SK Subsidiary Absolix Receives 100 Billion Won in Semiconductor Production Subsidies in the US
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce on the 5th, Absolix signed a contract with the Department of Commerce on the same day to pay $75 million in production subsidies under the Semiconductor Act. Accordingly, SKC became the first semiconductor material, component, and equipment manufacturer to receive production subsidies under the U.S. Semiconductor Act.
Absolix received this subsidy as it completed a glass substrate factory in Covington, Georgia, with an investment of approximately $300 million. The subsidy is equivalent to approximately 22% of the investment.
On the 21st of last month, the company was also selected as a recipient of a $100 million National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) grant from the U.S. government.
“TSMC and Nvidia in talks to produce cutting-edge AI chips in the US”
The world’s largest foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) company, Taiwan’s TSMC, is discussing with artificial intelligence (AI) leader Nvidia a plan to produce its latest AI chip, ‘Blackwell’, in the United States, a major foreign media outlet reported on the 5th (local time), citing sources.
According to sources, TSMC is preparing to start production of Blackwell at its Arizona plant early next year. Blackwell is a new semiconductor that Nvidia unveiled in March, and is attracting attention as Nvidia’s next big thing thanks to the AI accelerator craze. It has been produced at TSMC’s plant in Taiwan so far.
China: “Ban on Gallium and Germanium Exports to the US”
The Chinese government has launched an immediate counterattack against the US’s high-performance semiconductor export restrictions. It has decided to completely ban exports of rare metals such as gallium and germanium, which are the weakest links in the advanced industrial value chains of advanced countries such as the US, to the US, and to strictly apply export screening for graphite, etc. The US-China trade front is expected to freeze significantly ahead of the launch of Trump’s second term.
On the 3rd, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced, “In order to protect national security and interests, we have decided to strengthen management of exports of dual-use items to the United States.” “Dual-use items related to gallium, germanium, antimony, and ultra-hard materials will be completely banned from export to the United States, and exports of graphite and others will be subject to stricter end-use reviews.”
LB Semicon and DB HiTek Collaborate on Power Semiconductor Technology
LB Semicon announced on the 5th that it will collaborate with DB HiTek to develop redistribution layer (RDL) technology for power semiconductors.
The two companies are developing RDL technology with the goal of mass production in the first quarter of 2025. They are improving the structure and changing the materials to increase product reliability.
LB Lusem is also participating in the collaboration with DB HiTek. LB Semicon will be in charge of the front-end process of the redistribution layer, and LB Lusem will be in charge of the back-end process, with the plan to make the most of each company’s technological strengths.
Korea Advanced Materials, POSTECH and Silicon Photonics Technology Joint Development MOU
Korea Advanced Materials announced on the 5th that it signed a business agreement (MOU) with POSTECH to jointly develop FA (factory automation) application technology based on special planar light-guide circuits (PLCs).
Through this agreement, the two companies agreed to cooperate on ▲ensuring connection compatibility of silicon photonics devices ▲joint design and mass production of optical fiber special FA ▲establishing joint marketing and customer networks for entry into the global market.
Silicon photonics is a technology that big tech companies such as Nvidia, TSMC, and Intel have recently been eyeing as a next-generation food source. It has the advantage of processing data dramatically faster than the current technology that transmits and receives information through the movement of electrons by exchanging data movement occurring at the chip level through light.
Former ASML, Microchip CEOs Join Intel Board
Intel announced on the 5th (local time in the US) that it had appointed former ASML CEO Eric Meurice and Microchip interim chairman Steve Sanghi as outside directors to its board of directors.
Eric Morris led Dutch semiconductor lithography equipment company ASML from 2004 to 2013. He created a customer co-investment program that allowed customers, including Intel, to participate in ASML’s next-generation R&D, including EUV.
Steve Sanggi served as Microchip’s CEO from 1991 to 2021, leading the company to 40 consecutive years (121 quarters) of profitability. He recently announced his retirement and has accepted the interim chairmanship.
Korean AI Semiconductor ‘Unicorn’ Born… Rebellion and Sapion Merger Corporation Launched
Rebellion announced on the 2nd that it completed the merger process with Sapion Korea and officially launched on the 1st under the name of ‘Rebellion’. This is the result of about 6 months since the announcement of the merger in June. The corporate value of the merged company is estimated at about 1.3 trillion won, and this has created a representative AI semiconductor unicorn company in Korea.
This merger was carried out under the consensus of the entire industrial ecosystem that achieving economies of scale and strengthening cooperation in the AI semiconductor sector is urgent in the era when AI infrastructure is emerging as a security and strategic material. Through this, Rebellion has grown to a scale that can compete fully globally in terms of human resources, resources, and partnerships
Musk Visits US Congress, Asked About Electric Vehicle Subsidies, “All Deductions Should Be Eliminated”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new agency that US President-elect Donald Trump plans to establish in the next administration, began working in earnest on the ‘slimming down of the federal government’ on the 5th (local time).
Musk visited the Capitol in Washington, D.C., with DOGE co-chairman and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. After meeting with Senator John Thune (South Dakota), who will become the Senate majority leader starting next year, Musk responded to a question about the electric vehicle tax credit by saying, “I think all the credits should be eliminated,” according to political media outlet Politico.
This means that the Biden administration should eliminate subsidies of up to $7,500 (about 10 million won) per electric vehicle based on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
POSCO FutureM Secures Lithium Group Qualified for US Market for ‘460,000 Electric Vehicles’
POSCO Future M announced on the 6th that it has secured a large amount of domestically produced lithium within the group that does not violate the US Foreign Interest Interest Committee (FEOC) regulations.
The day before, POSCO Future M signed a contract with POSCO Pilbara Lithium Solution to purchase and supply 20,000 tons of lithium hydroxide for cathode material production. This is an amount that can produce 43,000 tons of cathode material, which can be supplied to 460,000 electric vehicles.
POSCO Pilbara Lithium Solution is a lithium hydroxide manufacturer established in Gwangyang in 2021 by POSCO Holdings in collaboration with Australian mining development company Pilbara Minerals. It completed construction of its second plant on the 29th of last month, establishing a lithium hydroxide production system with an annual capacity of 43,000 tons. The lithium hydroxide supplied to POSCO Future M is mass-produced by POSCO Pilbara Lithium Solution using lithium concentrate from the Pilbara mine in Australia, in which POSCO Holdings holds a 4.75% stake.
Samgi EV to supply battery parts for electric commercial vehicles to LG Ensol
Samsung EV announced on the 5th that it signed a contract worth 143.7 billion won to supply electric commercial vehicle battery parts to LG Energy Solution.
According to the company, this contract is to supply Samgi EV’s flagship product, the end plate, to LG Energy Solution. The contract period is from November 2026 to December 2032. The contract amount is equivalent to 158% of last year’s sales.
Kumyang, Pirain Motors and 750 Cylindrical Batteries Supply Contract
Kumyang, a secondary battery company, announced on the 6th that it signed a supply contract with Piline Motors, which ranks second in the domestic electric bus market share, to enter the domestic electric bus market.
According to Kumyang, the supply volume contracted by the two companies will be delivered in pack form as a battery system (battery pack, BMS, high-voltage control box, harness) using the 21700-50E cylindrical battery for electric buses.
The period is from 2026 to 2030, and a total of 750 units will be delivered. The amount is 78.8 billion won.
IL Science “Strengthening the Stability of Space Batteries”
ILScience announced on the 5th that it is strengthening the stability of space batteries through the fusion of silicon-based microprocessing technology and small solid-state battery technology.
According to the company, the space battery that IL Science is developing is targeting a small auxiliary power source with high stability, so maximizing stability in extreme environments is essential. Accordingly, the company plans to utilize silicon microprocessing technology to ensure stable operation of the auxiliary power source even in extreme environments such as space.
Pohang City-Block Nine, MOU signed to invest 33 billion won in secondary battery materials and components
On the 5th, Pohang City signed an investment memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ‘Block Nine’ for the secondary battery parts business at the city hall’s external cooperation office.
Block Nine plans to invest 33 billion won in a 9,917㎡ (approximately 3,000 pyeong) site in the Pohang Yeongilman 4 General Industrial Complex to build automatic mesh grading frame strapping equipment and refractory reaction vessel manufacturing production facilities. This investment is expected to create approximately 30 new jobs.
Since its establishment in 2019, Block Nine has been engaged in the business of automatic winding technology, robot automation, and secondary battery parts and equipment.
Big Tech Develops ‘Anti-Drone Core’ Km-Class Precision Search Lidar
Defense company Big Tech is developing a km-class precision LiDAR for maritime unmanned systems. If this technology is developed, it will be able to support the safe operation of future unmanned autonomous ships.
According to Big Tech on the 4th, Big Tech signed an agreement with the Defense Technology Advancement Research Institute to receive a total of 5.7 billion won in support for 3 years to carry out the project. Big Tech has been recognized for securing key element technologies through technology investment and verification prototype development for long-range lidar development. Through this agreement, they plan to develop a precision exploration lidar for maritime unmanned systems that can respond to various threats occurring at sea.
Baidu’s ‘RoboTaxi’ Obtains License in Hong Kong
It was revealed that Baidu’s robotaxi brand ‘Apollo Go’ was the first autonomous vehicle pilot license issued by the Hong Kong Transport and Navigation Department on the 2nd based on the Road Traffic (Autonomous Vehicle) Regulations.
Baidu will begin test driving in designated areas, including Hong Kong Airport, within this month.
“As a leading region for finance and innovation in Asia, Hong Kong is building an innovation ecosystem,” a Baidu official said. “We hope Apollo Go will help spread its world-leading AI and autonomous driving technologies to more countries and regions, and provide more users with environmentally friendly and safe autonomous driving outing services.”
DeepInsight, 3D spatial information scanner ‘CES 2025 Innovation Award’
DeepInsight, a company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) 3D camera solutions, announced on the 6th that its portable 3D spatial information scanner ‘Dimension View Pro’ won the CES2025 Innovation Award.
DeepInsight’s ‘Dimension View Pro’ is a portable 3D spatial information scanner designed to meet the needs of professionals in the architecture, civil engineering, engineering, and construction fields.
By combining high-performance lidar and high-resolution global shutter RGB sensors with onboard AI software, it is possible to reduce the time and cost required to acquire high-density point cloud data required to create 3D maps.
Etiphos selects new album ‘First Penguin’
Etiforce, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology startup, announced on the 3rd that it had been selected for the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund’s innovative startup growth support program ‘First Penguin’.
Shinbo regularly selects startups with high growth potential based on excellent ideas and technological prowess. It provides up to 3 billion won in guarantees and growth programs to companies selected by First Penguin.
Etiforce developed V2X equipment and modems. It implemented the cellular-based V2X method, which has been adopted as a standard in the US, Europe, China, and Korea, using a software-defined modem (SDM).
OLED TV market in a stagnant state
According to market research firm Omdia on the 5th, OLED TV shipments in the third quarter of this year increased by only about 8% year-on-year to 1.43 million units, while shipments of Mini LED TVs, a premium LCD TV, surged 44% to 1.22 million units. Mini LED TVs have been growing rapidly every quarter, but OLED TVs have been slow to recover since experiencing negative growth last year. The industry predicts that Mini LED TV shipments will surpass OLED TVs starting next year.
This is in contrast to the rapid increase in OLED panel penetration in smartphones, laptops, gaming monitors, etc. Over the past decade, LG Display’s OLED production capacity has been mostly focused on large OLED panels, and LG Display’s share of the OLED TV market is over 90%.
Hikvision, the first in the LED display industry to obtain TUV Rheinland’s ‘Green Product Certification’
Hikvision, an AIoT product and solution provider with video as its core competency, announced that 16 of its LED display products have received the TUV Rheinland Green Product Mark.
TUV Rheinland, with over 150 years of history and widely recognized credibility, has verified Hikvision’s LED display products based on ‘2 PfG E 0052/06.2024’, a standard that certifies products that meet strict environmental standards. This is the first certification in the LED display industry.
“Apple to launch OLED iPad mini in 2026”
IT media Apple Insider reported on the 5th (local time) that data containing Apple’s future display roadmap has been released.
The data comes from market research firm Omdia and was first revealed by IT tipster Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve). Apple has been applying OLED to its products recently, but it has mainly been limited to its premium iPad line. According to the newly revealed data, it seems that Apple will gradually introduce OLED to more iPads and MacBooks in the future.
Source: kipost.net