Huawei continues its relentless journey towards chip self-sufficiency, showcasing signs of China's further advancements in advanced manufacturing processes.
In addressing high computing costs for Generative AI (GenAI), there is a market gap in on-device AI model fine-tuning computation between cloud AI servers and AI PC terminals.
The current adoption rate of QLC NAND SSD in PCs is approximately 20-25%, and this rate is expected to expand dramatically in 2024, according to Micron Technology. The primary use cases for AI in PCs are to facilitate the significant expansion of Solid-State Drive (SSD) storage capacity and to fulfill the growing demand for terabyte-level storage.
The US Department of Commerce and Micron Technology have signed a non-binding Preliminary Memorandum of Terms (PMT) to provide up to US$6.14 billion in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act to boost US competitiveness in advanced memory chip manufacturing, the Biden-Harris Administration announced on April 25.
SK Hynix has announced plans to expand production capacity for next-generation DRAM, including HBM, a critical component of AI infrastructure. This decision is in response to the growing demand for AI chips.
The continuous surge in generative AI applications is driving strong demand for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), significantly benefiting Japanese suppliers of materials and equipment associated with HBM production. This trend is prompting these suppliers to make significant investments in expanding their production capacity.
Memory module house Adata Technology has stepped up deployments for industrial memory and storage, revenue from which is expected to jump by over 50% year on year in 2024.
SK hynix Inc. (or "the company", www.skhynix.com) announced today that it recorded 12.43 trillion won in revenues, 2.886 trillion won in operating profit (with an operating margin of 23%), and 1.917 trillion won in net profit (with a net margin of 15%) in the first quarter.
At the AI Expo Taiwan 2024, running from April 24–26 at the Taipei Expo Park, major chip companies offer their take on potential developments in cloud and edge AI technologies, with the development and challenges in edge computing taking a particular focus.
Nvidia is arguably the biggest "beneficiary" of Artificial Intelligence (AI) so far, but the recent 10% plunge in Nvidia's stock price and the evaporation of its market capitalization of US$211 billion have triggered concerns in the South Korean semiconductor industry.
Yield Microelectronics (SIP) has solidified its standing among the global leaders in the embedded Non-Volatile Memory (eNVM) sector, securing a position within the top 5. With the semiconductor foundry sector on the rebound, Yield Microelectronics eyes a resurgence in 2024, targeting a return to its 2022 peak performance. Analysts anticipate Yield Microelectronics's annual revenue to surge by over 20%.
American memory chip giant Micron Technology, which has not built a new fab in the US for 20 years, is expected to step up its construction of new manufacturing facilities in New York state after securing an estimated US$6.1 billion in government grants, with the facilities to focus on AI memory chips.
ASML Holding NV is weighing options to expand its presence in the Netherlands after the government committed €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion) to infrastructure and education spending in the region where the company's headquarters are located.
ASML, a Dutch equipment firm with a stranglehold on lithography equipment and a monopoly on high-end extreme ultraviolet (EUV) exposure machines, has become accustomed to having tens of billions of euros in backlog orders. First, due to its limited output growth; second, as long as new wafer fabs are built, purchase from ASML will be required.
Although Samsung has been the subject of market rumors regarding Nvidia's placement of its 2.5D packaging orders, industry sources recently said there is no information regarding the timetable for collaboration and the number of orders for certainty. Samsung has declined to comment on market hearsay regarding customers.
After the memory market, led by DRAM, began to rebound, NAND Flash has also entered the final stages of its downturn. Customer inventories have been consumed, and with the growth in demand driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), it's reported that Samsung Electronics' NAND utilization rate has increased to nearly 90%.
Intel recently completed the assembly of the industry's first High-NA Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment and announced plans to start producing 1nm-level semiconductors as early as 2025.
As the AI boom gains momentum, the High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) sector emerges as a pivotal battleground, with three major memory chipmakers vying to reshape the industry landscape. Despite the sixth-generation HBM4 not expected to enter mass production until 2026, the alliance formulation race for dominance in the AI sector is well underway.
On April 19, SK Hynix announced that it had recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with TSMC. The two companies will collaborate closely on producing next-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM) products and enhancing advanced packaging technologies integrating HBM with logic layers.
To penetrate the Chinese mobility market, Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions Division is poised to attend the upcoming Beijing International Automotive Exhibition for the first time.
Chinese semiconductor foundry firms are persistently adopting aggressive pricing strategies, putting relentless pressure on the market share of South Korean 8-inch wafer manufacturers. In this evolving landscape, South Korean industry insiders are eyeing potential benefits if the US expands its sanctions on China to encompass more mature semiconductor processes.
With NAND Flash demand picking up, leading players like Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Kioxia, and Western Digital have started ramping up wafer production in NAND lines. However, to prevent price impacts, memory manufacturers are cautiously adjusting capacity and setting limits on wafer production.
Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) released data showing that as of December 2023, 1,209 Taiwanese companies had invested NT$2,735.6 billion (US$84.2 billion) in China, an increase of NT$32.4 billion from the end of 2022. However, investment repatriation from China last year alone accounted for 17.5% of the accumulated amount over the past, probably due to capital needs for supply chain migration.
