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February 12
- Major MCU Manufacturers Struggling
➀ In the backdrop of the "chip shortage" crisis from 2020-2022, the MCU market experienced rapid expansion, leading to profits for major manufacturers.
➁ However, the market has since faced challenges such as "cost reduction, inventory management, and localization".
➂ Major MCU manufacturers like Microchip, STMicroelectronics, and NXP have reported declining revenues and profits, reflecting a tough market environment.
➃ These companies are adjusting strategies, focusing on technology innovation, and seeking new growth points to overcome the current difficulties.
- China's Supercomputing Announces Major Move, OpenAI Speaks Out
➀ The National Supercomputing Internet Platform announced the 'AI Ecosystem Partner Acceleration Program', offering free 3-month use of DeepSeek API and a 10 million card-hour computing power pool.
➁ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman emphasized that the company does not sell and expressed willingness to acquire Twitter if Musk is willing to talk.
➂ Altman also expressed willingness to cooperate with China in the field of artificial intelligence and said it is very important.
- Recent Progress in Silicon AWG
➀ The article discusses the recent advancements in silicon arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs) focusing on channel count and crosstalk balance.
➁ It highlights the design and fabrication of a 12x100GHz AWG with insertion loss and crosstalk of less than 0.82 dB and -30 dB, respectively.
➂ The article also mentions the comparison of performance with previous siliconG papers, noting the best overall performance in terms of crosstalk, insertion loss, and channel uniformityp>
- Apple Drops DeepSeek, Partners with Alibaba for AI Features on iPhone
➀ Apple has partnered with Alibaba to provide AI features for the domestic version of iPhone users, according to The Information.
➁ The two companies have jointly developed AI features for domestic use that have been submitted for review by domestic authorities.
➂ Apple tested various AI models from Chinese developers starting in2023 and initially chose Baidu as the main partner, but the cooperation was canceled due to Baidu's failure to meet Apple's standards.
February 11
- SemiCon China Reaches $8 Billion Revenue High in 2024
➀ SMIC reported $22.073 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter of 2024, a 1.7% increase from the previous quarter;
➁ The company's gross profit was $4.99 billion, with a gross margin of 22.6%;
➂ For the full year 2024, SMIC's revenue was $80.299 billion, a 27% increase year-over-year;
➃ The company's operating profit was $4.927 billion, down 45.4% the previous year;
➄ Capital expenditures for 2024 were $7.33 billion;
➅ The company's 8-inch standard logic monthly capacity the end of 2024 was 948,000 wafers;
➆ The average capacity utilization rate for the year was 85.6%;
➇ The company's first-quarter guidance for 2025 is a revenue increase of 6% to 8% from the previous quarter;
➈ The expected gross margin for the first quarter of 2025 is 19% to 21%;
➉ SMIC expects its revenue growth in 2025 to be higher than the average of comparable industries, with capital expenditures remaining roughly the same as in 2024.
- Over 10 Billion Yuan in Investments: New Progress on 5 Domestic Si Projects
➀ Multiple SiC-related projects in China have made new progress, including the commencement and production of new projects.
➁ Fastest has accelerated the progress of its SiC electro-control project, aiming to produce 2.5 million sets of synchronizers and 100,000 sets of motor electro-control systems annually.
➂ Tianyi Semiconductor is conducting pilot studies on SiC crystal rod processes.
➃ The project for producing Moissanite and SiC materials in Gongcheng, Guilin, has commenced.
➄ Daye Carbon is set to produce ultra-fine and ultra-pure graphite powder and other products for semiconductor chips and SiC chips.
➅ YiYuan Semiconductor's SiC project is expected to be completed and put into production next year.
- Fujian Entrepreneur's Chip Business Boosts His Wealth by Over 200B in Half a Year
➀ Deepseek's popularity has surged since the Spring Festival, sparking excitement in the secondary market for edge AI, boosting the stock prices of related listed companies, including chipmaker Rockchip.
➁ Rockchip's stock price has surged to 199.9 yuan per share, with a gain of nearly 100% since January 6th and a 400% increase from its low point on February 5, 2024.
➂ Founder Li Min's wealth has increased to 10 billion yuan, with an indirect holding of 423361% in Rockchip valued at about 32.9 billion yuan.
- OpenAI-o3-mini vs DeepSeek R1: A Comprehensive Comparison of Advanced AI Inference
➀ OpenAI's o3-mini and DeepSeek R1 are leading AI inference models, differing in design, performance, cost, and methods.
➁ o3-mini offers advanced reasoning, quick response times, and is integrated into ChatGPT, with a cost of about $1.10 per million input tokens and $4.40 per million output tokens.
➂ DeepSeek R1 is open-source, cost-effective, and shows its reasoning process, with a cost of about $0.14 per million input tokens for cache hits and $2.19 per million output tokens.
February 10
- 重磅！台积电正式断供！
➀ TSMC has officially notified a large number of Chinese mainland chip design companies of a supply cut;
➁ The supply cut will be effective from January 31, 2025, for products not packaged by "approved OSAT" on the US Department of Commerce's industrial and security bureau whitelist;
- Breakthrough Transformation from FinFET to GAAFET
➀ The article discusses the evolution of semiconductor architecture from planar transistors to FinFETs and now to Gate-All-Around (GAA) technology.
➁ GAAFET, with its wider sheets, offers improved drive current and performance, and better electrostatic characteristics compared to FinFETs.
➂ The transition to GAA requires rethinking the physical design process, including vertical integration and optimized routing strategies.
➃ Innovative power delivery networks and advanced EDA tools are crucial for maintaining power integrity and stability.
➄ GAA technology presents opportunities to optimize power, performance, and area (PPA) in semiconductor designs.
➅ Challenges such as cost, complexity, and manufacturing issues are addressed through DFM tools and advanced verification methods.
- Is It Just Sour Grapes? Debunking Arm CEO's Evaluation of DeepSeek's Potential Closure
➀ Arm CEO Rene Haas expressed his view that DeepSeek's emergence is surprising and may eventually be closed.
➁ Haas doubts the claim that DeepSeek's development cost was only $5.6 million.
➂ He predicts that DeepSeek may face closure in the future.
➃ Haas believes that the future of DeepSeek depends not only on its technical capabilities but also on the competition between China and the US in standard setting, computing power supply chain, and global developer ecosystem.
- Foreign Media Exposes the Backgrounds of Key Members of DeepSeek, China's AI Talent Return Trend Unstoppable
➀ Key members of DeepSeek, such as Pan Zizheng and Junxiao Song, have backgrounds from both China and overseas, and have returned to China's AI industry after studying abroad.
➁ Pan Zizheng, who once interned at NVIDIA and received a full-time offer, chose to join DeepSeek without hesitation.
➂ Junxiao Song, who graduated from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, proposed a novel reinforcement learning algorithm GRPO and played an important role in DeepSeek's efficient training and model distillation.
➃ DeepSeek's unique corporate culture and work environment attract top talent, offering employees freedom and passion for their work.
➄ The increasing trend of Chinese AI talents choosing to work in China is a reflection of China's growing strength in AI development.
February 9
- Five Thoughts on TSMC's Cutting Off 16/14nm Process Chip Supplies to Mainland China
➀ The approved IC design companies and semiconductor packaging and testing companies are mainly from Europe, the United States, and Taiwan, indicating a clear intention to decouple technology. It is necessary to build a complete and independent domestic electronic information industry chain.
➁ The requirement for sensitive chip outsourcing and the use of designated packaging and testing companies show that packaging and testing will be the next target of US suppression. It is necessary to enhance wafer manufacturing and packaging and testing capabilities, ensuring close cooperation among design, manufacturing, and packaging and testing companies.
➂ The safety of nodes above 16/14nm, such as 20nm and 28nm, will not be a concern as long as a complete and independent industry chain is formed.
➃ It is necessary to ensure the sufficient supply of 16/14nm process technology as soon as possible to avoid affecting the upgrade of many products.
➄ Short-term focus on technology optimization and capacity expansion of mature processes such as 28nm, and medium to long-term breakthroughs in special processes such as automotive chips and the third generation of semiconductor. In addition, accelerate the research and development of new materials and new architectures, such as SiC/GaN, computing-in-memory chips, and silicon photonics chips.
- The Enigmatic Chip Company: Apple's Supply Chain Strategy and Its Impact on Suppliers
➀ Apple's supply chain management has been recognized as the best in the world since 2010, with Tim Cook further reducing suppliers to 24.
➁ Apple's supply chain diversification strategy helps reduce supply risks and strengthens control over the supply chain.
➂ Suppliers like Imagination and Dialog have faced challenges due to Apple's shifting supply chain strategy.
➃ Cirrus Logic, an Apple key supplier, provides high-quality audio chips and has a long-standing partnership with Apple.
➄ Cirrus Logic's SoundClear technology is used by Amazon Voice Service for high-fidelity audio playback.
➅ Apple's supply chain strategy involves self-developed chips and maintaining a diverse supplier base.
➆ The high dependency on Apple poses risks for suppliers like Cirrus Logic.
February 8
- 张忠谋17年来首场2小时深度访谈！揭秘与老黄冲突，锐评“没有人喜欢英特尔”
➀ Zhang Zhongmou reflects on his later life in a 2-hour in-depth interview;
➁ He discusses the challenges faced by TSMC over the past few decades, including layoffs, the 40nm production crisis at NVIDIA, and the early difficulties with Apple's partnership;
➂ He reveals his considerations behind the appointments of TSMC's former and current executives.
- 5 SiC Projects Rush for Production: Over 360,000 Sheets and 350,000 Sets
➀ Changhong Advanced Technology's Wuhan base is expected to achieve mass production by April or May;
➁ Jinyang Microelectronics' IGBT and SiC power module technical transformation project has been completed;
➂ Xinhua Electronics' annual output of 300,000 vehicle-grade SiC modules will be put into production;
➃ SK Group's 8-inch SiC project is scheduled for production this year;
➄ India SiCSem's SiC factory has been laid;
➅ India's Bhubaneswar School of Engineering and private company SiCSem have established a SiC research and innovation center.
February 7
- New U.S. Semiconductor Restrictions on China Take Effect: TSMC Suspends Shipments to Some IC Design Firms!
➀ The U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has issued new export control regulations (EAR) targeting China, requiring more due diligence procedures for chips manufactured using advanced processes of 16/14 nanometers or below.
➁ The new export control regulations, which were announced 15 days before their formal publication, have already taken effect and are impacting the production and delivery of advanced process chips for some Chinese chip manufacturers.
➂ TSMC and other wafer fabs on the whitelist will not be restricted when manufacturing advanced process chips for chip design companies on the whitelist. Chip design companies not on the whitelist must apply to the U.S. Department of Commerce or have their final packaging and testing done byAT companies on the whitelist.
- Another 8-inch SiC Factory to Be Completed and Launched
➀ Wolfspeed's second 8-inch SiC factory, the Chatham Materials Factory, is set to be completed and launched.
➁ The factory is expected to be fully taken over by Wolfspeed by March 2024 and will begin production in June 2024.
➂ The factory, covering 220 million square feet, is currently undergoing final construction work, and Wolfspeed is testing SiC ingot production.
- DeepSeek Chip Ecosystem Partnerships
➀ DeepSeek has partnered with numerous companies across various sectors, including chip enterprises, cloud service and AI computing companies, AI infrastructure enterprises, and application end enterprises.
➁ The chip enterprises include SiBase Flow, Huawei Ascend, Wallenius Technology, Muxi, TianShu Zhixin, etc., which are working on new adaptive AI chip solutions for edge computing scenarios.
➂ Cloud service and AI computing enterprises such as Huawei Cloud, Tianyi Cloud, Tencent Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, Baidu AI Cloud, and JD Cloud have integrated DeepSeek models into their platforms.
➃ AI infrastructure and application end enterprises like SiBase Flow, Wuwen Xingqiong, Lenovo, DaoTong Technology, and Sunyuan Technology are also collaborating with DeepSeek for various applications and optimizations.
February 6
- SiC Industry's Big Moves in Early 2024: 8 Companies and Institutions Announce New Developments
➀ Infineon expands its SiC collaboration in the automotive sector with Forvia Hella's next-generation 800V DC/DC charging solution.
➁ Mitsubishi Electric joins the EU's 'FLAGCHIP' project to develop new SiC power module technology for wind power generation systems.
➂ SiChuangzhi Technology's SiC modules enter commercial storage applications, improving efficiency.
➃ BMW and Porsche to release new SiC vehicles with significant energy savings and improved performance.
➄ Chinese Academy of Sciences' self-developed SiC devices pass aviation verification for space applications.
➅ Southern Grid and Fraunhofer iSE accelerate the development and application of SiC in power grid facilities.
- Apple to Launch New Chip: 3nm, Mixed Bonding, and 2.5D Packaging
➀ Apple has begun mass production of the next-generation M5 processor for desktops, laptops, and high-performance tablets.
➁ The new SoC is expected to use a performance-enhanced N3P manufacturing process.
➂ The M5 series is rumored to include M5, M5 Pro, M5 Max, and M5 Ultra processors.
➃ The M5 processors will use organic substrates with 'flavor enhancer ABF film' to increase interconnect density and reduce SoC packaging thickness.
➄ High-end M5 Pro, Max, and Ultra versions will use mixed bonding and 2.5D packaging technology.
➅ The SoC will use TSMC's N3P manufacturing technology, which allows for a 4% performance increase or a 9% power consumption decrease at the same clock speed.
➆ Apple's M5 chips are expected to offer significant performance advantages over the M4 CPUp>
- Gree Semiconductor to Spend Heavily on Acquisition of Japan's Shibaura Electronics
➀ Gree Semiconductor announced its intention to acquire all shares of Shibaura Electronics, a Japanese electronics peer, with a transaction value exceeding 65 billion yen ($426 million);
➁ The acquisition offer, priced at 4,300 yen per share, is 37% higher than Shibaura's closing price on Wednesday and is scheduled to start on May 7th;
➂ Shibaura's board has not yet approved the acquisition proposal, and Gree expressed confidence in the combined advantages, growth opportunities, and integration benefits after thorough understanding of Shibaura.
- Arm China's CEO Resigns, New Leader Appointed Amidst Turmoil
➀ Arm China's joint venture, Unigroup AMLOGIC, has appointed Chen Feng, former Deputy General Manager of Rockchip, as its new CEO.
➁ The previous co-CEOs, Liu Renchen and Chen Xun, have stepped down but will remain as advisors until the end of February to assist with the transition.
➂ Chen Feng resigned from Rockchip on January 22, 2023, due to personal reasons.
➃ Liu Renchen and Chen Xun, who were appointed as co-CEOs in April 2022, have held multiple positions outside of Arm China.
➄ The appointment of Chen Feng may mark the end of Arm China's turbulent period and help the company adapt to the changing market environment.
- Chinese SSD Market: New Opportunities Driven by AI-Driven Storage Revolution and Breakthrough
➀ The rise of AI and the global increase in computing power are accelerating the upgrade of data storage. Huawei predicts that by 2030, the amount of data used for model training will increase 1000 times to 400EB for every 1YB of new data added globally.
<>➁ The demand for storage performance, power consumption, and cost efficiency is increasing due to AI, leading to a shift from traditional HDDs to enterprise SSDs in data centers.➂ According to IDC data, the global market share of all-flash arrays in enterprise storage systems is expected to exceed 50% by 2028.
February 5
- China Announces Export Controls on Tungsten, Tellurium, Bismuth, Molybdenum, and Indium-Related Items
➀ China has decided to impose export controls on tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum, and indium-related items to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill international obligations related to non-proliferation.
➁ The announcement requires exporters to apply for licenses from the Ministry of Commerce in accordance with relevant provisions of the Export Control Law of the People's Republic of China and the Regulations on the Export Control of Dual-Use Items.
➂ These metals are of significant strategic and industrial value, widely used in various industries and considered as important strategic resources.
- Exclusive Interview with DeepSeek Founder Liang Wenfeng
➀ DeepSeek's V2 model sparked a fierce price war in the large model industry;
➁ Liang Wenfeng discusses the unexpected success and pricing strategy of DeepSeek;
➂ The focus on model architecture and the pursuit of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence);
➃ DeepSeek's commitment to open-source and community contribution;
➄ The challenges and opportunities in the AI industry, including competition with tech giants;
➅ The future of AI and the importance of original innovation.
- Rapidus Announces Trial Production of 2nm Chips on April 1st!
➀ Rapidus, a Japanese wafer foundry startup, is building a 2nm wafer factory in Hokkaido with a target to start trial production in April 2025 and mass production in 2027;
➁ Rapidus CEO Koike Atsuyoshi stated that the factory construction is proceeding smoothly and trial production will begin on April 1st;
➂ Rapidus aims to achieve an estimated cumulative revenue of 18 trillion yen from mass production between 2027 and 2036;
➃ TSMC is leading in the mass production of 2nm chips, but Rapidus has advantages in process speed, yield, and performance, and aims to catch up with TSMC;
➄ Rapidus, founded in August 2022, is a joint venture of eight Japanese companies, including Toyota, Sony, NTT, NEC, SoftBank, Denso, and Mitsubishi UFJ, with a target to mass produce 2nm processes by 2027;
➅ Rapidus plans to use robots and AI to create an automated 2nm production line in northern Japan, aiming to reduce delivery times by a factor of three compared to competitors;
➆ Rapidus has become the first company in Japan to receive EUV lithography machines, with the first batch of EUV lithography equipment arriving in Japan on December 14, 2024;
➇ Rapidus' fully automated factory gives it a competitive edge, as the back-end processes of chip manufacturing, such as interconnection, packaging, and testing, are labor-intensive;
➈ CEO Atsuyoshi Koike states that this will provide higher performance and faster delivery times for the same 2nm products compared to other companies.
- NXP Plans to Lay Off 1,700 Employees Globally!
➀ NXP announced plans to lay off approximately 1,800 employees globally due to increased tariffs in the US and market pressures.
➁ The decision is not directly related to concerns about potential trade wars but is related to broader market conditions.
➂ NXP expects its workforce to 'slightly decrease', with the number of employees reduced no more than 5% globally.
➃ NXP's President and CEO Kurt Sievers commented on the company's performance in 2024, noting a 5% decline in revenue and a focus on managing growth strategies.
➄ NXP obtained a €1 billion loan from the European Investment Bank to accelerate semiconductor innovation.
- The Global Race for Diamond Semiconductor
➀ Diamond semiconductors are poised to become the future king of semiconductor materials due to their exceptional physical properties like hardness, acoustic velocity, thermal conductivity, and Young's modulus.
➁ Diamond semiconductors are highly suitable for power semiconductors due to their excellent dielectric breakdown strength, high thermal conductivity, and high-frequency operation capability.
➂ Japan is leading in the research and development of diamond semiconductor materials, with companies like Orbray and Saga University making significant breakthroughs.
➃ Diamond semiconductors have potential applications in communication satellites, nuclear power, and quantum computing.
➄ The United States and Europe are also actively investing in diamond semiconductor research and development, with companies like Diamond Foundry and DIAMFAB making advancements.
➅ China is also making progress in diamond semiconductor research and development, with companies like Hefeng Diamond and Shangtian Xuan Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. leading the way.
- TSMC Plans to Increase Prices by 15%
➀ TSMC is planning to increase the price of its most advanced semiconductor wafers by up to 15% this year.
➁ The increase is attributed to rising production costs and potential U.S. tariffs.
➂ The price hike could further deviate the final product from the Moore's Law curve.
➃ TSMC is expected to start raising prices from the 7nm node, with the cost of a wafer approximately $10,000.
➄ The company's most privileged client, Apple, currently pays $18,000 per 3nm wafer.
➅ The new tariffs could push the price of 3nm wafers up to $20,000 to $23,000 per wafer.
➆ Higher wafer prices have already led to higher equipment prices, but performance improvements have been less impressive.
➇ The recent iPhone chip did not significantly outperform its predecessor, and the Nvidia RTX 50 series is one of the most disappointing graphics cards in recent years.
➈ TSMC plans to start producing 4nm chips in Arizona this year and aims to produce 3nm and 2nm nodes in the next decade.
➉ There are rumors that TSMC will build a 1nm super wafer factory in Tainan, Taiwan.