as they reportedly have secured orders for BT-based FCCSP substrates from both Qualcomm and MediaTek for processing their latest 5G mobile SoCs, according to industry sources.UMC on track to post 20% revenue growth in 2020: Pure-play foundry United Microelectronics (UMC) is on track to post a 20% revenue increase in 2020, and is expected to enjoy a strong first half of 2021 thanks to full capacity utilization rates at its wafer fabs, according to industry sources.China makers kick off new AMOLED panel production lines: Several Taiwan-based panel component suppliers have started to log in orders for AMOLED panels from Chinese makers who kicked off their new AMOLED lines recently.

AMD is posing a strong challenge to Intel in the server processor market, with its share in the segment standing a good chance of reaching 20% in 2021. In the memory sector, supply constraints in speciality DRAM and NOR flash are sending spot market prices up. The carmaking industry is also seeing disruption to production thanks to shortages of MCUs and other ICs.AMD to further grow server market share in 2021: AMD is on track to see its share of the global server processor market reach 10% by the end of this year, with the share likely to reach 20% by the end of 2021, according to industry sources.Specialty DRAM, NOR flash prices rise in spot market: Spot market prices for specialty DRAM and NOR flash memory have begun to rise recently to reflect rising manufacturing costs, with the price rally set to persist through the second quarter of 2020, according to industry sources.Car vendors see production disrupted by IC shortages: Automotive OEMs, as well as first-tier suppliers, have seen their production disrupted by shortages of MCUs and other related ICs, according to industry sources.

E-paper solution provider E Ink Holdings (EIH) has managed to solicit more partners to join its e-paper application ecosystem, with an aim to jointly promote further adoption of e-paper solutions in hospitals, factories and retail stores, according to Digitimes Research.EIH had strong sales during the second and third quarter of 2020, with operating profits growing 331% annually for the first three quarters of year.Revenues generated from its electronic shelf labels (ESL) alone surged 78% in the January-September period of 2020 from the same period of a year earlier.With the penetration rate of ESLs in the global retail market still staying below 5% currently, the company is poised for robust growth in the segment in the future, Digitimes Research believes.Using EIH's e-paper solutions, Japan's Toppan Printing has rolled out RFID ESLs for smart factory applications, and Japanese vendor Bic Camera has already installed more than 3.6 million ESLs in total at its 45 chain stores.

Taiwan-based makers of medical devices and materials currently are technologically 2-3 years ahead of their Chinese competitors although the latter have a huge domestic market, said Harry Yang, vice president for Qisda's Medical Device and Product GroupQisda expects sales from medical products and services in 2020 to reach NT$15 billion (US$519 million), increasing 30% on year and taking up about 6% of 2020 consolidated revenues, Yang noted, adding it aims to increase the segment's revenues to NT$20 billion in 2021, of which NT$5 billion will come from hemodialyzers.Qisda currently produces hemodialyzers in Tawian for both the domestic and overseas markets including China, Yang said. For the Chinese market, Qisda has established a joint venture in China - BenQ Biotech (Shanghai) - with Shanghai Kunxin Medical Technology for making hemodialyzers, with production to begin in early 2022, Yang noted.BenQ Biotech will have annual production capacity of 40-50 million hemodialyzers, while the production capacity in Taiwan will be expanded to 2.2 million units, Yang indicated.Taiwan HealthCare+ Expo 2020Photo: Michael Lee, Digitimes, December 2020

Apple's adopting LiDAR based on dToF (direct time of flight) for iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPad (2020) is expected to prompt Android smartphone vendors to follow suit, likely to replace indirect ToF (iToF) to become the mainstream 3D depth-sensing technology in 2021.While major Android phone vendors have integrated less expensive iToF technology with rear cameras, applications have been limited without significantly enhancing user experience. Since dToF can offer significant AR effects, phone vendors are expected to adopt it in place of iToF for their flagship smartphones beginning 2021, Digitimes Research believes.dToF features low power consumption, resistance to ambient ligh interference, capability to cope with complicated scenarios and accurate ranging, but its technological barriers and production costs are higher.iToF has higher resolution for 3D depth sensing and is supported by a mature supply chain for lower production cost but consumes more power.