01. RISC-V and Autos Drive SoC Market to Hit $200 Billion by 2029
China's integrated circuit (IC) exports have shown strong growth, surpassing automobiles to become the leading export product. In the first eight months of this year, the export value reached 736.04 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24.8%. Over the past decade, the export value has more than doubled, with a 74.5% increase in export volume and a 155.9% increase in export value in 2023. Despite a downturn in the global chip industry between 2022 and 2023, which led to a slowdown in China's IC export growth, conditions began to improve in early 2024, with an 18.2% year-on-year increase in export value in August, marking ten consecutive months of growth.
02. SIA Reports 20.6% YoY Increase in Global Semiconductor Sales for August
The US and India have agreed to build a semiconductor plant in India, which will manufacture advanced chips like gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC), supporting India's manufacturing ambitions. The initiative is backed by the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), Bharat Semi, 3rdiTech, and the U.S. Space Force, highlighting India's strategic role in global technology and its efforts to establish a comprehensive semiconductor value chain. This collaboration comes amidst Modi's broader vision to make India a tech manufacturing hub, competing with China and aiming for a $500 billion electronics industry by 2100.Modi is currently in the U.S. for the Quad Summit, a three-day visit during which he will hold bilateral talks with American leaders and meet with members of the Indian diaspora and tech executives.
03. CG Power Acquires Renesas RF Unit for $36 Million
Renesas Electronics has agreed to sell its RF components division to India’s CG Power for $36 million. The deal, announced in early October, is part of CG Power’s expansion into the semiconductor design industry, which is seeing rapid growth globally. This acquisition is set to be carried out through one or more of CG Power’s subsidiaries.
Renesas’ RF business generated approximately $56 million in revenue in 2023 and includes assets such as equipment, intellectual property, inventory, customer contracts, and certain transferred employees. The sale is expected to close within six months, pending approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and other regulatory requirements.
04. Samsung Purchases $20 Million Worth of AMD MI300X Data Center GPUs for AI Development
Samsung Electronics has initiated tests on its newly acquired AMD Instinct MI300X GPUs, marking a step towards AI development. The company has opted for the MI300X GPUs over NVIDIA's offerings, citing cost-effectiveness. According to viva100, Samsung Electronics has invested approximately $20 million in AMD MI300X data center GPUs for this large-scale purchase.
05. TSMC Teams Up with Amkor for Apple A16 Chip Manufacturing
Amkor Technology has expanded its partnership with TSMC through a new memorandum of understanding to offer advanced packaging and testing services in Arizona. The collaboration will leverage technologies like Integrated Fan-Out (InFO) and Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS), bolstering the local semiconductor ecosystem.
This partnership is in line with the U.S. CHIPS Act, which aims to localize the production of advanced chips. TSMC's Arizona facility is expected to produce 4nm process chips, possibly including Apple's A16 chip for the iPhone 14 Pro. Amkor, headquartered in Arizona, is set to invest $2 billion in a new facility to meet the capacity demands of shared customers with TSMC.
The move is seen as a step towards self-sufficiency in chip production for consumer products like AMD's AI PC chips and NVIDIA's B-series GPUs. TSMC's 4nm process technology in Arizona is anticipated to partially fulfill U.S. demand, though the cost is estimated to be about 30% higher than in Taiwan. The partnership with Amkor is crucial for TSMC to diversify its production bases and enhance services for U.S. customers.
06. Dell Bolsters AI Factory with New PowerEdge Servers for Faster Enterprise AI
Dell Technologies has expanded its Dell AI Factory with new PowerEdge servers powered by AMD's 5th Generation EPYC processors, designed to accelerate AI adoption in enterprises. The expansion encompasses:
1. The introduction of five new Dell PowerEdge servers that deliver industry-leading AI performance, efficiency, and scalability.
2. The offering of Dell Generative AI Solutions for AMD to streamline the AI deployment process.
3. The support of Dell Enterprise Hub for PowerEdge XE9680 servers equipped with AMD Instinct MI300X accelerators.
4. The provision of Dell Implementation Services for the Generative AI Platform, ensuring secure and on-premises AI solutions.
These new servers—XE7745, R6725, R7725, R6715, and R7715—enhance the capabilities for handling AI workloads, data analytics, and standard enterprise operations. Additionally, Dell is broadening its professional services to better support AMD environments, aiming to simplify and hasten the deployment of GenAI for businesses.