01. Top-5 brands notebook shipments up 30% on month in May
The global top-5 notebook brands, not including Apple, saw their combined shipments rise over 30% on month in May, while the top-3 ODMs together also achieved a similar shipment growth thanks to a recovery in North America's and Europe's education sectors…
02. AI and HPC Demand Set to Boost HBM Volume by Almost 60% in 2023
High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) is emerging as the preferred solution for overcoming memory transfer speed restrictions due to the bandwidth limitations of DDR SDRAM in high-speed computation. HBM is recognized for its revolutionary transmission efficiency and plays a pivotal role in allowing core computational components to operate at their maximum capacity. Top-tier AI server GPUs have set a new industry standard by primarily using HBM. TrendForce forecasts that global demand for HBM will experience almost 60% growth annually in 2023, reaching 290 million GB, with a further 30% growth in 2024.
03. Drops in memory contract prices to slow in 3Q23
Contract market prices for DRAM and NAND flash memory will continue to fall in the third quarter of 2023, albeit at a reduced rate, according to industry sources.
04. Micron cut production by 30%
Jun 30, 2023, Micron mentioned in its latest financial report that industry shipments of DRAM and NAND will be stronger in the second half of this year, driven by long-term data growth and continued improvement in customer inventory.
Industry demand forecasts for 2023 remain low, but the sharp reduction in supply across the industry has begun to stabilize the market, Micron said.
In November last year, Micron announced that it would cut memory chip production by 20%. According to Micron's financial report, Micron focuses on inventory management and supply control, and has recently further reduced the operating rate of DRAM and NAND wafers to nearly 30%, and the production reduction is expected to continue until 2024.
05. Infineon may produce silicon carbide wafers in Europe
Jun 29, 2023, According to insiders, Infineon is likely to produce silicon carbide wafers in Europe in the future in order to stabilize the supply.
Today, only a few companies in the world have the manufacturing capacity of large-size silicon carbide wafers. Wolfspeed is currently the leader in this field and the only manufacturer capable of mass-producing 8-inch silicon carbide wafers. With the growth of the new energy vehicle market, the industry's demand for silicon carbide will continue to increase, but the current production capacity is very limited.
In May 2023, Infineon signed supply agreements with two Chinese companies respectively, and the two companies will supply 150mm silicon carbide wafers and ingots. However, industry insiders believe that in order to ensure the long-term supply of this raw material, Infineon is likely to plan in advance to produce silicon carbide substrates by itself.
06. AMD released the latest FPGA chip
In a groundbreaking development, AMD has unleashed its latest innovation – the AMD VP1902, set to be the largest FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) in the world. This colossal FPGA is specifically designed to emulate future silicon designs, ranging from small Systems on Chips (SoCs) like those found in Raspberry Pi devices to powerful next-generation accelerators like the AMD Instinct MI300.
07. Foxconn launches new business group to focus on AI, EVs and robots
Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn) has launched a new business group in Zhengzhou, China, where one of its main iPhone assembly plants is located, according to a recent report by Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA).
Mid-June marked the establishment of Foxconn's new Chinese business group is designed to focus on artificial intelligence (AI), electric vehicle (EV) battery replacement, energy storage, intelligent robotics, and other business-critical areas, the report quoted local media and industry sources in China as saying.
The new business group is wholly owned by Hongfujin Precision Industry (Zhengzhou) and has a registered capital of CNY1 billion (US$138.6 million), according to the report.