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November 3
- GlobalFoundries Fined $500,000 by US Government for Violating Semiconductor Export Regulations
➀ The US government has imposed a $500,000 fine on GlobalFoundries for violating export regulations by shipping over $17 million worth of wafers to SJ Semiconductor, which was on the entity list managed by the US Department of Commerce.
➁ SJ Semiconductor, a former majority-owned subsidiary of SMIC, was added to the entity list in 2020 but its shares were sold to other investors in 2021.
➂ GlobalFoundries sent 74 batches of wafers to SJ Semiconductor between February 2021 and October 2022, totaling over $17 million, despite the lack of any relationship with SMIC during that period.
- The Survival Sample of a Hard Technology Startup with 9 Years of Financing and 32 Rounds
➀ Horizon Robotics raised approximately 5.4 billion Hong Kong dollars in its IPO, becoming the largest Hong Kong IPO of the year.
➁ The company has raised a total of 2.363 billion US dollars through 32 financing rounds, with about 100 institutions participating.
➂ The article discusses the investment strategy of various investors, including 5Yuan Capital, Hillhouse Capital, DST, Baillie Gifford, SAIC, CATL, BYD, Volkswagen, Intel, and SK Hynix.
- Tian Cheng Advanced Announces 'Nine Layers' Technology Platform: A Milestone in Chinese Semiconductor Innovation
➀ Tian Cheng Advanced Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. achieves breakthroughs in technology development and production;
➁ The company focuses on semiconductor technology innovation and contributes to the development of the integrated circuit industry in Zhuhai and the Greater Bay Area;
➂ The 'Nine Layers' technology platform is unveiled, symbolizing advanced technology and corporate culture, aiming to optimize the wafer ecosystem.
- TSMC Plans Price Hike: 3nm Up 5%, CoWoS Up 20%!
➀ TSMC is considering raising prices for its in-demand 3nm process and CoWoS advanced packaging technology to meet the huge demand.
➁ TSMC plays a crucial role in the manufacturing of high-performance computing and cloud AI chips, with a significant demand for its advanced processes and packaging technologies.
➂ Reportedly, TSMC plans to implement the price increase in 2025 with NVIDIA's approval, affecting the entire supply chain.
- Revealing Qualcomm's Self-Developed Oryon CPU: A Cross-Platform Ecosystem for Mobile, PC, and Automotive!
➀ Qualcomm unveiled the next-generation flagship mobile platform, Snapdragon 8 Ultra, featuring the second-generation Oryon CPU.
➁ Oryon CPU, with its high performance and energy efficiency, has seen a 45% improvement in both single-core and multi-core performance.
➂ Qualcomm has achieved full in-house development of Snapdragon SoC with the integration of Oryon CPU, GPU, NPU, ISP, DSP, and baseband.
- Semiconductor Giants: Some Rejoice, Others Worry
➀ The semiconductor market is experiencing a mixed situation with some companies thriving and others struggling.
➁ ASML's stock price continues to fall due to challenges in the market and geopolitical uncertainties.
➂ BESI's revenue and orders have grown significantly, but the company is facing challenges in the mainstream and Chinese packaging equipment markets.
➃ Lam Research has reported strong financial results, driven by strong demand for advanced logic and DRAM in Asia.
➄ Teradyne's revenue increased due to robust performance in its semiconductor testing business.
➅ ASM International's order book exceeded analyst expectations, driven by strong demand for AI chip key technologies.
➆ KLA's revenue and earnings exceeded expectations, and the company is optimistic about the semiconductor market's growth in 2025.
➇ SK Hynix achieved record profits and sales due to strong sales of high-end AI memory products like HBM.
➈ TSMC's third-quarter profit increased significantly, driven by strong demand for AI chips.
➉ United Microelectronics Corporation reported better financial results compared to Force Microelectronics Inc.
➊ Infineon and Texas Instruments have different views on the automotive semiconductor market, with Infineon predicting a slowdown and Texas Instruments remaining optimistic.
- World Advanced: Entering the 12-inch Wafer Fabrication Market
➀ World Advanced announced its entry into the 12-inch wafer fabrication market and the construction of a new factory this year, with the company and the outside world showing confidence in the plan, hoping that the new factory will be fully operational in five years, doubling the annual revenue from 50 billion to 100 billion.
➁ The company plans to lead the 12-inch project, investing $7.8 billion, in a joint venture with NXP, and receiving all the necessary technology and resources from TSMC. The company's board of directors, management, and the outside world are all confident in the plan, and the company also remembers its social responsibility for corporate governance and environmental changes.
➂ World Advanced will focus on the development of power management chips next year, expecting the performance in the ultra-high-voltage process to grow by double-digit percentages. However, there are still uncertainties such as geopolitical issues and the US election, which need to be observed and paid attention to.
November 2
- Domestic Smartphone Brands Raise Prices, But TSMC Takes the Money
➀ Domestic smartphone brands such as vivo, OPPO, OnePlus, and Xiaomi have released new models, with prices increasing.
➁ The increase in prices is attributed to the rising cost of processors, particularly from Qualcomm and MediaTek.
➂ TSMC, as the dominant player in the semiconductor industry, has been hiking its manufacturing prices, driving up the costs for smartphone brands.
➃ The demand for 3nm process chips is strong, with major tech companies like Apple and NVIDIA placing large orders with TSMC.
➄ The rising costs are not translating into increased profits for smartphone brands, with most of the profit going to TSMC and Qualcomm.
- From the Dissolution of 3PEAK's MCU Team: Reflections on the Future of Domestic MCU
➀ The global MCU market reached a high of $28.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.6% from 2023 to 2033, reaching $70.6 billion by 2033.
➁ There are several types of domestic MCU manufacturers, including listed companies, long-standing players, emerging enterprises led by former overseas MCU team executives, and MCU departments of large terminal application manufacturers.
➂ 3PEAK's dissolution of its MCU team was a result of a difficult decision made by the company's management team, considering investment and current market conditions.
➃ Domestic MCU companies need to focus on market research, customer relationship building, and product innovation to compete in the global market.
- Naura CVD GO: North Microelectronics Delivers High Uniformity, Large Capacity 12-inch Cygnus Series PECVD Equipment to Customers
➀ North Microelectronics has delivered a high uniformity, large capacity 12-inch plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) equipment, suitable for large warpage silicon wafers, to customers;
➁ North Microelectronics has been dedicated to the PECVD equipment field for many years, launching the EPEE 550 series for LED applications in 2012, and the EPEE i200/800 series for power devices, compound, and MEMS in 2019;
➂ The Cygnus series, introduced in 2022, is designed for integrated circuit applications, capable of preparing high-quality dielectric films for logic, storage, and advanced packaging, and addressing challenges of large warpage silicon wafers.
- Betting Big on EUV Lithography: US Invests $10 Billion in Semiconductor R&D
➀ The U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) announced the construction of the first chip R&D flagship facility based on the U.S. Chip and Science Act.
➁ The facility, to be located in the Albany NanoTech Complex in New York, will focus on advanced EUV technology and related R&D.
➂ The project is expected to receive $825 million in proposed federal investment.
- India's First 12-inch Wafer Factory Launched, TSMC Receives First Fab IP Payment
➀ TSMC announced the launch of its 12-inch wafer factory in India, a joint venture with Tata Group.
➁ The factory, located in Gujarat, is set to receive $11 billion in investments and aims to create over 20,000 high-tech jobs.
➂ TSMC will provide technology transfer and training, while Tata Group and the Indian government will fund the investment.
- Samsung Starts Supplying HBM3E to Major Customer, Micron Stock Plummets
➀ Samsung Electronics has begun supplying its most advanced high-bandwidth memory HBM3E to a major customer after passing key validation procedures.
➁ The customer is believed to be NVIDIA, a leading AI chip manufacturer.
➂ SK Hynix currently holds over 50% of the HBM market share and is the main supplier of HBM3 and HBM3E to NVIDIA and AMD.
➃ Micron started mass production of HBM3E in February and plans to capture 20-25% of the HBM market share by 2025.
➄ Micron's stock plummeted by 4.26% on October 31st following the news.
- Huawei's Net Profit Plummets 70.6% in Third Quarter, Reaching 7.758 billion yuan
➀ Huawei's net profit for the third quarter of 2024 dropped by 70.6% year-on-year to 7.758 billion yuan;
➁ The company's revenue for the first three quarters of 2024 reached 585.9 billion yuan, with a net profit of 62.868 billion yuan;
➂ Huawei's smartphone shipments increased by 49% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2024, reaching 11.6 million units, ranking tenth globally;
➃ Huawei's smartphone shipments in China increased by 19% year-on-year in the third quarter, ranking fifth in the Chinese market.
- Valued at 6 billion, this domestic CPU manufacturer is exposed for delaying wages and halting operations!
➀ The domestic server CPU company HeySilicon is reported to have delayed employee salaries for half a year, nearly halting operations, with over 500 employees filing for labor arbitration.
➁ HeySilicon had previously announced that April and May salaries would be delayed, and employees received April's salary in late June, with the rest undetermined.
➂ HeySilicon cancelled the 2023 performance bonus due to the global semiconductor market downturn and announced a 30% salary cut starting October 1, 2024.
- Is AI Entrepreneurship Entering a Shakeout Stage? A Talk with Li Kaifu and Zhang Peng
➀ AI entrepreneurship is experiencing changes every quarter, with new paradigms like OpenAI's GPT-4 and new product ideas such as canvas, NotebookLM, and Computer Use.
➁ Questions are being raised about the startup company, Model AGI, especially regarding the 'six dragons of AI'.
➂ Li Kaifu and Zhang Peng discuss the advantages and challenges of AI startups, and explore new ideas for AI entrepreneurship.
- A Chengdu Chip Company That Raised 15 Rounds Is Up for Sale
➀ A Chengdu semiconductor company that has raised 15 rounds is planning to sell.
➁ The company, Yichong Technology, has completed 15 funding rounds and is backed by 30+ investment institutions including SAIC, NIO, Shenzhen Capital Group, and CICC.
➂ Shanghai semiconductor company Jingfeng Mingyuan plans to acquire Yichong Technology through a combination of share issuance, convertible bonds, and cash.
- ECOC2024: Photonic Co-Packaged Transceivers
➀ A 1.6 Tb/s optical transceiver based on EML is proposed and demonstrated by the National Technical University of Athens, using GeSi electronic chips and InP optical chips for co-packaging.
➁ A 64 Gbaud transmitter with a photonic crystal structure is designed by Yokohama National University, featuring a high-speed optical transmitter with 1.9 pj /bit power consumption.
➂ The transceivers use line bonding to interconnect the PIC with the EIC, and the optical routing to the fiber array interface is achieved through polymer PolyBoard low-loss edge coupling.
November 1
- OCP 2024: Lexin Precision's 224G/448G Co-Packaged Copper Interconnect (CPC) Solutions
➀ Lexin Precision introduced its high-speed Co-Packaged Copper Cable (CPC) solution at the OCP 2024 Photonics Special Focus session.
➁ The CPC solution aims to bring benefits similar to CPO, such as higher bandwidth density, better signal quality, power consumption, simplified routing, and low crosstalk.
➂ The challenges include increased complexity and cost in manufacturing and assembly, strict size constraints, and the need for on-site maintainability with modular design.
➃ Lexin's CPC interconnect solution features a modular design, supporting various configurations, and has demonstrated excellent performance in signal integrity testing.
- SenseTime's Ten-Year Journey: Over 40B Yuan Raised, Owning 54,000 GPUs to Target Large Models
➀ SenseTime, once a leading AI company, has faced numerous challenges over the past ten years, with its valuation experiencing significant fluctuations.
➁ SenseTime has shifted its focus to generative AI and aims to become a participant in the large model industry, with its generative AI business contributing 60% of its total revenue in the first half of 2024.
➂ The passing of co-founder Tang Xiaou and the inheritance of his shares by his wife, Yang Qiumei, has raised questions about the future of SenseTime's control and decision-making.
- 4 Domestic SiC Projects Reach New Milestones: Total of 790,000 Pieces, Completion of Acceptance Inspections
➀ Four domestic SiC projects report new progress, totaling 790,000 pieces.
➁ UltraCoreStar's SiC substrate industrialization project is completed and can produce 30,000 pieces per year.
➂ Supersic Jingrui Electronics' SiC substrate wafer production base project has completed the water and soil conservation facility acceptance.
➃ Changfei Advanced's Wuhan base is scheduled to move in equipment in November, with mass production expected in May next year.
➄ Aotong Carbon: The EIA approval for the annual production of 2,000 tons of isostatic graphite and 0.12 tons of SiC ingot project has been granted, with a total investment of 150 million yuan.
- October Semiconductor Terminal Market Insight Report
➀ In October, the market looks forward to the Fed's interest rate cut to boost the semiconductor and terminal market, and pays attention to the impact of European and American electric vehicle policies on the supply chain, while maintaining a high level of expectation for the growth of data centers.
➁ Consumption electronics are recovering steadily, with smartphone, PC, service robots, smartwatches and other major categories experiencing stable growth in production.
➂ The auto industry shows a polarized market, with slight declines in sales and production, but strong growth in new energy vehicles.
➃ Industrial robots show rapid growth, with a year-on-year increase of 22.8% in September.
➄ New energy industry maintains a good momentum, with stable growth in the output of photovoltaic and energy storage batteries.
➅ Communication equipment remains weak, with a decline of 20.8% in the output of mobile communication base stations.
➆ Home appliance production has a slight rebound, with color TV, air conditioning, refrigerator and washing machine production increasing.
➇ Policies are being implemented to support the semiconductor and automotive industries, with the US and EU increasing support for domestic industries.
➈ Data center demand remains high, with stable growth in consumer electronics and differentiated demand in the auto industry.
➉ The Federal Reserve's interest rate cut is a significant boost for the semiconductor industry, with expectations of continued benefits and a potential wave of mergers and acquisitions.
➊ The EU's final anti-subsidy duty on imported electric vehicles from China will have a short-term impact on exports and revenues of domestic manufacturers.
➋ Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers are actively seeking localization strategies in Europe to cope with the tariffs.
October 31
- Insights from the Revival of the US Semiconductor Industry
➀ The US semiconductor industry's leadership is attributed to the establishment of Semate 34 years ago.
➁ The invention of the integrated circuit technology by Robert Noyce in 1959 marked the birth of the chip industry.
➂ Sematech, led by Charlie Sporck, was formed to rebuild the international competitiveness of the US semiconductor industry.
➃ The partnership between industry, government, and academia in Sematech led to the development of high-quality chips at lower costs.
➄ Sematech's success involved government subsidies, targeted short-term technology development, and effective management.
➅ The US semiconductor industry's full recovery of international competitiveness was achieved by 1995.
- Innovation Mechanism of the U.S. National Semiconductor Technology Center
➀ The National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) is a key component of the CHIPS Act, aimed at supporting the leadership of the United States in semiconductor research, design, engineering, and advanced manufacturing.
➁ NSTC will create a public-private partnership to establish an ecosystem that includes government, industry, education, entrepreneurs, and investors.
➂ The goals of NSTC include expanding the U.S. leadership in semiconductor technology, reducing the time and cost from design to commercialization, and building a semiconductor workforce ecosystem.
- Semiconductor Device Simulation Resources and Techniques
➀ Overview of various semiconductor device simulations including diodes, transistors, and power devices;
➁ Detailed explanations of simulation software like Svisual, Sde, Sdevice, and their applications in device and circuit simulations;
➂ Special focus on emerging technologies like SiC, GaN, and Ga2O3 devices and their simulation techniques;
➃ Discussion on ESD, BJT, and tunneling device simulations;
➄ Coverage of TCAD simulations, film transistors, and magnetic materials devices;
➅ Additional resources on virtual machine usage and ISPSD 2024 papers.
- Salary Survey of the Most Popular Fab Factories for Fresh Graduates!
➀ SMIC offers salaries ranging from 20-25w RMB annually for fresh graduates in various positions such as design, PDK, process, and device engineering, with the highest reaching 40-50w RMB;
➁ Hua Hong Semiconductor offers salaries around 16-20w RMB annually, with a relatively relaxed work environment and less overtime;
➂ TSMC offers a uniform annual salary of 13k*18 for fresh graduates in production roles;
➃ Jishata Semiconductor offers salaries between 17w-24w RMB annually for device and process positions;
➄ Goke Semiconductor offers an annual salary of about 18w RMB, with overtime pay potentially reaching 27w RMB;
➅ Shanghai Integrated Circuit Research and Development Center offers salaries of 13-16k RMB monthly;
➆ Ding Tai Jinxin offers an annual salary of about 20w RMB;
➇ Xinwei Semiconductor offers salaries of about 18w-25w RMB for manufacturing positions;
➈ SK hynix offers salaries of 6000 RMB for bachelor's degrees and about 1w RMB for master's degrees, with 14-18 months of pay;
➉华润微电子 offers salaries of 8k-1w RMB for master's degrees with 2-3 months of year-end bonus, totaling about 15-17w RMB annually.
- Hua Run Wei's Third Quarter Revenue Grows 8.44% Year-on-Year
➀ Revenue of Hua Run Wei grew by 8.44% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2024;
➁ The company's revenue for the first three quarters reached 7.472 billion yuan;
➂ Hua Run Wei increased its research and development investment to 8.89 billion yuan in the first three quarters, up by 2.28 percentage points year-on-year;
➃ The project 'Power MOSFET & High Voltage Integrated Chip Key Technologies and Applications' led by Hua Run Wei won the 2023 National Science and Technology Progress Award;
➄ The global semiconductor industry is recovering, with sales reaching 1.499 trillion yuan in the second quarter of 2024;
➅ Hua Run Wei is driving diversified development with a focus on high-end applications such as automotive electronics and industrial control;
➆ The company expects to move towards the high-end of the industry chain and value chain with its deep accumulation and continuous innovation in high-end application fields such as new energy, automotive electronics, and industrial control.
- 3PEAK Announces Complete Dissolution of MCU Team
➀ 3PEAK, a domestic analog IC listed company, announced the dissolution of its MCU team, impacting approximately 80 employees, including some former members of the 2022 TI China MCU R&D team.
➁ The dissolution involves DE, AE, PM, and related positions, with most DE transferred internally to signal chain and PMS product lines.
➂ The move has garnered widespread attention from investors and industry analysts, with many speculating on the reasons and potential impact on future investments.
- Huawei Founder Ren Zhengfei Meets ICPC President, Coaches, and Award-Winning Candidates
➀ Huawei Founder Ren Zhengfei meets with the ICPC President, coaches, and award-winning candidates to discuss the importance of young talent and the role of technology in social development.
➁ Ren emphasizes the need for global collaboration and the exchange of ideas among young people to foster innovation and solve societal challenges.
➂ He shares insights on Huawei's global strategy, emphasizing the importance of open innovation and collaboration with international partners.
- Ren Zhengfei's Latest Speech: Huawei Struggles On
➀ Ren Zhengfei discusses the unstoppable trend of artificial intelligence and its impact on the labor market.
➁ He emphasizes the importance of open innovation and leveraging advanced technologies for a company's survival.
➂ Ren shares his personal entrepreneurial journey and views on the education system and world civilization exchange.