ASML Holding NV plans to appoint Christophe Fouquet as the company's next chief executive officer and president, when its two co-presidents retire in 2024.
The World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) has published its most recent semiconductor market forecast. Semiconductor sales were somewhat higher than expected in the second and third quarters, prompting WSTS to revise its forecast for a 9.4% drop in 2023.
While carmakers and automotive semiconductor companies hold different views on the outlook for the global car market, industry leader Infineon is optimistic about the future. According to DIGITIMES Research, the growing demand for automotive semiconductors, robust order backlogs and the edge in China's EV sector will further Infineon's revenue growth.
At the Healthcare+ EXPO 2023 hosted in Taiwan on November 30, Intel announced a collaboration with 24 Taiwanese ICT firms to bring the latest AI technology to real-life practical use cases.
On November 29, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) and the French Office in Taipei jointly announced the signing of a Science and Technology Cooperation Convention (STC) between Taiwan and France. During the press conference, NSTC Minister Wu Tsung-Tsong and French Office in Taipei Director Franck Paris revealed the convention's focus on six key areas like semiconductor, quantum and space, signaling a commitment to comprehensively advancing scientific research collaboration between the two countries.
Despite the US' harsher export restrictions on China, chipmakers continue to pursue the Chinese market through localization, joint venture (JV), and subsidiary tactics.
Semiconductor factory engineering and equipment system giant Novatech's general manager, Ma Wei, stated that in response to the company's medium to long-term operational strategy, Novatech will reorganize and merge its subsidiaries in Suzhou, Shanghai, and Singapore. The goal is to be listed on the Chinese stock market by 2027.
According to Nova Technology (Novatech), which specializes in chemical and gas equipment used in the semiconductor and display sectors, the availability of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) used in semiconductor manufacturing and semiconductor equipment remains limited.
ChangXin Memory Technology (CXMT), the China-based memory manufacturer, announced the launch of several new LPDDR5 DRAM chips, claiming it is China's first memory brand to self-develop LPDDR5 DRAM, and it is also the first to adopt Package on Package (PoP) technology to assembly its chip.
The model FPA-1200NZ2C from Canon, a nanoscale imprinting machine, has been making headlines recently, although it first appeared in academic journals as early as 2015. The resurgence of an eight-year-old model in the news can be attributed to its imminent entry into broader semiconductor production applications.
South Korean electronic giant Samsung Electronics has made significant progress since its foray into the automotive device market in 2015. Recent launches of various automotive ICs showcased Samsung's effort to diversify business lines from the volatile consumer memory market and to create valid growth opportunities for its semiconductor foundry business. It aims to become the world's leading automotive memory company by 2025, surpassing Micron, the current champion with a 45% global market share.
Spirox and its subsidiary Southport have unveiled a new SiC substrate testing system, which is now being tested in collaboration with customers such as GlobalWafers and Wafer Works.
As the semiconductor industry gears up for substantial growth driven by the burgeoning fields of AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC), supply chain stakeholders are keenly eyeing the lucrative opportunities in high-speed networking and edge computing. Despite a temporarily sluggish market, industry insiders express confidence in the semiconductor supply chain's mid-to-long-term growth, noting that the ongoing inventory adjustment is a brief economic correction.
Samsung Electronics executives have recently disclosed their 2024 semiconductor strategy, named "GDP" (Gate-All-Around, DRAM, and Packaging), at an investors forum, aiming to tap into the burgeoning AI semiconductor market that is poised for rapid expansion in the upcoming years.
Kokusai Electric Corp., a Japanese semiconductor equipment maker, went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in late October 2023. Although it went public during the semiconductor downturn, Kokusai Electric emphasized that the market was about to improve and that it was developing new equipment for advanced semiconductors.
SK Group's KRW40 billion (US$31 million) acquisition of Kumho Petrochemical's electronic material business in 2020 is bearing fruit. SK Materials Performance (SKMP), the new subsidiary following the acquisition, has developed a high-thickness KrF photoresist and has passed the performance validation of SK Hynix. It would be beneficial for SK Hynix's 3D NAND Flash technology development.
Recently, the Japanese semiconductor equipment manufacturer Canon released the nanoimprint lithography (NIL) machine FPA-1200NZ2C, capable of achieving a 5-nanometer process node. Nanoimprint lithography is one of the methods in semiconductor manufacturing to transfer circuit design patterns onto wafers, with another well-known and widely used method being photolithography or optic lithography.
Foxconn announced a fresh investment in India to build manufacturing facilities amid its ongoing diversification efforts out of China and forays into more areas, including semiconductors.
The semiconductor industry is expected to rebound in 2024, but the pace of recovery will vary from sector to sector and company to company, according to industry sources.
To capitalize on the demand for generative AI, Toppan Holdings (formerly Toppan Printing) reportedly plans to invest approximately JPY60 billion (US$403 million) to expand the production capacity of semiconductor-related products, of which FC-BGA substrate production capacity will be doubled.
STMicroelectronics has introduced transmitter and receiver evaluation boards based on the company's STWLC38 and STWBC86 ICs, which facilitate the development of Qi-compliant wireless chargers up to 15W.
Infineon said it has secured more long-term contracts for automotive semiconductors, including MCUs and power semiconductors. The company accounts for the largest share of the automotive semiconductor market.
The global semiconductor industry will grow 3% sequentially in the fourth quarter, bringing the annual growth to 6% in the fourth quarter of 2023 and laying the foundation for the subsequent double-digit annual growth expected in each quarter of 2024, according to Semiconductor Intelligence.
Although India demonstrates ambition and has pivoted to invite Taiwanese semiconductor partners to accelerate its chip dreams, analysts are taking a cautious view but said the success of Micron in India is key to the South Asian country's semiconductor future.
