UMC has plans to invest vast sums to expand a 12-inch fab site in southern Taiwan, and eight of the foundry's major clients have already reserved parts of the additional capacity for a six-year period. Enterprise PC demand is likely to rise in second-half 2021 as more people are expected to return to work at their physical offices, thanks to the lifting of pandemic-induced lockdowns. In China, demand for 5G smartphones has been growing, and 5G phone shipments into the local maket reached more than 91 million units in th efirst months of 2021.UMC gains commitments from major clients for long-term demand: Pure-play foundry United Microelectronics (UMC) has received commitments from eight of its customers for capacity demand for a six-year period, according to industry sources.ODMs optimistic about enterprise PC demand in 2H21: Enterprise PC demand is expected to pick up substantially in the second half of 2021, as COVID-induced lockdowns in Europe and the US are being eased, according to sources at Taiwan-based ODMs.China 5G smartphone shipments to top 100 million units in Jan-May: A total of 91.27 million 5G smartphones were shipped to the China market in the first four months of 2021, according to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).

Sintrones' in-vehicle computers offer a complete solution for in-vehicle applications, including driver behavior monitoring and self-driving capability. They have high flexibility, support a wide range of peripherals and connectors, and can be adapted to various vehicle management systems. Common use cases include: fleet management with GPS requirements, vehicle maintenance systems, and computing for autonomous vehicles.The key highlight of Sintrones' in-vehicle computers is their easy-to-use and intuitive interface, which is highly suitable for self-driving cars, public transport, and other applications that require large capacity systems while maintaining functional simplicity. What's more, these systems can manage the capabilities of the inner components of vehicles to accurately assess and track the state of hardware and software, usage status, and operation of all of the fleets.Among industrial PC manufactures in Taiwan whose core business is in-vehicle computers, Sintrones stands out because of its expertise regarding in-vehicle computer hardware design and manufacturing. They have accumulated years of practical experience and business relationships with end users, which have helped them gain valuable first-hand interactions and insights from countless customers. Sintrones have continuously challenged their own design capabilities for creative inspiration, and eventually rolled out products optimize for in-vehicle environments and usage, achieving impressive results. Since its establishment in 2009, it has continued to accelerate its growth. In 2019, it was successfully became a public listed company in Taipei Exchange.Technological progress for communication systems, driving in-vehicle computers' growthSintrones' Account Manager of the Greater China Region, Juergen Ko, explained during an interview that the development of in-vehicle computers began with integrated systems that incorporated GPS and 3G communication technologies. Back then, Europe was a major region, and also where Sintrones began and developed its business, first by setting a firm foothold in the region with Finland's taxi fleet management, followed by applications in various commercial vehicles such as buses, trucks, taxis, and even trains, etc., which began to sprout and grow rapidly.Take 4G for example, in-vehicle applications have high demand for Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology. Thanks to the application of Internet of Vehicles (IoV), IoT devices were all , including IP cameras. PoE played an important role by solving power supply issues while greatly reducing wiring complexity, with that, in-vehicle monitoring, troubleshooting, and Internet services became mainstream. Although the market was fragmented in its early days, and the difference between requirements among different applications was vast, Sintrones still seized the opportunities for growth, offering specialized custom-made in-vehicle computers for these industries.5G applications sparked a new type of competition for in-vehicle computersWith the advent of the 5G era, public transport systems introduced smart applications en masse, realizing various benefits of living in a smart city, such as bus tracking apps, which allow people to catch it right on time, or traffic control for ambulances which reduces the chance of traffic delays and saves precious time. Both of these applications are backed by in-vehicle computers.The requirements of smart applications center around artificial intelligent (AI), and with the brand new lineup of 5G communication modules and GPUs, in-vehicle computers are on the same track with the future development of next-gen electric vehicle applications. Although the high-diversity, low volume nature of product specs continues to challenge our engineering teams' design flexibility and customization capabilities, the gross margin is over 30%, so the profit structure is relatively stable compared to other electronic manufacturing service industries in Taiwan.According to Manager Ko, in order to keep up with the advent of 5G applications, Sintrones EBOX-7000 series has built-in hot swappable SIM card auto activation modules, which offers Dual SIM Dual Standby, allowing end users to easily switch between SIM cards. The EBOX-7000 series also supports different 5G telecom service providers, offering users the best online experience. Thanks to this, Sintrones has set a new benchmark in the highly competitive 5G application market.Wide temperature and voltage range, positioning us as the hidden campionThe competitive edge of in-vehicle computers is closely related to the engineering teams' experience in design, from wiring layout to thermal design, and customers expect every bit of the details to work in unison. Take Sintrones' entry into the snowplow vehicle market for example. One of the global top three snowplow providers separated from the Mercedes-Benz Group, which also happened to be Sintrones' client, and mentioned that in the presence of heavy snow, thickness detection with GPS and real-time readiness of vehicle and personnel information are required for proper plowing; in such cases, resource allocation efficiency and safety monitoring abilities are crucial for a successful operation. Now, when we compare the taxi fleet in the distant desert area of Dubai and this case, it is clear that both rely on the wide range of temperature design capabilities required to adapt to the extreme environments of the polar region and desert.The biggest difference between in-vehicle computers and common industrial computers is their power input design. Since the voltage supplied to other electronic devices when a car starts up is unstable, our engineering team needs to devise a multi-stage delayed booting mechanism, where the computer will react differently based on the distinct characteristics of cars. For example, a design where the computer is formally booted 5 or 10 seconds after the car starts up once the voltage supply is stable. Moreover, the 9-to-36-volt wide voltage plays a key role in adapting to the voltage fluctuations in cars. The rising trend of electric cars has brought a different set of requirements for power management and control, and Sintrones has already actively deployed applications in the electric vehicle market.Aiming at electric vehicle applications in the coming ageTaking a look at Sintrones' clientele, we can see that business in the quantity-oriented taxi fleet management is going strong. As for cases that serve as indicators, aside from the application in German snowplow vehicles, the application in AI smart buses in Singapore is a key milestone for our high-grade model. This case combines AI with unmanned autonomous vehicle systems by integrating ADAS and using GPUs' high-speed computing capabilities to predict road conditions. At the same time, it meets the various needs of vehicle emergency response; it is currently one of the best models in high-end applications.Our AI applications have also entered the Japanese market. Currently, a key example is a case with a client who specializes in the manufacturing of excavators and construction machinery, where are used as integrated applications in machinery safety warnings and GPS linkage. After years of continuous efforts, Sintrones received wide praise from our clients in the Japanese market. This is now our largest market in Asia, and also one of our key growth-driving forces worldwide.With electric vehicles becoming all the rage around the world, we maintain business relationships with all of the major players, whether it's Foxconn's Make It Happen (MIH) Electric Vehicle Alliance in Taiwan, or mainstream electric vehicle manufacturers from Europe, the U.S., and China. Take France's leading autonomous vehicle manufacturer, Navya, as an example; our collaborative product development plan is only the first of many to come. Regarding the business prospects of in-vehicle computers, as the market continues to undergo huge and drastic changes, Sintrones, who specializes in hardware design and manufacturing, will continue to prioritize promoting this technology and maintaining close contact with frontline system integrators and software vendors. Moreover, by sharing resources with leaders from other industries, such as an alliance with AUO, we will offer more comprehensive solutions to our clients. This is Sintrones' best strategy for our future success.Sintrones' Sales Manager of the Greater China Region, Juergen KoPhoto: CompanySintrones produces flexible high-performing industrial computers, satisfying various smart edge computing requirementsPhoto: Company

OwlTing, a Taiwan-based startup engaged in blockchain applications, aims to increase business by 50-100 times from the current level in 5-7 years, with new FinTech services to be the major driving force, according to company founder and CEO Darren Wang.OwlTing has developed solutions for own business operation: OwlNest, a hotel management platform; OwlTing Blochchain Services that helps enterprises optimize operations; OwlTing Market, an e-commerce platform for promoting Taiwanese fruits and organic foods in the international market; OwlTing Experience, a search engine for exploring various tourism itineraries around the world; OwlJourney, a one-stop travel service platform for tourists to book hotels; OwlStay that provides tourists with story-like in-depth information about hotels and consulting services for hospitality operators; and OwlNews, a news hub featuring transparency and trust in news.Wang told Digitimes in a recent interview that OwlNest capitalizes on bloackchain-based immutability of data to avoid duplication of data entries, preventing overbooking of hotel rooms, and such a system can also be used in airline operators' management for flight ticket.He said that OwlTing's business planning is comprehensive, building up brand reputation by virtue of ecosystems."I like to make deep insight into different industries to mine for potential demand, find trends of development for figuring out new business models. For example, OwlTing fuses many aspects of tourism industry into its business operation, including homestay facilities, hotels, in-depth tourism itineraries, hotel booking and management," said Wang.In the future, OwlTing aims to provide a blockchain-based architecture for using IoT sensing in FinTech services, he said.Many companies or individuals engaged in blockchain are motivated by the opportunity of making quick money via trading virtual currencies, and this has no real contribution to the world, said Wang. OwlTing has been developing a global payment platform across e-commerce platforms for e-commerce transactions, and will launch the platform later in 2021, he said, adding the platform is expected to become a major source of business growth for OwlTing.Wang has also invested in others' blockchain startup businesses."The success of startup businesses hinges on personal characteristics of their founders. Many venture capital firms, banks and high-tech enterprises in Taiwan are unwilling to invest in blockchain startups because they think that blockchain businesses are difficult to make money," Wang said. "But I have invested in several blockchain startup businesses and some of them are going well such as MaiCoin and CoolBitX."OwlTing founder and CEO Darren WangPhoto: Sammi Huang, Digitimes, May 2021

Taiwan-based server ODMs run substantial parts of their production locally, but they will be able to shift server production to manufacturing sites in other countries should COVID-19 result in lockdowns affecting their local operation. Chinese handset brands reportedly are mulling cutting chip orders because of fast weakning sales in China and India. But most other fabless firms are unlikely to cut back their wafer starts at foundry houses, as they are still eager to secure foundry capacity. Demand for MCUs remains strong, sending prices up.Taiwan server ODMs brace for lockdown impact: Taiwan-based server ODMs are all capable of shifting production to their factory sites overseas if COVID-19 is spreading out of control in Taiwan resulting in a nationwide lockdown, according to industry sources.Chipmakers unlikely to cut back wafer starts at foundries: Fast decelerating handset sales in India and Southeast Asia have prompted China-based brand vendors to consider slashing their chip orders, but fabless chipmakers particularly those specializing in automotive electronics, HPC and 5G related chips are unlikely to cut back wafer starts at foundries amid the already-tight foundry supply, according to industry sources.MCU prices set to rise again: Taiwan-based MCU suppliers are likely to raise their quotes shortly as STMicroelectronics reportedly has notified clients that it will hike the prices for its MCU lineup again starting the third quarter, according to industry sources.

The semiconductor and IT value chains in Taiwan have raised their alerts to the surging COVID cases locally, adopting work-from-home and other precautionary measures, though so far no major infections have been reported among the big companies. Barring COVID impacts, volume production for miniLED-backlit MacBook Pro devices will still have to be deferred because of issues with miniLED supply. Europe-based carmaker Stellantis is set to announce a strategic partnership with Foxconn.Taiwan tech firms tighten precautionary measures against COVID-19: Taiwan-based high-tech companies in various sectors have all strengthened their precautionary measures, such as operating in segregated teams and work from home (WFH) in response to a recent surge in domestic COVID-19 infections, especially in Taipei and New Taipei, northern Taiwan, according to industry sources.Volume production of miniLED-backlit MacBook Pro likely to be delayed: Volume production of Apple's miniLED-backlit MacBook Pro series may have to be postponed to fourth-quarter of 2021 or first-quarter 2022 if the sudden surge in the number of COVID infections in Taiwan continues to worsen, according to industry sources.Stellantis, Foxconn to announce strategic partnership: Carmaker Stellantis and Taiwan-based EMS giant Foxconn are set to announce a strategic partnership later today, according to the Europe-based conglomerate.

Semiconductor chips have been the hottest trending topic recently due to their indispensability in all types of applications, including automobiles, mobile phones, military weapons, and space technology, etc. We can't help but wonder, how do semiconductor plants produce chips with such a large variety of functions out of large silicon wafers? The entire procedure involves an extremely important back-end packaging process known as "die bonding," which is to remove the die from the silicon wafer, and then attaching the die to the IC substrate using a conductive medium such as epoxy or gold wire (with epoxy the most common).With the evolution of the semiconductor miniaturization process, an increasing number of die can be cut from a silicon wafer. The LED die, for example, has evolved from an original die size of about 1mm to micro LED dies of just 100μm or even only 30μm. This means the number of pick-and-place motions in the die bonding process have also undergone a sharp increase, posing severe challenges for manufacturers seeking to maintain operating efficiency and positioning accuracy. To address this issue, ADLINK continues to introduce die bond solutions that are faster, more accurate, and offer easier setting of the dispensing trajectory to fulfill the needs of customers in the semiconductor industry.Supports multiple I/O channels to meet various needs for motion controlFeynman Lin, Technical Director of the ADLINK Smart Machine Product Center, stated that ADLINK's die bond solutions feature an extremely convenient development interface which allows users to easily set the dispensing trajectory and fully supports linear, circular, spiral or mixed trajectories of various shapes while also providing extremely efficient error compensation. More importantly, once the trajectory has been set, users can perform "trigger" control using check list mode, which means the computer will confirm that the correct position has been reached based on sensor information such as temperature, position and weight supplemented by the camera's precise positioning comparison. The adhesive dispensing valve will only be triggered after all conditions are met, enabling precise amounts of adhesive to be dispensed according to user settings. In other words, ADLINK's die bond solutions can be used with a great variety of I/O channels to fully meet the check list requirements that users anticipate.Ruey Wang, Product Manager at ADLINK's Smart Machine Product Center, added that with the advancement of semiconductor manufacturing processes, die size has shrunken exponentially, requiring an increasing number of pick-and-place motions. As such, users as a matter of course have come to expect accelerated pick-and-place sequences that offer the same positioning accuracy. To this end, ADLINK's die bond solution supports "high-speed P2P" and uses closed-loop motion control technology to speed up the tuning speed, suppress resonance or jitter effects in the shortest time, and ensure that adhesive can be dispensed as soon as possible once positioning has been completed.As for why it is necessary to use a camera to assist with positioning, Ching-pang Lin explained that even with more advanced general sensors, positioning accuracy can reach only about 2mm while the process takes 10ms to complete, making it difficult to meet user requirements in terms of both accuracy and speed. In contrast, cameras can reach an accuracy of 0.1mm, and the position can be obtained immediately after shooting, offering a more immediate and convenient positioning method. To facilitate camera applications, ADLINK offers PCIe-GIE74 frame grabbers that can be used with all renowned camera brands. In addition to excellent image capture quality that guarantees no frame drop, this product also comes with real-time power control capability that provides outstanding energy saving efficiency. In addition, ADLINK also offers PCI-8258 DSP-based 4-axis advanced motion controllers, which are suitable for mounting on the motion axes that require high accuracy and immediate response.One particular challenge that users often encounter when performing die bonding is the inability to distinguish driving axles from driven axles, which can easily affect the control ability of the machine due to the resonance effect of the mechanism. ADLINK's die bond solution offers master-slave synchronous control, thus effectively avoiding interference between machines and mechanisms through frequency-domain response analysis technology, a feature that is becoming increasingly important. Over the past couple of years, an increasing number of manufacturers have been attaching two different ICs into the same chip. Apart from the need for increased alignment accuracy, this approach must moreover be supplemented with evasion functions or related processing mechanisms to avoid interference between heterogeneous components. As the perfect solution to this issue, ADLINK's high-speed P2P fast tuning technology and master-slave synchronization control capabilities not only help users achieve higher alignment accuracy and speed, but also completely eliminate interference variables.As the packaging process becomes more and more miniaturized and high-precision, ADLINK's die bond solution continues to evolve and advance, ensuring that the correct positioning can be quickly achieved and the precise amount of adhesive can be dispensed so that users no longer have to worry about short circuits and defects due to misaligned contraposition or adhesive dispensing.ADLINK's die bond solutions feature an extremely convenient development interface which allows users to easily set the dispensing trajectory and fully supports linear, circular, spiral or mixed trajectories of various shapes while also providing extremely efficient error compensationPhoto: CompanyADLINK's die bond solution continues to evolve and advance, ensuring that the correct positioning can be quickly achieved and the precise amount of adhesive can be dispensed so that users no longer have to worry about short circuits and defects due to misaligned contraposition or adhesive dispensingPhoto: Company

As COVID-19 cases surge in Taiwan, concerns have been raised over the stability of chip supply from the local semiconductor value chain. No major infections have been reported among Taiwan's semiconductor and IT supply chains yet, but Pegatron has adopted work-from-home measures for its Taiwan offices after one of its employees was infected with coronavirus. But demand for PCs in Southeast Asia remains strong despite the resurging pandemic there, according to Acer's president for the region. Concerns rising over Taiwan chip supply stability: With Taiwan encountering a sudden rise in the number of domestically transmitted COVID-19 infections, concerns about the stability of Taiwan's IC industry supply chain have emerged.Pegatron adopts WFH measures for Taiwan after COVID infection: Pegatron has implemented a three-team rotation working schedule for its offices in Taiwan starting this week, as an employee has been confirmed a COVID-19 infection case.Notebook demand in Southeast Asia stays strong despite resurging pandemic: Demand for PCs from Southeast Asian countries remains robust despite the recent resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic there, according to Acer Pan Asia Pacific president Andrew Hou.

Some first-tier brands, including Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, are likely to see their smartphone shipments decline in the second quarter of 2021 due to shortages of semiconductor components, according to Digitimes Research.Global smartphone shipments enjoyed a 47% on-year growth in the first quarter of the year thanks to a rebound in consumer demand in the wake of an easing of virus impacts and a lower base recorded a year earlier, Digitimes Research figures show.Samsung Electronics, Apple and Xiaomi were the top three vendors in the first quarter.Samsung saw its shipments grow 15.9% on year to 75 million units in the first quarter, outpacing Apple to recapture the number one title in the vendor rankings.Apple was second with its shipments totaling 56 million units, which represented a 49.5% increase from a year earlier.Chinese brands Oppo and Vivo also ramped up their shipments significantly in the first quarter. Xiaom, Oppo and Vivo have been gearing up their efforts, including the launch of more entry-level 5G models, to grab market share relinquished by Huawei.On the other hand, Huawei's shipments were almost halved in the first quarter from a year earlier as the firm has run out it inventory for parts and components. Shipments from Honor, a spin-off brand from Huawei, were still far from satisfactory as its supplies parts and components were affected by large-scale procurement by rival vendors.But Xiaomi and Oppo have recently revised their shipment targets set for 2021 previously due to insufficient supply of parts and components, Digitimes Research noted.A surge in demand for IT products, networking devices and smartphones, along with the recent global economic recovery, has sent manufacturers from related industries scrambling for needed semiconductor parts and backend service capacity, resulting in an extension of delivery lead times and shortages.As a result, smartphone shipments from first-tier brands are expected to decline in the second quarter before picking up again in the second half of the year, bolstered by most vendors' launch of new models.For all of 2021, global smartphone shipments are likely to reach 1.35-1.4 billion units or comparable to the figures achieved in 2019, Digitimes Research estimates.

Global all-in-one (AIO) PC shipments went down 5.5% sequentially to come to 3.37 million units in the first quarter of 2021, due to a high comparison base a quarter ago and shortages of panel and chips.As the component shortages will continue, the volumes will increase only around 4% sequentially in the second quarter, driven primarily by Apple's new devices.The share of AIO PCs in global desktop shipments increased in the first quarter of 2021 and their share is expected to expand slightly to 14% in the second quarter.Hewlett-Packard (HP), Apple, Lenovo, Dell and Asustek Computer remained the top-5 AIO PC brand in the first quarter, with Micro-Star International (MSI) surpassing Acer to become the sixth largest and Acer in seventh place, Digitimes Research's data show.However, Apple may leapfrog HP to become the largest AIO PC brand in the second quarter, while Acer and MSI will swap places.Wistron had the strongest sequential shipment growth among ODMs in the first quarter, obtaining new enterprise model orders from HP and seeing Dell increase the proportion of its orders for the quarter. Quanta will remain the largest ODM in terms of shipments in the second quarter, with its share to increase to 46%, thanks to Apple's order ramp-ups.

Foxconn has made another step towards developing more affordable electric vehicles. The EMS giant has just struck deals with California-based Fisker for the development of EVs with starting prices under US$30,000. Meanwhile, the global top-5 notebook brand vendors' combined shipment slipped in May due to component shortages, according to Digitimes esearch's latest figures. But ODM Quanta Computer expects its notebook shipments to stay robust in second-half 2021.Fisker, Foxconn sign pacts for development of sub-US$30,000 EVs: Fisker, a developer of electric vehicles (EV) and mobility solutions, has announced it has signed framework agreements with Foxconn (Hon Hai) Technology Group for joint development of EVs that will enter the market with starting prices under US$30,000, with manufacturing to start in the US from fourth-quarter 2023.Top-5 notebook vendors see combined shipments drop 4% in April: Despite seeing strong demand from the education and enterprise sectors, the global top-5 notebook brands (not including Apple) still saw their combined shipments slip 4% on month in May, due to component shortages.Notebook demand to remain strong in 2H21, says Quanta: Quanta Computer continues to see notebook customers step up their pace of orders with the orders pull-in momentum to carry on in the second half of 2021, according to the Taiwan-based ODM.