MediaTek will unveil its 5G-Advanced M90 modem at MWC 2025 Barcelona, offering peak download speeds of up to 12Gbps. Built on 3GPP Release 17 and Release 18 standards, the M90 also boosts uplink speeds by 20% with advanced 2Tx-2Tx uplink switching technology.
Fueled by the surging demand for CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) components in intelligent driving systems and consumer electronics, Will Semiconductor (WillSemi), the company behind OmniVision, has in recent years eclipsed its American and Japanese rivals to emerge as China's dominant supplier of sensor components. Orchestrating this remarkable ascent is the low-profile yet formidable Renrong Yu.
Dixon Technologies, India's largest electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, has experienced rapid annual growth and is looking to double revenue, demonstrating that "Make in India" is on the rise.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) has officially shut down its smartphone motherboard (HDI) factory in Kunshan, China, as part of a broader strategy to pivot toward higher-value business segments. The company confirmed that it completed the liquidation of the Kunshan facility by the end of 2024, effectively ending its presence in the smartphone HDI market.
Smartphone development has trended toward increasing camera pixel counts while shaving off device weight. Under these design considerations, industry sources have reported that Apple may adopt metalenses in the iPhone 17 Pro Max this year, which will help reduce lens thickness and device weight, improve scanning precision, and possibly even shrink the size of the phone's Dynamic Island.
Win Semiconductors (WIN), a GaAs foundry, is reportedly one of the beneficiaries of Apple's in-house RF component initiative. Although the Taiwan-based company has declined to provide any information regarding customer status or orders, it stated that the demand for RF chips is expected to be strong.
The sales performance of the new iPhone series in the Greater China region has not shown improvement from 2024, seemingly confirming many market forecasts that suggest iPhone growth has hit a bottleneck in this region. The overall slowdown in China's consumer market and intensified competition from local brands are key factors contributing to this outcome.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and data center demand are emerging as key performance drivers for Japanese electronic component makers such as Murata Manufacturing, while performance in areas such as automotive and smartphones remains mixed.
Largan Precision chairman Adam Lin has emphasized that specifications for robotic vision applications are not necessarily higher than those of smartphones, particularly noting that 5 plastic (5P) lenses are anticipated to become a future trend.
Major tech companies are gearing up for a surge in replacement demand as government incentives aim to stimulate sales of home appliances and consumer electronics products.
Largan held an earnings call on January 9, where chairman En-Ping Lin discussed future trends in lens specifications and dedicated significant time to unveiling the latest developments in their entry into the robotics market.
Amid the ongoing US-China chip war over the past years, the Chinese government has taken counter-measures, including export restrictions on critical materials such as gallium, germanium, antimony, and graphite, aiming to curb the development of America's military and communications industries.
Apple's A-series chips have evolved significantly, with transistor counts rising from 1 billion in the A7 to 20 billion in the A18 Pro. This advancement has driven a transition from the 28nm process used in the A7 to the cutting-edge 3nm node in the A18 Pro, resulting in substantially higher wafer manufacturing costs as semiconductor technology advances.
After launching substantial subsidies for household appliances in the second half of 2024, Chinese officials recently announced a broadening of such subsidies to include computing, communications, and consumer products, such as smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches, to strengthen domestic demand, thereby boosting related IC demand.
Apple plans to introduce variable aperture lens technology in the iPhone 18 when it launches in 2026, according to industry sources. The advancement is expected to significantly enhance photography capabilities, particularly in the depth of field (DoF) control.
While Samsung Electronics (Samsung) can breathe a sigh of relief as Qualcomm's close collaborator following the US semiconductor manufacturer's victory in its lawsuit against UK semiconductor IP firm Arm, concerns are mounting over the company's overreliance on Qualcomm.
While Samsung Electronics has integrated its own Exynos 2400 chip in some models of the Galaxy S24 series, the foldable Galaxy Z Flip6 and Fold6 series are still entirely equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon chips. Currently, Samsung's competitiveness in the application processor (AP) sector remains relatively weak, and whether the upcoming Exynos 2500 can reverse this trend is closely watched.
MediaTek has introduced its new Dimensity 8400 SoC series for light flagship smartphones, with Redmi being the first to release a model featuring this processor.
In a strategic move to diversify its display supply chain, Apple has selected Tianma Microelectronics to provide 7-inch LCD panels for its upcoming screen-equipped HomePod, scheduled for release in 2025. The Chinese manufacturer secured the contract with an aggressive pricing of US$10 per unit, which industry observers note is exceptionally competitive even among Chinese suppliers.
Despite continued weak demand for South Korean displays and components in 2024, an unexpected recovery has emerged near year-end. Analysts interpret this trend as a response to the impending inauguration of Donald Trump, prompting Chinese finished equipment manufacturers to actively build component inventories to mitigate potential escalation in the US-China trade war.
The explosive growth in AI adoption has created opportunities beyond traditional computing sectors, with networking suppliers emerging as major beneficiaries. While Broadcom, a leader in wireless networking chips and prominent ASIC provider, gains attention for its AI ASIC growth, Taiwan-based networking switch makers like Accton and Senao Networks are discovering new growth avenues through AI servers.
Foldable smartphone shipment momentum continues to be strong for certain major mobile phone brands despite their low popularity in the end market. However, as development shifts toward lighter and thinner designs, brand manufacturers are investing in material upgrades, which has raised the technical threshold for the supply chain.
MediaTek has announced its revenue performance for November, reporting a monthly revenue of NT$45.242 billion (approx. US$1.391 billion), which represents an 11.49% decrease from the previous month but a 5.04% year-over-year increase.
LG Display (LGD) and Samsung Display (SDC) dominate high-end OLED technology, but their reliance on Apple orders faces pressure from cheaper Chinese OLED panels supplied to local IT firms.
