➀ TSMC and Intel are reportedly still working on a potential joint venture to run Intel's manufacturing capacity;

➁ The joint venture would involve leading American fabless chip designers such as AMD, Broadcom, Nvidia, and Qualcomm;

➂ The initiative is in response to a request from President Trump's administration to strengthen Intel and ensure continued American control.

➀ A new type of miniaturized pumps and valves using ultra-thin silicon films is presented at the Hannover Messe, developed by researchers at Saarland University. These pumps and valves operate without air pressure, motors, and lubricants, and can be operated in clean rooms. The team demonstrates a prototype of a new vacuum pump that can draw a vacuum up to 300 millibars.

➁ The technology is cost-effective, lightweight, and energy-efficient compared to current methods, with a 400 times lower energy consumption compared to conventional air-driven valves.

➂ The researchers have developed a novel actuator and pump technology that can be used in various applications, including robotic grippers, speakers, smart textiles, and haptic feedback.

➀ The CHIPS and Science Act, aimed at strengthening U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, is under threat of repeal by the Trump administration.

➁ The Act has already attracted nearly $450 billion in private investment from leading companies, raising concerns about the impact of its repeal on the U.S. chip market.

➂ Political hurdles and legal obligations make the repeal process complex and challenging.

➀ TSMC is in talks with Intel, Nvidia, Broadcom, Qualcomm, and AMD about a joint venture to acquire Intel Foundry;

➁ TSMC plans to take a stake of no more than 50% in Intel Foundry to maintain US ownership, as required by the White House;

➂ The deal requires approval from the White House.

➀ The power module packaging materials market is expected to reach nearly $6.1 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of nearly 11% between 2024 and 2030;

➁ Packaging materials costs accounted for approximately 32% of the total cost of power modules in 2024;

➂ The market is being reshaped with new entrants, M&As, and strategic shifts.

➀ Rajasekar Elavarasan, founder of Raana Semiconductors, discusses the company's specialization in manufacturing crystal growth machines for semiconductor-grade silicon wafers and advanced crystals used in defense applications.

➁ The Czochralski technique is highlighted as the dominant method for producing silicon wafers larger than 200mm, emphasizing its importance in reducing impurities and ensuring crystal quality.

➂ Raana Semiconductors aims to become the first company in India to manufacture solar-grade silicon wafers domestically, with plans to produce both solar and semiconductor-grade wafers within the next 36 months.

ST has introduced hardware cryptographic accelerators and associated software libraries for general-purpose and secure MCUs. The need for standardizing Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) involves using new techniques based on mathematical problems that are hard for quantum computers to solve. ST's offerings include the Keccak algorithm, a hash algorithm invented by ST, and are available through the X-CUBE-PQC software library for STM32 developers and the SHA-3 hardware accelerator in Stellar automotive microcontrollers. New software libraries and hardware IPs are also provided for secure microcontrollers, targeting Common Criteria and FIPS 140-3, and PQC algorithms like ML-KEM, ML-DSA, and XMSS/LMS.

➀ Advanced foundry process nodes saw a 10% q-o-q growth in Q4, driven by demand from AI servers, smartphone processors, and PCs, leading to $38.48 billion in revenues for the top ten foundries.

➁ TSMC led with $26.85 billion in revenue and a 67% market share, followed by Samsung Foundry with a 1.4% QoQ decline to $3.26 billion and 8.1% market share.

➂ SMIC's revenue increased 1.7% QoQ to $2.2 billion, securing 5.5% market share and third place.

➀ Logic Fruit Technologies has released a new High-Speed Interface IP stack;

➁ The stack includes PCIe Gen6 Controller IP, PCIe Gen6 PHY IP, and CXL 3 Controller IP;

➂ The solutions ensure seamless data transfer and reliability for advanced computing applications.

➀ Huawei reportedly acquired two million Ascend 910 AI chips from TSMC last year through shell companies;

➁ TSMC manufactured large quantities of Huawei Ascend 910B chips for shell companies and shipped them to China;

➂ There are questions about the availability of HBM for integration with the chips;

➃ The report by CSIS suggests Huawei's stockpiling strategy;

➄ The Ascend 910B and Ascend 910C yields are low, with most parts shipped with disabled compute elements.

➀ An international team has achieved precise control over light emitted from nanoscale sources in 2D materials;

➁ The research could lead to advancements in ultra-high-resolution displays and ultra-fast quantum computing;

➂ Researchers demonstrated how to modulate light by embedding a second 2D material inside them, creating nanodots that can alter the color and frequency of emitted light.

➀ The PCIM Europe Expo & Conference in Nuremberg, Germany, is the premier international event for power electronics, intelligent motion, renewable energy, and energy management.

➁ As the leading forum for industry and academia, PCIM Europe drives innovation across the entire value chain.

➂ It has been the established home of power electronics for decades.

➀ TrendForce's research indicates a polarized trend in the global foundry industry in 4Q24;

➁ Advanced process nodes are benefiting from strong demand in AI servers, flagship smartphone application processors, and new PC platforms;

➂ This demand has helped to counterbalance the slowdown in mature process demand, leading to a new revenue record for the top 10 foundries;

➃ TSMC leads in advanced process nodes.

➀ A team from Saarland University's Faculty of Engineering and Medicine is developing smart implants at the university and university hospital to monitor and promote healing in body bone fractures.

➁ The robotic implants can stiffen and soften through shape-memory technology, allowing for permanent monitoring of fracture healing.

➂ The research team is miniaturizing the technology for use in market screws as part of an EU project.

➀ President Trump criticized Intel's post-Grove CEOs over the weekend, expressing disappointment with their leadership.

➁ He praised Andy Grove, Intel's former CEO, for his significant contributions to the company's growth.

➂ Trump acknowledged the shift in the semiconductor industry, with Intel losing market share and the industry becoming more concentrated in Taiwan.

➀ An inauguration ceremony has been held for a $3.2 billion SiC fab in Chongqing, China, a joint venture between Sanan Optoelectronics and STMicroelectronics.

➁ Sanan holds a 51% stake, with ST holding 49%. The fab is expected to start volume production of 8” SiC ICs in Q4 2025 using ST's SiC process technology.

➂ When fully operational in 2028, the fab will have a capacity of 40k wpm. Sanan will also build an 8-inch SiC substrate facility to supply wafers to the JV under a long-term agreement.

➀ Dell’Oro表示，由于连续两年大幅下滑，2024年无线接入网络（RAN）市场相比2021年的峰值下降了近90亿美元；

➁ 这段时间的市场下滑与区域覆盖不平衡和货币化挑战有关，但最大的不同之处在于新技术推广后期阶段RAN市场容量升级周期的不确定性；

➂ 2024年，基于全球收入的五大RAN供应商分别是华为、爱立信、诺基亚、中兴和三星。

➀ Ed的英特尔CEO职位申请似乎遇到了挫折；

➁ 在与董事会会面并讨论英特尔过去五年问题后，Ed提出了对董事会和半导体行业经验的批评；

➂ 会谈结束后，Ed被要求离开，感到遗憾。

➀ Swansea University's Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) is partnering with the SAFEPOWER project to develop efficient MVDC converters.

➁ The project aims to improve energy systems by creating small, eco-friendly MVDC converters for applications such as offshore wind, solar farms, electric vehicle charging, and HPC data centres.

➂ CISM will demonstrate next-generation power chips based on wide bandgap materials like silicon carbide and gallium oxide, aiming to transfer the learning into high-volume manufacturing.

Onsemi has proposed an acquisition of Allegro MicroSystems for $6.9 billion, offering $35.10 per share in cash.