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01

Company Trend (Feb. 20)

ARM and Samsung are working together for 2nm chips

Samsung Electronics announced that it will work with ARM, the world’s leading semiconductor IP company, to optimize the design of next-gen Cortex-A and Cortex-X CPU cores to be used with the next-gen 2nm chips that Samsung Foundry will be producing next year using GAA transistors.

According to the news released on Feb 20, Samsungs upcoming process technology is multi-bridge-channel FET (MBCFET) based on gate-all-around (GAA). Samsung said that both sides will make joint effort to develop a new level of system-on-chip (SoC) supporting generative AI functions.

The focus of the cooperation between both sides is to optimize ARM’s Cortex-A and Cortex-X CPU cores for next-gen 2 nm process of Samsung. However, the two companies have not revealed whether ARM will customize its IP for the SF2 process to be launched by Samsung in 2025, or the SF2P process to be launched by Samsung in 2026.  ARM and Samsung said that Cortex-A and Cortex-X will be widely used. These include "Next-gen Data Center and Infrastructure Custom Chip", smart phones, and a variety of small chips (chiplet) solutions, all of which require high-performance CPU cores.

Comments

Unlike the currently widely used FinFET transistors, the transistors of the GAA architecture can be fine-tuned in different ways to optimize performance, power consumption and density. We estimate that the collaboration between Samsung and ARM, two technology giants, will result in encouraging results.

Thanks to the collaboration between ARM and Samsung, the customers of both companies will be granted the license of Samsungs 2 nm optimized Cortex-A or Cortex-X based on their custom design needs. This will simplify the development process and accelerate the launch of the chips, which implies that we may soon see a 2nm chips made by Samsung for data centers and adjacent applications. However, ARM and Samsung are now as mute as fish about when they will deliver the first results to their joint customers under their collaboration.

However, it has been reported that Samsung has already won the first order from Japanese unicorn AI startup Preferred Networks (PFN) for its advanced 2 nm process technology and will fab semiconductors such as AI accelerators.

02

Company Trend(Feb. 21)

ISSCC 2024: TSMC to deliver chip packages with one trillion transistors 3nm to be available for vehicles

At ISSCC 2024, TSMC officially announced its new advanced packaging platform. Its new technology is expected to increase the number of packaged transistors from the current 100 billion to 1 trillion. According to the senior vice president of TSMC, the technology is to further improve the performance of high-performance computing and AI chips, which could be achieved by adding more high-bandwidth memory and chiplets. At present, to add more HBMs and chiplets, it is necessary to increase more intermediate layers and wafer substrate chips, which may lead to interconnect and power issues. TSMCs new packaging technology adopts silicon photonics to transmit data using optical fiber instead of I/O.

According to TSMC, todays most advanced chips can hold up to 100 billion transistors, but its new advanced packaging technology platform can hold up 1 trillion transistors. The new packaging technology applies an integrated regulator to deal with power supply issues, but it is not known when the technology will be commercialized.  In addition, TSMC mentioned that its 3nm process chips would soon be used for vehicles and it also shared the progress of its MRAM/RRAM technology.

Comments

In recent years, the technological and financial obstacles faced by chip manufacturers have slowed down their pace of developing cutting-edge process technologies. Like other companies, TSMC also faces similar challenges, which means that it is more and more tedious and costly to build large processors, so many companies prefer to choose multi-chip designs. This trend will continue to spread in the short run. It is estimated that multi-chip solutions consisting of more than one trillion transistors will emerge in the market in the coming years. However, the complexity of a single chip will also increase, and the case that there are 200 billion transistors on a single chip will become more and more common. TSMC expects that it will make breakthrough in terms of packaging technology around 2030, enabling the company to build large-scale multi-chip solutions with more than one trillion transistors packaged, providing the industry with an opportunity to increase packaging density.

03

Company Trend(Feb. 19)

Biden Administration announces preliminary US$ 1.5bn funding to support GlobalFoundries

The US Government provided Us$1.5bn to subsidize GlobalFoundries. The subsidy is used to support the company to build and expand multiple projects in New York and Vermont. This is the first major award to revive domestic chip production in the USA.

It is expected that GlobalFoundries will allocate the amount of US$1.5bn to three projects as follows:

Malta, New York – New State-of-the-Art 300 mm Fab: The construction of a new, large-scale 300 mm fab facility that is expected to produce high value technologies not currently available in the USA. The new facility is intended to leverage existing infrastructure to expedite the path from construction to production.

Malta, New York – Capacity Expansion for Automotive: The proposed expansion of the existing Malta, New York fab facility, to secure a dedicated supply of essential semiconductor technologies and support America’s economic and national security. This expansion, combined with the new 300 mm fab facility, is expected to triple the existing capacity of the Malta campus over the next 10+ years. If all construction phases are completed, the two projects are expected to increase wafer production to 1 million per year.

Burlington, Vermont – Fab Revitalization: The revitalization of an existing fab facility in Burlington, Vermont, to commercialize new 200 mm technologies, creating the first US facility capable of high-volume manufacturing of next-gen Gallium Nitride on Silicon for use in EVs, power grid, 5G and 6G smartphones, and other critical technologies.

Comments

The US Department of Commerce plans to fund semiconductor manufacturing projects in Arizona, Texas, New York and Ohio in the coming weeks. Chip manufacturers such as Intel, TSMC, Samsung Electronics, and Micron have submitted applications to the government, hoping that the government may undertake billions of dollars for the construction of state-of-the-art facilities. However, considering the fact that it may the federal government several years to complete environmental reviews, some chip manufacturers may face licensing challenges for their proposed large-scale projects.

The funding reward for GlobalFoundries is subject to a round of due diligence completed before the final non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) was reached. As the projects achieve their construction and production milestones, the funds will be released in phases. The negotiation on the funding has lasted months and became a core part of the US$ 53bn CHIPS ACT.

04

Company Trend (Feb. 18 )

Meizu announces strategic realignment to shut down traditional smartphone business but shifts all to AI

According to the news on February 18, Meizu announced that it would shut down traditional "smart phones” business and devote all its efforts to AI for new generations.

Meizu said that after two years of team-building, resource allocation, product layout, and full advanced research of related technologies, Meizu is now in a position to go all for the AI space. Meizu, as a company with comprehensive tech-ecological layout, not only has complete R&D, supply chain and hardware teams, but also has systematic development, design, Interactive software teams, which will provide strong technical support and service assurance for Meizu’s All in AI strategy.

Meizu also announced details of its AI strategic plan, including building AI device products, reconstructing Flyme systems, and building an AI ecosystem. According to the plan, Meizu will update its newly built mobile operating system for the AI era to build the infrastructure capability of the operation system in the AI era in 2024. In addition, Meizu will launch its first AI Device hardware this year to compete with the worlds top AI device manufacturers.

Comments

Today, the global mobile phone market has encountered lot of predicaments such as the prolonged cycle of replacing phones, limited space for innovation, and intensified vicious competition. As a result, the mobile phone industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Hardware upgrades and parametric-related competitions are no longer sufficient to meet the ever-growing and comprehensive consumer demand and use experience, and the industry is desperately looking for a new sustainable direction. At the onset of its establishment, Meizu intended to make "full-link innovation of consumer electronics" but later cut its chip R&D team. Recently, it decided to abandon its smart phone business but focuses on the AI field. As an enterprise established less than a year ago, Xingji Meizu seems to adjust its strategic priorities more frequently. Although Meizu has mastered Flyme AI, it still needs to be tested by the market and consumers whether it can stand out in the "money-burning war" against the backdrop of the current fierce competition in the mobile AI market.

05

Domestic Trend

This year’s first project worth RMB10bn rolled out! Galaxycore signed capital increase and capacity expansion project in Jiashan(Feb. 20)

On February 20, Galaxycore signed a contract to locate its capital increase and capacity expansion project in Jiashan Economic and Technological Development Zone, which started the war for attracting investment in the Year of Dragon. Galaxycore’s capital increase and production expansion project include the packaging testing manufacturing center (phase II), mainly building CMOS image sensor packaging and testing lines, and CIS 12-inch special process packaging line. It is estimated that the project will be completed and put into operation in 2026, and the output value will be more than RMB10bn after reaching its full capacity. The capital increase and capacity expansion of Galaxycore will not only expand capacity but also improve advanced technology and process. The second phase of the project will mainly develop high-pixel image sensors, and will focus on expanding the capacity of testing high-end sensor chips and advanced technologies such as back grinding and cutting.

There was almost zero base for the IC industry in the zone when Galaxycore signed the contract in January 2017, said the full-time deputy director of the Administrative Committee of Jiashan Economic and Technological Development Zone. Today, apart from the rapid development of Galaxycore, the annual output value of Jiashan base has risen from RMB140mn to RMB4.1bn, with a CAGR of 95.7%. At the same time, the base also actively played its role of "chain master", attracting investment of more than RMB10bn and introducing a batch of industrial chain supporting projects from Zhejiang MicroFlex Semiconductor Co., Ltd., Honor and others.

The joint venture of Sanan Optoelectronics and STMicroelectronics to put into operation within the year(Feb. 20)

As another flagship project in the semiconductor field in Chongqing, the joint venture of Sanan Optoelectronics and STMicroelectronics in the West (Chongqing) Science City has achieved rapid progress. The main plant of the project has been capped, and its interior decoration and equipment procurement are under way. It is expected that the project will be put into operation within the year, two months ahead of the original plan. In order to help the companies to complete the project and put it into operation as early as possible, the relevant departments established a special team to provide full-process service support.

The joint venture of Sanan Optoelectronics and STMicroelectronics includes an automotive-grade power chip manufacturing facility dedicated to the R&D, manufacturing and sales of SiC epitaxial devices and chips and a material plant to provide SiC substrate materials for the manufacturing facility.

As a result, the project is composed of two parts. Among them, the automobile-grade power chip manufacturing facility was jointly established by Sanan Optoelectronics, a leading China compound semiconductor company, and STMicroelectronics, the worlds leading semiconductor company. The project is expected to have a total investment of US$3.2bn and can produce 480,000 units of automotive-grade 8-inch SiC MOSFET power chips per year after reaching production capacity, holding a leading poisition in the industry.

It is learned that the automotive-grade 8-inch SiC MOSFET power chip is currently in short supply in the field of new energy vehicles. In order to help the companies to complete the project and put it into operation as early as possible, the departments of Chongqing at all levels and the Science City have set up a special team to provide professional service support from the window guidance of the project to company registration, design and project bidding, thus accelerating the construction progress of the project.

THZ-CHIP’s electrooptical crystal material production line at Fengdong Xincheng Industrial Zone officially put into production(Feb. 21)

Recently, the electrooptical crystal material production line built by Xian Taihedi Chip Technology Co., Ltd. (THZ-CHIP) was officially put into operation. The large-sized high-quality ZnTe crystal developed by THZ-CHIP filled the technology gap of the core materials in the field of detection and imaging, making a new breakthrough in terms of another “bottleneck” technology.

It is learned that THZ-CHIP, located at Qinchuangyuan 3D Interconnected Incubator Base, is a tech-based company established by relying on the State Key Laboratory of Condensation Technology of Northwestern Polytechnical University and the Key Laboratory of Radiation Detection Materials and Devices of the MIIT. It is committed to the R&D and production of electro-optical crystal materials, Terahertz systems, advanced detection services, and its products can be widely used in medical imaging, security inspection, quality control, etc.

The crystal quality and optoelectronic performance of the crystals developed and produced by the company are at the international leading level. The relevant research results obtained 15 national invention patents and won the first prize of technological invention in Shaanxi Province. The ZnTe crystal-based Tahertz spectroscopy and imaging system has been adopted by more than 20 units such as the National Defense Science and Technology University and Nanjing University, achieving the localization of the core components of the Tahertz time-domain spectrometer in China.