As a result of a prolonged inventory adjustment in the electronics sector and slower economic development in 2023 compared to 2022, DIGITIMES Research forecasts that the global wafer foundry industry will generate US$122.4 billion in revenue in 2023, a 13% decrease from 2022.

In 2023, the worldwide semiconductor market faced challenging conditions. Amidst various uncertainties including geopolitics and the broader economy, DIGITIMES Research projects that the worldwide IC design and IDM sector generated US$523 billion in revenue in 2023, reflecting an 8.9% decline compared to the previous year.

NearLink (also known as SparkLink), China's homegrown wireless communication technology, entered commercialization in 2023 after being led by Huawei and supported by more than 400 Chinese companies. NearLink aims to reduce China's reliance on international standards, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, dominated by the US.

DIGITIMES Research's China smartphone industry report predicts that China's smartphone shipments are expected to decrease by 18.5% in the first quarter of 2024.

DIGITIMES Research's findings show that application processor (AP) shipments for Chinese smartphones were sluggish during the traditional peak season in fourth-quarter 2023, with a sequential decrease of nearly 20%. Shipments already had peaked in the previous quarter for handset brand vendors in preparation for the high-season demand during the second half of the year, as well as in response to competition from Huawei's return to the 5G market, according to DIGITIMES Research's reports covering AP shipments to Chinese smartphone brands.

We are seeing the most standardized specifications of AI hardware with the launch of AI PCs, and the operating system and the apps will be key to defining the "AI" on the PCs as a genie or a white elephant, said DIGITIMES Research analyst Joyce Chen, who just recently released a report regarding AI PC.

Based on DIGITIMES Research's statistics, first-quarter 2024 global server shipments are expected to climb 1.7% sequentially and resume year-on-year growth. Leading US-based cloud service providers were keen on AI server purchases in the second half of 2023, which squeezed their budget for general-purpose servers. Going into the first quarter of 2024, they are set to start a new round of purchases for general-purpose servers, giving rise to brisk server sales despite the traditional slow season, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest server report.

Global notebook shipments, not including detachable models, went down 5.8% sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2023 due to brand vendors' promotions on older-generation notebooks to clear inventory almost at the end; CPU players' new platforms not yet ready, and weak end demand pulling back brand vendors from placing keen orders for the quarter despite being the traditional strong season, according to the latest figures from DIGITIMES Research's fourth-quarter 2023 notebook report.

According to the survey and analysis by DIGITIMES Research, the shipment volume of Chinese smartphone AP in the fourth quarter of 2023 saw a quarter-on-quarter decrease of nearly 20% due to seasonal factors. The shipment volume in the first quarter of 2024 is expected to remain the same as the previous quarter. However, the low base caused by the inventory adjustment phase in 2023 meant that both quarters are expected to see double-digit percentage year-on-year growth. At the same time, market leader MediaTek is expected to see its market share continue to increase.

International carmakers have been exploring ways to secure their market share in China, where EVs see robust growth. Jessie Lin, senior analyst with DIGITIMES Research, said the strategic partnership Stellantis built with Leapmotor last year was comprehensive. If the model works, it may enable more collaboration between traditional foreign automakers and emerging Chinese car companies.

CES 2024 took place from January 9 through January 12 in Las Vegas. DIGITIMES Research visited the Vehicle Tech and Advanced Mobility Pavilion for a first-hand look at automakers' and automotive high-tech companies' showcases featuring AI-enabled services, cockpit experiences, and autonomous driving.

Considering the development plans of individual companies in China, Japan, and Korea, solid-state batteries are expected to enter mass production in 2025 and be available commercially in 2028. However, the critical factor lies in whether Toyota can successfully start mass production of vehicles with solid-state batteries by 2027, as its success could reshape the landscape of the automotive battery market, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest report on solid-state battery development.