These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of September 23 – September 27.
Semiconductor talent crunch: TSMC, Micron struggle to compete with Japan's homegrown giants
Amidst the intense chip war across multiple regions, the race for talent has evolved into a prolonged struggle that directly affects company competitiveness. Despite offering lucrative incentives to establish operations in Japan, leading firms such as TSMC and Micron face significant hurdles in overcoming the home-field advantage of local Japanese companies like Tokyo Electron (TEL), ranked as one of the most sought-after employers for fresh graduates in 2024 by recruitment firms.
China's mature chip dominance looms, Taiwan IC designers urged to prioritize sub-7nm
China is poised to take the lead in the global market for mature semiconductor manufacturing processes as it expands its production capacity. Industry experts warn that Taiwan may face stiff competition from China's "red supply chain." To counter this threat, the Taiwanese government is urging local IC design firms to prioritize R&D in sub-7nm chip technology, helping them avoid direct competition with China in the near future.
Huawei acknowledges chip manufacturing limitations in pursuit of advanced computing solutions
Huawei's rotating chairman Zhijun Xu has publicly recognized for the first time that China's limited chip manufacturing capabilities hinder the company's ability to develop advanced computing solutions. With US sanctions on Chinese AI chips unlikely to be lifted anytime soon, this would leave China's semiconductor processes lagging. This acknowledgment highlights a significant bottleneck in Huawei's pursuit of greater computing power.
China reportedly bypasses US DRAM tariffs via South Korea
China has successfully circumvented US tariffs on DRAM modules through South Korea, leading to a sharp drop in direct exports of Chinese DRAM modules to the US and a corresponding surge in shipments to America from South Korea. Chinese DRAM manufacturers alongside Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix started shipping DRAM chips to South Korea, where they were assembled into DRAM modules and reclassified as South Korean products.
Huawei claims top spot in global wearable market in 1H24
China's Huawei has overtaken Samsung Electronics and Apple for the first time to become the world's top wearable device brand in the first half of 2024, with an accumulated user base exceeding 520 million. While its smartphone business is restricted to China, Huawei continues to expand its wearables, notebooks, and tablets in international markets.
Speculation mounts over potential discontinuation of Nvidia's H20 chip as US export review approaches
As the US's annual review of export control approaches, speculation is mounting in the Chinese market regarding the potential discontinuation of Nvidia's H20 chip, a specialized version tailored for China. Sources from a distributor revealed that Nvidia has stopped accepting orders for the H20 chip since August. There has been no official announcement and Nvidia has not commented on these allegations yet.
Qualcomm's Intel takeover ambition: why Taiwan suppliers consider it a disaster
In response to speculation that Qualcomm is approaching Intel about a possible takeover, industry sources in Taiwan believe the merger would be disastrous since it undervalues Intel while exaggerating Qualcomm's capabilities. They pointed out that Qualcomm, without US government interference, is not only unable to acquire Intel but also lacks compelling reasons and benefits to do so
