08-05: TSMC has shut down several of its factories last night after it its systems were hit by a computer virus; ) is allegedly collaborating with “a global OEM” to produce a foldable panel for one of its traditional partners; etc.
Chipsets
The IC industry has been undergoing revolutionary changes, driving compound semiconductor market development with third-generation semiconductor material represented by wide-gap compound such as GaN and SiC especially grabbing worldwide attention and spurring a new global trend in the sector. China, the US, Japan and Europe have all included 3rd-generation semiconductor material research in their national strategies and are taking action toward full-scale development. Xiamen Luxin Semiconductor Research Institute has been established with the goal to help build a unique industry chain for wide-gap semiconductor production. (Digitimes, press, Kuaibao, iFeng, Elecfans)
Rohm, Bombardier, Cree, SDK, STMicroelectronics, Infineon Technologies, Littelfuse, Ascatron and more are part of the powerful ecosystem, presenting innovative products and revealing key partnerships and/or M&A .
Today, SiC transistors are clearly being adopted, penetrating smoothly into different applications. Yole Développement forecast a USD1.4B SiC power semiconductor market by 2023. This market is showing a 2017~2023 29% CAGR. (Yole, press, Laoyaoba)
Shipments of smartphone-use application processors in China are expected to increase 16.2% sequentially in 3Q18, thanks to seasonal factors, according to Digitimes Research. Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO and vivo have all been aggressively expanding their overseas presence. (Digitimes, press)
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has shut down several of its factories last night after it its systems were hit by a computer virus. TSMC has contained the problem and found a solution, and recovery of the tools is in progress. The degree of infection varies by fab. Certain fabs returned to normal in a short period of time, and we expect the other fabs will return to normal in one day. (Apple Insider, Bloomberg, Laoyaoba, Reuters)
Touch Display
Photonics-based solutions provider Coherent says that demand for OLED displays remains robust, but market growth remains hindered by pricing and availability. Coherent says that 2019 will be another slow year, but investments will return in 2020. Coherent estimates that fiscal 2019 (which ends on Sept 2019) will likely be down 15%~20% before recovery starts in fiscal 2020. (OLED-Info, Seeking Alpha)
LG Display (LGD) is allegedly collaborating with “a global OEM” to produce a foldable panel for one of its traditional partners, which could include the likes of Google and Microsoft or possibly Chinese companies like Xiaomi. (Laoyaoba, CN Beta, Neowin, ET News)
Phone
Lenovo hopes its India business will expand to USD5B~6B in size over the next few years, driven by growth across its PC, mobile phone and data centre verticals. Yang Yuanqing, Chairman and CEO of Lenovo, said he is “satisfied” with the company’s growth in the PC and tablet segment in the Indian market but admitted that Lenovo had “made some mistakes” with its smartphone portfolio. (CN Beta, Sina, iFanr, Sohu, Economic Times)
According to Counterpoint Research, in 2Q18 smartphone shipments in China declined 7% annually but grew sequentially. The top 5 brands captured a record 84% of the market. (Counterpoint Research, press, Laoyaoba)
Smartphone shipments in China totaled 94.2M units in 2Q18, up nearly 10% on quarter and 2.2% on year driven by the rollouts of new models by makers and robust sales during the 618 Shopping Festival sponsored by JD.com in June, according to Digitimes Research. (Digitimes, press)
A panel is allegedly working on the Indian government’s cloud computing policy wants data generated in India to be stored within the country, a proposal that could deal a blow to global technology giants such as Amazon and Microsoft who offer such services. (Engadget, Reuters, East Money, Sina)
LG Q7+ is announced on T-Mobile – 5.5” FHD+ FullVision, Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, rear 16MP + front 8MP, 4GB+64GB, Android 8.1, IP68 rated, facial recognition, rear fingerprint scanner, 2890mAh, USD350. (Ubergizmo, Neowin, T-Mobile)
Augmented / Virtual Reality
Stanford University has developed a therapy routine pairing Google Glass with facial recognition software that notifies the device wearer on which emotions people are expressing. The idea is to help kids develop social skills while they are young to improve their social development during their formative years and into later life. (Engadget, Science News, Nature, Sohu)
A new virtual reality (VR) headset could help people who are legally blind be able to see again. The VR technology zooms in on whatever the user is looking at, dwarfing the large blind spots caused by macular degeneration, so that the spots essentially disappear.The makers of IrisVision – created by scientists at Johns Hopkins, The Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind, and UC Berkeley – say that it has helped restore people’s vision acuity from 20/400 to as high as 20/30. (Digital Trends, Daily Mail, Sohu, EE World)
Robotics
Asia is expected to become the largest market for collaborative robots in 4-5 years, according to Jurgen von Hollen, president for Denmark-based Universal Robots (UR). Demand for industrial robots in Asia in 2017 grew 37% on year, with demand in China and Taiwan increasing 58% and 44% respectively. The automobile, electronics, electric machinery and metal working sectors showed wide adoption of industrial robots. UR has a global market share of 50%-60% for collaborative robots and expects revenues of USD255M for 2018, Hollen said. (Digitimes, press, Digitimes, China Times)
FinTech
Starbucks is teaming up with the Intercontinental Exchange—the trading colossus that owns the New York Stock Exchange and other global marketplaces—announcing that they is forming a new company called Bakkt, which is designed to more tightly integrate digital currencies into global commerce. (CN Beta, Fortune, Bloomberg)
