US pushes for export control of quantum and next-generation semiconductors… Korea excluded from ‘license exemption’
The U.S. government has imposed new export controls on cutting-edge technologies critical to national security, including quantum computing and next-generation semiconductors.
In the process, the United States established a system that allows the export of such technologies without US government approval to countries with export control systems at a level similar to that of the United States. However, Korea was not immediately included among the targets.
However, the impact on Korean companies is expected to be limited, as the U.S. has reportedly established a policy of approving exports to Korea upon request.
Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor Technology Leak… Choi Jin-seok Arrested
Jin-seok Choi (66), a former executive at Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor (now SK Hynix), was arrested on charges of technology leak.
According to the legal community on the 6th, Judge Kim Mi-kyung of the Seoul Central District Court, who is in charge of issuing warrants, held a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (substantive examination of warrant) on Choi and former Samsung Electronics senior researcher Oh, who are accused of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act, on the 5th and detained them, saying, “There is a risk of flight.”
He was arrested and indicted in June of last year on charges of stealing Samsung Electronics semiconductor factory blueprints and attempting to establish a “Samsung Electronics clone factory” in China, but was later released on bail.
Hanmi Semiconductor Establishes SK Hynix Dedicated AS Team
Hanmi Semiconductor announced on the 6th that it has established an after-sales service (AS) team dedicated to SK Hynix.
SK Hynix’s dedicated AS team consists of more than 40 professionals to respond more quickly to various requests from customers.
Additionally, 25 eco-friendly hybrid sports utility vehicles (SUVs) have been prepared to provide quick service.
Hanmi Semiconductor expects to achieve its sales target of KRW 650 billion this year as the TC bonder for high bandwidth memory (HBM) ordered from a customer begins full-scale delivery in the third quarter of this year.
“Qualcomm Considers Buying Partial Stake in Intel Chip Design Division”
Qualcomm, a U.S. mobile chip manufacturer, is exploring the possibility of acquiring a portion of the design business unit of Intel, a U.S. semiconductor company that has been struggling with poor performance, Reuters reported on the 5th (local time), citing anonymous sources.
A source said that Qualcomm management is looking into all of Intel’s design divisions, but is particularly interested in the client PC design business.
Qualcomm executives, however, do not see the acquisition of Intel’s other business units, such as its server division, as rational, another source said.
Hanul Materials Science Invests 8 Billion Won in PSM Facilities… Recruits Park Chun-geun as CGPM Representative
Hanul Materials Science announced on the 6th that it will directly invest 8 billion won in the production of facilities for photosensitive materials (PSM) and appoint Park Chun-geun, CEO of CGPM, as a new director.
CGPM is building cooperative relationships with global semiconductor material companies such as Nissan Chemical and Sumitomo Chemical of Japan, and is discussing specific support measures with Toyota Tsusho, which has recognized its technological prowess. In addition, it is strengthening its technological competitiveness through joint research with overseas companies such as those in the US and Europe, and the PSM production plant under construction in Sejong City recently completed fire permits and has begun full-scale construction.
Meanwhile, Hanul Material Science announced the previous day that it would acquire 17.05% of CGPM shares. If the existing CGPM convertible bonds are converted into stocks, it will secure the status of a majority shareholder with more than 50% of the total shares, which will be reflected in Hanul Material Science’s consolidated financial statements.
OCI supplies semiconductor phosphoric acid to SK Hynix… first among domestic phosphoric acid manufacturers
OCI announced on the 2nd that it was the first domestic semiconductor material manufacturer to be selected as the semiconductor phosphoric acid supplier for SK Hynix.
OCI obtained approval to supply semiconductor phosphoric acid products after passing SK Hynix’s quality test, and held a ceremony to commemorate the shipment of the first product at the Gunsan plant on the 21st of last month.
Semiconductor phosphoric acid is one of the key materials for semiconductor production and is used in the etching process of semiconductor wafers (the process of creating a semiconductor circuit pattern by selectively removing unnecessary parts of a wafer using a liquid or gaseous etchant).
SKC to push for sale of semiconductor material Enpulse… ‘Rebalancing’ centered on future industries such as semiconductors
SKC, which serves as the intermediate holding company for SK Group’s materials business, is selling its semiconductor materials subsidiary SK Enpulse. As the merger between SK Innovation and SK E&S, the largest group-level asset, is progressing smoothly, it appears that the company is accelerating the improvement of its financial structure through the ‘carve-out (sale of divisions)’ process as the second stage of business restructuring (rebalancing).
The core asset for sale is the CMP pad (Chemical Mechanical Polishing Pad), a consumable material used in the semiconductor process. The CMP pad is used to polish the surface of a semiconductor wafer through physical and chemical reactions to make the surface of the wafer flat. SK Enpulse produces this product at its Cheonan and Anseong plants, and in the first half of the year, it posted sales of 30.9 billion won and operating profit of 8.4 billion won, centered around this business.
EcoProHN invests 200 billion won in new business of ‘secondary battery and semiconductor’
EcoProHN announced on the 5th that it will invest in facilities and research and development (R&D) equipment related to new businesses such as secondary batteries and semiconductor materials through a paid-in capital increase of KRW 200 billion.
This paid-in capital increase will be conducted through a public offering of real rights shares after the allocation to shareholders. The number of newly issued shares is 5.67 million shares, and the expected issuance price is 35,300 won per share. The final paid-in capital increase size and issuance price will be confirmed on December 2. The expected listing date for new shares is December 26.
EcoProHN plans to invest in secondary battery materials, semiconductor materials, environmental and carbon reduction fields, and R&D facilities based on this funding. The aim is to strengthen the competitiveness of existing businesses while developing new business fields to enhance future competitiveness.
POSCO FutureM withdraws 1.2 trillion won precursor joint venture with China
POSCO Future M has completely withdrawn its plan to build a 1.2 trillion won joint precursor plant with China’s Huayou Cobalt, the world’s largest cobalt producer, in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
On the 4th, POSCO Future M announced, “After signing the investment memorandum of understanding with Pohang City and Huayou Cobalt, we decided to suspend the investment review process after determining that it would be difficult to secure profitability due to the Chasm (temporary slowdown in demand).”
Initially, POSCO Future M planned to establish a joint venture with Huayou Cobalt and invest 1.2 trillion won in a 267,702㎡ site within the Pohang Blue Valley National Industrial Complex by 2027 to build a precursor and high-purity nickel raw material production plant.
Toyota to drastically cut electric car production in response to market slowdown
Toyota Motor will reduce its global electric vehicle production from 1.5 million units to 1 million units in 2026. This is interpreted as a strategy to respond to the slowdown in the electric vehicle market. According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 6th, Toyota has communicated this revised plan to each parts manufacturer and partner company.
Last May, Toyota Motor President Koji Sato announced that Toyota would release 10 new electric vehicle models by 2026 and sell 1.5 million electric vehicles annually worldwide. Toyota’s electric vehicle sales were around 100,000 units last year and 80,000 units from January to July this year.
Lotte Energy Materials Completes All-Solid-State Battery Materials Plant
Lotte Energy Materials announced on the 5th that it has completed a pilot plant for the production of sulfide-based solid electrolytes by investing 15 billion won in the Iksan Plant 2 in Jeollabuk-do. The pilot plant is capable of producing 70 tons of solid electrolytes per year using a site of 1,619㎡ (approximately 490 pyeong). It is scheduled to enter commercial operation at the end of this month after the permit approval is finalized, and initial samples will be produced by the end of the year.
The sulfide-based solid electrolyte developed by Lotte Energy Materials is a high-ion conductivity particle size control technology that controls the size and distribution of particles, which allows for fast charging and discharging speeds and high efficiency for batteries. In addition, the moisture-stable composition allows the sulfide-based solid electrolyte to maintain its chemical structure and performance even when exposed to moisture, thereby overcoming the disadvantages of battery performance degradation or shortened lifespan. In addition, the ability to develop various mass production processes, such as dry and wet synthesis, enables mass production of batteries and reduces production costs.
Korea Zinc Makes Battery Core Material ‘High Purity Nickel Sulfate’ Eco-Friendly
Korea Zinc announced on the 4th that it was selected as the project lead organization for the ‘2024 Materials and Components Technology Development Project’, which is supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy with research and development expenses, along with 10 academia-industry research institutes, and is conducting full-scale research and development.
The name of this project is ‘Development of technology for manufacturing high-purity nickel raw materials for batteries using a carbon reduction refining process from low-purity nickel oxide and recycled resources’. The government will support 18.36 billion won out of the total research and development cost of 23.98 billion won. The research period is until December 2028.
The background for this project is that environmental regulations are being strengthened in the entire process of electric vehicle batteries. The existing nickel manufactured from high-grade sulfide minerals is increasing in cost due to the increasing difficulty in developing usable resources, and as carbon emission management in the supply chain is emerging as a key competitive factor due to the mandatory reporting of battery carbon footprints, the development of nickel refining and smelting technology to replace the carbon reduction process that emits large amounts of carbon dioxide is also urgent.
POSCO invests in Australian mining company… “Battery raw materials move away from China”
POSCO International National, a resource development subsidiary of POSCO Group, signed a $40 million (approximately KRW 54 billion) equity investment contract with Australian mining company Black Rock Mining at the 45th Korea-Australia Economic Cooperation Committee Joint Meeting held at Crown Towers in Perth, Australia on the 3rd. With this, POSCO International has acquired a 19.9% stake in Black Rock Mining, which owns the Mahenge mine in Tanzania, Africa.
The Mahenge mine is the world’s second largest natural graphite deposit. Its reserves amount to approximately 6 million tons. In May, POSCO International signed a contract to participate in the first phase of the mine’s development and receive a total of 750,000 tons of graphite at 30,000 tons per year for 25 years. While the contract at the time was a one-time contract, this contract is evaluated as an ‘investment alliance’ by investing in Black Rock Mining.
24M supplies ‘Impervio’, a material that enhances the stability of electric vehicles
American secondary battery technology startup 24M Technologies (hereinafter referred to as 24M) is supplying ‘Impervio’.
Impervio is an ultra-high strength separator material developed by 24M for electric vehicle battery application. Impervio is coated on a ceramic material that prevents deformation or shrinkage of the separator, while suppressing dendrite penetration. Impervio suppresses the dendrite phenomenon, a branch-shaped crystal, and plays a role in strengthening the monitoring function of battery products in the battery management system (BMS).
Unlike BMS that only monitors existing batteries, it can prevent fire risks in advance by precisely monitoring each electrode component.
Intel in crisis also pushes to sell shares of autonomous driving subsidiary ‘Mobileye’
Intel, an American semiconductor company facing its biggest crisis since its founding due to poor performance, is also considering selling its stake in Mobileye, a self-driving system company and a subsidiary, as part of a restructuring plan, Bloomberg News reported on the 5th (local time), citing anonymous sources.
According to sources, Intel is considering making public or selling part of its 88% stake in Mobileye to a third party.
Mobileye, headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel, is a company that develops software and hardware for autonomous driving systems. It was founded in 1999 and was acquired by Intel in 2017 for $15.3 billion (KRW 20.4 trillion) and listed on the Nasdaq in 2022.
Tesla ‘Plans to sell autonomous driving support SW in Europe and China next year’
Tesla announced on the 5th (local time) that it will launch ‘Software FSD (Full Self-Driving)’ capable of ‘fully autonomous driving’ in Europe and China in the first quarter of next year.
Tesla announced on the 5th (local time) through its Tesla AI X account that “this service, which is provided as a paid add-on for Tesla customers, is awaiting regulatory approval from European and Chinese authorities.”
Earlier, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said during the second quarter earnings announcement in July, “We will soon seek regulatory approval for FSD in Europe, China, and other countries,” adding, “I think it is highly likely that we will receive approval before the end of the year.”
KCC Unveils Korea’s First Autonomous Painting Robot, ‘Smart Canvas’
KCC announced on the 2nd that it has developed a self-driving painting robot called ‘Smart Canvas’ that automates horizontal painting work. Smart Canvas is a robot that realizes painting automation by combining artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous mobile robot (AMR) technology. It uses cutting-edge sensing devices to recognize the painting space and then performs painting work on its own according to the user’s work conditions.
In particular, Smart Canvas enables high-quality painting with a uniform surface. When a person paints directly, the uniformity of the painting surface may decrease depending on the skill level. However, Smart Canvas applies a special paint and painting method optimized for the characteristics and functions of the robot, so that even a wide space can be painted stably while forming a film with a uniform thickness.
LiDAR solution provider Nanosystems attracts seed investment from Bluepoint
Nanosystems, a LiDAR solution provider for industrial safety, announced on the 4th that it had attracted initial (seed) investment from startup incubation (accelerator) company Bluepoint Partners.
NanoSystems was founded in 2013 as a 3D flash lidar developer. It possesses original technologies for optical design, signal processing, and laser control related to lidar.
Nanosystems’ lidar for autonomous robots has been recognized for its improved robot driving capabilities compared to competitors by utilizing its own lidar sensor specialized in artificial intelligence.
Eschem, KOSDAQ Preliminary Review Approved for Listing
SK Chem, a company specializing in the synthesis and refining of core OLED (organic light-emitting diode) materials, announced on the 6th that it had received preliminary listing review approval from the Korea Exchange for listing on KOSDAQ.
Established in 2014, SKEM is a company specializing in display material synthesis and refining. Its main business area is OLED materials. The company produces OLED pre-organic layers (emission layer, emission auxiliary layer, common layer), and its final supplier is the largest domestic display panel company.
Synthesis and refining are essential processes for OLED panel manufacturing and are an advanced equipment industry in the field of organic chemistry. In addition, it is a business that is difficult for new businesses to enter because it requires optimized research personnel, special manufacturing facilities, and advanced quality control capabilities.
OLED Market Forecast Jumps 20%
According to industry sources on the 5th, market research firm Omdia recently revised its global OLED panel market size this year upward by 20% from its October forecast (940 million units) to 1.12 billion units. This is the result of the active increase in product lines equipped with OLEDs even in a situation where the demand rebound for existing IT product lines such as home appliances and smartphones is not large. Omdia also forecasts that the OLED market will grow by about 9% next year compared to this year.
By demand source, tablet PCs and smartphones are leading the overall upward trend, with their forecasts rising 36% and 26% respectively from last year. In particular, OLED panel shipments for tablet PCs, whose market has just begun to open this year, are expected to surge more than 200% year-on-year to around 14 million units.
“No QD in QD TV?” TCL TV Controversy
According to industry sources on the 5th, the results of tests commissioned by Hansol Chemical to global testing and certification agencies SGS and Intertek showed that indium (In) and cadmium (Cd) were not detected in three TCL QD TV models. Indium and cadmium are essential materials that must not be omitted in QD implementation.
Several display experts said, “Research is being conducted on new materials, but currently, either cadmium or indium is used unconditionally for QD in TVs,” adding, “If neither of them is present, QD technology cannot be said to have been applied.”
QD refers to a very small semiconductor compound particle that is several nanometers (㎚: 1㎚ is one billionth of a meter) in size. This QD plays a role in expressing color by changing the wavelength of light.
Source: kipost.net