US Allows Mass Export of Semiconductor Design SW
CNBC and other media outlets reported on the 2nd (local time) that the U.S. government has lifted restrictions on exports of semiconductor design software (SW) to China.
The move is interpreted as a response to the US and China’s agreement in the second round of trade talks held in London last month to lift China’s export controls on rare earths and the recently introduced US restrictions on exports to China.
According to reports, the U.S. Department of Commerce has notified semiconductor design automation (EDA) software vendors Synopsys, Cadence Design Systems, and Germany’s Siemens EDA that they will no longer be required to obtain U.S. government licenses to do business in China.
Chinese semiconductor company Longxin Zhongke unveils latest CPU developed in-house
Chinese semiconductor design company Loongson has officially announced the launch of its latest central processing unit (CPU), the ‘Loongson 3C6000’, developed using its own technology.
According to a report from China Central Television (CCTV) on the 26th, Longxin Zhongke unveiled the CPU at a new product launch event held in Beijing that day, emphasizing that it is a Chinese general-purpose processor that does not rely on foreign technology.
The company explained, “The Longxin 3C6000 does not use any foreign technology licenses or overseas supply chains at all,” and “It can meet the needs of various fields such as general computing, artificial intelligence computing, data storage, industrial control, and workstations.”
“Intel’s new CEO seeks major changes in foundry”
Intel’s new CEO Rabbu Tan is considering major changes to the foundry business to attract major customers, Reuters reported on the 1st (local time), citing multiple sources.
If the new strategy is implemented, it will mean Intel no longer marketing the manufacturing process it has been developing at its foundries to external customers, sources said. According to sources, CEO Tan, who took office in March, began to voice his opinion around last month that the ’18A’ process is losing its appeal to new customers.
The 18A (1.8 nanometer) process is the process that Intel is ambitiously pursuing as it declares its re-entry into the foundry market in 2021.
Hanmi Semiconductor begins production of ‘TC Bonder 4’ for HBM4
Hanmi Semiconductor announced on the 4th that it has started production of ‘TC BONDER 4’, a dedicated equipment for HBM4 (6th generation HBM), a core memory for next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors.
‘TC Bonder 4’ is a new device that was released as a prototype in May and will be supplied in earnest from the second half of this year. Global HBM manufacturers are planning to mass produce HBM4 in the second half of this year.
This equipment plays a key role in significantly improving precision compared to previous products and enhancing the structural stability of stacked HBMs, while meeting the high-precision requirements of HBM4. Software functions have also been upgraded.
DRAM fixed transaction price rises 20% for three consecutive months… Led by ‘discontinued’ DDR4
According to market research firm DRAMeXchange, the average contract price of general-purpose PC DRAM products (DDR4 8Gb 1Gx8) in June was $2.6, up 23.8% from the previous month ($2.1).
The fixed transaction price of DRAM for PCs fell 20.59% from the previous month to $1.35 in November last year, then remained flat for four consecutive months before turning upward in April and rising by 20% for three consecutive months.
Market research firm TrendForce forecasted that DRAM contract prices between suppliers and PC OEMs in the second quarter rose 3-8% quarter-on-quarter, and that in the third quarter, the older product DDR4 will be more expensive than the newer product DDR5.
“TSMC postpones second Japanese plant… Expands investment in US amid Trump tariff pressure”
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 4th (local time) citing sources that Taiwanese foundry TSMC, the world’s largest foundry, will postpone the start of construction of its second factory in Japan as it focuses on expansion in the United States.
The WSJ reported that the company is pouring money into expanding in the U.S. in preparation for possible tariffs by the Donald Trump administration.
TSMC announced early last year that it would build a second factory in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. It was part of a $20 billion investment plan in Japan, with TSMC receiving more than $8 billion in support from the Japanese government. Construction on the second factory was expected to begin early this year, but TSMC said last month that production would be delayed somewhat due to traffic problems in the surrounding area.
Taiwan’s UMC, 4th in foundry, enters 6nm
Taiwan’s UMC, the world’s fourth-largest foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) company, is expected to enter the advanced 6nm process that Samsung Electronics and TSMC are competing in.
Mid-tier foundry companies, including UMC and China’s SMIC, have focused on mature (old-fashioned) processes at the 40nm level, but have recently been rapidly transitioning to advanced fine processes.
There are concerns that Samsung Electronics, ranked second, may lose its foundry position as the gap with first-place TSMC widens and mid-tier companies threaten to threaten its advanced process technology.
Nissan, in ‘management difficulties’, exports electric vehicles produced in China to Southeast Asia
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported on the 4th that Nissan Motor is pursuing a plan to export the electric vehicle to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America, etc.
Nissan plans to export the electric sedan ‘N7’, which was released in China in April this year. The design, development, and parts selection of this vehicle were handled by a Chinese joint venture, not Nissan’s headquarters. The lowest price in China is 119,900 yuan (about 22.8 million won). It is cheaper than competing models from BYD. The production plant is in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.
Nissan is reorganizing its production system around the world due to poor performance. Nikkei said Nissan is seeking to recover by exporting electric vehicles from China, which are considered competitive in both price and performance.
“90% of Chinese electric car brands will be unprofitable by 2030”
As discount competition continues in China’s electric vehicle industry, a forecast has emerged that 90% of Chinese electric vehicle brands will not be profitable by 2030, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 4th.
According to reports, consulting firm AlixPartners predicted in a report released the previous day that the Chinese electric vehicle industry is suffering from price wars and chronic overcapacity, and that less than 10% of electric vehicle brands in China will be profitable over the next five years.
China’s Geely surpasses Tesla to become second-largest electric car maker
In global electric vehicle sales, including pure electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), China’s Geely Group has surpassed Tesla in the US to take second place from January to May. China’s BYD (1.59 million units) is leading this year as it was last year, so the first and second places are both taken by Chinese companies.
On the 3rd, market research firm SNE Research announced that the electric vehicle sales of the Geely Group (approximately 790,000 units) from January to May this year increased by 77.3% compared to the same period last year. Tesla, which was in second place last year, fell to third place with sales (approximately 540,000 units) decreasing by 16% during the same period.
EV Advanced Materials “Prologium, Lithium Ceramic Battery Exceeds 2.4 Million Units”
Eve Advanced Materials announced on the 3rd that the cumulative shipments of the next-generation lithium ceramic battery (LCB) of ProLogium Technology, a Taiwanese solid-state battery company in which the company invested, have exceeded 2.4 million units.
According to the company, Prologium has demonstrated its mass supply capabilities by producing over 500,000 units in just 18 months at its first gigascale production facility in Taoyuna, Taiwan.
Founded in 2006, Prologium is an energy company focused on developing and manufacturing next-generation lithium ceramic batteries for electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and industrial applications.
GM “When equipped with LMR battery, driving range increases by 80km compared to LFP… price is similar”
An analysis has been published that the next-generation lithium manganese rich (LMR) battery being jointly developed by American automaker General Motors (GM) and Korea’s leading battery company LG Energy Solution can increase the driving range of electric vehicles by nearly 100 km compared to the low-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries led by Chinese companies.
At the ‘GM Battery Technology Learning Session’ held at the HJ Business Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 1st, Yoo Chang-geun, deputy director of the Technology Development Division of GM Korea Research and Development Corporation, said, “According to GM research results, North American EV (electric vehicle) trucks can travel up to 350 miles (563 km) with LFP batteries, and 400 miles (644 km) with LMR batteries.” This means that the driving range increases by 81 km under the same conditions.
US Battery Startup Acquires Northvolt ESS Business
US secondary battery startup Raiden is acquiring Northvolt’s battery business for energy storage systems (ESS).
“We are acquiring Northvolt Dwa ESS’s Gdansk, Poland, plant,” Ryten said. “We plan to immediately restart production and process customer orders.”
Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt filed for bankruptcy due to financial difficulties. Afterwards, the sale of its ESS battery business was pushed forward and the contract appears to have been concluded. The two companies did not disclose the specific size of the acquisition contract, but said the process is expected to be completed in the third quarter.
KGA, Development of new technology and new materials for cathode material water-based process
KGI announced on the 3rd that it has successfully developed two key technologies that enable the introduction of an aqueous process for LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) cathode active materials.
According to the company, the two new technologies developed by KGAE this time consist of the manufacturing technology for active material coating materials and the application technology for the water-based cathode process utilizing these. The two technologies are key elements required to introduce the water-based process to existing LFP cathode materials, and were jointly developed with the secondary battery specialist company ‘Shemeka’.
In order to secure the adhesion and bonding power of the positive and negative electrode active materials during electrode manufacturing, a binder is used, and depending on the solvent, it is divided into organic (non-aqueous) electrodes and aqueous electrodes. Generally, aqueous binders are applied to negative electrode active materials, and organic binders are applied to positive electrode active materials.
Crowworks and Clobot Sign MOU for ‘Building Robot AI Learning Data’
Artificial intelligence (AI) tech company Crowdworks announced on the 3rd that it has signed a business agreement (MOU) with Clobot, an intelligent robot service specialist, to build robot AI learning data.
Accordingly, Crowdworks plans to develop high-quality robot AI learning data by combining Clobot’s AI-based autonomous robot development technology with its own high-quality dataset construction and data processing technology.
Crowworks will form and operate a dedicated team for autonomous robot data. Since high-quality data is directly related to robot performance and performance, it plans to focus on the entire process, including data collection, refinement, and quality inspection. Clobot will provide data collected during the autonomous robot operation process and cooperate in improving and standardizing robot data quality.
Tesla, world’s first fully autonomous new car delivery… 30 minutes of fully autonomous driving
According to Bloomberg on the 28th (local time), Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced through X (formerly Twitter) the previous day, “The first fully autonomous delivery of the Tesla Model Y was completed a day ahead of schedule.” This means that a newly assembled Model Y vehicle left the factory on its own, drove on the highway through the city, and then arrived at the customer’s home without anyone on board.
Regarding this, CEO Musk emphasized, “There was absolutely no one in the car, and it was not controlled remotely at any point. It was completely autonomous.”
Chips & Media JV to supply IP to Chinese autonomous driving company… “Synergy in full swing”
Chips&Media, a semiconductor design asset (IP) specialist, has signed an IP supply contract with a local autonomous driving AI (artificial intelligence) company through its Chinese joint venture (JV) established last year. In this contract, the JV will assume the role of DSP (design solution partner), which is expected to further accelerate Chips&Media’s conquest of the Chinese market, a major export market.
According to industry sources on the 1st, Chips & Media recently signed a 3rd party IP (intellectual property rights) supply contract with JV Dongsim Science & Technology (Innochips & Media, hereinafter referred to as ICM). Chips & Media will provide a video-specific AI chip design, and ICM will partially modify and supply the design to suit the needs of local autonomous driving AI company H. Company H is one of the major clients that has transacted with Chips & Media on several occasions.
Seoul Semiconductor to supply mini LEDs for car screens
On the 2nd, Seoul Semiconductor announced that its no-wire ‘WICOP’ technology has recently begun supplying to global automobile companies in the form of mini LEDs.
This supply structure is structured so that Seoul Semiconductor supplies mini LEDs to a first-tier partner that supplies displays to global automobile companies. Mini LEDs are display components that make up a backlight of multiple small LEDs, allowing the brightness of the LEDs to be individually controlled.
Samsung and LG Electronics Expand OLED TV Share… Check China’s Mini LED TV
As Chinese companies increase their share of the global premium TV market with mini-LED TVs, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are expected to respond by putting forth organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TVs as their main products this year.
According to market research firm Counterpoint Research on the 29th, Samsung Electronics maintained its top spot in terms of shipments in the global premium TV market in the first quarter of this year, but its market share decreased by 11 percentage points over the past year. During the same period, LG Electronics’ market share also dropped from 23% to 16%, pushing its ranking down from 2nd to 4th.
Domestic companies are trying to defend their market share by expanding OLED TV sales. According to market research firm Omdia, LG Electronics ranked first with 52.1% market share based on OLED TV shipments in the first quarter, followed by Samsung Electronics with 30.8%.
Source: kipost.net