01. With unclear sales forecasts, car makers tighten automotive IC inventory
Although IC designers generally see high potential in automotive semiconductors for the mid to long-term since the fluctuating automobile market in 2023 has resulted in divergent demands in different markets, brands, and even module applications.
02. Modest Growth for Global MLCC Market Predicted with a 3% Increase Projected in 2024
TrendForce reports that global demand for MLCCs is set to experience a period of slow growth from 2023 to 2024. With limited opportunities for industry growth, the demand for MLCCs in 2023 is estimated to be around 4.193 trillion units, with a modest annual growth rate of about 3%. This growth is primarily attributed to applications in smartphones, automotive electronics, and PCs. Given the uncertain political and economic climate, OEMs and ODMs have adopted a conservative outlook, with a slight increase of 3% in MLCC demand expected in 2024, reaching approximately 4.331 trillion pieces.
03. Marvell rumored to axe Taiwan SSD unit
A rumor is circulating in the chipmaking industry that Marvell is closing its SSD division in Taiwan, with hundreds of staff being dispersed and relocated to other companies.
04. TSMC accelerates production expansion to increase monthly production capacity by 120% next year
November 14, 2023, According to reports, after NVIDIA increased its orders to TSMC in October, Apple, AMD, Broadcom, Marvell and other companies also began to increase orders. In response to the needs of the above-mentioned five major customers, TSMC will accelerate the expansion of CoWoS advanced packaging production capacity. TSMC is expected to increase its monthly production capacity by about 20% next year from its original target to 35,000 pieces.
05. NVIDIA Halts Production of RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4080 to Make Room for SUPER
NVIDIA has reportedly halted production of GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4080 graphics cards, allowing the market to digest existing inventories of the two products, so it could create room in the channel for its upcoming GeForce RTX 40-series SUPER graphics cards. The company is expected to announce these cards around the 2024 International CES (January). The SUPER series is being designed to consolidate NVIDIA in the performance-enthusiast segments, and include three SKUs, namely the RTX 4080 SUPER, the RTX 4070 TI SUPER, and the RTX 4070 SUPER.
According to the Board Channels post detailing this development, NVIDIA has stopped mass-production of the desktop RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4080 GPUs, shipped its last orders for Q4-2023, each add-in card (AIC) partner has digested its inventories of these cards, and is awaiting arrival of subsequent new products.
06. Asustek to build server production line in U.S.
November 17, 2023, Leading Taiwan-based tech brand Asustek Computer Inc. is planning to set up a production line in the United States, with mass production scheduled for 2024.
In a statement Thursday, Asustek confirmed that it will assemble semi-finished products for server production in the facility planned for Silicon Valley at a time of booming opportunities worldwide created by advances in artificial intelligence applications.
07. Foxconn, Acer, Asus approved for incentives to make computers in India
The Indian government has approved investments by 27 companies including Dell, HP and Foxconn under its $2 billion incentive scheme to manufacture IT hardware domestically.