KAI “Developing on-device AI semiconductors and applying them to manned and unmanned complex systems”
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is embarking on the development of on-device artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors that will enable manned and unmanned complex systems, such as fighter jets, to operate independently without server and communication.
KAI announced on the 23rd that it has decided to cooperate in the development of defense K-on-device AI semiconductors with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology Planning and Evaluation (KEIT), the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, and the Korea Fabless Industry Association. KAI will develop a manned-unmanned complex system based on AI pilots using the defense AI semiconductors it is developing.
The plan is to develop an on-device autonomous control system (ACS) using defense-grade AI semiconductors, and to apply AI pilot technology to AAPs (Adaptable Aerial Platforms) for manned and unmanned complex systems and communication satellites.
JNTC Completes Semiconductor Glass Substrate Plant
JNT Corporation announced on the 22nd that it has completed a dedicated semiconductor glass substrate factory with a monthly production capacity of 10,000 units.
According to the company, since J&T officially entered the new semiconductor glass substrate business in April of last year, it has entered the stage of signing NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) with a total of 16 global clients and providing customized samples tailored to each client’s needs.
YC Chem, ‘EUV Rinse’ Passes Global Semiconductor Company’s Mass Production Evaluation
YC Chem, a semiconductor materials specialist, announced on the 21st that its self-developed extreme ultraviolet (EUV) rinse product passed the mass production evaluation of a global semiconductor company.
A company official said, “We are currently discussing the product supply schedule with global customers,” and added, “As we will directly supply materials essential for high-difficulty semiconductor processes including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), we will solidify our position as a key materials company leading the era of artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors.”
YChem’s EUV rinse is a key material that prevents pattern combination and collapse that may occur in the EUV exposure process, and improves resolution, roughness, and sensitivity. In particular, its strength is that it can effectively reduce circuit collapse and defects that may occur in the DRAM process.
“Support for building semi-custom AI infrastructure”… NVIDIA launches ‘NVLink Fusion’
NVIDIA announced on the 19th that it has officially launched ‘NVLink Fusion’, a new silicon technology that supports the construction of semi-custom AI infrastructure.
The new product opens up the NVLink ecosystem, NVIDIA’s proprietary high-speed interconnect technology, to partners, allowing the industry to freely design and expand customized AI infrastructure.
Chip manufacturers and designers, including MediaTek, Marvel, Alchip Technologies, Astera Labs, Synopsys, Cadence, and Qualcomm, directly participated in the development of new products. Fujitsu, Qualcomm, and others are building high-performance AI factories by combining their next-generation CPUs and Nvidia GPUs with a rack-scale architecture.
BCNC Delivers First Synthetic Quartz to North American Semiconductor Company
BCNC, a semiconductor materials and parts specialist, announced on the 19th that it has completed quality testing on domestically produced synthetic quartz materials (QD9+) parts from a North American global semiconductor company and received its first PO (purchase order) and recently completed shipment.
According to the company, this shipment is the first case of supplying QD9+ material parts to an overseas company. Although it was somewhat delayed compared to the original overseas mass production supply plan last year, the company explained that additional quality tests for other items have been completed by the same global company and are currently waiting for PO.
It also received its first PO from another North American semiconductor company. BCNC expects that the globalization of its QD9+ material component business will be on track by securing multiple overseas demand sources.
Japanese semiconductors cannot be mass produced even after building a building
According to a survey conducted by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on nine major semiconductor companies on the 20th, out of seven factories that were completed for construction in 2023-2024, only three have begun mass production.
Renesas Electronics restarted its Kofu plant in Kaishi, Yamanashi Prefecture, which had been closed for nine years, in April last year, but postponed mass production due to slowing demand for power semiconductors for electric vehicles (EVs).
ROHM acquired a factory in Kunitomi-cho, Miyazaki Prefecture in 2023 and began trial production in November of last year, but the timing of mass production has not been set yet. Kioxia Holdings aims to start operations in September at its second manufacturing building in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture. The building will be completed in July, but the timing of production has been delayed while waiting for a recovery in memory demand.
Dutch Minister: China Requests Easing of Semiconductor Equipment Export Controls
According to Bloomberg, Minister Feldkamp said on the 22nd in Beijing after meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that semiconductors and “policies on export controls and export licensing” are “ongoing topics of discussion.”
Asked whether China had asked for the restrictions to be eased, he said: “That’s always the case. It’s in their interest,” adding that national security concerns and autonomous export licensing decisions were still in the Netherlands’ interests. China had previously expressed “high concerns” about the Netherlands’ export controls.
K-Battery escapes worst of US ‘subsidy abolition’
The abolition of the advanced manufacturing production tax credit, which the domestic battery industry was concerned about, has been tentatively concluded to be brought forward by one year from the end of 2032 to the end of 2031. This is because the related bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives on the 22nd (local time).
The industry is responding that although it is a step backwards compared to the previous abolition at the end of 2032, it is a ‘minor adjustment’ and the worst has been avoided. In the Senate, the Republican Party holds a majority with 53 seats out of 100, so unless there is a major change, it is likely to pass as proposed in the House.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax benefit, a legacy of former President Joe Biden, has been drastically cut. The tax credit for clean energy vehicles such as electric vehicles ($7,500) was originally supposed to be extended until 2032, but the House-passed bill effectively brought it forward by six years to the end of 2026.
Ninetech “Maxine commercialization speed… Prospects for all-solid-state battery utilization”
Ninetech, a secondary battery and semiconductor equipment specialist, is accelerating the commercialization of its next-generation material, ‘MXene.’
Ninetech announced on the 23rd that it has completed the establishment of a new corporation dedicated to the commercialization of Maxine and built related production facilities. The company’s Maxine-based advanced materials business being promoted is part of its strategy to diversify its materials business portfolio.
Maxene is a two-dimensional nanomaterial with an alternating layering of metal and carbon atoms, and has properties such as high conductivity, mechanical flexibility, and surface modifiability.
Chinese batteries fill LG Ensol’s vacancy… Indonesian government “Decided to cancel LG Ensol investment due to delay”
According to reports from local media outlets such as the Jakarta Globe on the 23rd, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia met with reporters after a meeting held at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta the previous day and explained, “LG Energy Solution did not withdraw voluntarily, but due to repeated delays in investment, I, as the chairman of the Task Force (TF) for Accelerating Downstream Industries and National Energy Security at the time, personally decided to cancel their participation.”
According to the Indonesian government, the Chinese nickel company Huayou will take over LG Energy Solution’s position. Of the total investment, LG Energy Solution has already invested about $1.1 billion to $1.2 billion in the battery cell sector through a Phase 1 joint venture (JV). Huayou will be in charge of the remaining $8 billion (about 10.9664 trillion won) worth of projects. Huayou plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony before August.
GM’s change of heart about electrification… Korean battery industry in trouble
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), GM management recently sent an email to thousands of employees asking them to “convince senators to repeal the green car mandate.” It has been reported that senators from Michigan, where U.S. automakers are located, were contacted by GM employees about this.
The auto industry is interpreting this as a sign that GM is revising or abandoning its electric vehicle transition strategy. According to the WSJ, GM gave up its goal of producing 400,000 electric vehicles per year by the middle of last year, and is also delaying its previously announced electric vehicle production plan.
GM’s change in strategy is interpreted as being due to the electric vehicle market not growing as much as expected.
Battery cathode materials sweep in China… POSCO FutureM falls out of top 10
According to SNE Research on the 21st, the demand (consumption) for lithium secondary battery cathode materials last year was 1.97 million tons (t), and the shipment volume was 2.11 million tons. Compared to 2023, the demand and shipment volume increased by 26% and 25%, respectively.
The top 10 companies in terms of shipments were all Chinese companies. BTR ranked first, with a total shipment of over 432,000 tons last year. Korean and Japanese cathode material companies are being pushed out by Chinese companies’ overproduction and low-price order competition. POSCO Future M fell from 6th place in 2020 to 8th place in 2021, 10th place in 2022 and 2023, and only 11th place (27,200 tons) last year.
World’s No. 1 Battery Company CATL Declares to Leave the US for Funding
CATL, the world’s number one battery company, has entered the Hong Kong stock market. Although it is already listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, it is making its full-fledged debut on the global stock market by listing in Hong Kong, the financial hub of Asia.
Ahead of the IPO, CATL conducted a demand forecast targeting global institutional investors from the 12th to the 14th. As demand from institutional investors such as the Kuwait Investment Authority, the Qatar Investment Authority, and China’s Sinopec poured in, the company expanded the offering size several times and decided to issue a total of 117.9 million shares. The offering price was also set at the top of the desired range, at HK$263 (approximately KRW 47,000) per share. Accordingly, CATL is expected to raise up to US$5.3 billion (approximately KRW 7.41 trillion) through this IPO.
Following Benz, BMW also tests solid-state battery-equipped vehicles on the road
On the 20th (local time), BMW announced that it plans to manufacture Solid Power’s sulfide-based solid-state battery cells into a battery pack, install them in the BMW i7, and acquire data through road driving.
The purpose of this project is to evaluate how solid-state batteries perform in real-world driving conditions. Key technical challenges include cell expansion management, operating pressure control, and temperature regulation.
According to BMW, the concept battery integrated into the i7 test vehicle combines the proven Gen5 construction principle (square cells within a module) with a new module concept for integrating SolidPower solid-state battery cells.
Pintel, Full-scale Entry into Autonomous Driving Business
AI technology developer Pintel announced on the 23rd that it has been selected as a key participant in the ‘Autonomous Transport Commercial Vehicle Verification Support Autonomous Driving Road Infrastructure Construction Service’ as part of the ‘Saemangeum Autonomous Transport Commercial Vehicle Verification Support Infrastructure Creation Project’ supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Jeollabuk-do Special Self-Governing Province, and Gunsan City. The purpose of this project is to verify the commercialization possibility of commercial vehicle autonomous driving for the first time in Korea and to create a related ecosystem.
In this project, Pintel plans to build a signal information linkage infrastructure at major traffic junctions such as intersections and accident-prone sections, and implement a system that analyzes and provides traffic volumes by monitoring high-risk traffic accident sections and traffic concentration management points in real time.
Tesla to Operate Fully Autonomous Robotaxis in Austin Starting in June
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on the 20th (local time) that the company is testing autonomous driving with thousands of vehicles in Austin, Texas, and that it will launch a fully autonomous robotaxi service by the end of June.
However, he added that they will operate as cautiously as possible in the beginning, starting with 10s in the first week, then increasing to 20s, 30s, and 40s, and rapidly increasing to 1,000 within a few months.
Tesla plans to initially apply ‘geofencing’ to limit the operating area for safety reasons in the early stages of its driverless robotaxi service.
Inavi Systems, selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s SDV-based autonomous driving solution national project
Inavi Systems announced on the 21st that it was finally selected for the ‘2025 Automobile Industry Technology Development Project’ hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The selected task is ‘Development of a software-centric vehicle (SDV)-based autonomous driving solution with flexible level settings and selectable function combinations’, and is based on autonomous driving technology of level 2.9 equivalent to autonomous driving level 3.
The main goals are ▲ setting flexible autonomous driving levels ▲ real-time driver attention status recognition ▲ securing and demonstrating a driver control system capable of responding to UN-R171 DCAS regulations.
Baidu’s autonomous driving ‘Apollo Go’ exceeds 11 million rides
Baidu said on the 21st that Apollo Go achieved 1.4 million rides globally in the first quarter, a 75% increase year-over-year.
Baidu founded Apollo in 2017 with the slogan of being the world’s largest open-source autonomous driving platform, and launched a ride-sharing service called Apollo Go in China two years later.
Currently, Baidu’s autonomous robotaxi Apollo Go is being tested in Hong Kong, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other places in addition to mainland China. In China, it is operating in more than 10 cities on the mainland, including Beijing and Shanghai. You can call a robotaxi through Baidu Maps, and the fare is 4 yuan per 10 km, which is about one-tenth of the fare of a regular taxi.
Waymo gets approval to expand autonomous driving in San Francisco
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, will be able to expand its self-driving ride-hailing service in the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Jose.
According to the American economic media outlet CNBC, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved Waymo’s passenger safety plan submitted to obtain permission to operate autonomous vehicles in a wider area on the 19th (local time).
Waymo welcomed the news in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) that day, saying, “We are pleased to announce that the Public Utilities Commission has approved the operation of a fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service in the southern portion of the (San Francisco Bay Area) and virtually all of San Jose.”
LGD President Jeong Cheol-dong in the midst of China’s OLED raid: “Technological differentiation is the only way to survive”
This is a message that LG Display President Jeong Cheol-dong sent to all employees via email early this month with the title, “Let’s create the future through technological differentiation.” Although it is only half a page of A4 paper, the word “technology” is used a whopping 16 times.
President Jeong explained technological differentiation as “differentiating products with unique technologies that competitors find difficult to imitate or have not yet developed, thereby providing unrivaled value to customers.”
Samsung Electronics President Yong Seok-woo takes office as Chairman of the Electronic Information and Communication Industry Promotion Association
The Korea Electronics Association (KEA) announced on the 19th that Yong Seok-woo, head of Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business Division (President), will be inaugurated as Chairman.
Chairman Yong is the head of Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business Division (President) and is known as a TV development expert within Samsung Electronics. He is evaluated to have led business growth in various fields including technology, sales, and strategy while serving as the development team leader and deputy business division manager of Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display Business Division.
iPhone 18 Pro to be equipped with screen-embedded Face ID… to be released next fall
According to IT media outlet NinetoFiveMac on the 14th (local time), Michael Helander, CEO of Canadian OLED material company OTI Lumionics, recently announced at the SID Business Conference that “a mobile phone equipped with an under-panel Face ID using our company’s materials is scheduled to be released in 2026.”
OTI Lumionics is a company that researches and produces key materials for OLED displays and is known to have been collaborating with Apple for a long time.
This is not the first time that the iPhone 18 Pro has been reported to have an in-screen Face ID. Earlier this month, IT media outlet The Information also reported that the iPhone 18 Pro would be equipped with an in-screen Face ID.
Source: Kipost.net