SK Hynix Receives 660 Billion Won in US Semiconductor Subsidies
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on the 19th (local time) in a statement that it would provide direct subsidies of up to $458 million (approximately KRW 663.9 billion) to SK Hynix based on a funding program under the Semiconductor Act.
The company explained that the funds will support SK Hynix’s $3.87 billion project to build an advanced packaging production base for artificial intelligence (AI) memory in West Lafayette, Indiana. It also announced that up to $500 million (about 724.8 billion won) in government loans will be supported.
Bloomberg News reported in connection with the announcement that day that the Biden administration had “signed a final agreement” regarding subsidies to SK Hynix.
Doosan, which failed to merge with the spin-off, reorganizes its business to focus on hydrogen and semiconductors
According to Doosan Group on the 20th, Doosan Mobility Innovation (DMI), a hydrogen fuel cell drone subsidiary of Doosan Corporation, announced that it has decided to acquire the building hydrogen fuel cell business of Doosan Fuel Cell Power BU (FCP).
FCP and DMI have been conducting hydrogen fuel cell business based on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). PEMFC has the advantages of ▲fast operation (within 20 minutes) ▲high energy conversion efficiency ▲material durability and operating stability due to low-temperature operation, making it suitable for use in buildings, drones, construction equipment, and other mobility applications.
Doosan Group’s semiconductor testing company Doosan Tesna also announced on the same day that it will absorb and merge its subsidiary Engion. Engion is a company specializing in image sensor semiconductor post-processing and was acquired by Doosan Tesna in February. Doosan Tesna plans to strengthen its expertise in the semiconductor post-processing sector through this merger.
Merck Establishes Advanced Semiconductor Patterning Research Center in Shizuoka, Japan
Merck announced on the 20th that it plans to invest more than 70 million euros (approximately 105 billion won) to establish a new Advanced Materials Development Center (AMDC) in the Shizuoka region of Japan.
Merck plans to strengthen its research and development capabilities for semiconductor technologies, including advanced patterning technology, through the establishment of AMDC. Patterning is the semiconductor preprocess that creates circuits on wafers.
According to Merck, the expansion of AMDC to its existing patterning expertise center in Shizuoka will enable the development of cutting-edge solutions and innovative materials for the latest semiconductor nodes. AMDC is planned to be a 5,500-square-foot facility with a state-of-the-art cleanroom and advanced research space, and is scheduled to begin operations in 2026.
Did China’s Changshin Memory break through US semiconductor sanctions? “Domestic DDR5 launched”
According to Chinese information and communications media outlets such as ITzia on the 18th, Chinese storage device companies Kingbank and Gloway each released 32G capacity DDR5 DRAMs through e-commerce platforms. The pre-order price for this product, which consists of two 16G capacities in a set, is 499 yuan (approximately 98,000 won).
Both manufacturers did not disclose their suppliers and manufacturing processes, but they did write in their product descriptions that they were “domestic DDR5 chips.” Accordingly, there is a possibility that CXMT, the first company in China to start production of LPDDR5, a high-performance mobile DRAM, will succeed in mass producing DDR5.
ITZZA and others emphasized that the launch of DDR5 memory in China not only provides a technological breakthrough against the US semiconductor pressure, but also shows that the core competitiveness of Chinese technology has improved.
ADI Technology, China’s M Square and AI Semiconductor Development Alliance
AD Technology announced on the 20th that it has signed a strategic partnership with M Square Technology, a Chinese semiconductor design asset (IP) company.
Msquare was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in Shanghai, China. It also operates bases in Taipei, Taiwan, Tokyo, Japan, Sydney, Australia, and San Jose, USA. It focuses on developing chip-to-chip interconnects and integrated solutions in the artificial intelligence (AI) and data center fields.
ADTechnology plans to accelerate the development of next-generation high-speed IP and chiplet technologies in cooperation with Msquare. It will focus on memory bandwidth, interconnect performance, and computational capabilities that are facing limitations in AI computing.
Kioxia Bet Despite NAND Concerns… Expectations for Japanese Semiconductor Revival
Kioxia Holdings (formerly Toshiba Memory), a NAND flash company in which SK Hynix invested 4 trillion won, closed with a 10% increase on its first day of listing, raising expectations for a revival in the Japanese semiconductor industry. According to industry sources on the 19th, Kioxia closed trading at 1,606 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange the previous day. This is 10.4% (151 yen) higher than Kioxia’s IPO price of 1,455 yen.
Some say that Kioxia’s decision to go public despite the NAND market slump in the fourth quarter of this year could have a negative impact on its stock price.
According to market research firm TrendForce, the price of general-purpose NAND memory cards and USB products (128Gb 16Gx8 MLC) plummeted 55.9% from an average of $4.90 in August to $2.16 at the end of last month, and the outlook for further declines next year is growing.
Domestic HBM equipment companies’ top two head-on collision… Hanmi Semiconductor files patent lawsuit against Hanwha
Hanmi Semiconductor announced on the 19th that it filed a lawsuit with the Seoul Central District Court on the 4th of this month, claiming that Hanwha Precision Machinery infringed on Hanmi Semiconductor’s TC bonder patent for HBM production. HBM, a representative AI memory whose market is rapidly growing, is made by vertically stacking DRAM, a memory semiconductor. In this process, the process of stacking and bonding DRAMs is essential, and the equipment needed for this is the TC bonder.
Hanmi Semiconductor has the world’s largest market share (estimated at 65%) in the TC bonder sector. It supplies equipment to SK Hynix and Micron of the United States. In particular, it has been virtually monopolizing the supply of related semiconductor equipment by jointly developing and supplying TC bonders in cooperation with SK Hynix since the early stages of HBM commercialization.
Struggling with China’s electric car offensive, Japan’s Honda-Nissan merger begins
Japan’s second-largest automaker, Honda, and third-largest, Nissan, are embarking on a wide-ranging partnership, including a merger. This is interpreted as a strategy for traditional Japanese automakers to join forces to increase their investment capacity and enhance their competitiveness amid the rise of Chinese electric vehicles and the technology war from the United States.
If the actual merger is successful, it is expected to create a giant automobile group that will surpass Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors, which are ranked third in sales.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun and Reuters on the 18th, Honda and Nissan are discussing a merger plan in which they would establish a holding company together and each company would be placed under the holding company. The two companies are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) soon and finalize the holding company integration ratio, etc.
Hyundai Mobis Develops ‘Vibrating Heat Pipe’ to Prevent Overheating of Electric Vehicle Batteries
Hyundai Mobis (012330) announced on the 17th that it has developed a new battery cell cooling material that prevents battery overheating that can occur during ultra-fast charging of electric vehicles.
This material, called a Pulsating Heat Pipe, is made of aluminum alloy and refrigerant. It is placed between battery cells to lower the internal temperature of the battery, which soars during rapid charging. It is expected to shorten the charging time by implementing a stable heat management system that can withstand the increase in battery heat generation during ultra-fast charging of electric vehicles.
Chinese electric car BYD starts robots
BYD, China’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, is recruiting professionals on a large scale to make a full-scale entry into the robot market. The goal is to utilize robots equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the electric vehicle manufacturing process. Attention is focused on whether Chinese companies will lead the robot industry following electric vehicles. According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 18th, BYD recently posted a global job posting on WeChat, a Chinese social networking service (SNS). The recruitment targets are senior engineers in 10 robotics-related fields, including sensory algorithms, robotics, and software.
BYD launched its “EI (Edge Intelligence)” team in 2022, focusing on improving robots’ decision-making capabilities and developing industrial EI applications. Since its launch, the EI team has reportedly succeeded in developing various types of products, including collaborative robots, mobile robots, and humanoid robots.
Toyota launches electric car priced at 10 million won in China… Accelerating low-price competition
According to industry sources on the 18th, Toyota will unveil the bZ3X compact electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) with a starting price of 100,000 yuan (19 million won) in the Chinese market and begin shipping it next year.
The bZ3X is a Chinese-only model developed by GAC Toyota, a joint venture between Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) and Toyota. The bZ3X consists of three models: 430 Air+, 520 Pro+, and 620 Max, depending on the performance of the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.
Recently, low-cost electric vehicles have been considered as an alternative to the electric vehicle market, which is in a temporary growth slowdown. The idea is to sell electric vehicles at low prices and open up the market to the masses. Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors have also released the Casper Electric and EV3, respectively, for the same reason.
Lotte Energy Mati, Nvidia’s ‘AI Semiconductor Supply Chain’
Lotte Energy Materials announced on the 17th that it will supply ultra-low-luminance (HVLP) 4th generation copper foil for AI accelerators to Doosan Electronics BG (Business Group) starting early this month. Ultra-low-luminance means that the surface roughness is minimized to increase thermal conductivity. Copper foil is a material that acts as a conductor that allows current to flow and transfers heat. In batteries, it is used for the negative electrode of lithium ions.
The copper foil supplied by Lotte will be used in Doosan’s copper-clad laminate (CCL, a semi-finished substrate made by combining copper foil with an insulating material). An industry insider said, “It has not been confirmed where the final PCB will be manufactured using Doosan’s CCL,” but added, “It is scheduled to be supplied for use as a switch in a data center equipped with Nvidia’s latest AI accelerator, Blackwell.”
Mintech provides ‘Electric Vehicle Battery Real-Time Diagnosis’ service to GS Mbiz
Mintech, a company specializing in secondary battery testing and diagnosis based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), announced on the 19th that it will provide a real-time battery safety diagnosis solution to GS Mbiz’s electric vehicle-only membership service.
Mintech’s real-time battery safety diagnosis solution checks the status of electric vehicle batteries in real time at various time intervals and provides battery charging status, capacity life, output life, balance status, abnormality, and future life prediction through AI-based proprietary algorithm analysis. A battery certificate issuance service is also planned.
After signing an MOU on the electric vehicle battery business in 2021, the two companies developed this solution and have been conducting pilot services with GS Mbiz since November 2022. During this period, the company collected over 30 million km of actual electric vehicle operation data and improved the accuracy of diagnostic results.
US, Signs of Sanctions on Chinese Battery Graphite… Industry: “Please Impose 920% Tariff”
According to Reuters on the 18th (local time), the American Active Anode Material Producers (AAPMP) submitted a petition to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission (ITC) requesting an investigation into whether Chinese graphite suppliers are violating anti-dumping regulations.
The petition called for an anti-dumping investigation, calling it “a measure to combat malicious trade practices.” It also called for tariffs of up to 920 percent, saying the current 25 percent tariff on Chinese graphite was too low.
This comes amid growing moves to weaken China’s dominance in the electric vehicle supply chain, including graphite for electric vehicle batteries.
Tesla Discusses Autonomous Driving Technology with City of Austin, Texas
Bloomberg News reported on the 19th (local time) that Tesla is in early discussions with authorities in Austin, Texas, regarding autonomous driving technology.
Tesla employees have been in contact with Austin’s autonomous vehicle task force since at least May to discuss safety standards for the vehicles, according to emails obtained through a public records request.
Hyundai Motor reorganizes semiconductor strategy office… Autonomous driving chip roadmap changes
According to industry sources on the 19th, Hyundai Motor Group recently disbanded the existing ‘Semiconductor Strategy Office’ through a recent reorganization. The company divided the functions of the Strategy Office and transferred them to the Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Headquarters and the Purchasing Organization. Early last year, the Semiconductor Strategy Team was expanded and reorganized to the ‘Office’ level, but after about two years, it was abolished and the personnel were reassigned.
The Semiconductor Strategy Office was in charge of internalizing semiconductor technology, including autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) semiconductors. It was found that the head of the Semiconductor Strategy Office, Executive Director Chae Jeong-seok, who was in charge of automotive system-on-chip (SoC) marketing at Samsung Electronics and joined Hyundai Motor Company in 2022, stepped down along with this reorganization.
StradVision Signs Licensing Agreement with Japan’s Renesas… “Advancing Autonomous Driving Technology”
StradVision, an artificial intelligence (AI) image recognition software developer, announced on the 19th that it has signed a master licensing agreement with Japan’s Renesas.
Renesas will integrate StradVision object recognition software, ‘SVNet’, into its system-on-chip (SoC) R-Car platform. StradVision will provide advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) enhancements to Renesas’ next-generation software-centric vehicle (SDV) platform (RoX).
The two companies will further accelerate ADAS technology innovation, which is essential for autonomous driving technology. StradVision will support automakers (OEMs) to implement ADAS functions in future SDVs more quickly and effectively.
Google Waymo Robotaxi Runs in Tokyo… “First Overseas Expansion”
Waymo, Google’s self-driving subsidiary, will begin testing robo-taxi vehicles in Tokyo, Japan, early next year.
The American broadcaster CNBC reported on the 16th (local time) that although Waymo has not officially announced the launch of its service in Japan, it has entered into a partnership for robotaxi test drives with Nippon Kotsu, the largest taxi operator in Tokyo, and taxi-hailing app GO.
Waymo is currently operating in San Francisco and Los Angeles (LA) in California and Phoenix, Arizona in the western United States, and plans to launch services in Miami starting in 2026.
LG Innotek Develops ‘High-Performance In-Cabin Camera Module’
LG Innotek announced on the 17th that it has developed a ‘vehicle RGB-IR high-performance in-cabin camera module’ equipped with a 5-megapixel RGB (Red, Green, Blue)-IR (Infrared) compatible sensor.
The ‘in-cabin camera module’ is a camera device that monitors the status of people inside the vehicle in real time, such as detecting the driver’s condition, such as drowsy driving or not paying attention to the front, or checking whether the passenger seat and second row passengers are wearing their seat belts. It is mainly installed in various locations, such as the rearview mirror and the top of the passenger seat.
In Europe, the installation of DMS (Driver Monitoring System) in vehicles will be mandatory starting in 2025, and the United States, Japan, and other countries are also considering legislation.
Witz Enters Gaming Display Market… Production Begins in December
Witz, a power transmission solution specialist, announced on the 20th that it is entering the gaming display market in earnest.
Witz has been focusing on developing gaming displays in collaboration with its parent company, Chemtronics, which operates a display business. Recently, it signed a supply contract with a global gaming company and plans to begin full-scale mass production this month.
Witz received rave reviews at the G2E (Global Gaming Expo 2024) held in Las Vegas last October for unveiling the world’s first casino gaming display that combines Curved mini LED with an LCD monitor.
This year, VR/MR headset shipments reached 9.6 million units… Meta market share 73%
According to market research firm TrendForce on the 19th, global shipments of VR/MR headsets are expected to reach 9.6 million units this year, up 8.8% year-on-year.
By brand, Meta is expected to maintain its global leadership position with a 73% market share during this period. The main growth driver is the low-priced Quest 3S at $299, which saw an 11% increase in shipments year-on-year.
TrendForce said, “In order to attract consumer attention, Meta has adopted a strategy that prioritizes reasonable prices,” adding, “Meta has shifted its focus to practical devices by discontinuing plans for the high-end Quest Pro 2 along with the early launch of the Quest 3S.”
Smart Glasses Market is Hot… Meta Adds Real-Time Interpretation and Video to ‘Meta Ray-Ban’
Facebook’s parent company Meta is adding a slew of new features to its smart glasses, a move that comes as Samsung Electronics is set to launch a new extended reality (XR) device in partnership with Google.
Meta announced on the 16th (local time) that it has updated the software of its smart glasses, the Ray-Ban Meta. It has been three months since the update was announced at its annual event, Connect Meta, last September. The representative function added in this update is the artificial intelligence (AI) video analysis function. The video function has been added to Ray-Ban Meta’s AI assistant, so that the AI can answer questions about what the user is looking at right away.
Another newly added feature is real-time language interpretation. When you speak into the Ray-Ban Meta, it will translate your desired language in real time, and the other person’s language will also be interpreted in real time.
Source: kipost.net