Senic Announces Development Results of 6-inch SiC Wafer for Power Semiconductors at ‘ICSCRM’
Scenic, a domestic silicon carbide (SiC) material specialist, announced on the 2nd that it was selected as an ‘Invited Poster’ at the ‘2024 International Conference on SiC and Related Materials (ICSCRM 2024, September 29 – October 4) held in Raleigh, USA.
Accordingly, Senic attended the ICSCRM event with the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology, Dong-eui University, Chungnam National University, and Nagoya University in Japan, with which it conducted joint research.
Dr. Shin Yoon-ji of the Semiconductor Materials Center at the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology has been conducting research using X-ray topography (XRT) analysis with Professor Harada of Nagoya University, Japan since 2023 to evaluate the quality of 6-inch SiC wafers developed by Senic.
SK Specialty, No. 1 in Semiconductor Specialty Gases, to be acquired by Han & Company… “4 trillion won in value”
SK Group is selling SK Specialty, the world’s number one company in the semiconductor specialty gas sector, to Han & Company.
SK announced on the 30th through a public notice that “we plan to select Han & Company as the preferred negotiating party for the sale of SK Specialty shares and sign a contract.”
This sale is the first step for SK Group to reduce its debt after completing the rebalancing of its business portfolio. The market estimates the sale price to be around 4 trillion won.
China: “Don’t buy Nvidia chips”… US semiconductor phase-out speeds up
On the 28th (local time), Bloomberg News reported, citing anonymous sources, that “regulators including China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have issued so-called ‘window guidelines’ recommending that domestic companies not purchase Nvidia chips used in the development and operation of AI models.” In effect, the semiconductors subject to the purchase ban are the China-bound H20 model that Nvidia planned to avoid the US ban on exporting advanced AI chips to China. The guidelines also included recommendations to increase the use of products from Chinese AI chip companies such as Huawei and Cambricon.
The reason China took this measure is to prevent Nvidia chips from becoming the standard for Chinese AI companies, making the industry dependent on the United States.
Fujifilm to build 1nm advanced semiconductor material factory in Japan by next year
The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported on the 30th that Japan’s Fujifilm will build a factory in Japan by next year to develop and produce semiconductor materials needed for next-generation semiconductor production.
Fujifilm plans to invest about 13 billion yen (about 120 billion won) in its Shizuoka Plant in Shizuoka Prefecture and build a new building by next fall.
At this factory, Fujifilm develops and tests state-of-the-art photoresist (photosensitive agent), a semiconductor material that can be used in the production of advanced semiconductors in the 1 nanometer (nm, one billionth of a meter) range.
When the client company begins mass production of 1nm semiconductors, the company plans to transfer the production technology developed at this factory to other existing factories at home and abroad and begin full-scale production.
‘NFC fabless’ 3A Logics “Pushing for KOSDAQ listing in November”
3A Logics, a fabless company in the near field communication (NFC) field, announced on the 4th that it has submitted a securities report and has begun full-scale procedures for listing on the KOSDAQ market.
Founded in 2004, 3S Logics succeeded in developing the first NFC dynamic tag chip and NFC reader chip in Korea, and was also the first in Korea to obtain AEC-Q100 Grade 1 certification from the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) for its ‘TNR100’, which applies Digital Key 1.0, the technology standard for digital keys for vehicles.
Last November, the company established GBC (Global Business Center) in Shenzhen, China, and is currently carrying out sales activities for full-scale entry into the Chinese market, including supplying chip samples and module prototypes to a number of Chinese automobile manufacturers.
TrendForce “12-Layer Proportion of HBM3E Next Year↑50%…Stable Yield Important”
It is forecasted that HBM3E, the 5th generation product, will account for more than 80% of the total high-bandwidth memory (HBM) bit demand next year. Of this, more than half are expected to be HBM3E 12-layer products.
According to market research firm TrendForce on the 30th, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron of the United States are known to have submitted HBM3E 12-layer samples to customers in the first half and third quarter of this year, respectively, and are currently in the process of verification.
SK Hynix has recently become the first memory company to begin mass production of the 36GB (gigabyte) HBM3E 12-layer product, the largest capacity to date, and aims to supply the product to Nvidia within the year.
Chinese Memory Semiconductor Startup Claims Innovation Amid US Sanctions… “We Will Break Monopoly”
According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 3rd, NuMemory emphasized that it has launched the largest capacity storage class memory (SCM) product designed and produced in China, and that it is a breakthrough in strengthening efforts for technological independence amid US sanctions.
The previous day, China’s state-run Hubei Daily also reported that NuMemory, founded in Wuhan, Hubei Province in 2022, recently launched the 64-gigabyte NM101 SCM chip in the Chinese market, writing that “it is expected to break the long-standing monopoly of international giants in this field.”
Hubei Daily said that similar products on the market only offer megabytes of storage, and that “NM101 has the potential to significantly reduce dependence on foreign memory technology.” It added that a hard drive equipped with an SCM chip can store 10 gigabytes of high-definition video in just one second.
Hyundai Mobis: “We will leap beyond single component to become a solution provider”
At the ‘R&D Tech Day’ held at the Hyundai Mobis Uiwang Research Institute’s Electrification Research Building on the 2nd, Lee Young-guk, head of Hyundai Mobis’ Electrification Engineering Lab (Senior Managing Director), who was in charge of presenting the ‘3 Major Electrification Component R&D Strategy’, said, “The development of batteries and ICCU products ordered from global OE automakers is in the final stages,” and “Hyundai Mobis’ competitiveness in electrification components is recognized as the best in the industry, and many global customers, including those from Europe, visited this R&D Tech Day.”
Hyundai Mobis has come up with a strategy for developing three core electrification components (drive system, battery system, power conversion system). The key is to design modules for batteries, motors, and inverters as system units rather than individual parts, and to expand into the AAM and robotics fields. The plan is to secure price competitiveness and lead the industry with specialized electrification solutions.
Trump: “Electric Vehicle Mandate is Death Sentence for Auto Industry” in Michigan, the Center of Auto Industry
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the US presidential election in November, said on the 3rd, “I will end the electric vehicle mandate policy of the lying Kamala Harris (Vice President),” and “If I become president, no state in the US will be able to ban cars or trucks with internal combustion engines.” The state of Michigan he visited is a place that symbolizes the Rust Belt (a declining manufacturing center) that once enjoyed glory as the center of the US automobile industry but has since fallen.
In the 2016 presidential election, it voted for Trump, and in the 2020 presidential election, it chose President Joe Biden. With 15 of the 583 electoral votes at stake, it is a place that neither Trump nor Harris can afford to miss.
SK On to mass produce square batteries for the first time and supply them to electric vehicles in China
According to the battery industry on the 4th, SK On will build a square battery production line at its second plant in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, and begin full-scale mass production and supply.
SK On has been focusing on mass production of pouch-type batteries that wrap batteries with soft films. Pouch-type batteries have the advantage of being able to come in a variety of designs and having high energy density, but they have the disadvantage of having a weak case, which raises concerns about stability. On the other hand, square batteries are a battery form factor that is highlighted as having the advantage of being strong against external impacts by wrapping the battery in an aluminum can case.
SK On’s expansion of its portfolio from pouch-type batteries to square batteries is interpreted as a product diversification strategy to find a breakthrough in a situation where there are concerns about a chasm (temporary decline in demand).
Xiaomi CEO: “Electric car orders are full until February next year”
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun said on China’s state-run CCTV program on the 1st, “The delivery schedule is full until after February next year.” According to CEO Lei Jun, the delivery schedule is being delayed even though production is being increased with the number of confirmed orders per week exceeding 4,000 units since September.
Xiaomi is expected to increase production in October and deliveries of the SU7 will reach 20,000 units, which is double the amount delivered in September.
According to Xiaomi, it delivered 7,058 units in April for the first time, followed by 8,630 units in May, and then delivered more than 10,000 units per month for four consecutive months from June to September. Accordingly, it is predicted that it will achieve its goal of ‘delivering 100,000 units by the end of the year’ early in November.
Hyundai Infracore Acquires Two Patents, Including Electric Vehicle Fire Suppression System
Hyundai Infracore announced on the 2nd that it has acquired patents for the ‘automatic ignition point tracking fire suppression system’ and the ‘electric vehicle fire suppression system using a trailer.’
According to the company, the automatic ignition point tracking fire suppression system is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based automatic fire suppression system that is a state-of-the-art AI fire extinguishing equipment solution that integrates infrared detection, signal processing, control algorithms, and data transmission technologies.
When a fire occurs within the detection range, it automatically and accurately identifies the source of the fire within 30 seconds, transmits a fire alarm signal, and quickly sprays extinguishing agent. It is a technology that also sends an emergency notification to the manager and fire department to extinguish the fire as quickly and safely as possible.
Solus Advanced Materials Secures $150 Billion in Incentives from Quebec Government
Solus Advanced Materials announced on the 4th that its overseas subsidiary Volta Energy Solutions Canada signed an incentive agreement with Invest Quebec (IQ) under the province of Quebec for the construction project of Canada’s first battery foil plant, formalizing provincial government incentive support worth 150 million Canadian dollars (approximately 150 billion won).
The Quebec government promised to provide C$150 million in incentives to Solus Advanced Materials when it started construction of its battery foil plant in September of last year. Negotiations on an interest-free loan have been completed, and the two parties have agreed to a final contract. Additional financial support programs such as tax credits and workforce training programs are also being discussed.
Tesla Develops 4 Types of Cybertruck and Robotaxi Batteries… Issues 1 Trillion Won ABS
Tesla plans to design four new types of its own batteries to be used in Cybertrucks and robotaxis by 2026. Reuters reported this on the 3rd (local time), citing IT media outlet The Information.
Tesla currently receives electric vehicle batteries from Panasonic Energy and LG Energy Solution. Tesla has been trying to increase production of its own next-generation ‘4680’ battery cell designed in the United States to lower costs and increase profitability, Reuters reported.
The 4680 battery is a cylindrical NCA (nickel, cobalt, aluminum) battery with a diameter of 46 mm and a length of 80 mm. Due to insufficient quantity, its use is limited to the Cybertruck. Reuters also reported that Tesla is trying to expand the dry process for the 4680 battery, but is having difficulty accelerating it.
Hyundai Motors, Ioniq 5 autonomous driving… Cooperation with ‘Waymo’
Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 4th that it has signed a strategic partnership with autonomous driving company Waymo.
Through this partnership, the two companies will apply Waymo’s 6th generation fully autonomous driving technology, ‘Waymo Driver’, to Hyundai’s Ioniq 5. They will also pursue a plan to operate the vehicle through the autonomous taxi service ‘Waymo One’.
The Ioniq 5 supplied to Waymo will be produced at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), an electric vehicle-only plant in Georgia, USA. Hyundai Motor supports the stable growth of the ‘Waymo One’ service by installing the Ioniq 5.
KGM, promoting advanced fully autonomous driving… Unmanned taxis to run in Samseong-dong next year
KG Mobility (KGM) announced on the 4th that it will pursue technological advancement through advanced development of Level 4 autonomous driving based on cooperation with autonomous driving specialized companies possessing core technologies.
Korando Emotion (now Korando EV), Korea’s first late-night autonomous driving taxi developed by KGM through technical collaboration with SWM, began taxi transportation service in the autonomous driving pilot operation area in Gangnam-gu, Seoul last month.
The two companies signed an MOU for technical cooperation in 2022 regarding the preliminary development of autonomous driving at Level 4 level for urban driving.
Shareholders File Lawsuit Against Musk for Exaggerating Autonomous Driving Technology, But It Is Dismissed
On the 30th of last month (local time), Bloomberg reported that Judge Martinez Holguin of the Federal Court in San Francisco, USA, dismissed a lawsuit recently filed by shareholders who claimed that they suffered losses due to Musk’s exaggeration of autonomous driving technology.
Tesla shareholders have alleged that Musk has overstated the technology when promoting Tesla’s advanced driver assistance software, Full Self-Driving (FSD), by saying that “drivers can fall asleep in the car.”
Judge Olguin ruled that some of Musk’s exaggerated statements cited by the plaintiffs were related to future plans, but that other statements were not necessarily false.
Rainbow Robotics and Robot AI Startup Flyleaf Sign MOU for Mutual Cooperation
Rainbow Robotics, a robot platform specialist, announced on the 1st that it has signed a business agreement (MOU) for sustainable, win-win cooperation with artificial intelligence (AI) solution company Flyleaf.
Through this agreement, the two companies will develop an industrial solution package utilizing AI robots. They plan to establish a cooperative system by applying Flyleaf’s AI software to the mobile dual-arm robot developed by Rainbow Robotics and jointly developing autonomous manufacturing and assembly solutions that can be applied to advanced industrial sites.
‘OLED Core Material Synthesis and Refining’ SKEM “Promoting KOSDAQ Listing in November”
SK Chem, a company specializing in the synthesis and refining of key organic light-emitting diode (OLED) materials, announced on the 27th that it had submitted a securities report to the Financial Services Commission and begun the process of listing on KOSDAQ in earnest.
Founded in 2014, ESKEM supplies core materials used in all organic layers of OLED (emission layer, emission auxiliary layer, and common layer).
Last year, sales on a consolidated basis were 24.4 billion won, and operating profit was 1.9 billion won, and in the first half of this year, sales were 16 billion won, and operating profit was 1.6 billion won.
BMW, which bought 30 trillion won worth of Korean parts, spent more than it sold
According to BMW Group Korea on the 1st, BMW Group purchased 4.5 billion euros (approximately 6.535 trillion won) worth of parts from domestic companies last year. This amount exceeds BMW Group Korea’s sales of 6.1066 trillion won last year. The amount of parts BMW Group purchased from Korean companies from 2010 to last year amounts to approximately 30.78 trillion won.
The main trading partners are about 30 companies including Samsung SDI, Samsung Display, LG Group, Hankook Tire, and Sebang Battery. They are purchasing essential parts including advanced components such as electric vehicle batteries and displays.
Source: kipost.net