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May 23
- Chuan on X: Doubts on the Success of OpenAI's Hardware Project Due to Negative Cash Flow
➀ Chuan expresses doubts about the success of OpenAI's hardware project due to its negative cash flow of nearly $5 billion per year;
➁ Ming-Chi Kuo's industry investigation suggests that the new AI hardware device developed by Jony Ive and OpenAI is expected to be mass-produced in 2027;
➂ The device will be assembled and shipped outside of China to reduce geopolitical risks, with Vietnam as the current planned location;
➃ The current prototype is slightly larger than the AI Pin, with an exterior design reminiscent of the iPod Shuffle, but designs and specifications may change before mass production.
May 19
- Ming-Chi Kuo on X: Recent Updates on Nvidia Hardware: HGX B300 NVL8, DGX Spark, and N1X AI PCs/Laptops
➀ Nvidia has transitioned from HGX B300 NVL16 to NVL8 to accommodate faster GPU-to-GPU interconnects for LLMs with sparse MoE architectures like DeepSeek and LLAMA4.
➁ NVL8 and NVL16 both have 16 GPU dies, but NVL8 integrates two GPU dies per package, connected via NV-HBI, offering up to 10 TB/s bandwidth.
➂ The shift to NVL8 will enable Nvidia to predominantly use CoWoS-L packaging, optimizing supply chain management.
➃ DGX Spark uses the GB10 chip, expected to be in mass production around June-July, with end product shipments in August-September.
➄ The N1X is Nvidia’s Windows-on-ARM processor, requiring significant software optimization for laptop use and Windows support, potentially delaying laptops into 2026.
May 10
- The World's First AMD GPU Driven Over USB3: Now Available for Mac, Linux, and Windows
➀ The world's first AMD GPU driven over USB3 is now available for Mac users;
➁ Linux and Windows support is expected to work with the same setup;
➂ The ADT-UT3G is used to connect the GPU to the USB port;
➃ The level of engineering involved in this project is impressive.
May 9
- Nvidia AI Chip Shipments to Malaysia Break New Record: Nearly $3 Billion Worth of GPUs in April
➀ Despite U.S. warnings, Malaysia has been breaking records in chip imports, with nearly $2 billion worth of chips imported in March.
➁ In April, Malaysia imported nearly $3 billion worth of GPUs, setting a new record and showing a trend of triple-digit monthly increases since January 2025.
➂ Malaysia's GPU imports have reached $6.45 billion year-to-date, accounting for around 13% of Nvidia's total revenue in Q1 2024.
May 8
- SemiAnalysis on Neocloud H100/H200 GPUs: customers avoiding multi-year rental contracts
➀ Customers are no longer signing new multi-year rental contracts for Neocloud H100/H200 GPUs;
➁ The mass deployment of Blackwell GPUs starting in Q2 2025 has led to a decline in interest for Hopper rental contracts;
➂ The competition among Neoclouds for the same customers is driving down prices and contract lengths.
May 6
- Ray Wang on X: MediaTek's v7e TPU Project Delayed to Second Half of 2026 and AI Accelerator with ByteDance Poses Geopolitical Risks
➀ Recent rumors suggest a delay in MediaTek's TPU V7e project, which is likely to be confirmed.
➁ The delay is attributed to issues with the compute chip, with Google changing the design and system architecture.
➂ The delay may impact MediaTek's share price and revenue expectations for the project.
➃ MediaTek's TPU V8e project is still moving forward, but it is in an early development stage.
➄ MediaTek is in discussions with ByteDance for a second-generation AI accelerator, but the project is not yet finalized.
May 5
- AI Toys: The New Trend and Chip Solutions
➀ AI toys have become a new trend in the toy market with their unique experience of 'talking and thinking';
➁ The market size of AI toys is expected to reach $18.1 billion in 2024 and grow to $60 billion by 2033;
➂ Key chip manufacturers include Espressif Systems, Allwinner Technology, and Unisoc, offering various solutions for AI toys.
- Compute King on X: xAI's New 'X1' ASIC for LLM Training
➀ xAI's latest ASIC, not the widely known Dojo, is a new chip codenamed 'X1' designed specifically for LLM training.
➁ The chip will be produced using TSMC's most advanced 3nm N3 process, with an initial annual output of about 300,000 chips, of which Broadcom has received the order.
➂ The 'X1' chip is designed to enhance computational efficiency, featuring larger capacity SRAM and a dedicated Data Engine to reduce data movement energy consumption during model training and increase throughput.
May 2
- William Huo Discusses Huawei's 384-GPU Cluster: The Optical Network Revolution
➀ Huawei launched a 384-GPU cluster, focusing on the optical network rather than chips;
➁ Wccftech overlooked the significance of Huawei's optical network technology;
➂ Huawei's optical interconnect strategy surpasses Nvidia and AMD's copper bottlenecks, offering low latency and high bandwidth;
➃ Wccftech's reporting was criticized for lacking depth and ignoring important aspects of Huawei's technology;
➄ Huawei's optical network revolution avoids the expensive InfiniBand tax from Nvidia;
➅ The future of technology lies in optical networks, with Huawei leading the way;
➆ Wccftech's approach to tech journalism was deemed condescending and superficial.
May 1
- TikTok Confirms Plans to Build €1 Billion Data Centre in Finland
➀ TikTok plans to invest €1 billion in building its first data centre in Finland.
➁ The move is part of TikTok's strategy to address data storage for European users on the continent.
➂ The company aims to invest €12 billion over 10 years in data security, known as 'Project Clover'.
- Former ASML Head Scientist Lin Nan Leads China's EUV Breakthrough
➀ Chinese researchers have developed an EUV light source platform that operates at internationally competitive parameters, a breakthrough for the domestic production of advanced chips;
➁ The team, led by Lin Nan, has achieved world-class results in photolithography research using a solid-state laser-driven approach;
➂ The platform, based on a solid-state laser, has reached more than half of the conversion efficiency rate of commercially available CO2 laser-driven light sources, surpassing previous international benchmarks.
- Tariff War to Devastate Global Semiconductor Market: TechInsights Predicts a 34% Shrinkage by 2026
➀ The uncertainty of tariff policies due to the escalating US-China trade tensions is deeply impacting the global semiconductor market.
➁ TechInsights' latest report outlines various scenarios, including a 'base case' with stable tariffs, a 'moderate impact' case with increased tariffs, and an 'extreme impact' case with severe tariffs.
➂ Under the base case, the global semiconductor market is expected to reach approximately $777 billion in 2025 and $844 billion in 2026, with steady growth in data center and AI chip demand.
➃ In the moderate impact case, the market is projected to decline to $736 billion in 2025 and $699 billion in 2026.
➄ The extreme impact case predicts a market size of $696 billion in 2025 and a sharp drop to $557 billion in 2026, with significant impacts on data center construction costs, semiconductor equipment orders, and consumer demand.
- Will Glass Substrates Become Unnecessary with TSMC SoW-X?
➀ Glass substrates are divided into two categories: replacing the core material with glass and replacing the interposer with glass.
➁ The benefits of glass interposers include higher productivity and reduced thickness, solving the challenge of via holes in semiconductor manufacturing.
➂ TSMC's SoW-X does not use FCBGA, instead using a different method for electrical and signal connections.
➃ Glass substrates are not expected to replace all current technologies due to high costs and technical challenges, but will still be needed for certain applications.
April 26
- Control of Wafer Scanners: Methods and Developments
➀ The paper highlights control design aspects of wafer scanners in the semiconductor industry;
➁ Discusses challenges in control design to meet increasing demands on accuracy and speed;
➂ Covers mechatronic systems including light source generation, optical and metrology systems, and reticle and wafer stage systems;
➃ Addresses control challenges such as rejection of high-frequency aliasing disturbances, large-scale state reconstruction, vibration control, and thermal modeling.
April 1
- Chips Billionaire Yu Renrong's New Move: New Heng Hui Listed on A-share Market
➀ New Heng Hui Electronic Co., Ltd. (New Heng Hui) has been granted the approval for its initial public offering by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, with the company expected to be listed on the A-share market soon.
➁ New Heng Hui is the leading enterprise in the field of intelligent card packaging materials globally, focusing on intelligent card packaging materials and packaging and testing services. Its core product, flexible lead frame, is a key material for intelligent card chip packaging, directly affecting the cost and performance of intelligent card modules.
➂ Yu Renrong, the controlling shareholder of Shanghai Weil股份 and the largest shareholder of New Heng Hui, acquired New Heng Hui in 2018. New Heng Hui has been listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on March 22, 2023.
- Major Collaboration Announced: Infineon and Innosilicon Partner for GaN Technology
➀ Infineon and Innosilicon have announced a strategic collaboration for 8-inch GaN wafer manufacturing, potentially reshaping the power semiconductor industry.
➁ The partnership aims to enhance GaN power solution performance and supply chain resilience, with a focus on widespread application in consumer electronics, data centers, automotive, and industrial power systems.
➂ The collaboration will leverage the manufacturing capacities of both companies, with Innosilicon using Infineon's overseas and vice versa, to expand the GaN product portfolio and market supply capabilities.
- GlobalFoundries and UMC Merger Speculation: UMC Responds
➀ GlobalFoundries has been in contact with UMC regarding a potential merger, exploring a partnership two years ago but without progress.
➁ The proposed merger aims to create a larger wafer fabrication company, ensuring the supply of mature process chips in the US and investing in R&D.
➂ UMC and GlobalFoundries rank fourth and fifth in the wafer fabrication market with 5.5% and 4.7% shares respectively in Q4 2024.
➃ The combined revenue would reach $3.7 billion, potentially surpassing Samsung to become the second-largest wafer foundry after TSMC.
➄ Both companies have complementary process technologies and a production footprint across three continents.
➅ The merger faces challenges such as antitrust reviews by regulatory departments and handling agreements with Intel.
➆ UMC responded to the rumors by stating that there are no ongoing merger cases.
March 31
- Jiang Shangyi: Intel is Now a 'Minor Player', Should Merge with Established Chip Technology Companies
➀ Jiang Shangyi, former Co-CEO of TSMC, openly discussed Intel's chip manufacturing challenges in a speech in Taiwan.
➁ He suggested that Intel should adopt mature chip manufacturing processes to compete, as it is far behind TSMC and unable to catch up.
➂ Jiang believes that Intel, once the 'king' of the chip industry, is now a 'minor player' and should merge with a company specializing in mass production of mature chip technology.
- Texas Instruments Announces Layoffs!
➀ Texas Instruments announced layoffs after receiving a $1.61 billion chip subsidy;
➁ The layoffs are part of a reform measure to support long-term operational plans, including job cuts at a factory near Tampa Bay Highway;
➂ Texas Instruments did not disclose the number of employees laid off, but said the figure was below the WARN Act notification threshold;
➃ The company received $9 billion for its Texas business and $7 billion for its Utah business as part of the $16.1 billion funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce;
➄ Despite the layoffs, Texas Instruments maintains its plan to build a second factory in Utah, but market concerns persist over the weakness of the analog chip market;
➅ Texas Instruments' fourth-quarter revenue was $4.01 billion, down about 2% year-on-year, and net profit was $1.205 billion, down 12% year-on-year;
➆ The company's embedded processing business revenue declined 18% year-on-year to $613 million, while other departments' revenue increased 7.3% year-on-year to $220 million.
March 26
- Investing in Shanghai Chip Unicorn: 200 Million Yuan!
➀ Shanghai Yachuang Electronics Group Co., Ltd. plans to up to 200 million yuan in Shanghai Analog Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd.;
➁ Yachuang Electronics has been focusing on the automotive, industrial, and power sectors, and is a well-known domestic agent and provider of automotive entertainment navigation solutions;
➂ Analog Semiconductor, founded in 2018, specializes in chip design for automotive intelligent driving linear products, and data converters, mainly targeting industrial and automotive markets.
- Major Breakthroughs in Compound Semiconductor Field: Jinfengshan Lab Achieves Three Innovations
➀ Jinfengshan Lab achieves global first 8-inch silicon-based polar GaN substrate;
➁ China's first 100nm high-performance GaN flow PDK platform;
➂ 20-meter long-distance wireless energy transmission technology;
➃ Breakthrough in GaN material, device, and industrial application;
➄ Enabling 'instant charging' for mobile phones and 'while-driving charging' for electric vehicles;
➅ Accelerating the localization of high-end devices such as 6G base stations and autonomous driving radars.
- New Kai Lai, a Sensation!
➀ SEMICON China 2025 opened in Shanghai, with New Kai Lai participating for the first time to connect with downstream manufacturers.
➁ New Kai Lai's booth was a hit at the show, featuring a unique and stylish exhibition area that combined technology and fashion, attracting a lot of attention.
➂ The company showcased several upcoming products, including PVD, CVD, ALD for thin film products, RTP, EPI for diffusion equipment, ETCH for etching products, and various optical detection and measurement products.
- T-Bird: Born for UFS Testing
➀ The era of embedded storage requires;
➁ The challenges of UFS testing in product development and verification;
➂ The differences between UFS and SSD testing, including platforms, system environments, and drivers;
➃ Introduction of Thunder Bird (T-Bird) as a professional UFS testing platform;
➄ Features of T-Bird: high performance, comprehensive coverage, one-stop testing solution, high reliability, and application scenarios;
➅ Contribution of T-Bird to UFS testing technology development and its benefits to embedded storage development and application enterprises.
March 25
- What Challenges Are Power Semiconductors Facing from Expansion to Layoffs?
➀ The global EV market growth has slowed down, leading to overcapacity in power semiconductors with inventory turnover days increasing by 18%.
➁ Major companies like Infineon, ON Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, and Renesas are downsizing or adjusting jobs.
➂ Chinese manufacturers, such as BYD and Yue Xin Semiconductor, are launching new factories and producing high-performance products.
➃ Infineon initiates the 'Step Up' plan and Japanese companies invest jointly.
➄ China's market and AI become future bright spots for some companies.
- The Man Who Rewrote China's Chip History: A Story of Resilience and Innovation
➀ At 60, Yin Zhizao, the 'Father of China's Chip Etching Machine', returned to China from Silicon Valley, restarting his career with Chinese chip development.
➁ After years of effort, Yin and his team developed China's first domestically produced etching machine, breaking the foreign monopoly.
➂ Despite facing lawsuits and challenges from former employers, Yin's company, Microelectronics, achieved significant breakthroughs in chip etching technology, propelling China from a follower to a leader in the industry.
- Storage Research Framework: The Development Path of DRAM Technology
➀ Large Language Models (LLMs) have revolutionized the field of natural language processing (NLP) with their breakthroughs, leading to a new wave of technological progress. These models, however, are traditionally deployed on cloud servers, which bring challenges such as network latency, data security, and continuous internet connectivity requirements, limiting their widespread application and user experience.
➁ Storage computing integrates storage and computing, adding computing capabilities to the memory to perform two-dimensional and three-dimensional matrix calculations. It can effectively overcome the bottleneck of the von Neumann architecture and achieve a significant increase in computing energy efficiency.
➂ There are three types of storage computing: Proximity Memory Computing (PNM), In-Memory Processing (PIM), and In-Memory Computing (CIM). Each type has its own advantages and is suitable for different application scenarios.
- EV Semiconductor Investment Slows Down, Japanese, American, and European Companies Lay Off Workers
➀ The global market growth of electric vehicles (EVs) is slowing down, leading to layoffs in the semiconductor industry.
➁ Infineon, the world's largest semiconductor power company, plans to lay off 1400 people and adjust the positions of another 1400.
➂ The rise of Chinese manufacturers, such as BYD, is also impacting the industry, with companies like Renesas Electronics delaying investments.
March 24
- China's Domestic 5nm Chips Enter Mass Production Countdown!
➀ The market is currently experiencing a cold wind due to the upcoming US equivalent tariff policy on April 2nd.
➁ Three sectors are worth paying attention to: financial, resources, and chip equipment.
➂ The chip equipment sector has seen several positive developments, including the acquisition of a semiconductor testing equipment company by the National Integrated Circuit Fund and the participation of a new chip equipment company with a mysterious background in an international semiconductor exhibition.
➃ It is expected that domestic advanced G-line machines have passed the acceptance test and will enter mass production next year.
➄ The domestic advanced chip production line is expected to have a significant impact on the global chip industry.
- Inside a TSMC Engineer's Busy Day: Starting at 7:35 AM
➀ TSMC, founded in 1987, has become a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing.
➁ TSMC's 2nm process technology is set to enter mass production this year.
➂ Engineers at TSMC work in a highly specialized and continuous environment, facing various complex challenges.
➃ TSMC's corporate culture is influenced by Asian Confucianism, emphasizing discipline, professionalism, and respect for the elderly.
➄ TSMC has launched a 2025 campus recruitment plan to hire about 8,000 new employees.
March 23
- 14 AI Infra Experts Gather at GenAICon 2025 Beijing, Discussing the Future of AI
➀ The 2025 China Generative AI Conference (Beijing) is set to take place in Beijing on April 1-2, featuring 45+ key speakers.
➁ The conference focuses on the theme 'Big Turn, New Journey' and aims to showcase significant advancements in domestic generative AI.
➂ The event includes a main forum, application forums, and technical seminars on deep learning and AI agents.