Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) foundry Advanced Wireless Semiconductor Company (AWSC) has seen a surge in orders for flagship smartphone chips from manufacturers such as Qualcomm, boosting its sales performance.
SK Hynix reportedly designated its M17 factory site as another new DRAM production base soon after announcing in late April its investment in the M15X DRAM plant in Cheongiu, South Korea, aiming to start production before the completion of the Yongin semiconductor cluster to ensure sufficient capacity for next-generation DRAM, including High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), for AI applications. SK Hynix, however, has denied the report.
Samsung SDI and Stellantis have been building a joint battery plant in the US to produce the South Korean company's sixth-generation prismatic battery, P6.
The semiconductor industry is witnessing significant shifts influenced by geopolitical considerations. One recent case exemplifying this trend is King Yuan Electronics's (KYEC) sale of 90% equity in its China subsidiary Jinglong Technology (Suzhou) for approximately CNY48.85 billion (about US$675 million).
The US Department of Treasury will grant EV makers a two-year extension for restrictions on some hard-to-trace battery materials, including China-dominated graphite. The move was welcomed by automakers while upsetting some US politicians.
Leading South Korea-based battery manufacturers LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK On reported unsatisfactory financial performance in the first quarter of 2024 due to slow EV market growth, customers adjusting their inventory levels, and falling metal prices.
Amidst the global economic downturn and the continuous slowdown in end-product IT demand, Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) and LG Innotek, which previously experienced severe performance slumps, have outperformed industry expectations in the first quarter of 2024 by supplying high-value-added products for AI and EV demand.
Amid the indigenization efforts, China-based semiconductor equipment makers continued to witness explosive growth over the past year, as most companies reported double-digit growth in sales and profits.
Apple Inc. surprised investors with a decent beat on quarterly revenue from China, countering months of data that showed a quickening decline in iPhone sales.
Chinese carmaker Seres, a Huawei partner, came out of the red in the first quarter of 2024 after experiencing losses for five years. The Aito EVs it co-developed with Huawei have gained traction in the market and accounted for 70% of Seres' sales volume.
Qualcomm's first-quarter fiscal report has signaled an ongoing recovery in smartphone demand, with robust demand in the high-end Chinese smartphone market.
Counterpoint released the global foundry market share ranking for the fourth quarter of 2023, showing that TSMC maintained its leadership status with a 61% market share driven by strong demand from AI and the restocking of smartphones.
While the European Union and the US have imposed many restrictions on China-made EVs, the measures seem also to benefit Chinese carmakers. European and US consumers have become more aware of Chinese EVs, which may affect the future market dynamic.
Bolstered by strong sales of its first AI smartphone, the Galaxy S24 series, which debuted earlier this year, Samsung Electronics Mobile eXperience (MX) division achieved remarkable results in the first quarter of 2024 despite the contraction of the smartphone market.
