Author page description
November 26
- Trump Announces 10% Tariff Increase on Chinese Goods
➀ Trump announced a 10% tariff increase on nearly all Chinese imports as a countermeasure against synthetic opioids 'fentanyl' flowing into the U.S. through Mexico and other countries;
➁ Trump also said he would sign a presidential order to impose a 25% additional tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods on January 20, 2025, and this measure will last until the fentanyl and illegal immigration issues are resolved;
➂ Trump has made illegal immigration a major campaign issue and has explicitly stated that he will use the 'tariff' tool to the fullest to address this issue.
- Solanus Microelectronics Delays Two Major Projects by Two Years
➀ Solanus Microelectronics has decided to extend the scheduled operational status dates of its 'Annual Production of 360,000 12-inch Wafer Chips' and 'Automotive Semiconductor Packaging (Phase I)' projects to December 2026.
➁ The decision to delay is due to the large scale of the projects, high capital requirements, and market competition.
➂ The company has raised approximately 4.913 billion yuan through the issuance of shares to specific objects, which will be stored in a special account.
- World's First AI Cluster with CXL 3.1 Switch Unveiled
➀ Panmnesia showcased the first AI cluster supporting CXL at the 2024 OCP Global Summit;
➁ The cluster utilizes CXL 3.1 switches to accelerate AI applications like ChatGPT;
➂ CXL technology provides a new method to expand memory without additional server components;
➃ Panmnesia's CXL solutions include CXL IP and CXL switches, enhancing memory and interconnectivity;
➄ The AI cluster includes CXL-Memory nodes and CXL-GPU nodes for memory and AI model acceleration;
➅ The cluster demonstrated the first RAG acceleration on a CXL-enabled AI cluster at the OCP Summit.
November 25
- Surprise! A RF Chip Public Company in China Announces Major Layoffs, Research and Development Staff Cut by 40%, All Out in One Day!
➀ Guangzhou Huizhiwei Microelectronics Co., Ltd., a listed company on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, has been reported to start major layoffs with a 40% cut in research and development staff, with compensation following the N+1 formula.
➁ The company, founded in 2011, specializes in the design of RF frontend chips for smartphones and IoT, with its main business being the research, development, and sales of RF frontend chips and modules.
➂ The layoffs are mainly affecting the Shanghai office, with the广州 office to follow. The company is facing financial challenges, including a decline in gross margin and negative net interest.
- The Future Outlook of Wafer Foundry Market under AI Demand Explosion and Ban Impact
➀ TrendForce predicts that TSMC will capture 66% of the global wafer foundry market revenue in 2025.
➁ The growth rate of the wafer foundry market is expected to increase by 20.3% in 2025, with TSMC contributing significantly.
➂ Key factors affecting the 2025 wafer foundry market include macroeconomic uncertainty and export control policy upgrades.
➃ The demand for wafer foundry is expected to grow due to chip manufacturing localization in major countries and regions.
➄ The capacity utilization rate of wafer foundry factories is expected to continue to rise in 2025.
➅ TSMC will lead in capital expenditure among the top ten wafer foundry companies globally in 2025.
➆ China's 12-inch wafer capacity is expected to account for 34% of the global total by 2027.
➇ Taiwan's advanced process capacity will decrease to 54% by 2027, while the US will increase to 21%.
➈ The process technology roadmap shows that Intel is closing the gap, while Samsung is falling behind.
➉ TSMC still occupies 69% of the global advanced process capacity.
➊ AI brings new opportunities to the wafer foundry industry.
- Global Semiconductor Revenue TOP10 Ranking: Up to $35.1B!
➀ The WSTS reported that the global semiconductor market grew to $166 billion in the third quarter of 2024, up 10.7% from the second quarter;
➁ NVIDIA topped the list with $35.1 billion in revenue, driven by its AI GPU strength;
➂ Samsung Semiconductor ranked second with $22 billion in revenue, mainly from AI server memory;
➃ Broadcom ranked third with $14 billion in revenue, with AI semiconductors as the main source of income;
➄ Most major semiconductor companies showed strong performance in the third quarter of 2024;
➅ The outlook for the fourth quarter of 2024 shows different trends, with data center markets expected to grow significantly for NVIDIA, Micron, and AMD.
- These Chips Are Rising in Price, While Others Are at a Premium
➀ The 2024 chip market shows a polarized price phenomenon.
➁ Analog chips, MCU chips, and some general-purpose discrete devices are experiencing price declines and even inverted prices.
➂ Storage chips and AI-related chips are experiencing price increases.
➃ Rockchip, a domestic chip company, announced a price increase due to rising costs.
November 24
- Is ZKGD (Zhongke Sunway) Really Worth 100 Billion RMB?
➀ Since September 24th, the A-share market has seen a strong rebound, with the computer sector up by 52%, far ahead of other industries.
➁ ZKGD's stock price has surged over 100% in the same period, surpassing 100 billion RMB in market value, setting a new record.
➂ ZKGD's revenue for the first three quarters of this year was 80.4 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 3.65%, while net profit was 7.7 billion RMB, up 2.57%.
➃ ZKGD's profitability has been growing, but its revenue growth rate has slowed down significantly.
➄ ZKGD's future growth prospects are uncertain due to the challenges in the server market and the impact of the US entity list.
➅ The company's market value may be overvalued given its current performance and growth prospects.
- AMD's Next Chip Stacking Innovation: More Than Just Ryzen SoC
➀ AMD is considering 'multi-chip stacking' for its future Ryzen SoC to achieve chip scalability.
➁ AMD has been committed to innovating its existing consumer CPU product lines, being the first to introduce a dedicated '3D V-Cache' module (known as the 'X3D' product line) in processors.
➂ A new patent application suggests AMD is exploring a 'novel packaging design' that aims to innovate chip stacking processes, ultimately reducing interconnect latency and bringing significant performance improvements.
- This Chip, Headed for Failure?
➀ Google's Tensor project has had some successes, notably supporting unique AI and photography features, but its four generations of chips have failed to make a significant impression on key performance and efficiency metrics, leaving Google's consumers behind.
➁ Google's next two generations of smartphones are expected to disappoint advanced users in many aspects. Will Google's return to Snapdragon be better? Is Google's Tensor project a failure? There are increasingly strong arguments for this.
➂ Google plans to significantly reduce the silicon area of Tensor G6, targeting an 8% reduction from G5. This will be achieved by canceling ray tracing in the GPU after only one generation,放弃一个DSP核心，系统级缓存可能会被放弃。G6 should launch with new, faster CPU cores, but the layout will be reduced to only seven cores to reduce the impact of upgrades.
- Google Debunks AI Chip Design Critics with DeepMind Research
➀ Google's DeepMind has published a research paper refuting criticisms of its AI chip design system, AlphaChip;
➁ The system, initially announced in 2020, has been used to design Google's Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and has saved thousands of hours of human labor;
➂ Critics have质疑 the system's effectiveness, with one paper claiming it could not be replicated and another calling it 'false dawn';
➃ Google responded to the criticisms, highlighting the limitations of the critics' methods and defending the openness and transparency of AlphaChip.
- Yellow Hanxun's Hong Kong Speech (Full Text): AI Unleashes Scientific Revolution, Robotics Era Approaches
➀ Huang Renxun, the founder and CEO of NVIDIA, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He spoke about the transformation and outlook of artificial intelligence and his words to graduates.
➁ HKUST is a leading institution in artificial intelligence and data science research. The university's alumni have founded over 1800 startups, with 10 unicorn companies and 14 companies successfully listed.
➃ Huang Renxun emphasized that AI is starting a new computing era and will affect every scientific field and industry. He highlighted the integration of AI and machine learning into various scientific fields and the transformative impact of AI in fields such as drug discovery, genomics, and climate science.
November 23
- OPPO Expands Production in Indonesia with 24 Million Units
➀ OPPO has expanded and upgraded its production facility in Tanggerang, West Jakarta, which is capable of producing 2 million phones per month when fully operational, covering a full range of products from economy to high-end, and creating 1,200 local jobs.
➁ As the second-largest factory of OPPO globally and its largest overseas production base, the Indonesian factory plays a crucial role in OPPO's internationalization strategy. The expanded factory will have an additional annual production capacity of 24 million units.
➂ OPPO currently holds a 20% market share in the Indonesian smartphone market, ranking first. However, competitors such as vivo and Xiaomi are also actively expanding in the region, targeting the growing young and tech-savvy consumer base.
➃ OPPO has established production bases in countries such as India, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Brazil, and sells products through over 300,000 retail points in more than 70 countries and regions. Overseas markets account for about 60% of OPPO's smartphone shipments, with Southeast Asia and Latin America (such as Brazil and Argentina) as its main growth engines.
- European Semiconductor Giant Chooses Mainland China for Chip Manufacturing
➀ STMicroelectronics, a major European semiconductor company, has announced that it will have its 40nm microcontroller units (MCUs) produced by Hua Hong in China.
➁ The primary reason for this decision is the vast Chinese market, with Jean-Marc Chery, CEO of STMicroelectronics, stating that China is the largest and most innovative electric vehicle market.
➂ Despite China's advanced process limitations, the country has made progress in the semiconductor industry, with three Chinese companies ranking among the top ten global chip foundries.
- US Plans to Blacklist Over 200 Chinese Chip Firms
➀ The US plans to announce new export restrictions next week, potentially blacklisting over 200 Chinese chip companies;
➁ These restrictions would prohibit most US suppliers from shipping goods to the targeted firms;
➂ The Biden administration continues to tighten semiconductor export controls to China.
- A Look Back at Domestic Chips in 5 Years: A New Perspective
➀ The author discusses the establishment of the third phase of the major fund and its potential impact on the investment direction.
➁ The author mentions the recent low profile of Liang Mengsong, the co-CEO of SMIC, and reflects on the article he wrote about Liang.
➂ The author predicts that under extreme circumstances, Apple, Intel, and Qualcomm may be the first to fall, with Intel already struggling.
➃ The author highlights the changes in the mobile chip market in 2024, with Mediatek, Qualcomm, Apple, and Unisoc's Zhujin taking the fourth place.
➄ The author reflects on the challenges faced by SMIC and its founder Zhang Yujing, and the potential of SMIC under the leadership of Liang Mengsong.
➅ The author discusses the technological advancements in the chip industry and the importance of domestic demand in China.
➆ The author analyzes the strategy of SMIC and its ambition to achieve advanced manufacturing capabilities.
- The Arrival of Crucial DDR5 Pro 6400 Overclocked Version: Embrace the DDR5 Era!
➀ The DDR5 era has arrived with the launch of Intel Core Ultra 200 series and AMD Ryzen 9000 series, which only support DDR5 and not DDR4;
➁ Misconceptions about DDR5, such as high latency and low upgrade value, have been resolved, highlighting DDR5's advantages;
➂ Crucial DDR5 Pro OC 6400 utilizes Micron's 1zz process technology and supports both Intel XMP and AMD EXPO standards for better compatibility;
➃ The DDR5 Pro OC can improve game frame rates with a speed of 6400 MT/s, suitable for both gamers and creators involved in data-intensive tasks;
➄ The DDR5 Pro OC 6400 offers 16GB modules with aluminum heat sinks in black or white origami-style designs, enhancing the feel;
➅ Compared to DDR4 3200 MT/s, the DDR5 Pro OC 6400 doubles data transfer capabilities and has a lower real-world latency due to its higher frequency;
➆ The performance of the DDR5 Pro OC 6400 is partly limited by the Ryzen 5 7600 CPU, but it still shows great potential for future upgrades;
➇ DDR5 is becoming a necessity in 2024, and it's time to embrace the new era of DDR5!
- EU Plans to Subsidize Mature Chips!
➀ The European Union is planning to expand its computer chip industry support, including 'basic and traditional' semiconductors due to the region's strengths in these areas.
➁ The European Commission is discussing potential follow-up actions to the 'European Chips Act' introduced in April 2023, a €43 billion subsidy program aiming to increase Europe's share of the global chip market to 20% by 2030.
➂ The new European Commission will focus on emerging technologies such as quantum computing and is expected to use broader policy tools to promote the development of the chip industry.
- RISC-V Chips Not Profitable, Companies Turn to Chiplets
➀ Sales of RISC-V chips are unprofitable for companies, and RISC-V suppliers are discussing chip architectures at SC conferences.
➁ RISC-V's performance is far from comparable to x86 and ARM processors.
➂ RISC-V is highly flexible and suitable for small chips, and can be paired with any type of interconnect, storage, or I/O.
- Lattice Considers Acquisition of Altera
➀ Lattice Semiconductor Corp. is considering a full acquisition bid for Altera, a subsidiary of Intel.
➁ Lattice is working with advisors and seeking private equity support to explore potential acquisition opportunities.
➂ Francisco Partners, Bain Capital, and Silver Lake Capital are also studying investment intentions for Altera.
➃ The acquisition offer for Altera is expected to be proposed before the Thanksgiving holiday in the US next Thursday.
➄ Due to the relatively smaller size of the acquirer, Lattice's attempt to control Altera may be difficult to achieve.
➅ Intel has reiterated its plan to consider selling a minority stake in Altera to investors before an IPO.
- NVIDIA Invests in a Chip Competitor
➀ Enfabrica Corp., a promising startup, has raised $125 million in B轮融资 and attracted investment from AI giant NVIDIA, which is considered a competitor due to its AI network chip development that may challenge NVIDIA's Mellanox solutions.
➁ The company has recently completed its C轮融资, securing $115 million from heavyweights like Arm, Cisco, and Samsung.
➂ Enfabrica has developed its AI network interconnect chip, ACF-S, to address GPU network pain points and memory and storage expansion challenges.
➃ The company's ACF-S chip integrates CXL/PCIe switching and RNIC functions into a single device, eliminating the need for PCIe switches, NICs, or independent CPU connections to DRAM.
➄ Enfabrica's Millennium chip, announced at SC24, offers multi-port 800 GbE connectivity for GPU servers and provides unparalleled performance, scale, and elasticity for AI clusters.
➅ The company believes its interconnect technology will become the core of future GPU computing networks.
November 22
- How Can Hanwuji Reach a Market Value of 200B with Revenue Under 2B?
➀ In just 11 months, Hanwuji's stock price surged over 250%, with a market value increase of 140 billion yuan.
➁ Despite significant revenue growth in Q3 2024, Hanwuji still reported a net loss of 7.24 billion yuan for the first three quarters.
➂ Hanwuji's major revenue comes from a single large customer, which has changed frequently over the years.
➃ ETFs have played a significant role in driving Hanwuji's stock price and market value to new heights.
November 21
- Japan to Invest $1.3 Billion in Rapidus, Aiming for 2nm Chip Mass Production by 2027
➀ Japan's government is accelerating the development of its advanced chip manufacturing industry, planning to invest 200 billion yen ($1.9 billion) in chipmaker Rapidus in the fiscal year 2025 to stimulate further investment and financing from the private sector.
➁ Rapidus aims to achieve mass production of 2nm chips by 2027, requiring a total investment of up to 5 trillion yen. The Japanese government has agreed to provide 920 billion yen in subsidies, but the remaining 4 trillion yen gap is a focus of attention.
➂ The government plans to support the company's financing through guarantees of debt and investments by state institutions, and aims to include this proposal in the upcoming economic stimulus plan.
- ST Announces: 40nm MCU Manufacturing to be Outsourced to Hua Hong! The Missionary Story is Over!
➀ STMicroelectronics, a European semiconductor giant, announces a collaboration with China's second-largest wafer foundry, Hua Hong Group, to manufacture 40nm microcontrollers (MCUs) in China to support its long-term revenue goals.
➁ STMicroelectronics expects to save millions of dollars by implementing manufacturing restructuring and cost basis adjustment plans, aiming for revenue of about $18 billion and an operating profit margin of 22% to 24% between 2027-2028.
➂ The company's CEO, Jean-Marc Chery, emphasizes the importance of local manufacturing in China, highlighting cost benefits, compatibility issues, and the risk of government restrictions. He also mentions the rapid development cycle of electric vehicles in China as a missed opportunity for any other production location.
- 张忠谋揭秘培养接班人内幕：刘德音拒绝接手仅有数十人的部门！
➀ TSMC founder Morris Chang revealed the details of his successor training, where Liu Deren refused to take over a department with only a few dozen employees, and Wei Zhejia accepted it with enthusiasm.
➁ Chang's retirement in 2005 was followed by a failed transition, and TSMC's performance declined under the leadership of his successor, Tsai Li-hsiung.
➂ Chang returned to TSMC in 2009 to turn around the company, improving technology and workforce morale, and transforming the company's market position.
- U.S. First Semiconductor Digital Twin Research Institute to Receive $285 Million Subsidy
➀ The U.S. Department of Commerce and Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) are negotiating a plan to provide $285 million in subsidies to SRC under the CHIPS and Science Act to support the establishment and operation of the U.S. Manufacturing Institute located in Durham, North Carolina.
➁ The investment total of SRC is $1 billion, which will support the establishment of the first U.S. chip manufacturing research institute, SMART USA (Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins USA), focusing on the development, verification, and use of digital twins to improve U.S. domestic semiconductor design, manufacturing, advanced packaging, assembly, and testing processes.
➂ SMART USA will join an existing network of 17 research institutes to enhance U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and promote strong research and development infrastructure.
- TSMC to Build at Least One Wafer Factory Annually in Taiwan
➀ TSMC plans to invest as scheduled over the next ten years, with the Economic Bureau preparing for water and electricity supply.
➁ TSMC may build one factory in Taiwan every year, according to Kuo Chih-wei of the Taiwan's top economic official.
➂ TSMC's 2nm orders have exceeded expectations, with Apple likely to remain the exclusive supplier of Apple's high-end processors.
- Africa's Embrace of the Chip Industry
➀ Africa's vast deserts and riverbeds, once seen as harmless, are actually a source of silicon, the backbone of the digital world.
➁ Despite rich natural resources and growing technical labor, Africa is largely excluded from the global semiconductor supply chain.
➂ The continent's abundant resources of cobalt, tantalum, tungsten, and other key minerals are crucial for chip production, giving it a unique advantage.
- NPU Shake-Up Ahead: The Complexity of Accelerating AI and the NPU Ecosystem
➀ The rise of edge AI has spurred semiconductor designers to build accelerators for performance and low power, leading to a proliferation of NPUs among in-house, startup, and commercial IP product portfolios.
➁ The complexity of software and hardware around neural network architectures, AI models, and base models is exploding, requiring sophisticated software compilers and instruction set simulators.
➂ The hardware complexity of inference platforms is evolving, with a focus on performance and power efficiency, especially for edge applications.
➃ The combination of tensor engines, vector engines, and scalar engines in multiple clusters to address the challenges of acceleration is complex and costly.
➄ The supply chain and ecosystem for NPUs are becoming increasingly complex, with intermediate manufacturers and software companies having limited resources to support a wide range of platforms.
- Is China's Mature Chip Production Capacity Really Excessive?
➀ The issue of China's mature semiconductor production capacity being excessive is complex, with experts arriving at different conclusions.
➁ China's investment in semiconductors has been significant, aiming for self-sufficiency.
➂ The analysis of China's semiconductor demand is challenging due to the diverse nature of the market and the difficulty in assessing domestic needs.
➃ Policy-makers should focus on over-reliance, market distortions, and preparedness rather than just supply and demand models.