01. SIA: Global semiconductor sales fell 8.7% in the first quarter
May. 3, 2023, According to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), global semiconductor sales totaled $119.5 billion in the first quarter of 2023, down 8.7% from the fourth quarter of 2022 and down 21.3% from the first quarter of 2022. Sales in March 2023 increased by 0.3% compared to February 2022.
Regionally, month-to-month sales increased in Europe (2.7%), Asia Pacific/All Other (2.6%), and China (1.2%), but decreased in Japan (-1.1%) and the Americas (-3.5%). Year-to-year sales decreased across all regions: Europe (-0.7%), Japan (-1.3%), the Americas (-16.4%), Asia Pacific/All Other (-22.2%), and China (-34.1%).
02. SEMI: Worldwide silicon wafer shipments decline in First Quarter 2023
May. 3, 2023, According to SEMI's latest report, global silicon wafer shipments in the first quarter of 2023 fell 9.0% quarter-on-quarter to 3.265 billion square inches, down 11.3% from 3.679 billion square inches in the same period last year.
“The decline in silicon wafer shipments reflects softening semiconductor demand since early this year,” said Anna-Riikka Vuorikari-Antikainen, Chairman of SEMI SMG and Chief Commercial Officer at Okmetic. “Memory and consumer electronics have seen the largest drops in demand while the market for automotive and industrial applications remains more stable.”
03. Omdia: Global smartphone shipments remain in a slump
May. 5, 2023, Shipments totaled 268.5 million units in 1Q23, according to the latest Omdia smartphone preliminary shipment report. Compared to the previous year, this marks a decrease of 12.7%, and compared to the previous quarter, a 11.1% fall. Two of the largest OEMs, Samsung and Xiaomi reported 18.3% and 22.0% falls in shipments year-on-year, while Apple remains flat with its 1Q22 shipment levels in 1Q23.
04. TDK plans to double output of automotive high-precision sensors
May. 4, 2023, According to Nikkei Asia, TDK plans to invest about 35 billion yen in its Asama Techno factory in Saku-shi, Nagano, Japan, to double the production capacity of high-precision magnetic sensors for automobiles by mid-2025.
The sensor mentioned in the report is a TMR sensor, which is a magnetic sensor that measures angles and is embedded in a car's steering wheel and brake system for sensing operations. Compared with conventional sensors, TMR sensors have excellent durability and accuracy, such as resistance to temperature changes and high magnetic sensitivity.
The report pointed out that by the middle of 2025, the production capacity of the Asama Techno factory will be increased. The number of employees will also increase by about 30% from the current 400.
05. Murata Announces Completion of New MLCC Production Building in Izumo
May. 2, 2023, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. announces that its manufacturing subsidiary, Izumo Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., has completed construction of a new production building at its Iwami Plant in Hane that had been under construction since March 2022.
The production building has a total investment of 1.20 billion yen, a total construction area of 6,314 square meters, and a total floor area of 22,144 square meters. It was completed on April 24 and will be used to produce multilayer ceramic capacitors.
With the completion of the new production building, Murata will establish a system that can respond to the medium- to long-term increase in demand for multilayer ceramic capacitors.
06. Bosch announces acquisition of TSI Semiconductors
Apr. 28, 2023, Bosch has announced the acquisition of the assets of Roseville, California-based chipmaker TSI Semiconductor. With this planned acquisition, Bosch will significantly expand its global silicon carbide semiconductor product portfolio by the end of 2030.
TSI is a foundry that produces application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It primarily develops and produces chips on 200mm silicon wafers for industries such as mobile, telecommunications, energy and life sciences.
Upon completion of the acquisition, Bosch plans to invest more than $1.5 billion in the plant and transform TSI Semiconductor's production facilities to state-of-the-art processes. Starting in 2026, the first chips will be produced on 200mm wafers based on the innovative material silicon carbide.
07. Infineon sees upturn, increases forecast for 2023
The company expects to see revenue in 2023 increase to as much as €16.5bn, up from €15.5bn. This is being driven by industrial and power. Revenue in the Automotive (ATV) and Green Industrial Power (GIP)1 segments improved significantly while the Connected Secure Systems (CSS) segment saw a slight increase in revenue. However the Power & Sensor Systems (PSS) segment experienced a significant decline as expected.
The company is spending €3.0bn on capital expenditure this year, and this week broke ground on a smart power fab in Dresden, Germany, that will start production in 2026.
“Global semiconductor demand will grow strongly and persistently in view of the high demand for renewable energies, data centres and electromobility. Our new plant will serve our customers’ demands in the second half of the decade. Together, we are driving decarbonization and digitalization,” said Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon.