Trump: “Semiconductor Tariffs to be Announced Soon… Pharmaceuticals at an Unprecedented Level”
U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 3rd (local time) that he plans to announce tariffs on semiconductors very soon.
President Trump made these remarks while meeting with reporters on Air Force One as he headed to Miami, Florida to attend the LIV golf tournament.
When asked when tariffs on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals would be announced, Trump said, “Semiconductors will start very soon, and tariffs on pharmaceuticals will start at levels we’ve never seen before.”
Semiconductor testing company ISC to invest 45 billion won in Vietnam plant
ISC, a semiconductor test solution company, announced on the 3rd that it will invest approximately 45 billion won in a new business site in Vietnam. ISC’s Vietnam plant is a key production base that accounts for more than 80% of total production.
ISC decided to make this investment in order to preemptively secure production capacity and strengthen supply stability in response to the increasing demand for AI semiconductor test sockets from global big tech customers. The investment is expected to focus on building smart factories, including expanding the factory and introducing automated equipment.
Since establishing its Vietnam operations in 2020, ISC has continued to invest in the Vietnamese operations, including introducing ultra-precision automated assembly processes and modernizing factory facilities.
‘Semiconductor Core’ Annotation Price Breaks Through Ceiling
According to the London Metal Exchange (LME) on the 2nd, the spot price of tin on the 28th of last month (local time) rose 2.84% from the previous trading day to $36,415 per ton. This is due to the uncertainty surrounding the restart of Myanmar’s largest tin production facility following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that occurred there.
Tin is a key material for solder balls that connect chips and substrates, and is an essential mineral for the production of semiconductors and electronic devices. In particular, tin-based solder is used in the complex circuit design of electric vehicles, and is classified as a key mineral material in related industries.
The supply disruption has been ongoing since last year. The suspension of operations at the Wa mine in Myanmar, which accounts for 70% of total production, in August 2023 increased upward pressure on prices, and supply was unstable due to a decrease in exports from Indonesia in the first half of last year and the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo early this year.
Doosan Energy, Wonik IPS join hands for ‘Semiconductor AM’
Doosan Energy announced on the 30th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with semiconductor equipment specialist Wonik IPS for technology exchange and joint research in metal additive manufacturing (AM). AM is a technology that manufactures metal material parts by stacking metal powders layer by layer, and is also called 3D printing.
Through this MOU, the two companies plan to conduct performance evaluations of AM-manufactured parts to be applied to next-generation chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment, and further design and manufacture prototypes for verification. They also plan to cooperate in revising quality documents in accordance with metal AM quality management standards, thereby continuously meeting the needs of the semiconductor market.
Preventing static electricity in semiconductor manufacturing processes… Radpion develops world’s first UMIS
Radpione, a company specializing in ion implantation technology, announced on the 2nd that it has successfully developed the world’s first ‘ultra-high density, large-area metal ion source’ (UMIS).
UMIS is attracting attention as a key technology not only in semiconductor and display manufacturing processes, but also in the next-generation memory and AI (artificial intelligence) semiconductor fields.
Established in 2017, Radpion supplies ‘ion implantation semiconductor electrostatic discharge components’ that prevent electrostatic discharge occurring in the semiconductor manufacturing process by utilizing ion implantation technology. The UMIS developed by Radpion can extract metal ion beams of up to 100mA or more based on copper (Cu) ions through ultra-high density metal ion generation and extraction. This is a performance improvement of more than 20 times compared to existing commercial metal ion sources (HVEE, Danfysik, etc.).
Leading US IT Media “TSMC Invests in Intel”
The Information, an American IT media outlet, reported on the 3rd that TSMC is acquiring a 20% stake in Intel’s foundry.
Earlier, American media reported that TSMC may acquire Intel’s foundry division. However, it appears that it will not be an acquisition, but rather an investment in shares and joint management. With this news, only Intel rose among semiconductor stocks on this day.
The investment by Taiwan TSMC and the US Intel is expected to have a significant impact on Samsung Electronics’ foundry business. Samsung Electronics is competing with TSMC, the number one foundry company, but the gap is very large. In addition, since Intel is a comprehensive semiconductor company in the US, it is expected to be advantageous in the abolition of semiconductor subsidies and mutual tariffs.
India’s HCL Tech Selected as Samsung Foundry SAFE Design Solution Partner
HCLTech, an IT company headquartered in India, announced on the 4th that it has been selected as a design solution partner (DSP) for Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor foundry ecosystem program ‘SAFE (Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem).’
Through the SAFE-DSP semiconductor design support program, HCL Tech provides ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) design services to enable semiconductor customers utilizing Samsung’s cutting-edge process technology to design customized semiconductors more easily and efficiently.
As part of this partnership, Samsung Electronics will train HCL Tech employees on advanced technologies, provide technical support for turnkey projects, and provide improved wafer accessibility through the MPW (Prototype Production) program to support more efficient production.
Taiwan-US Foundry Merger Rumors…Possibility of ‘Tectonic Change’ in the Industry
According to foreign media outlets such as the Japanese Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 2nd, Taiwan’s UMC, ranked 4th in the foundry industry, is considering a merger with 5th-ranked US GlobalFoundries (GF).
UMC had maintained the third place in the industry for a long time, following Taiwan’s TSMC and Samsung Electronics, even with only the old foundry process, but recently fell to fourth place in the industry, being overtaken by China’s SMIC. This is because China has been moving toward self-reliance, focusing on old semiconductors, due to the US-China conflict, while it has no production base in the US.
The US GF also has a tradition of being a semiconductor manufacturing plant for AMD in the past, but has recently been under fierce pursuit by Chinese foundry companies. Accordingly, it is seeking a breakthrough in the direction of increasing its manufacturing competitiveness.
SK ElecLink “Voluntary Entry into Carbon Market…Utilization of Electric Vehicle Charging Network”
SK Networks subsidiary SK Eleclink announced on the 3rd that it will enter the global voluntary carbon market by utilizing its electric vehicle charging network. The global voluntary carbon market is a market where voluntary carbon emission rights are traded regardless of legal regulations.
SK Eleclink plans to receive voluntary carbon emission credits through a global certification agency representing the voluntary carbon market.
Xiaomi Electric Car Crashes in China, Then Explodes, Passenger Dies After Door Locks
Chinese media outlets reported on the 1st that three passengers died in a traffic accident involving the SU7 (Chinese name: Suchi), an electric vehicle released by Chinese home appliance company Xiaomi last year, without being able to escape.
According to Southern Metropolis Daily and other sources, on the afternoon of the 29th of last month, a Xiaomi SU7 crashed into a guardrail on a highway in Anhui Province, China, resulting in casualties.
A netizen who identified himself as a family member of the vehicle’s occupants claimed that the vehicle’s battery exploded after it hit the guardrail and the doors were locked, burning the three occupants alive.
Tesla’s EV sales hit lowest level in nearly 3 years
On the 2nd (local time), Tesla announced that its vehicle deliveries in the first quarter decreased by 13% compared to the same period last year, recording 336,681 units. This is the lowest number since the second quarter of 2022 and falls far short of the market outlook (404,000 units) compiled by market research firm FactSet.
Tesla’s decline in deliveries appears to be due to the launch of the ‘New Model Y’, a partially revised model, and the global backlash against Elon Musk. Tesla reorganized its factories around the world ahead of the launch of the New Model Y, which resulted in production losses due to the transition of vehicle generations.
Mubo, Hyundai Motors, SK On Battery Plant Construction Supported with $1.5 Billion in Export Finance
The Korea Trade Insurance Corporation announced on the 2nd that it will provide export financing worth a total of 1.5 billion dollars (approximately 2.2 trillion won) to Hyundai Motor Group and SK On for the construction project of a battery production plant in Georgia, USA. Hyundai Motor Group and SK On jointly pursued this project to establish an electric vehicle and battery value chain in the US.
Upon completion, the plant will have a capacity of 35 GWh (gigawatt hours), enough to supply batteries for up to 300,000 electric vehicles per year, including Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicle plant in Georgia.
Dongwha Electronics, a 350 billion won battery electrolyte supply contract in the US, a jackpot
Dongwha Electrolite, an affiliate of Dongwha Enterprise, announced on the 3rd that it has signed supply contracts with battery and finished vehicle companies located in the United States.
According to Dongwha Electronics, this contracted quantity will be produced at the Tennessee plant and supplied to local customers. The Tennessee production base completed test operation and trial production after completion in February, and recently completed the process of verifying the feasibility of the production process and the quality and performance of prototypes for some customers. After that, it will lead to a supply contract and enter full-scale operation.
The supply contract period with the two companies is from 2026 to 2028, and the combined contract size is approximately 350 billion won.
LG Chem, Cathode Material Technology Patent Dispute in China… Chinese Company’s Estimation
A patent invalidation trial for LG Chem’s cathode material technology has been filed in China. As competition in the global battery industry intensifies, it is interpreted that the patent war is also intensifying.
According to industry sources on the 2nd, an invalidation trial application for LG Chem’s ternary cathode material technology patent was filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China early this year. Although the plaintiff is an individual, there is cautious speculation that it is Longbai, the number one ternary cathode material company in China.
This is interpreted as China countering LG Chem’s patent lawsuit. Previously, LG Chem filed a lawsuit at the Seoul Central District Court, claiming that Longbai’s subsidiary, Jaeseongnyeongwon, infringed on its ternary cathode material patent.
‘Instead of Canada, in Korea’ Yumicore invests 200 billion won in expanding the cathode material production in Cheonan
Belgian chemical materials company Umicore will invest 200 billion won in Korea to expand its cathode material plant in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.
Yumicore announced on the 31st, “We will invest 120 million euros (approximately 191.2 billion won) in Korean facilities,” and “We plan to expand our cathode material production capacity to 40 gigawatt hours (GWh) based on battery volume by 2028.”
The current Cheonan plant production capacity is 30GWh per year, and it is planned to increase this by 10GWh. The production capacity based on cathode materials is expected to increase by about 20,000 tons from the industry estimate of 50,000-60,000 tons per year to 70,000-80,000 tons.
GKL, AI Autonomous Driving Robot Introduction… MOU Signed with Robotis
Grand Korea Leisure (GKL) announced on the 2nd that it signed a ‘business agreement for the introduction of customized AI autonomous driving robots for casinos’ with autonomous driving robot specialist Robotis at GKL’s headquarters in Samseong-dong, Seoul on the 1st.
According to this agreement, the two companies plan to ▲establish a business model and service system utilizing autonomous robots ▲introduce autonomous robots that transport game chips and cards to three Seven Luck stores ▲participate in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s large-scale convergence robot demonstration project, etc.
This agreement was established as part of GKL Casino’s digital commercialization project.
DH Autoware Unveils Next-Generation Autonomous Driving Ultra-High-Speed Lossless Linkage Technology
DH Autoware announced on the 3rd that it will participate in the performance sharing exhibition with the autonomous driving core communication software technology developed through a national project.
At this exhibition, DH Autoware plans to introduce in-vehicle and out-of-vehicle communication linkage technology, which is the core of future autonomous driving technology, and explore the possibility of commercialization in the future.
According to the company, the technology developed by DH Autoware through a national project is an ultra-high-speed, lossless linkage technology between vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and in-vehicle networking (IVN) of autonomous vehicles. The technology integrates data inside the vehicle and external environment data in real time to enable precise recognition of the driving environment, and can maximize algorithm accuracy by optimizing linkage with V2X, moving away from existing IVN-centered data processing.
BYD Chairman: “Electric Vehicle Autonomy Will Take 2-3 Years”
According to Chinese economic media Caixin on the 30th, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu said at the “China Electric Vehicle 100 Forum” held in Beijing the previous day, “The ‘second half’ transformation of electric vehicles will be very fast, and it will only take about 2-3 years,” adding, “The change from feature phones to smartphones also took only 2 years.”
The China Electric Vehicle 100 Forum is an event where major Chinese industry companies, authorities, and experts gather. The Chinese automobile industry has likened electrification to the ‘first half’ of the new energy vehicle (electric, hydrogen, hybrid) competition, and smartization to the ‘second half.’
Solus Advanced Materials Starts Direct Production of OLED Non-Emissive Materials
Solus Advanced Materials announced on the 4th that it has started direct production of non-luminescent material fillers (high refractive index fillers). This is a full-fledged achievement in the non-luminescent material field, which it has newly entered in order to diversify its organic light-emitting diode (OLED) business portfolio.
Filler is an adhesive material between the OLED panel and the color filter, and plays a role in improving the display’s luminescence performance. It has recently been gaining attention as the market for TVs and high-performance gaming monitors expands.
Solus Advanced Materials has been developing and mass-producing large premium TV fillers since 2021, but has outsourced production. However, since last month, it has internalized the production process it has been preparing, thereby vertically integrating everything from research and development to production.
Sunik Systems, SFC and OLED Research Deposition Equipment Supply Contract
Sunik Systems announced on the 3rd that it signed a contract with SFC to supply deposition equipment for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display research.
The contract amount is 7.18 billion won, which is equivalent to 6.36% of 2024 sales. The contract period is until November 28 of this year.
LGD Completes Sale of Guangzhou LCD Plant at ‘2 Trillion Won’… Focuses on OLED
The sale of LG Display’s LCD (liquid crystal display) production plant in Guangzhou, China has been finalized. LG Display, which has closed all of its large LCD production lines, plans to focus on OLED (organic light-emitting diodes). The sale price of the plant is expected to exceed the initial estimate of 2 trillion won.
According to industry sources on the 2nd, LG Display’s 8.5th generation (large) LCD factory located in Guangzhou, China was officially transferred to CSOT in China. CSOT named the newly acquired LCD production line ‘T11’ and plans to begin full-scale mass production after going through initial production evaluations.
Last September, LG Display signed a contract to sell shares of its Guangzhou panel plant (CA Corporation) and module (GZ Corporation) to CSOT. The expected stake disposal amount is a total of KRW 2.256 trillion.
Source: kipost.net