VCs March on Defence Tech: A $2.5 Billion Boom
Venture capital (VC) funding in defence technology firms has reached $2.5 billion this year following Anduril Industries’ $1.5 billion Series F round completed in early August, according to a new Crunchbase report. This figure puts 2024 on track to rival the record high of $2.6 billion set in 2022, signalling a growing appetite for defence […]
AI Boom Fuels SSD Demand Surge, SK Hynix and Solidigm Ramp Up Production
The rapid growth of AI servers has caused a dramatic 80% surge in enterprise solid-state drive (SSD) prices. In response, SK Hynix and its subsidiary Solidigm are increasing NAND flash production to meet this soaring demand. The AI revolution, initially focused on high-bandwidth memory, is now driving a need for high-capacity SSDs to store the […]
European Chipmakers Bet Big on China’s EV Boom
European automotive chipmakers are increasingly reliant on the booming Chinese electric vehicle (EV) market, according to recent industry data and executive statements. Leading European chip firms, including NXP and Infineon, generate a substantial portion of their revenue from China.
Nvidia’s Blackwell B200 AI Chip Faces Delay, Impacting Major Cloud Providers
Nvidia, the leading AI chipmaker, has reportedly informed Microsoft and other cloud providers of a delay in the production of its highly anticipated Blackwell B200 AI chip, reports The Information. This setback, attributed to a design flaw discovered late in the production process, could postpone the mass shipment of the chip by at least three months, according to The Information.
New AI-Powered Technology to Combat Semiconductor Chip Counterfeiting
Researchers at Purdue University, Indiana, have developed a groundbreaking solution to combat the burgeoning problem of semiconductor chip counterfeiting. Their innovative technology, known as RAPTOR, leverages deep learning and an optical marker composed of gold nanoparticle patterns embedded on chips.
Passives Price May Jump 20% Amidst Soaring Silver Prices and Rebounding Demand
Japanese electronics giants Murata and TDK are poised to increase prices on their passive components, a move triggered by a resurgence in demand from the smartphone and PC sectors, the impending peak season, and a significant surge in silver prices, according to the Economic Daily.
AI BOOM BOOM BOOM – SALES UP UP AND AWAY!
Taiwanese manufacturing giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., also known as Foxconn, has reported its highest-ever second-quarter sales, surging more than 19% year-on-year, driven by a boom in artificial intelligence (AI) devices, according to Focus Taiwan. The company's consolidated sales for the April-June period reached NT$1.55 trillion (US$47.83 billion), exceeding expectations. The company attributed this growth to increased orders for cloud-based gadgets amid the current AI boom. Hon Hai's cloud and networking division saw particularly strong growth, while its computing, electronic components, and smart consumer electronics divisions also experienced positive sales momentum.
Counterfeit GPUs on the Rise: A Growing Concern for the Electronics Industry
The thriving demand for high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs), fueled by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and gaming, has inadvertently fostered a surge in sophisticated counterfeiting schemes. Recent reports from various tech news sources unveil an alarming trend of elaborate scams involving fake Nvidia RTX 4090s, one of the most sought-after and expensive GPUs in the market, retailing for $1,599.
DRAM Prices Skyrocket Amidst AI Boom and Production Shifts: A Deep Dive into the Memory Market
The global DRAM market is in the midst of a major upheaval, with prices soaring due to a confluence of factors, primarily the burgeoning demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and a strategic shift in production capacity towards high-bandwidth memory (HBM). This complex scenario is creating both challenges and opportunities for chipmakers, buyers, and the wider electronics industry.
DRAM shortage looms as HBM production is prioritised
Supply chain sources indicate that general-purpose DRAM is expected to be in short supply as memory chip manufacturers expand production capacity for high-bandwidth memory (HBM).
SSD and Memory Price Hikes Expected to Hit Consumers in 2024
The electronics industry is bracing for another round of price increases for SSDs and memory, as major players like Dell and Samsung warn of rising component costs and production cuts. These price hikes, expected to reach 15-20% in the second half of 2024, are attributed to increased demand, particularly from the burgeoning AI sector, and reduced supply due to production cutbacks.
Nvidia’s Meteoric Rise: On Track to Become a $10 Trillion Behemoth?
Nvidia's stock has soared in recent months, fuelled by the generative AI frenzy, and some analysts predict it could reach a staggering $10 trillion market cap by 2030. This bullish outlook is driven by several factors, including surging demand for AI-powered applications, Nvidia's dominant position in the AI chip market, and a forward-looking product roadmap.
Memory giants Samsung and SK Hynix ditch DDR3, fueling HBM boom
In a significant shift in the memory market, industry titans Samsung and SK Hynix have announced their exit from DDR3 production, focusing instead on the burgeoning demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and DDR5. This strategic move, confirmed by multiple sources including SemiMedia and Tom's Hardware, reflects the rapidly evolving landscape of memory technology, driven by the insatiable appetite for AI-powered applications.
Shoots of recovery in global semicon manufacturing
The global semiconductor manufacturing industry showed promising signs of recovery in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Semiconductor Manufacturing Monitor (SMM) Report released by SEMI, the Semiconductor Industry Association, in partnership with TechInsights. Electronic sales rose by 1% year-over-year (YoY) in Q1 2024, and are forecast to increase by 5% YoY in Q2 […]
Rising obsolescence risks threaten supply chains in the electronics industry
Component obsolescence poses an ever-present and growing threat within the electronics industry. Accelerating innovation shortens component lifecycles, driving more frequent disruptions with costly consequences. Companies must shift from reactive crisis management towards proactive obsolescence strategies to safeguard their supply chains.
Upheaval in DRAM: 15-25% price increase possible
The memory market is experiencing major upheaval under the transformative impact of AI applications. Industry leader SK Hynix reports a staggering 144.3% year-on-year surge in revenue and predicts that this strong demand trajectory will continue. This optimism aligns with predictions from multiple sources that DRAM product prices could rise by 15-25% in the second quarter.
MLCC bounce back: Murata and industry expect renewed Growth
The multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) market is signaling a significant rebound, propelled by the Chinese smartphone sector and burgeoning electric vehicle demand. Industry giant Murata reports a 30.8% increase in orders for the first quarter of 2024, a sign that a recent downturn may be reversing course.
Global electronics shows recovery signs: demand set to outpace inflation
After a challenging period, the electronics industry appears ready for renewed growth. IPC's April Sentiment survey reveals a third consecutive month of optimism among manufacturers, signaling that the sector is weathering the effects of recent economic headwinds.
Microsoft accelerates AI ambitions with new GPT-rivaling model
Software titan Microsoft is poised to intensify the AI arms race with a new, proprietary language model designed to square off against industry powerhouses from Google and OpenAI. Dubbed MAI-1 internally, the project is spearheaded by Mustafa Suleyman, the Google DeepMind co-founder who previously led AI startup Inflection.
AI boom fuels chip sales: What to expect in 2024
"Welcome to 2024: it promises to be quite the AI ride," declares Forbes contributor Karl Freund, highlighting the "explosive growth" of the AI market. This growth is fuelled by a diverse range of applications, from autonomous vehicles and edge computing to healthcare diagnostics and creative content production. As TrendForce notes, "demand for AI chips across various sectors is surging," fueled by advancements in natural language processing and computer vision.
Which EMI filter tests best in harsh environments?
Failing an EMC test can feel like a major project setback – especially when you’re working with military applications, where stringent harsh-environment standards are a must.