【Weekly IC Express】: Taiwan, China announced a list of core key technologies, and Chinese mainland is prohibited from obtaining 14nm and below chip manufacturing and advanced packaging

Industrial chain

Taiwan, China announced a list of core key technologies: 14nm and below chip manufacturing, advanced packaging, etc. are prohibited from Chinese mainland

On December 5, the National Science Council of China's Taiwan region announced a list of 22 core key technologies, covering military, agriculture, semiconductors, space, cybersecurity and other fields, including chip manufacturing technology for 14nm and below processes, as well as key gases, chemicals and equipment technology, advanced packaging, etc.

The U.S. Commerce Secretary said more money was needed to stop Chinese chips and "warned" Nvidia

On December 3, the global network quoted relevant news, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Raimondo said that the U.S. Department of Commerce needs more funds to prevent China from catching up in the field of cutting-edge semiconductors.

Nvidia Jensen Huang: Huawei is one of the strong competitors in the field of AI chips

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on December 6 that Huawei is one of Nvidia's "very strong" competitors in the race to produce the best artificial intelligence (AI) chips.

India has completed a money laundering investigation into Vivo, accusing it of illegally transferring $7.5 billion abroad

The Indian government has completed a money laundering investigation into Vivo, accusing Vivo India of illegally transferring 624.76 billion Indian rupees ($7.5 billion) of funds abroad through shell companies to evade paying taxes in India. Previously, vivo India responded that it was "firmly committed to its ethical principles and remains committed to complying with the law".

Apple is rumored to have transferred its iPad NPI resources from China to Vietnam

According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is working with BYD Electronics, a major Chinese iPad assembler, to transfer New Product Introduction (NPI) resources to Vietnam. NPI involves an important part of the design and development of new products between brands and suppliers to ensure that the blueprint is viable, and this is the first time that Apple has allocated iPad product development resources to Vietnam.

Apple is rumored to be looking to produce iPhone 16 batteries in India

According to two sources close to Apple, Apple has informed its component suppliers that it prefers to source the batteries needed for the upcoming iPhone 16 from its Indian factory. It's part of Apple's efforts to diversify its global supply chain and move manufacturing out of Chinese mainland.

* Toshiba and Rohm to collaborate on the production of power semiconductors The Japanese government subsidizes $830 million

Toshiba and ROHM will collaborate on the production of power semiconductors to strengthen the power semiconductor business, which is indispensable for electric vehicles (EVs).

Chuanfu Ruiwei was dissolved, and the layoff compensation was paid in N+1 installments

Recently, an employee of Furui Microelectronics posted a post to break the news that Furui Micro has been disbanded! Now the salary cannot be paid, and the N+1 compensation will be paid in installments from the second quarter of next year. In June this year, it was reported that Furui Micro had delayed the issuance of year-end bonuses, and employees and headhunters were persuaded to retire.

A semiconductor company in Chongqing ceased operation and went bankrupt and liquidated

On August 18, China Silian Instrument Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Silian Group") applied for bankruptcy liquidation of Chongqing Silian Microelectronics Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Silian Microelectronics") on the grounds that it could not pay off its due debts, and its assets were insufficient to pay off all its debts and obviously lacked solvency, with the case number (2023) Yu 05 Po Shen No. 647.

It is rumored that NIO will further reduce its workforce, and the proportion will be expanded to 20%~30%

The CEO of NIO previously issued a general letter in early November, saying that it would lay off 10% of its workforce. Recently, it was reported that some departments of NIO have been asked to prepare a new round of layoff lists, which may expand the cumulative layoff ratio to 20%~30%. Discussions are ongoing and no identities will be revealed, the sources said.

NIO is rumored to be spun off its battery manufacturing division

Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio plans to divest its battery manufacturing division, which could include a planned factory, some testing equipment and intellectual property, according to two people familiar with the matter. It's part of the company's efforts to turn a profit, reduce costs, and improve efficiency.

Western Digital informs customers that NAND prices will increase by 55% in the coming quarters, and HDDs will also rise

Storage manufacturers have successively raised prices, following Samsung's 20% quarterly price increase in the first half of next year, Western Digital (Western Digital) recently notified downstream channels and consumer customers that prices will increase, of which, NAND Flash may increase by as much as 55% in the future.

TSMC Wei Zhejia: AI application development 2024 will be a year full of opportunities

TSMC held the 2023 Supply Chain Management Forum on December 7 and presented excellent supplier awards, during which TSMC President Wei Zhejia mentioned in his speech that in view of external factors such as high inflation and rising costs, there are still uncertainties in 2024. However, thanks to the rapid development of AI applications, 2024 will also be a year full of opportunities.

TSMC's German factory will recruit more employees from Taiwan, but it will be difficult

Although TSMC's plans to set up a factory in Germany have recently been questioned due to the German budget crisis, the company said it has not suspended the project. Challenges for TSMC include high energy prices in Germany, cultural differences, German government subsidy disputes, labor shortages, and the presence of strong labor unions in Germany. In response to human resource issues, TSMC has opened up Xi opportunities to non-science majors in Taiwan, China.

AI ASIC chips drive the demand for packaging and testing and carrier boards, and Taiwanese manufacturers enter the supply chain

Recently, the special application chips (ASICs) used for artificial intelligence (AI) have driven the demand for professional packaging and testing in the back-end of semiconductors, and the legal person pointed out that Taiwanese factories including ASE Optics, Jingyuan Electric, Nandian, Yingwei, Jingce and other Taiwanese factories have gradually cut into the supply chain of AI ASIC chips-related packaging and testing, carrier boards and test interfaces.

With a capital injection of US$50 million, Hon Hai continues to accelerate its investment in India

Hon Hai Group's investment in India continues, and according to a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange by Hon Hai's FIH, Bharat FIH Limited will inject US$50 million into Rising Stars Hi-Tech Private Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary incorporated in India, as a long-term investment for working capital and general corporate purposes. The capital injection is scheduled to take effect in December 2023.

TSMC reached an agreement with the local labor union: the U.S. factory can bring in foreign workers according to the situation

In order to solve the problem of workers building a factory in Phoenix, TSMC and the Arizona labor union reached an agreement after months of negotiations, including allowing TSMC to bring in foreign workers with "professional experience" "as the situation requires".

The TSMC-Amkor alliance in the United States will form a fierce competition with Samsung

Samsung Electronics and TSMC are building semiconductor ecosystems around their U.S. foundries to compete for customer orders.

Germany's budget crisis affects the subsidy plan, and TSMC's factory may be canceled

The German budget crisis may have an impact on the billion-euro investment subsidy program, and people familiar with the matter pointed out that if Germany reduces its subsidy commitment, TSMC may renegotiate the terms of setting up a factory in Germany, and in the worst case, it will have to cancel the plan.

Taiwan's economic sector: The sub-14nm process management does not affect TSMC

On December 5, the "National Science Council", a department in Taiwan, announced a list of 22 core key technologies on December 5, covering military, agriculture, semiconductors, space, network security and other fields, including chip manufacturing technology with 14nm and below processes, key gases, chemicals and equipment technology, advanced packaging, etc.

TSMC's capital expenditure next year will focus on advanced processes below 3nm and 2nm

According to the market, TSMC's capital expenditure next year may fall to US$28 billion ~ US$30 billion, an annual decrease of 6.3% ~ 12.5%, which may fall to a low point in the past four years.

TSMC's capital expenditure in 2024 may drop to 28 billion ~ 30 billion US dollars

According to the market, TSMC's capital expenditure may be reduced to US$28 billion ~ US$30 billion next year, a year-on-year decrease of 6.3% ~ 12.5%, which may be a low in the past four years. In response to this news, TSMC responded that the relevant information about capital expenditure in next year will be subject to the content announced at the legal conference in January 2024.

Agency: The output value of the world's top ten wafer foundries increased by 7.9% in Q3 and will continue to rise

According to statistics from TrendForce, the output value of the world's top 10 foundries in the third quarter of 2023 was US$28.29 billion, an increase of 7.9% quarter-on-quarter. With the gradual digestion of terminal and chip inventories, as well as the emergence of new Apple and Android machines in the second half of the year, urgent orders for Q3 smartphones and notebook-related parts have emerged. In addition, TSMC and Samsung's 3nm processes also have a positive effect on the output value.

Agency: PC GPU shipments increased by 16.8% in the third quarter, showing a recovery trend

According to statistics from research institute Jon Peddie Research, in the third quarter of 2023, global PC GPU shipments reached 71.9 million units, an increase of 16.8% quarter-on-quarter, and PC CPU shipments increased by 15.2% quarter-on-quarter, but decreased by 5.1% year-on-year. Overall, the consumer GPU market has shown a recovery, and the proportion of computers with discrete GPUs will continue to grow.

Institutions: Global storage revenue will increase by 66.3% in 2024, driving semiconductor revenue growth of 16.8%

According to Gartner's latest forecast, global semiconductor revenue is expected to decline by 10.9% to $534 billion in 2023. This market will grow by 16.8% to $624 billion in 2024.

Agency: DRAM industry Q3 revenue reached $13.48 billion, and the contract price will rise

According to a survey conducted by TrendForce, the total revenue of the global DRAM industry reached US$13.48 billion in the third quarter of 2023, with a quarterly growth rate of approximately 18%. In the second half of the year, demand recovered, and buyers restarted the momentum of stocking, which led to an increase in the receivables of DRAM chip manufacturers. Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, shipment growth is expected to be limited, but contract prices will continue to rise sharply.

Institutions: Q3 NAND industry revenue increased by 2.9% month-on-month, and Q4 is expected to rise in volume and price

According to TrendForce, the NAND Flash market shipments in the third quarter of 2023 increased by 3% quarter-on-quarter, and the overall consolidated revenue was US$9.229 billion, up approximately 2.9% quarter-on-quarter, as the production reduction of memory chip leaders became apparent. Looking forward to the fourth quarter, the agency expects that NAND Flash products will increase in volume and price, and it is estimated that the average sales unit price of all products will increase by 13%, and the overall NAND Flash industry revenue is expected to increase by more than two percent quarter-on-quarter.

Benefiting from the increase in the penetration rate of folding mobile phones, the agency estimates that the output value of UTG ultra-thin glass will increase by more than 60% annually in 2024

According to TrendForce's latest OLED technology and market development analysis report, the market penetration rate of UTG has exceeded 90% among the recently announced new folding phones, and it is estimated that the UTG output value will reach US$360 million in 2023 and US$600 million in 2024 as the scale of folding phones continues to grow.

Institutions release eight predictions for the global semiconductor market in 2024: the growth rate can reach 20%

According to the latest research by IDC (International Data Corporation), with the explosive increase in global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC), coupled with the stabilization of market demand for smartphones, personal computers (PCs), servers, automobiles, etc., the semiconductor industry is expected to usher in a new wave of growth.

Industry Observation: The fall of the "rich second generation" IC design company has triggered three major revelations

The international manufacturers in the side are laying off employees, and the domestic "rich second generation" IC design companies in this side are thundering one after another. Following TCL Moxing Semiconductor, Furui Microelectronics, a subsidiary of Fosun Group, was rumored to be dissolved. Coupled with the recent "loss of contact" of OPPO Zheku, I can't help but ask: Why is the "rich second generation" so thinner than paper?

In 2024, Intel's PC business will encounter a moment of life and death?

Maybe it's not obvious yet, but Intel is at a life-or-death juncture. How much impact will the launch of Arm-based PCs have on Intel's original ecosystem?

Mini LED is ready to go, and many listed companies are competing for layout

At present, the electrification and intellectualization of automobiles have become a major trend in the development of the industry, and the intelligent cockpit has put forward new requirements for on-board displays. According to Omdia statistics, the average annual compound growth rate of the market demand for automotive displays will remain at about 5%-6%, and by 2026, global automotive display shipments will reach 240 million.

The average salary of semiconductors in Taiwan, China far exceeds that of the mainland, and the truth about Taiwan's "westward expansion" to the mainland

The semiconductor industry is technology-intensive, capital-intensive and talent-intensive, and its long industrial chain makes it one of the most complex and globalized industries. As a latecomer, the growth of Chinese mainland's semiconductor industry requires a large amount of capital investment and a rich talent team.

The Jedi strikes back with GPT-4, and Google launches the most powerful model, Gemini

After being suppressed by ChatGPT for a full year, Google has launched its strongest counterattack. In the early morning of December 7, Google CEO Sundar Pichai (Sundar Pichai) and Deepmind CEO Demis Hassabis (Demis Hassabis) jointly posted on Google's official website that its latest large model Gemini 1.0 (Gemini) version was officially launched. In their view, the release of Gemini is just the beginning, and a larger grand plan for technology iteration, product application and ecological construction is about to begin.

Layoffs + price increases in disguise, VMware, which was acquired by Broadcom, is planning two major "schemes"

Broadcom's nearly $70 billion acquisition of VMware was finalized last month. According to public reports, nearly 3,000 VMware employees have been laid off around the world. Recently, it has also been reported that VMware's Beijing branch has been changing its trademark and adjusting its personnel. Due to the strong sense of difference in business lines and business scopes between the two parties, how Broadcom integrates VMware and whether it will reduce R&D spending in the software business is also the focus of attention in the industry.

terminal

Agency: Q3 total smartphone production was 308 million units, up 13% month-on-month

According to statistics from TrendForce, smartphone production has increased since the third quarter of 2023 as channel inventories have decreased and seasonal demand has been driven. Total global smartphone production in the third quarter was about 308 million units, up 13% quarter-on-quarter and 6.4% year-on-year, ending an eight-quarter recession cycle.

For deliberately reducing the performance of the iPhone, South Korea sentenced Apple to pay 70,000 won in compensation to each person

South Korea's Seoul High Court ruled on Apple's case in the civil court on December 6, and seven South Korean consumers won the lawsuit. Previously, Apple made a consumer lawsuit for allegedly deliberately reducing the performance of old iPhone devices through iOS system updates.

* Apple's boycott of iPhone USB-C regulation in India: may affect local production targets

Apple has informed India that its local production targets will be affected if India follows the EU's lead and requires existing iPhones to have a universal USB-C charging port, according to a government document. Apple is currently resisting the regulation and lobbying for exemptions or extensions.

* Agency: The global PC market will grow by 8% in 2024, with 267 million units shipped

Canalys, a market research agency, released a market forecast that predicts that global personal computer (PC) shipments will recover after seven consecutive quarters of decline. The market is expected to grow by 5% in the fourth quarter of 2023, driven by the recent holiday season and macroeconomic improvements. Looking ahead, full-year 2024 shipments are expected to grow 8% to 267 million units, driven by Windows OS refresh cycles, AI capabilities, and the rise of Arm-based computers.

* Foxconn and Pegatron iPhone factories in India are suspended?

According to sources close to Foxconn and Pegatron, Foxconn and Pegatron have stopped producing Apple iPhones at their factories near Chennai in southern India due to heavy rains.

* Business growth slows streaming music platform Spotify to lay off 17% of its workforce

Spotify Technology SA, a streaming music service provider, said in a Dec. 4 statement that it would lay off about 1,500 employees, or 17 percent of its workforce, due to a slowdown in the company's business growth. This is the third layoff this year, following the layoffs of 600 in January and more than 200 in June.

* Samsung's S23 series sold 25.06 million units in the first nine months, up 23% from the same period as the S22 series

According to the "Preliminary Report on Smartphone Sales in October" released by Hana Securities on December 4, Samsung's Galaxy S23 series released in February sold 25.06 million units in the first nine months, exceeding 23% of the S22 series' sales in the same period (20.32 million units).

* Japanese parts manufacturer TDK will produce iPhone batteries in India

On December 4, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, India's deputy minister of information technology, said on social media that Japanese electronic component maker TDK will produce lithium-ion batteries for Apple's iPhone in India.

* Apple's new phone promotes the upgrade of non-Apple mobile phone lenses, and the industry is optimistic about Da Liguang benefiting

After Apple's annual new phone was announced, the 5x optical zoom lens of iPhone15 Pro Max used a 1G+3P glass-plastic hybrid lens in order to reduce dispersion and difference, driving high-end models in the non-Apple mobile phone camp to be equipped with high-power optical zoom lenses, and in order to reduce the thickness of the lens module, a periscope lens design was adopted.

Touch

The price of large-size TV LCD panels fell by 2% for the first time in nearly 14 months, and panel factories in Chinese mainland have reduced production

The price of large-size products (55-inch) fell 2% month-on-month, the first decline in 14 months, due to the sluggish global TV (TV) sales and the reduction in purchases by TV manufacturers, which led to the deterioration of the LCD panel market for TVs.

* Agency: The LED dot matrix screen market increased by 23.1% in Q3 and maintained recovery

According to statistics from Omdia, a market research agency, global LED dot matrix screen (direct view LED) shipments increased by 23.1% month-on-month and 18.5% year-on-year, and have recovered for three consecutive quarters. However, inflation hindered the uptick in revenue, with total industry revenue up 13.9% sequentially and just 7.7% year-on-year. Analysts said end-customers and system integrators were affected by inflationary pressures, reducing their choice of cheaper products in the same category, or compromising on issues such as resolution.

* LG Innotek starts development of under-display camera and is expected to increase the number of related patent publications

According to industry insiders on December 6, LG Innotek has begun the advanced development of the "under-panel camera" (UPC), which does not have obvious lens holes. Presumably, this move is in preparation for the implementation of Apple's iPhone full screen. iPhones with UPC are expected to be released after 2026.

* Agency: The global OLED light-emitting materials market will exceed $2.4 billion in 2028, with China accounting for 44%

According to the research institute, the global organic light-emitting diode (OLED) light-emitting materials market is expected to exceed $2.4 billion by 2028, of which China is expected to account for 44% of the share.

* Toppan acquires JOLED plant to produce FC-BGA substrates

Japanese printing and materials conglomerate Toppan (Toppan) has acquired the JOLED plant and will restructure it to supply products to the chip industry.

* Hyundai Mobis has developed a new product that applies QD to LEDs, saying that the performance is similar to that of OLED

Hyundai Mobis announced on November 30 that it has developed a 27-inch, 14.5mm curved display that applies quantum dots (QDs) to miniature light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Zhejiang issued a new policy to accelerate the integration and development of virtual reality and industry applications

Recently, the "Zhejiang Province Virtual Reality and Industry Application Integration Development Action Plan (2023-2027)" was issued to accelerate the construction of virtual reality technology innovation and integrated application development ecology, and promote the high-quality development of the virtual reality industry. Zhejiang Province strives to achieve a scale of more than 100 billion yuan in virtual reality and related industries by 2027.

LG shows the new CEO: the top priority is to turn the performance into a profit

LG Display, which has recorded operating losses for six consecutive quarters, said its new CEO, Jeong Cheol-dong, recently said that turning a profit is a top priority.

Samsung will launch the world's first AI laptop

Samsung Electronics will launch the world's first artificial intelligence (AI) laptop in mid-December this year. LG Electronics and HP are also planning to launch AI laptops.

BOE (BOE) exclusively for OnePlus's ten-year transcendence, OnePlus 12 comprehensively defines the new height of domestic flexible OLED screens

On December 5th, OnePlus launched the OnePlus 12 all-round flagship mobile phone at the new product launch conference, which is equipped with BOE (BOE) flexible OLED 2K ultra-high-definition eye protection screen, and comprehensively upgraded LTPO pixel circuits and light-emitting devices, bringing users a new experience in terms of extreme performance, ultra-clear image quality, and worry-free eye protection. This is not only the crystallization of BOE and OnePlus's innovation, but also demonstrates BOE's continuous joint innovation with industrial partners with the strong technical strength of "Powered by BOE", and fully opens a new era of ultra-clear and ultra-powerful intelligent terminals.

Apple is rumored to launch the OLED iPad Pro and iPad Air 6 next spring

Apple's iPad shipments have declined over the past quarter due to the failure to bring new changes. The entire iPad lineup is expected to be upgraded next year, including the iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini and entry-level iPad. Industry analyst Mark Gurman reports that Apple expects to launch two variants of the iPad Air in the spring of 2024, as well as the OLED iPad Pro model.

BOE exclusively supplies realme GT5 Pro new OLED screen: 144Hz full brightness eye protection

On December 7th, realme officially launched the realme GT5 Pro flagship smartphone, equipped with the third-generation Snapdragon 8 SoC chip, Sony LYT-808 50 million pixel main camera, Sony IMX890 50 million pixel super light and shadow periscope telephoto. BOE exclusively provides high-definition flexible OLED screen for this mobile phone, using the new 8T LTPO technology, supporting 0.5~144Hz variable refresh rate, achieving full brightness eye protection, and has TÜV Rheinland global eye protection 3.0 certification.

communication

* Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: 2G/3G withdrawal is an inevitable choice, and the rights and interests of users must also be protected

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in reply to netizens' suggestions on ensuring the basic communication function of old mobile phone users on the "leadership message board" of the People's Daily Online, 2G/3G withdrawal is an inevitable choice for the upgrading of mobile communication networks, but at the same time, it is also pointed out that the withdrawal work should do a good job in public opinion guidance and user aftermath.

* Costa Rica rejects Huawei's participation in 5G construction Chinese Embassy: Or damage economic relations between the two countries

The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica strongly refuted a decree issued in August to safeguard cybersecurity, and its president recently explained why Huawei raised cybersecurity and espionage issues when it was banned from operating 5G mobile data networks in Central America, denouncing Costa Rica's accusations as baseless in a statement and saying it could damage economic relations between the two countries.

* The official announcement is that the commercial time of 6G will be around 2030

According to a CCTV News report on December 6, it was learned from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology that the mainland is carrying out 6G-related technology tests in an orderly manner to solidly promote the innovation and development of 6G technology.