Following the setup of an advanced wafer fab in the US because of the US government's pressure, TSMC is now facing pressure from governments of Japan, Germany and the US, demanding it to strengthen its support to carmakers. Meanwhile, the notebook industry has seen the winds of change as the US government is no longer pushing extra tariffs on notebooks products and therefore, given brand vendors times to decide whether to proceed with their production relocation plans. PCB makers are optimistic about server replacement demand in 2021 as Intel is set to unveil its new Whitley processors, but they still remain cautious about the market.
Political pressure challenging TSMC: TSMC is believed to have been under political pressure to set up an advanced wafer fab locally in the US in the wake of the US-China trade war. The pure-play foundry has also come under the spotlight amid a global shortage of automotive chips, according to industry observers.
Notebook production relocation from China not crucial concern for vendors: Notebook brand vendors are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward whether to have their supply chain partners move production out of China, as the Biden administration is not expected to announce new tariff sanctions against Chinese imports in the short term although its China policy has yet to be clear enough, according to industry sources.
PCB supply chain guardedly optimistic about Whitley-induced server replacement demand: Taiwan's PCB supply chain players are guardedly optimistic about business opportunities to arise from replacement demand for servers adopting Intel's new Whitley server processors, according to industry sources.