As IC packaging trends toward high density and multiple layers, IC substrates that use Ajinomoto Build-up Film (ABF) as an insulation material (also called ABF substrates) are gaining market attention. Japan was once a major IC substrate provider, but Taiwan has overtaken its market share.

The global top-5 notebook brands, not including Apple, saw their combined shipments slip around 30% from a month ago in April because of a high comparison base in March hiked by the brands' robust short-term orders.

First-quarter 2023 global tablet shipments came to only 29.44 million units, declining 17% from the prior quarter and 8% from the prior year as the market entered the traditional slow season; however, with brands' robust short-term orders, the volumes will only drop less than 1% sequentially in the second quarter.

Smartphone shipments by the Chinese brand vendors are expected to slip 13.2% sequentially and 17.1% on year in the first quarter of 2023; however, their shipments are expected to make a recovery in the second quarter, stimulated by robust demand from shopping festivals, with an on-year decline to shrink to less than 10%.

Global notebook shipments performed better than originally expected, shrinking only 9.5% sequentially and less than 35% on year in the first quarter of 2023, and the volumes will grow back 9% sequentially in the second quarter.

Global server shipments performed weaker than DIGITIMES Research had anticipated, slipping 13.8% sequentially to fall below four million units. Having a lower comparison base in the same quarter a year ago and the fact that brand vendors are expected to begin volume shipments of servers with new CPU platforms, overall server shipments are expected to witness a low single-digit sequential growth in the second quarter of 2023.

First-quarter 2023 smartphone application processor (AP) shipments to China-based smartphone brand vendors amounted to 120 million units, plunging 12.1% from the prior quarter and 32.6% from the prior year due to ongoing smartphone demand shrinkage on top of vendors' inventory adjustment and slow season.

Thanks to the four major advantages 800V high-voltage high-power quick-charging has and its feature of a charging efficiency close to fueling a gasoline car, EV makers are growingly devoted to high-voltage quick-charging R&D.

Korea's top three PCB suppliers SEMCO, LG Innotek and Daeduck, after discontinuing their unprofitable PCB products and moving toward high-end IC substrates, have stabilized their PCB revenue and profitability.

Global smartphone application processor (AP) shipments are expected to come to 1.114 billion units in 2023, down 11.8% on year, mainly due to declining smartphone shipments and slow AP inventory depletion.

Global smartphone shipments amounted to above 300 million units in the fourth quarter of 2022 and are estimated to go down further to 263 million units, slipping a double-digit percentage sequentially in both quarters.

The four leading foundries in Taiwan - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), United Microelectronics (UMC), Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing (PSMC) and Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) - together generated a total of US$89.4 billion in revenues in 2022, soaring 31% from a year ago. However, they still experienced the first on-quarter revenue decline since the COVID-19 pandemic in fourth-quarter 2022.