TSMC offered its take on market developments at its quarterly earnings call on April 18: while demand for AI-related high-performance computing (HPC) continues to grow, the same cannot be said for other applications.

Topco Quartz Products (TQP) is a joint venture between Topco Scientific (TSC) and Shin-Etsu Quartz. TQP's new plant in southern Taiwan, whose opening ceremony was held on April 18, will dedicate all of its capacity to TSMC, boosting the firm's capacity by 50% and potential annual revenue by NT$2 billion (US$61.59 million).

Samsung Electronics' top executives, led by co-CEO Kyung Kye-Hyun, recently visited Taiwan to meet with local suppliers such as Silicon Motion Technology, a major manufacturer of NAND flash controllers and a long-standing partner of Samsung, according to industry sources.

Micron Technology Inc., the largest US maker of computer-memory chips, is poised to get $6.1 billion in grants from the Commerce Department to help pay for domestic factory projects, part of an effort to bring semiconductor production back to American soil.

The initial reviews for the Ai Pin have not been favorable, with many highlighting the device's hardware flaws and impracticality.

According to a recent Counterpoint Research report, the share of GenAI smartphones in overall smartphone shipments would reach 11% by 2024 and 43% by 2027, passing 550 million units in 2027 with 4X growth.

After introducing the INR100 billion (US$1.2 billion) IndiaAI Mission, the Indian government is reportedly considering procuring Nvidia GPUs to help grow the local AI ecosystem.

The three major players in advanced chip manufacturing have secured CHIPS Act subsidies by promising to increase investments in fabrication facilities within the United States. With more than half of the direct subsidies in their coffers, they are mandated to introduce cutting-edge 2-nm production lines on American soil.

The shortage of IC design talent continues to be a problem, leading Taiwan-based IC design firms to look into government and academic resources to hire overseas talent, focusing on Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe.

Leading automotive IDMs are facing increasing competition, with STMicroelectronics (ST) trailing closely behind second-placed NXP Semiconductors, according to TechInsights.

China's National Semiconductor Industry Investment Fund (aka the Big Fund) has provided financial support to NineCube, a Chinese electronic design automation (EDA) company established in 2011, according to local media reports.

Microsoft's substantial investment of US$1.5 billion has secured it a board seat in the United Arab Emirates-based AI firm G42, albeit with a trade-off.

With the announcement of CHIPS Act funding for the top 4 foundry manufacturers and the launch of various public-private projects come great expectations for a revival of semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. However, as companies build up their new factories, where to find enough people to operate them becomes a big headache.

Samsung Electronics reported profits of US$4.89 billion for the first quarter of 2024. The semiconductor division successfully ended a streak of losses spanning four consecutive quarters. In the quarter, the Device Solutions (DS) division, primarily dedicated to semiconductors, had a profit of approximately US$1.6 billion.

AI PCs and other innovative designs are expected to drive demand for chip specification enhancements, and related average selling prices (ASP) will only climb, according to IC design company sources.

Under the fast-changing technology trend, no matter which way China's AI industry chooses to build its ecosystem or stay compatible with CUDA, the elimination and consolidation processes will ultimately be driven by the choice of the market and customers. The Chinese market is simply too big to ignore.

AI took center stage at the 2nd Hong Kong International Innovation and Technology Expo (InnoEX) and the 20th Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition), as AI technologies and applications continue to generate buzz and attention in the tech world.

South Korean media ETNews cited industry sources, reporting that Novatek Microelectronics has provided DDI samples for iPhone 16 validation this February.

At the Taiwan and India Ecosystem Partners Connection event held on April 12, Grace Wang, vice president and general manager at Intel Taiwan, encouraged Intel's partners in Taiwan and India to deepen their relationships.

Customized chip demand is rapidly emerging, and Arm is capitalizing on ASIC opportunities by utilizing its Arm Total Design platform.

The launch of Google and Meta's latest self-developed chip products has fueled heated competition in the ASIC market.

The Chinese telecom bidding market is on the upswing, as major tenders are being issued by key telecom operators.

Infineon Technologies recently announced a multi-year partnership with Amkor Technology, a leading provider of semiconductor packaging and test services. Both companies have agreed on operating a dedicated packaging and test center at Amkor's manufacturing site in Porto, with operations set to commence in the first half of 2025.

The Advanced SoC Research for Automotive (ASRA), a research organization joined by 14 Japanese car and semiconductor companies, recently received funding from Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The money will facilitate the development of next-generation automotive SoC using chiplet technology.

Rapidus has announced the formation of a US subsidiary, Rapidus Design Solutions (RDS), the establishment of an Americas office in Santa Clara, California, and the appointment of long-time semiconductor executive Henri Richard as general manager and president of the US organization. Richard oversees Rapidus' overall business development efforts in the US.