“More difficult times are coming” Intel… Sells all of its stake in ‘semiconductor design’ ARM
According to Bloomberg and other sources on the 13th (local time), Intel announced in a document submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that day that it no longer holds 1.18 million shares of Arm stock that it held three months ago. This means that it sold all of its Arm shares in the second quarter of this year.
Bloomberg reported that, “Considering that the average price of Arm stock in the second quarter of this year was $124.34 per share (based on the New York Stock Exchange), Intel is estimated to have secured $147 million (about 200.655 billion won) through this sale.”
Foreign media and experts pointed out that this sale was made as Intel sought to reduce costs due to increased expenses and pressure on profit margins caused by efforts to revitalize its foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) business.
“GaN power semiconductors to grow at an average of 49% per year until 2030”
According to market research firm TrendForce on the 16th, the GaN power semiconductor market size is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 49% from USD 271 million (approximately KRW 367.9 billion) last year to USD 4.376 billion (approximately KRW 5.9422 trillion) in 2030.
In particular, the commercial market share is expected to increase significantly from 23% last year to 48%. Major applications include automobiles, data centers, and motor drives. It was also reported that the adoption of GaN is increasing in the general consumer market for high-speed chargers, home appliances, and smartphones.
SK Hynix, Slight Decrease in ‘Semiconductor Inventory’ in the First Half
According to SK Hynix’s semi-annual report on the 14th, inventory assets at the end of the first half of this year were tallied at 13.3549 trillion won.
This figure is a decrease of KRW 125.7 billion (approximately 1%) from the end of last year (KRW 13.4806 trillion).
Compared to the inventory assets of 16.4202 trillion won at the end of the first half of last year, inventory is continuously being reduced. This is due to the recovery of the semiconductor industry that started in the second half of last year.
China’s Huawei’s AI Rise… “NVIDIA-level AI Chip to be Released Soon”
On the 13th (local time), foreign media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Huawei is about to mass produce its latest AI semiconductor, the ‘Ascend 910C (Chinese name: Shengteng 910C)’, and has been discussing supply with key customers such as Baidu, China’s largest search engine, ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, and China Mobile, a state-run telecommunications company, in recent weeks.
The WSJ cited multiple sources as saying that Huawei told potential customers that the Ascend 910C had achieved similar performance to Nvidia’s latest AI chip, the H100. The H100 is a product that the U.S. government has banned from being exported to China. The initial order volume for Huawei’s new chip is expected to exceed 70,000 units, and the total supply amount is estimated at $2 billion (about 2.72 trillion won). It is reported that shipments to customers will begin as early as October.
“Softbank, Intel AI Chip Production Collaboration Breaks Down… Contacts TSMC”
The British daily Financial Times (FT) reported on the 14th (local time) that SoftBank, led by Chairman Son Jeong-ui (Japanese name Masayoshi Son), had entered into negotiations with Intel to produce artificial intelligence (AI) chips to compete with Nvidia, but the deal fell through.
Citing anonymous sources, the FT reported that Intel had failed to meet SoftBank’s demands. SoftBank owns a 90% stake in semiconductor design company Arm. Last month, it also acquired British semiconductor startup Graphcore, which was said to have attempted to build a partnership with Intel to compete with Nvidia.
There was criticism that if Arm were to enter semiconductor production, it would have a negative impact on its relationship with its customer, Nvidia, but SoftBank is said to be willing to take the risk.
Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix Demand Server DRAM Price Increase of ‘Up to 20%’
According to market research firm DRAMeXchange on the 14th, major DRAM suppliers including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix recently demanded an aggressive price increase of 15-20% compared to the previous quarter in contract price negotiations with customers for server DRAM for the third quarter of this year.
This is because the server market has entered its peak season in the second half of the year and demand for DRAM has increased due to data center companies’ investment in AI servers. As suppliers including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have allocated 20-30% of their leading-edge processes to HBM, there is a growing possibility that the supply of server DRAM will be restricted, which is cited as the background for the price increase.
Qualitas Semiconductor Signs 1.9 Billion Won IP License Agreement with Domestic Fabless Company
Qualitas Semiconductor, a semiconductor IP (design asset) specialist, announced on the 12th that it had signed an IP licensing contract worth 1.9 billion won with a domestic fabless company.
This is equivalent to 17.79% of last year’s sales, and the contract period is until August 11th of next year. According to the company, through this contract, Qualitas Semiconductor will provide the ‘PCIe Gen 4.0 PHY IP’ solution and ‘MIPI D-PHY IP’ solution of the 5nm advanced process.
The solutions provided by Qualitas Semiconductor are applied to APs (application processors) for in-vehicle infotainment and ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems).
China controls exports of antimony, a raw material for batteries and semiconductors
China will begin export controls on antimony, a metalloid used as a raw material for batteries and other products, starting on the 15th of next month.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs issued a notice on the 15th stating that the purpose is “to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill international nuclear non-proliferation obligations.” Starting in the middle of next month, items that meet certain characteristics related to antimony and ultra-hard materials will not be exported without government approval.
Antimony is mainly used as a flame retardant to prevent the spread of fire. It is used in the production of batteries, semiconductors, night vision goggles, and nuclear weapons. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, China accounted for 48% of the world’s antimony production last year.
China’s BYD to Establish ‘Electric Vehicle Factory’ in Pakistan
Chinese electric car company BYD is said to be planning to set up a factory in Pakistan.
Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported on the 16th that BYD will establish an electric vehicle factory in Karachi, Pakistan.
The source said that BYD is pushing forward with the establishment of a factory in collaboration with Mega Motors, a subsidiary of local power company Hub Power. The BYD Karachi factory will be built near local factories of automakers such as Toyota, Suzuki Motors, and Kia, and is scheduled for completion in the first half of 2026. It added that details are currently being discussed before the establishment of the factory.
LG Ensol and SK On’s operating rate in the 50% range in ‘Chasm’… Samsung SDI is relatively strong
According to the semi-annual reports of each company on the 14th, LG Energy Solution’s domestic and overseas production capacity in the first half of this year is approximately KRW 22.2361 trillion, with an average operating rate of 59.4%. The operating rate has fallen following 73.6% in 2022 and 69.3% last year.
SK On’s average operating rate plummeted from 86.8% in 2022 and 87.7% in 2023 to 53.0% in the first half of this year. Unlike LG Energy Solution and SK On, Samsung SDI maintained a solid operating rate of 76% in the first half of this year, following last year. Samsung SDI’s average operating rate in 2022 was 84%.
Top Material-Sungil Hi-Tech, MOU for establishing recycled LFP supply chain
Top Material, which is preparing for mass production of LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cathode materials, announced on the 13th that it signed a ‘MOU for establishing raw materials and supply chain for recycled LFP cathode materials’ with Sungil Hitech, a secondary battery recycling specialist.
According to the company, Top Material and Sungil Hi-Tech plan to diversify their raw material supply chain and expand the use of recycled raw materials through this collaboration. Sungil Hi-Tech collects waste LFP batteries and recovers precursors and lithium carbonate from cathode materials, and Top Material plans to receive these and mass-produce LFP cathode materials.
POSCO FutureM provides low-interest loans to small and medium-sized suppliers
On the 14th, POSCO Future M signed a business agreement with the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KSMEs) at the Gwangyang cathode material plant to support the joint growth network loan.
Under this agreement, small and medium-sized suppliers recommended by POSCO Future M can receive low-interest loans from the Korea Development Bank based on purchase orders after signing a supply contract.
The supplier can borrow up to 80% of the order amount, or KRW 1.5 billion per year, without collateral, and the loan maturity is up to one year until the payment date. The interest rate is half that of credit loans from commercial banks.
Jaeyoung Tech Enters India’s Waste Battery Recycling Business
Jaeyoung Tech announced on the 12th that it signed a business agreement (MOU) with Indian company Tabasya for a waste battery recycling business in India. The two companies plan to establish a joint venture (JV) in India and launch a waste battery recycling business in earnest.
Jaeyoung Tech is a company with domestic recycling post-processing technology, and is particularly specialized in the production of lithium carbonate raw materials. It is possible to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate with a purity of 99.5% or higher by pre-extracting lithium.
“80% charge in 10 minutes and 30 seconds”… China Zike unveils new electric vehicle battery
According to BBC, CNBC, etc. on the 13th (local time), Ziker held a press conference that evening and unveiled the 2025 Ziker 007 sedan, and announced that the 75kWh battery pack version will be equipped with the second-generation Golden Brick battery. The Golden Brick battery is a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) material battery developed by Ziker.
Ziker said that using an ultra-fast charging station, the battery can be charged from 10% to 80% in 10 minutes and 30 seconds, which is 4 minutes and 30 seconds faster than the first generation. He added that the same charging performance can be achieved in about 30 minutes even in weather of -10 degrees Celsius.
This time, Google’s self-driving car… SK Hynix supplies HBM
It has been revealed that SK Hynix will be supplying high-performance memory semiconductors, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), to the autonomous vehicles of Waymo, a Google subsidiary. Currently, the main memory semiconductor for vehicles is low-power DRAM, double data rate (LPDDR), but there is an outlook that HBM could take over this position in the future.
At the 7th Artificial Intelligence (AI) Semiconductor Forum Breakfast Lecture held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Banpo-dong, Seoul on the 14th, SK Hynix Vice President Kang Wook-sung said, “Waymo’s self-driving car uses SK Hynix’s HBM2E. SK Hynix is the only company that has commercialized HBM for vehicles.”
Chinese autonomous driving ‘WeRide’ US IPO ‘countdown’
Chinese autonomous driving technology startup WeRide is on the verge of an initial public offering (IPO), announcing plans to raise up to $400 million (about 546.2 billion won).
According to Bloomberg on the 9th (local time), WeRide, which received approval for a U.S. listing from Chinese regulators last year, is expecting to raise about $100 million (about 136.5 billion won) from the IPO and about $200-300 million (about 273.1-409.6 billion won) from the private offering. This IPO is expected to be a rare case of a Chinese company listing in the U.S. following the listing of ride-sharing company Didi Global, drawing attention.
WeRide’s corporate value was recently evaluated at $5.1 billion (approximately 7 trillion won), and it is receiving high marks for having a solid foundation as it is testing or commercially deploying autonomous driving technology in 30 cities in 7 countries around the world.
US lifts sanctions on Chinese lidar sensor maker
On the 13th (local time), the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing sources, that the U.S. Department of Defense plans to exclude Hesai, a Chinese company that produces laser sensors for electric vehicles, from its blacklist.
It has been about 7 months since he was blacklisted on January 31st.
The FT evaluated this incident as “an embarrassing reversal of attitude by the US Department of Defense.”
Some analysts say that the U.S. Department of Defense’s 180-degree change in attitude is not unrelated to the fact that Hesai has achieved an absolute advantage in the LiDAR sensor field.
Seoul Semiconductor, 2nd quarter operating profit of 4 billion won ‘black ink’… “3rd quarter is also good”
Seoul Semiconductor announced on the 12th that it recorded provisional consolidated sales of KRW 283 billion and operating profit of KRW 4.035 billion (1.4%) in the second quarter of this year, turning a profit for the first time in eight quarters.
Sales increased 11% year-on-year, and operating profit margin increased 2.2 percentage points (p). Sales increased 17% quarter-on-quarter, and operating profit margin increased 2.9 percentage points. These figures met the expected forecast range presented in May, and profitability indicators turned to improvement for the first time in two years.
The company cited the growth in sales of its highly profitable automotive division and its efforts to reduce costs through internal R&D selection and focus as reasons for its turnaround.
Choi Joo-sun, President of Samsung D: “Differentiating OLED for IT… Collaborating with Qualcomm and Intel”
Choi Joo-sun, president of Samsung Display, announced that the company will secure a competitive edge in the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) market for information technology (IT) in line with the opening of the on-device artificial intelligence (AI) market. President Choi plans to establish himself as a strong player in the OLED market for IT by collaborating with global system partners including Qualcomm and Intel.
At the ‘K-Display’ exhibition held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 14th, CEO Choi met with reporters and said, “(IT OLED) will have synergy with the AI industry.” CEO Choi said, “We are currently communicating with several clients,” and “We will work to continue to differentiate ourselves by collaborating not only with clients but also with various partners such as Qualcomm and Intel.”
Source: kipost.net