Despite the semiconductor industry's current downturn, competition in the HPC chip sector remains fierce. According to findings from DIGITIMES Research, the first half of 2023 saw all major HPC chip manufacturers, namely Intel, AMD, and Nvidia, grappling with lackluster revenue due to weak demand for high-performance computing (HPC) applications. However, there is a glimmer of hope as the NB/PC and server markets are gradually stabilizing, with expectations of a revenue upswing for these major companies in the latter half of 2023.

The three primary high-performance computing (HPC) chip suppliers, Intel, AMD, and Nvidia, will likely see their sales strengthen quarter by quarter in the second half of 2023, buoyed by a gradual rebound in the notebook, desktop, and server market sectors, despite lackluster sales in the first half of 2023 amid weak demand for HPC applications, according to the estimation from DIGITIMES Research's latest report.

The past few years have witnessed occasional disruptions in the handset supply chain, leading to the largest scale of production relocation ever seen in decades. In this context, Samsung Electronics is looking for a regionalized production for local markets in all geographies, says DIGITIMES Research.

The Chinese government announced two critical electric vehicle (EV) industry policies in June 2023. One is a tax exemption and reduction package for EV purchases nationwide, and the other is a series of measures to promote new energy vehicles (NEVs) in rural areas. DIGITIMES Research expects these policies to continue fueling end-market demand and drive local automakers to step up EV investments, enabling China to secure its status as the world's EV leader, according to the latest EV Watch report.

Global smartphone shipments will likely decline 6.6% year-on-year to 1.084 billion units in 2023, based on DIGITIMES Research's analyses of supply chain information, regional market conditions, and geopolitical trends, but the volumes will grow every year from 2024 to 2028, according to the latest figures from DIGITIMES Research's 5-year report on the global smartphone market.

DIGITIMES Research projects that the global foundry revenue will grow at a CAGR of 11.3% from 2023 through 2028, driven by demand from 5G and EV applications. Added capacities of both mature and advanced processes coming online starting in 2024 will also fuel the foundry industry's mid-to-long-term growth, according to the figures from the latest report covering the global foundry industry over the next five years.

Global notebook shipments are likely to expand by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3% from 2023 to 2028, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest figures from its 5-year forecast report on the global notebook market. In 2024, the shipment growth will likely reach 4.7%, driven by the easing of inflation and the introduction of new products, marking the end of a two-year decline.

Taiwan's wafer foundry industry is set to generate a total of only US$77.9 billion in revenue in 2023, falling 13% from a year ago, with the decline having been adjusted bigger by close to 10pp from the previous forecast. Going into 2024, the Taiwan foundry industry will have new capacity coming online while smartphone application processors (AP) and high-performance computing (HPC) chips for AI and other applications will help boost foundry demand, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest report covering Taiwan's foundry industry.

China-based EV maker BYD has expanded its footprint in Europe to 15 countries. DIGITIMES Research analyst Jessie Lin said if BYD can compete with European carmakers, the company will significantly gain a global presence. She also said if the European Union decides to implement punitive tariffs on China-made EVs, BYD might accelerate its pace to reduce costs.

Going into the second half of 2023, most markets are still struggling with soaring inflation and weakening consumption with emerging markets having taken a serious hit. Based on DIGITIMES Research's statistics, second-quarter 2023 global smartphone shipments amounted to 250 million units, down 8.7% from a year ago.

South Korea's manufacturing sector has sustained an impact from the US-China tech war, with the COVID-19 pandemic also seriously disrupting its supply chain operations. In response, Korean manufacturers have built production bases abroad in recent years. In particular, those making electronics components, computers, imaging devices and base station equipment are stepping up their investments in Vietnam and India, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest single report covering movements of Korean IT companies, especially Samsung Electronics, in the past several years and in the next few years.

The global top-5 notebook brands, not including Apple, together witnessed their first on-year shipment growth for nearly 20 months in August 2023 at 4%. Compared to July, their shipments were up 8%, driven mainly by vendors' inventory preparation for peak season, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest notebook shipment update for August.