Artificial intelligence (AI) is getting more attention than ever thanks to the rapid emergence of ChatGPT, so it should be no surprise that well-established, incumbent technologies, such as the Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe), are poised to play a critical role.

Despite multiple COVID-19 resurgences, offline channel disruptions due to restrictions and sustained component shortages affecting OEMs, key SEA countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam) saw a 5% YoY growth in smartphone shipments in 2021, according to Counterpoint Research. At 96 million units, the 2021 shipments were the highest ever for a calendar year and more than the pre-pandemic levels.

In a tech world still hindered by component shortages, choices have to be made. And in the world of laptops, Windows-based devices are being chosen over those running Chrome OS.

Delivery times for chips rose in December, signaling persistent component shortages that have slammed growth for months in industries that span the economy.

Renesas Electronics on Wednesday unveiled plans to raise its capacity to supply a key component in cars and electronics more than 50% by 2023, as some industry watchers predict a global chip shortage could last into next year and beyond.

Toshiba said it won't be able to meet demand for power-regulating chips for another year and, in certain cases, through the end of 2022, offering a fresh warning for makers of cars, consumer electronics and industrial machines struggling with component shortages.

Apple's profits almost doubled in its latest quarter to US$21.7 billion, as iPhone sales surged and anticipated component shortages failed to bite.

About 20 Japanese companies, including electronic component maker Ibiden, will work with TSMC to develop chip manufacturing technology in Japan, the Nikkei newspaper reported.

The popularity of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin has resulted in shortages of graphics cards as miners buy them in bulk. Now a new cryptocurrency is set to create another component shortage, only this time it's hard drives and SSDs that will be hard to find.

Production of some MacBooks and iPads has been postponed due to the global component shortage, Nikkei Asia has learned, in a sign that even Apple, with its massive procurement power, is not immune from the unprecedented supply crunch.

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co said on Tuesday it plans to temporarily suspend production at its Ulsan No.1 plant in South Korea due to chip and component supply issues from April 7-14.

Apple's new iPhones will use recycled rare earth elements in a key component, the company said on Wednesday.

Cisco aims to increase both its revenues and profit margins in an optical networking market shifting to components with its $2.6 billion bid for Acacia Communications. The deal would put the Ethernet giant in the long-distance market for the first time and help it retain business from web giants who are increasingly buying optical modules directly from component makers.

Apple has moved its modem chip engineering effort into its in-house hardware technology group from its supply chain unit, two people familiar with the move told Reuters, a sign the tech company is looking to develop a key component of its iPhones after years of buying it from outside suppliers.

Intel's exclusive deal to provide modem chips for new iPhones has strained its ability to supply such longtime personal computer partners as Taiwan's Acer and Asustek Computer, which face shortages of a key component heading into the year-end shopping season, industry sources said.

Samsung reportedly sniffed around AMD and Nvidia as potential GPU suppliers, but nothing came of it. Now it may follow in the footsteps of Apple and have design the second major component of a chipset in-house.

Japanese electronics maker Kyocera will raise capital spending to more than JPY100 billion ($935 million) in the year starting April 1, much of which will go toward increasing domestic output of chip-related components used in smartphones and cars.

The iPhone X is facing production delays due to problems in manufacturing the 3D sensors used for facial recognition, reports say.

Follow the current and you see signs of other activity within the Apple supply chain core. Credit Suisse this morning warns that Synaptics may also be at risk as its biggest client moves component design in house.

Qualcomm no longer refers to Snapdragons as processors, but rather as a platform. It says it is changing the terminology because "Snapdragon is more than a single component, a piece of silicon, or what many would misinterpret as the CPU."

Apple is in discussions with China's BOE Technology to supply next-generation displays for future iPhones, a key component that's being provided by a Samsung Electronics unit, people familiar with the matter said.

Unlike KGI, Macotakara says that the 7s series would not include features like wireless charging or a glass casing. It would be a straightforward internal component update, moving from the A10 chip to the A11 chip, alongside the introduction of the red color option for the exterior.

According to the latest rumor from its home country of South Korea, Samsung is thinking about making the Galaxy S8 come with a pressure-sensitive display. If you're wondering what that means, just think Apple's 3D Touch on iPhones - that's basically it. The technology detects how hard you press on the screen, and this can be used by software to enable different functionality depending on the pressure level applied. The rumor is reportedly coming from multiple industry sources, as well as a senior executive at Samsung's component division.

Laird said production growth for mobile devices this year had fallen, making it difficult to predict demand.

Power component designer Sarda Technologies in the US is teaming up with Asian assembly firm UTAC to use its Heterogeneous Integrated Power Stage (HIPS) in UTAC's 3D SiP based on technology from German embedded board provider AT&S to improve the energy efficiency of data centers.

Apple for months has been rumoured to be working on a new iPhone that will have no 3.5mm headphone jack. The company has been said to remove the 3.5mm jack from the iPhone 7 models and replace it with a Lightning port in order to make the smartphone slimmer. A new leaked image however tips that iPhone 7 will include a 3.5mm jack after all.

Qualcomm indicated on an earnings call Wednesday that it may be losing some orders from Apple for modem chips that link the iPhone to the web.

Multimedia chip designer DSP Group on Monday confirmed a report by Chipworks that its HDClear chip is a component in the new Samsung Galaxy S7 phone, a deal expected to significantly boost the company's revenue.

Samsung Securities said on Dec. 13 that it trimmed Samsung Electronics' operating profit forecast for the fourth quarter by KRW300 trillion (US$253.91 million) to KRW6.8 trillion from the previous KRW7.1 trillion (US$6.01 billion) estimate due to sluggish sales in its component business.

Samsung has established new organizations that target and pursue new business initiatives to prepare for future growth. The company has formed an automotive components team, which will initially focus on building its competencies in infotainment and autonomous driving vehicles.

The investment firm has lowered its estimates for the component suppliers to Apple, in the wake of disappointing feedback regarding iPhone 6s sales from carrier surveys.

As Apple basks in the unprecedented demand for its latest iPhones, suppliers from Tokyo to Taipei are sharing in the spoils.

Toshiba and Fujitsu booked deep losses during the October-December quarter, blaming a spike in component costs caused by Thai flooding and a tough market for consumer electronics. Both companies slashed their earnings targets for the current fiscal year through March, but said they are still on track to book an annual profit.

Apple is famous for relying on low-cost Asian manufacturers to both source and assemble its popular gadgets, but the consumer device giant recently started receiving a critical component in its iPad and iPhones from closer to home - Texas.

Honda Motor said its production facility in Taiwan will be suspended starting Dec. 15, as the flooding in Thailand has stopped supply of some key components.

Seagate raised its forecast for the fourth quarter, providing a somewhat more optimistic view of the disk-drive component constraints that have affected the industry due to catastrophic Thai floods.

A Business Insider report cited discussions between Avian Securities and one of Apple's parts manufacturers that suggest we might not see a next generation iPhone until the end of 2011 or even early 2012. And recently, a Japanese-language site, Macotakara.jp, uncovered a report that revealed Apple hasn't yet ordered components for the iPhone 5.

Toyota announced they would suspend production for five days and slow production over the "next few weeks," because of shortfall in parts availability. Honda meanwhile said it would extend a production slowdown for a week.

Renesas is in talks to outsource production of auto microcontrollers to Globalfoundries Singapore, and some mobile phone semiconductor production to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), Shino Inokuma, a spokesman for Renesas, said by telephone.