In the notebook processor supply chain, ABF substrates will be among certain components that will see shortage widen in 2022, which may tighten supply of notebook processors affecting notebook shipments as a result, according to industry sources.
Welltend Technology has discloed it had about 40% of third-quarter 2021 wire harness and cable assembly revenues coming from four factories in Thailand and the Philippines, with these factories becoming a main source of sales growth.
To meet surging demand for heterogeneous chips, TSMC is expected to adopt a more agile mode of cooperation with OSATs. TSMC's majr foundry competitor Samsung Electronics has announced plans to build a new fab in the US state of Texas. Samsung is eyeing orders from major US chip vendors. China first-tier lithium battery makers have refrained from raising prices this year, but they are now looking to raise prices by 20% next year.
Mitac Holdings has expressed optimism about its operations next year, thanks to robust orders for servers, as well as recovery in demand for automotive and industrial tablets.
According to the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the global semiconductor manufacturing revenue including wafer foundry and IC package and testing industries, grew 13.6% from US$501 billion in 2019 to US$570 billion in 2020, with Taiwan's corresponding revenues growing from US$86 billion to US$109 billion. With contribution of 20% for the global semiconductor industry, Taiwan is the world's second-largest semiconductor powerhouse next to the US, surpassing South Korea and Japan and leaving China far behind.
Demand for cooling solutions has been driven by heterogeneous chips integration, according to thermal heat spreader maker Jentech Precision Industrial.
In the first 10 months of 2021, Vietnam's IT sector generated VDN2,560 trillion (US$112.78 billion), 9% higher than the same period in 2020. Local Vietnamese IT firms accounted for 11% of the revenue, or VDN292 trillion, according to Vietnamnet.
Cable maker Wonderful Hi-Tech has become a supplier of transmission cables used in ground receivers for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites thanks to its experience in making directly buried cable products, according to company CEO Paul Chang.
While continuing to suffer shortage of certain chips, downstream ICT assemblers are also facing increasing capital flow pressure arising from high inventory of other components, prompting them to make inventory adjustments as the end of the year approaches, according to industry sources.
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) issued a report in September titled "How an Information Technology Agreement 3.0 would bolster global economic growth and opportunity," which is likely to ignite a new round of policy deliberation and debate among emerging countries that have not participated in the previous round of ITA. DIGITIMES tapped on the insight of Stephen Ezell, VP of Global Innovation Policy at ITIF, to discuss why it is essential now to start related policy considerations, as the demand for semiconductor capacity, the repositioning of global supply chains, and the call to deal with climate change and fulfill the UN Sustainable Development Goals require an ITA-3 in place sooner rather than later.
Memory vendors are increasing output for 176-layer 3D NAND chips although they are generally cautious about expanding overall supply the NAND market. But the foundry sector is much more eager to expand capacity. TSMC's ecosystem partners are set to see strong shipments to satisfy the needs of the world's top pure-play foundry house. In a recent interview with DIGITIMES, Inventec chairman Tom Cho expressed optimism that Taiwan's ICT firms will have a key role to play future cars.
The arrival of the electric vehicle (EV) age has brought with it new opportunities for Taiwan's ICT industry, resetting the race between Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn) and Taiwan's five biggest electronics companies. Tom Cho, chairman of Inventec, has an incisive interpretation of the high-tech evolution and its applications. Cho believes these developments have a constant rhythm and are improving the quality of life. As technology progresses with the times, all companies need to do is skillfully interpret their role.
Viewing that smartphone cameras has increasingly replaced digital cameras, Ability Enterprise has shifted its focus to AI-based surveillance cameras and automotive lens modules for sensing and detection, according to company chairman Roger Tseng.
Optical lens module maker Genius Electronic Optical (GSEO) is in preparation for potential business opportunities arising from Metaverse, for it has begun to ship a lens module used in VR devices, according to company chairman Jones Chen at a November 18 investor conference.
While major ODMs in Taiwan are following in the footsteps of Foxconn Technology to build a presence in the EV sector, many makers of ICT components, modules and EMI (electromagnetic interference) materials are also gearing up to cut into the supply chains of new energy vehicles, according to industry sources.
Components shortage and shipping problems are slowing shipment growth for servers. DIGITIMES Research expects global server shipments to grow 4.5% in 2021, lower than its previus forecast of 5.1%. China-based Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) is improving yield rates for production of its 128-layer 3D NAND flash, with plans to ramp up output in first-half 2022. In India, electric scooter maker Ather Energy is confident of gaining a firm foothold in the local market, according DIGITIMES' corrspondent in the South Asian country.
Foxconn Electronics will cooperate with Japan-based Nidec to develop and produce motors for use in electric vehicles (EV) in Taiwan and this will bring competitive pressure on Taiwan-based motor makers, but the EV-use motor market is large enough to accommodate many competitors, said Tatung chairman MK Lu in a recent interview by DIGITIMES.
EMS provider Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) will begin to implement several overseas business plans in 2022, according to company chairman Young-way Liu.
Weblink International, a channel distributor under Acer, expects to post another double-digit revenue increase in the fourth quarter of 2021, as its efforts to serve multiple brand vendors continue to pay off.
Yen Sun Technology has acquired a land site of 10,140 square meters in southern Taiwan for setting up its headquarters, R&D center and additional production capacity for high-end cooling fans and thermal modules, with construction to be completed in three years, according to company president Robert Liu.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the recently-held virtual GTC talked about a range of topics and technology development trends, including those associated with the metaverse and its market potential. In a Q&A call hosted by Nvidia for the press based in Asia on November 10, Huang shared his vision for the metaverse era and how his company would fit into the world enabled by the metaverse.
Local smartwatch brands in India scored a combined of 75% share of their domestic market in third-quarter 2021, driven by holiday shopping during the Diwali period, according to Counterpoint Research's latest report.
Despite IC shortages, demand for enterprise notebooks is recovering. ODM Invetenc has disclosed that its order visibility for enterprise notebooks has already extended to year-end 2022. Facebook's recent name change to Meta has highlighted the potential of metaverse, although how the concept can be materialized remains uncertain. In the memory sector, DRAM firms are expected to see declines in gross margins in fourth-quarter 2021 amid short-term price correction.
