As IC packaging trends toward high density and multiple layers, IC substrates that use Ajinomoto Build-up Film (ABF) as an insulation material (also called ABF substrates) are gaining market attention. Japan was once a major IC substrate provider, but Taiwan has overtaken its market share. However, on the foundation of a strong upstream supply chain and its resurging IC industry, Japan's IC substrate suppliers are having a growing influence on the semiconductor sector, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest report covering Japan's IC substrate industry

Taiwan's PC monitor shipments, as in the previous quarter, continued to slump around 26% from a year ago to below 17 million units in the first quarter of 2023. However, the sequential decline shrank to less than 5% in the quarter and is likely to resume growth in the second quarter, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest figures from Taiwan's monitor shipments

Despite the milestone of achieving over one billion users worldwide at the end of 2022, 5G's massive commercialization so far is still limited only to a few markets, while many countries' and regions' mobile users have not exhibited a keen intention to upgrade to the new communication standard, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest study of the 5G industry

The global top-5 notebook brands, not including Apple, saw their combined shipments slip around 30% from a month ago in April because a high comparison base in March hiked by the brands' robust short-term orders, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest notebook shipment figures from the April update report

Korea-based panel makers Samsung Display and LG Display are working keenly to push their AMOLED panels into automotive applications, eyeing more growth, while China-based makers are also doing the same with the take-off of China's new energy car industry, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest study on the AMOLED panel industry

Despite issues such as the global economy showing no sign of recovery and the slow season having limited tablet brands' shipment in the earlier half of the first quarter of 2023, tablet brands are starting to place short-term orders at the end of the quarter to replenish their channel inventories. This is expected to benefit overall tablet shipments worldwide to see only a minor drop from a quarter ago, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest figures from the tablet report

China-based smartphone brands' shipments are expected to make a recovery in the second quarter, stimulated by robust demand from the 618 shopping festival, with on-year decline to also shrink to less than 10%, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest figures from the China smartphone industry report

Reducing charging time by increasing the power that chargers deliver is seen as critical to overcoming the range anxiety of EV owners, and compared with a high-current solution, increasing the voltage is a more feasible way for upgrading fast charging and will shape the EV industry for years to come, according to DIGITIMES Research

China-based companies have occupied a good share of the fixed wireless access (FWA) customer premise equipment (CPE) module and telecom network equipment markets. However, since the 4G/5G FWA CPE telecom equipment market is still in the early stage of development, Chinese telecom network equipment suppliers are likely to start merging to strengthen their competitiveness in the market amid the US-China tech war, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest study on FWA CPE market

Upstream and downstream players in the electronics industry remained at the inventory adjustment stage in the first quarter of 2023, with their revenue performance mostly stalling and even declining compared to the same period of 2022

Global notebook shipments (not including detachable models) performed better than originally expected, shrinking only 9.5% sequentially and less than 35% on year in the first quarter of 2023, and the volumes will grow back 9% sequentially in the second quarter, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest numbers from the report covering the notebook industry

Global server shipments performed weaker than DIGITIMES Research had anticipated originally, slipping almost 14% sequentially to fall below four million units. Having a lower comparison base in the same quarter a year ago and the fact that brand vendors are expected to begin volume shipments of servers with new CPU platforms, overall server shipments are expected to witness a low single-digit sequential growth in the second quarter of 2023, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest server report figures