Galsinger: “TSMC’s $100 Billion Investment Won’t Help U.S. Semiconductor Leadership”
A $100 billion investment by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest foundry, in the United States will do little to help the U.S. regain its global leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said.
Gelsinger also evaluated that Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSec is technically excellent, but it is difficult to see it as a major innovation.
In an interview with the Financial Times (FT) on the 27th, Gelsinger said, “The US cannot achieve semiconductor leadership if it does not do research and development (R&D) in the US,” and “All of TSMC’s R&D activities are conducted in Taiwan, and there has been no announcement of plans to move them.”
ROHM and Mazda Collaborate on Joint Development of Automotive Components Based on GaN Power Semiconductors
ROHM announced on the 27th that it has begun joint development with Mazda of automotive parts using gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors, which are attracting attention as next-generation semiconductors.
Mazda and ROHM are promoting joint development of inverters equipped with silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors through a “collaborative system for development and production of electric drive units” starting in 2022. This time, they are also starting the development of automotive parts using GaN power semiconductors, and plan to create innovative automotive parts for next-generation electric vehicles.
AP System Appoints Yoo Ho-seon as New CEO
AP Systems, a company specializing in display and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, held a shareholders’ meeting and board of directors meeting on the 28th and appointed Yoo Ho-seon, former head of Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ Equipment Development Research Institute (Vice President), as the new CEO and President.
The new CEO, Yoo, is an equipment expert who has led equipment development and mass production of new technologies in the semiconductor and display manufacturing equipment sectors for 29 years. The company explained the background, saying that he is the right person to lead the expansion of AP Systems’ next-generation packaging business, such as high bandwidth memory (HBM) and glass substrate/interposer, which it is promoting as a new growth business, and the strengthening of its technological competitiveness.
Deoksan Ether City, Semiconductor Special Gas and Hydrogen Container Re-inspection Center Completed
Deoksan Ether City has completed construction of a high-pressure gas cylinder re-inspection facility in Wanju, Jeollabuk-do, capable of inspecting 40 tube trailers per month.
Lee Soo-hoon, chairman of Deoksan Group, held a completion ceremony on the 27th and said, “Demand for special gases and special gas containers has temporarily decreased due to the economic downturn, but we have made aggressive investments to provide greater safety assurance to our customers.”
High-pressure gas tanks carry special gases such as hydrogen, so periodic re-inspection is essential to ensure safety. The inspection facility built by Deoksan Ether City has the capacity to handle up to 40 tube trailers carrying 8 to 12 tubes per month. The company explained that this is the largest scale in Asia.
Green Resources, MDevice and HBM Business Cooperation MOU
Green Resource, a company specializing in ultra-high-density special coatings for semiconductor process facilities, announced on the 28th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the Gwacheon headquarters of MDevice for cooperation in ‘joint development and commercialization of hybrid bonding technology, which is the core of the semiconductor packaging process.’
According to the company, starting with the MOU, Green Resources, which has specialized material technology, and Mdevice, which has specialized semiconductor design technology, will cooperate across the company from development to commercialization, including winning government R&D (research and development) projects, business planning, and sharing customer networks.
A Green Resource official said, “The hybrid bonding technology that Mdevice has been developing is being spotlighted as a key next-generation semiconductor packaging technology because it can improve the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) stacking method and increase capacity and data processing speed.”
LG Innotek “Semiconductor Parts Sales of 3 Trillion by 2030”
Moon Hyuk-soo, CEO of LG Innotek, announced that the company would increase sales of its semiconductor components business to more than 3 trillion won by 2030.
After the regular shareholders’ meeting held at LG Science Park in Gangseo-gu, Seoul on the 24th, CEO Moon met with reporters and said, “We will establish ourselves as a key player in the semiconductor components market,” and “We will gradually enter high-end markets such as AI (artificial intelligence) and servers and grow the FC-BGA (flip chip ball grid array) business to a trillion-dollar scale by 2030.”
President Moon announced a plan to increase semiconductor component business sales to more than 3 trillion won by 2030 by strengthening the competitiveness of high value-added semiconductor substrates and focusing on new businesses such as FC-BGA and vehicle AP (application processor) module businesses.
IST Acquires Patent for PECVD Equipment… “Application for Hybrid Bonding, etc.”
Semiconductor equipment company IST announced on the 28th that it has acquired patents applicable to PECVD equipment for hybrid bonding.
The patent acquired by the company is for a ‘double bellows structure substrate processing device (application number: 10-2024-0174051)’ applied for in November 2024.
This is a technology that can be applied to a more diverse process and improves manufacturing efficiency and quality by controlling the production speed and properties of thin films on a substrate, which were previously produced through plasma generation using a single frequency, by applying dual frequencies.
Smack, KS Lab and Electric Vehicle Battery Testing Equipment MOU
Smac, a company specializing in machine tool and robot automation solutions, is making full-scale entry into the global electric vehicle battery inspection equipment market.
Smac announced on the 27th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for strategic technology cooperation and investment with KS Lab, a company specializing in electric vehicle battery testing solutions.
According to the company, Smac plans to secure new electric vehicle battery diagnosis technology through this collaboration. It also plans to launch competitive inspection equipment that can meet the demand for multi-type and multi-variety electric vehicle battery pack inspections in the global market.
Kia to start hybrids, not electric cars, at new U.S. plant
Kia is expected to mass-produce hybrid vehicles rather than electric vehicles first at its new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) plant in the United States.
At the completion ceremony for the HMGMA in Georgia, USA on the 26th (local time), Kia President Song Ho-sung said, “Forty percent of the volume produced at this plant will be Kia vehicles, and we plan to produce the first vehicle around the middle of next year.” He added, “Demand for hybrid vehicles is growing more in the US than for electric vehicles, so we are considering a hybrid as our first vehicle.”
Kia is gearing up for an overseas push into electric vehicles by unveiling three electric vehicles at once, the EV4, PV5, and EV2 concept cars, in Tarragona, Spain last month.
CATL, Xiaomi, BYD secure real ammunition… Electric vehicle and battery competition intensifies
According to Reuters, Bloomberg, and others on the 26th (local time), CATL, the world’s largest electric vehicle battery company already listed on the Chinese stock market, announced the previous day that it had received approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission to issue approximately 22 million shares in Hong Kong.
The exact size of the listing is not yet known, but sources predict that it will raise more than $5 billion (about 7.3 trillion won). It would be the largest in four years since 2021, based on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. BYD also recently raised a large amount of funds through the Hong Kong stock market, and it is expected to use the funds to expand its business.
BYD raised $5.6 billion (about 8.2 trillion won) through a paid-in capital increase on the 4th, and Xiaomi announced on the 24th that it would raise $5.5 billion (about 8 trillion won) through a stock sale.
Lee Jae-yong visits BYD headquarters after visiting China’s Xiaomi
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, who is visiting China to attend the China Development Forum, visited the Shenzhen headquarters of BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle company, on the 24th. It is reported that he also met with BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu.
According to BYD and others, Chairman Lee finished his schedule at the China Development Forum held in Beijing on the 23rd and 24th and moved to Shenzhen on the afternoon of the 24th. Last year, BYD surpassed Tesla in the United States to become the world’s number one electric vehicle sales company.
On the 22nd, the day before the opening of the China Development Forum, Chairman Lee also visited the Xiaomi automobile factory in Beijing. Xiaomi has recently been focusing on electric vehicle production, following its home appliances and mobile phones. There is analysis that Chairman Lee’s consecutive visits to China’s leading electric vehicle companies are intended to expand Samsung’s electric and electronic equipment business.
Demand for Bipolar Core ‘Precursor’ to Increase 2.4-fold in 8 Years
Market research firm SNE Research announced on the 27th that the global demand for precursors for cathode materials related to electric vehicles, energy storage systems (ESS), and small cells will increase 2.4-fold from 3.2 million tons last year to 7.77 million tons in 2032. It forecasted an average annual growth rate of 12%.
The demand for precursors for electric vehicles is expected to increase 2.5-fold from 2.31 million tons last year to about 6.1 million tons in 2032. The average annual growth rate is expected to be 13%.
The total demand for precursors for ESS is expected to increase by about 2.1 times from 642,000 tons last year to about 1.37 million tons in 2032. The average annual growth rate is expected to be 10%.
Yumicore, Precursor Contracts with Korean and Chinese Companies… “Supply Chain Diversification”
Global materials company Umicore announced on the 28th that it signed a supply contract for a precursor for cathode materials (pCAM), a key component of electric vehicle batteries, with Eco & Dream and China CNGR, respectively. This will be supplied to Umicore’s North American and Asian customers.
As part of its supply chain diversification strategy, Umicore has signed a mid- to long-term supply contract with Eco & Dream and CNGR, which complements the supply of precursors for cathode materials produced in-house by the Umicore Group in Finland (20,000 tons per year) and China (80,000 tons per year).
Yumicore produces both cathode precursors and cathode active materials (CAM) in-house, and has secured the electric vehicle battery material value chain, ranging from natural resources to finished electric vehicle products.
SK On CEO Lee Seok-hee: “Goal of expanding US ESS orders… Entering LFP pouch batteries”
Lee Seok-hee, CEO of SK On, hinted at the possibility of mass producing pouch batteries based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) material in order to expand orders for batteries for energy storage systems (ESS) targeting North America.
In a conversation with shareholders held after SK Innovation’s 18th regular shareholders’ meeting held at the SK Seorin Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 28th, CEO Lee Seok-hee said, “We are trying to produce visible business results for ESS this year,” and “Ultimately, we plan to focus on winning orders in the U.S. this year. Since we have already preemptively secured production facilities in the U.S., we are working to win orders based on that.”
The CEO said, “SK On is currently pursuing two keywords: ▲securing business performance by the end of this year and ▲continuing activities to secure orders for entry into the US ESS market.”
Hyundai Motor Group Unveils SW Brand Pleos… Also Showcasing Autonomous Driving AI
Hyundai Motor Group held a developer conference, ‘Pleos 25’, at COEX in Seoul on the 28th and unveiled ‘Pleos’, a mobility software brand and technology platform.
Hyundai Motor Group explained that Pleos is a combination of the Latin word ‘Pleo’, meaning more, and ‘OS’, an abbreviation for operating system, and contains the vision of transforming into a software-centered ‘mobility tech company’.
Pleos is centered around the vehicle control operating system ‘Pleos Vehicle OS’ and the next-generation infotainment system ‘Pleos Connect’.
Pleos Vehicle OS is an OS that operates vehicles centered on software and supports vehicles to be connected and updated in real time based on electrical and electronic (E&E) architecture.
Autonomous A2Z protects the ‘sensor’, the eye of autonomous driving
Autonomous A2Z, a self-driving platform developer, announced on the 28th that it has successfully implemented a demonstration drive of a self-driving vehicle with sensor cleaning technology applied. Autonomous A2Z is a startup founded by self-driving engineers from Hyundai Motor Company.
Sensor cleaning is a technology that maintains detection performance by removing contaminants such as dust, bugs, rain, and snow that accumulate on various sensors such as lidar, cameras, and radar attached to a vehicle. In autonomous vehicles, sensors correspond to human eyes, and this technology is considered essential for commercializing highly autonomous driving, especially at level 4 or higher.
DH Autoware, Mass Production of Core Autonomous Driving Components at North American Plant
DH Autoware, an automotive electrical equipment specialist, announced on the 25th that it will begin mass production of core autonomous driving components at its North American plant and begin supplying them to global automobile companies.
DH Autoware, Hyundai Motor Group’s localized North American manufacturing company, is expected to begin supplying products to Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) located in San Francisco, Georgia, in addition to its existing supply, as early as the first half of the year.
After completing the Monterrey, Mexico plant in October last year, DH Autoware received approval for the plant in December and completed preparations for mass production. It completed sample testing with Hyundai and Kia at its North American plant and is currently supplying core autonomous driving components such as the ‘CCU (Car Communication Control Unit)’, ‘DCU (Wireless Data Communication Control Unit)’, and ‘BDC (Body Control Unit)’ through Hyundai Mobis.
Will Robotis, which is undergoing a physical division, reduce its burden of ‘autonomous driving deficit’?
Robotics, a robot manufacturer, is splitting off its autonomous driving division, which has been in deficit for a long time, into a separate subsidiary.
According to a public notice on the 22nd, Robotis will hold a temporary shareholders’ meeting on May 2nd and put on the agenda the approval of the spin-off plan for its autonomous robot business division, ‘Robots’ (tentative name).
If the agenda is approved, Robotics will be physically separated from Robotis on June 1. Robotis will be allocated all of the issued stocks of the new corporation Robotis. Robotis stated the purpose of the separation, “The autonomous driving business sector is experiencing a large portion of development costs, which has led to continued deficits,” and “We intend to resolve this by establishing a new company through a simple physical separation.”
Robotaxi Waymo enters Washington DC, USA… “Service starting next year”
Google’s robotaxi Waymo is entering the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. Waymo announced on the 25th (local time) that “subject to approval, we plan to launch a commercial autonomous driving call service in Washington, D.C. in 2026.”
Waymo is a fully autonomous vehicle that drives itself and transports passengers to their destinations without a driver.
Waymo has been testing robotaxis in Washington, D.C. since last year in preparation for a full-scale launch. “Over the next few months, we will introduce ourselves to the community and work closely with policymakers to develop the necessary regulations for operating driverless vehicles,” Waymo said.
TopRun Total Solutions and Tovis Sign Contract to Supply Vehicle Display Backlights
Toprun Total Solutions, a specialized company in advanced parts manufacturing, announced on the 28th that it signed a contract with TOVIS to supply vehicle display backlights worth approximately 34.1 billion won.
This contract is to supply backlights for 12.88-inch vehicle displays to be installed in Hyundai and Kia Motors for seven years from 2026 to 2032. The contract size is approximately KRW 34.1 billion. Previously, Toprun Total Solutions signed a supply contract with LG Display, and with the acquisition of this TOVIS contract, it has become the sole supplier of the entire project.
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Approves Business Restructuring of 24 Companies Including LG Display and Apro
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 26th that it had approved the business restructuring plans of 24 companies, including LG Display, Apro, and Point Engineering, through the 46th Business Restructuring Plan Review Committee.
LG Display plans to enhance corporate competitiveness by expanding the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology to its production system through business restructuring.
The business restructuring support system was designed to prevent future social costs by promoting preemptive improvement of corporate constitution and innovation activities. Companies that have received approval for business restructuring can receive various types of support, including financial support, tax benefits, and special provisions for small-scale divisions.
Mirae Nano Tech Enters Automotive and Home Appliance Parts Market Through Hidden Display Film
On the 26th, Mirae Nanotech announced that it has developed a hidden display film that uses technology to overcome the limitations of existing hidden display films (Shytech films) through optical design. It plans to collaborate with leading domestic and international electronic component manufacturers.
Hidden display is an innovative next-generation display material that is normally invisible but can display lighting information on the film surface when needed. Its normally invisible characteristics allow for stylish and clean design applications.
To implement a hidden display, the design of the light path is essential. The light path functions to allow the light from the display to reach the consumer’s eyes through the functional film placed on top of the display.
Source: kipost.net