Applied Materials, a U.S. semiconductor equipment manufacturer, is laying off 1,400 workers.
On the 23rd, U.S. business media outlet CNBC reported that Applied Materials had approved a plan to reduce its global workforce by approximately 4%, according to documents and a press release submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that day. Applied Materials employs approximately 36,000 people, and this restructuring is expected to result in the loss of approximately 1,400 jobs.
The company said it expects to incur expenses of approximately $160 million to $180 million in the fourth quarter for severance pay and other layoffs. The reductions are a measure to ensure the company remains competitive and productive amidst automation, digitalization, and geopolitical shifts.
Applied Materials forecasts a $600 million hit to its fiscal 2026 sales following the expanded U.S. export control list.
Intel Achieves Surprising Q3 Results… “Semiconductor Demand Expected to Remain Strong Through Next Year”
Intel announced on the 23rd (local time) that it achieved revenue of $13.7 billion (approximately KRW 19.69 trillion) and net income of $4.1 billion (KRW 5.9 trillion) in the third quarter. Revenue increased 3% compared to the same period last year ($13.3 billion), and net income swung to a profit, compared to a net loss of $16.6 billion in the same period last year.
Third-quarter sales exceeded market expectations of $13.1 billion. The semiconductor boom, driven by the booming AI industry, is seen as a factor behind Intel’s improved performance.
YC Chem acquires SK Enpulse’s CMP slurry business, expanding its semiconductor materials business.
According to the Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic disclosure system on the 21st, YC Chem signed a contract to acquire SK Enpulse’s entire CMP slurry business. The acquisition includes all assets necessary for business operations, including related assets and liabilities.
CMP slurry is a key material used to planarize multilayer films in semiconductor manufacturing. Demand for it is steadily increasing, driven by the trend toward miniaturization and higher stacking of semiconductors. According to industry sources, the CMP slurry market is expected to grow by an average of 6.6% annually.
The newly acquired CMP slurry business unit is already supplying NAND products to global semiconductor customers, and is also developing DRAM products that are being evaluated by global semiconductor customers.
Bose Semiconductor and Jim Keller’s startup Tenstorent are partnering to expand chiplet standards.
Bose Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor startup for automotive and edge devices, announced on the 24th that it has formed a strategic partnership with Canadian semiconductor company Tensorrent to develop and expand the “Open Chiplet Atlas (OCA)” architecture. Tensorrent is a startup led by Jim Keller, who is considered a legend in semiconductor design after serving as vice president at Intel and AMD.
Chiplets are a technology that combines small, functionally distinct semiconductor blocks to form a single “system-on-chip (SoC).” They are gaining attention for overcoming the limitations of advanced processes related to development costs, design difficulty, and yield, while enabling semiconductor designs tailored to specific applications and purposes. The OCA, which the two companies have agreed to develop and expand, refers to a standard for interoperability between semiconductor blocks in the chiplet process.
Commercialization of High-Performance PMIC for Padu Data Centers
Paduga, a fabless company specializing in data center-specific system semiconductors, has confirmed the supply of multiple follow-up products by passing Tier 1 customer certification and mass production of its high-performance power management integrated circuit (PMIC) for data centers.
According to the company on the 21st, with this achievement, Padu has proven both its technological prowess and business viability, securing an additional foundation for growth as a comprehensive system semiconductor company following the data center SSD controller business that has already been steadily growing in the global market.
Arm Joins OCP Board of Directors, Leading Open, Integrated AI Data Center Standards
Arm, a British fabless semiconductor design company, announced on the 21st that it will join the board of directors of the Open Compute Project (OCP) along with global companies such as AMD and Nvidia.
Accordingly, Arm will be granted the right and role to become a member of the OCP Board of Directors and will work with companies such as Meta, Google, Intel, and Microsoft to advance open and interoperable designs for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
TSMC Begins Construction of Second Kumamoto Plant in Japan
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest foundry, has begun full-scale construction of its second factory in Kumamoto, Japan. According to the Nikkei newspaper on the 24th, JASM, TSMC’s subsidiary operating the Kumamoto factory, signed an agreement with the Kikuyō Town government regarding the site of the second Kumamoto factory.
The total investment for the construction of the second plant, scheduled to begin operations in December 2027, is 2.1 trillion yen (approximately 19.8 trillion won). The Japanese government plans to provide a total of 1.2 trillion yen (approximately 11.3 trillion won) in support to TSMC’s Kumamoto plant, including the first plant.
Kim Yeon-seop, CEO of Lotte Energy Materials, inspects the Uiwang Research Institute. / Photo = Lotte Energy Materials
Ford is pulling electric vehicle production workers to increase production of internal combustion engine pickup trucks.
American automaker Ford announced on the 23rd (local time) that it will reduce its electric vehicle production workforce and instead invest additional manpower in expanding pickup truck production.
Ford announced its third-quarter earnings and a press release on the same day, stating that it plans to increase production of its flagship pickup trucks, the F-150 and F-series “Super Duty,” by more than 50,000 units next year to meet growing demand.
Accordingly, the company explained that the hourly employees who worked on the electric vehicle production line at its complex manufacturing facility in Dearborn, Michigan, will be added to the third-shift team on the pickup truck production line in the building next door.
DH Autowave wins order for key electric vehicle battery thermal management components.
DH Autowave announced on the 23rd that it has received an order for an air conditioning controller, a key component of an electric vehicle’s integrated thermal management system, and is currently developing it for mass production. This project, being carried out in collaboration with Company D, a specialized air conditioning system company, is attracting attention as a key solution for maximizing the efficiency of air conditioning systems in next-generation electric vehicles.
The product under development is an “Automatic Temperature Control Unit (ATCU)” for use in electric commercial trucks from a global automaker. DH Autoware is leading the charge, from circuit and software design to functional verification. The control logic and software development has been completed, and performance verification and verification through installation in actual vehicles are planned for the future.
Prediction and Peon Join Hands to Build an Electric Vehicle Battery Remanufacturing Ecosystem
Prediction, an AI-based electric vehicle operation solution company, is joining hands with Peon, a company specializing in electric vehicle battery remanufacturing, to build a battery remanufacturing ecosystem and platform within the logistics market.
Prediction announced on the 22nd that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Poen. This agreement is a strategic collaboration that combines Prediction’s AI data analysis technology with Poen’s battery remanufacturing technology to increase the efficiency of electric vehicle batteries.
The two companies plan to jointly develop a standardized system for remanufacturing and recycling electric vehicle batteries used in logistics settings. This will lay the foundation for reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to an environmentally friendly logistics system.
SM Bexel Secures Lead-Acid Battery-Based ESS Technology Following Lithium-Ion
SM Bexel, a manufacturing subsidiary of SM Group, announced on the 20th that it has secured long-term, large-capacity ESS technology using lead-acid batteries, in addition to its existing lithium-ion battery energy storage system (ESS).
Lead-acid batteries are a type of secondary battery primarily used in internal combustion engine vehicles. The battery visible in the center of a car’s hood is a lead-acid battery. ESS utilizing lead-acid batteries boasts superior safety and economy, along with easy recycling and a long lifespan, making them ideal for long-term operation. Lead-acid batteries are also less susceptible to “thermal runaway” in the event of a fire and are easy to extinguish, making them a product category that has recently been receiving renewed attention.
Lotte Energy doubles expansion of its Uiwang research center, strengthening R&D efforts for next-generation battery materials.
Lotte Energy Materials announced on the 24th that it will expand its Uiwang Research Center by approximately twice its existing area and expand its state-of-the-art facilities to secure core technologies.
Lotte Energy Materials explained that it has expanded its state-of-the-art dry rooms to three to strengthen the company’s R&D capabilities and to commercialize and efficiently execute next-generation battery material technology, and has deployed specialized research personnel in materials, analysis, and processes to ensure prompt customer response and reliability in product development.
Global EV battery cathode material loading grew 39.5% from January to August.
According to SNE Research, an energy market research firm, the total amount of cathode materials used in pure electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) registered worldwide from January to August reached 1.521 million tons. Excluding China, the market also saw solid growth, recording 551,000 tons, a 29.7% increase.
The global ternary cathode material market’s loading capacity was recorded at 619,000 tons, a 13.4% increase year-on-year. By company, China’s Longbai and LG Chem maintained their first and second positions, respectively. L&F, Ecopro, and POSCO also ranked among the top performers.
Musk: TSMC and Samsung Collaborating on Tesla AI5 Autonomous Driving Chip Development
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that Samsung Electronics and Taiwan’s TSMC will cooperate in the development of Tesla’s AI5 autonomous driving chip.
According to Bloomberg News, CNBC, and others, Musk said at Tesla’s third-quarter earnings conference call on the 22nd (local time), “Our explicit goal is to oversupply AI5 chips.”
“I want to be clear about something I’ve said publicly before,” he said, “which is that initially, TSMC and Samsung will be focusing on AI5 production.”
Grab partners with US-based May Mobility to launch self-driving taxis.
Grab, Southeast Asia’s largest ride-sharing and delivery platform, has invested in autonomous driving technology company May Mobility. The company plans to launch self-driving taxis in Southeast Asia as early as 2026.
According to Bloomberg News on the 23rd (local time), Grab announced in a statement that it had invested an undisclosed amount in May Mobility and signed a multi-year collaboration agreement. Through this collaboration, the two companies will utilize Grab’s map data to analyze Southeast Asia’s road infrastructure and adapt autonomous driving systems to the region’s unique traffic conditions, such as left-hand driving.
Optrotek Develops Super-Hydrophilic Lens Technology for Autonomous Driving
Optrotek, a company specializing in optical components, announced on the 22nd that it has successfully developed the world’s first super hydrophilic lens technology to solve the image distortion problem of autonomous vehicles, and has entered into negotiations for mass production and supply to the global battlefield market.
The existing industry attempted to solve the problem by using a super hydrophobic coating to physically repel water droplets by making them form a ball instead of spreading out, but encountered a technical limitation that prevented them from achieving a WCA (Water Contact Angle) of 135 degrees or higher.
To solve these problems, Optrotek developed a super-hydrophilic coating technology, which is the complete opposite of the existing approach, based on the infrared blocking filter coating technology and know-how accumulated over 30 years.
Everybot to Supply AI Autonomous Driving Unit to SK Intellix’s NamuX Robot
Everybot, a company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) service robots, announced on the 22nd that it will begin supplying AI autonomous driving modules to SK Intelix’s wellness robot ‘NamuX’. Pre-orders for SK Intelix’s NamuX began on the 20th and are currently underway.
NAMUH X, a wellness robot equipped with AI autonomous driving capabilities, is equipped with functions such as mobile air purification, vital sign check, and interactive services. Everybot was one of the partners that jointly developed the product and was in charge of developing the AI autonomous driving unit. Starting in October, with full-scale mass production beginning following the official launch, Everybot plans to supply thousands of AI autonomous driving modules to SK Intelix per month.
Samsung Heavy Industries and Rainbow Robotics Sign MOU for Shipbuilding Robot Development
Samsung Heavy Industries announced on the 24th that it signed a ‘Business Agreement for the Development and Commercialization of Shipbuilding Robots’ with Rainbow Robotics, a leading domestic robot company, and will expand the scope of cooperation to include the development of an ‘AI-equipped welding robot’ based on a collaborative robot, as well as mobile dual-arm robots and quadruped robots.
Under this agreement, Samsung Heavy Industries will provide its own accumulated welding robot operation data and a test environment for verification, while Rainbow Robotics will support robot hardware development and technology.
The two companies plan to first develop a robot that can move inside blocks and on slopes to weld difficult-to-reach curved blocks, while also making the robot lighter and more usable on-site.
A panoramic view of LG Display’s Paju plant. / Photo = LG Display
Mid- to large-sized OLED shipments surge 11%… The impact of new iPad products.
According to the Q4 Mid-Large OLED Display Market Tracker published by UBI Research, the mid- to large-sized OLED market grew 11% in shipments in the third quarter of this year compared to the previous quarter. Sales grew 7.2%.
UBI Research interpreted that demand for mid- to large-sized OLED panels is gradually turning to recovery as it breaks out of the sluggish demand period that has continued since the second half of last year.
Among the mid- to large-sized OLED market, shipments of OLED panels for tablet PCs increased significantly. In the third quarter, OLED shipments for tablet PCs increased 56% quarter-on-quarter and 25.9% year-on-year.
LGD is on the verge of turning a profit for the first time in four years thanks to structural improvements and organizational efficiency gains.
LG Display is poised to return to annual profitability for the first time in four years, driven by successful restructuring focused on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and cost efficiency improvements. Next year, the company is expected to exceed market expectations, posting operating profit of around 1.4 trillion won, driven by increased supply chain share for major customers like Apple and a growing share of high-value-added OLED products.
According to Yonhap Infomax’s compilation of consensus estimates (performance forecasts) from seven securities firms that have issued reports within the past month, LG Display’s operating profit for the third quarter is estimated at 452.2 billion won.
Hanchem accelerates its entry into the biomaterials market, beginning mass production of pharmaceutical materials.
Hanchem, a company specializing in advanced material synthesis, announced on the 21st that it is rapidly expanding its range of biomaterials for life and healthcare, with successive successes in the development of new genetic disease treatment intermediates and cosmetic raw materials.
The development process for new biomaterials is very similar to that for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) materials. Specifically, once the compound structure of a superior material with proven performance is established, the development of a reproducible, mass-producible synthesis process becomes a key business priority, as in the OLED materials field.
Hanchem has successfully developed an intermediate for a genetic disease treatment in the first half of this year and is now entering the mass production stage.
Source: Kipost.net
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