Announced by Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance, the £11.5 million funding from Innovate UK is part of a larger £8 billion investment in research and innovation.
Semiconductors RSS
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has started making iPhone processors at its first semiconductor fabrication unit in Arizona.
The U.S. government will provide Intel with additional grants of up to $3 billion to create advanced semiconductors for national security purposes.
Samsung has begun mass production of the industry's thinnest 12nm-class LPDDR5X DRAM packages for premium smartphones. These packages offer improved thermal control due to their reduced thickness.
The UK government has announced that a second cohort of innovative startups are to go through ChipStart to attract funding and turn their ideas into business realities. There are 11 startups.
The Biden administration has announced dedicated R&D centers to push for semiconductor research to equip the country with domestic chip production capabilities and a solid workforce.
Samsung will receive up to $7 billion next week, according to two sources speaking with knowledge of the matter. The US subsidy will help Samsung build more factories in Taylor, Texas.
The U.S. government, as part of the CHIPS and Science Act, has pledged to provide TSMC up to $6.6 billion for expanding its under-construction Arizona semiconductor fabrication units.
TSMC, the world's largest semiconductor manufacturing company, has resumed work on its factories with limited disruption to its operations after Taiwan was struck by a powerful earthquake.
Russian semiconductor company Baikal was forced to switch to domestic partners for the packaging of its chips due to the war. However, the rate of defective products is at ridiculously high levels.
The UK government has invested a total of £22 million in two research hubs to turn research into business realities. The government hopes that this investment will put the UK ahead in semiconductors.
The analyst firm Gartner has reported that semiconductor revenues fell in 2023 by 11.1% and that Intel became the top player in the sector replacing Samsung. NVIDIA also saw a big growth last year.
TrendForce has reported that several semiconductor-related companies in Japan have factories in the earthquake zone. Luckily, the first batch of investigations reported no significant damage.
Japan has announced a 75 billion yen subsidy for silicon wafer producer Sumco. This is part of a wider 2 trillion yen earmarked for semiconductor subsidies over the next couple of years.
Samsung is expected to see its lowest quarterly operating profits since Q1 2009 if its guidance figures are correct. If accurate, Samsung will see a 96% drop in operating profits year-over-year.
US semiconductor company Micron will break ground on a new assembly plant in India next month. The project is expected to cost $2.75 billion and should output semiconductors from December 2024.
China will bring in export controls on gallium and germanium from August 1. These metals are used by the semiconductor, telecoms, and electric vehicle industries and consumers could see higher prices.
The European Union and Japan are set to begin cooperating on semiconductors and cybersecurity. A deal would facilitate the transfer of researchers and engineers to develop technology faster.
Intel and Germany will sign an agreement today that will see the construction of a new semiconductor factory in Dresden, Germany. The company is set to receive billions of euros in subsidies too.
Singapore aims to win its "fair share" of semiconductor investments amidst growing trade tensions between China and the United States, focusing on semiconductor assembly and design.
Japan joins US and Netherlands in restricting chip exports to China. New regulation comes amid US efforts to boost domestic chip production, including subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing.
The UK government could be working on plans to subsidize semiconductor companies ranging from startups to existing firms. It's expected to spend less than £10 billion on the subsidies.
Tech companies are reportedly cutting down on chip manufacturing orders to TSMC due to economic slowdown and lower chip demand worldwide. The trend will continue to be seen until Q1 2023.
TSMC has announced that its 3nm technology has successfully entered mass production with good yields. The company is also preparing its Taiwan and Arizona fabs for 2nm chip production for the future.
TSMC, a contract chipmaker, reported that its November revenue totaled 222.71 billion Taiwan dollars ($7.27 billion), representing a 50.2% year-over-year increase with Apple being a major contributor.
Dutch officials are reportedly planning to implement new controls on exports of chipmaking equipment to China. This aligns Dutch trade rules with U.S. efforts to restrict China's access to chip tech.
Samsung and NAVER are partnering up to make semiconductors more efficient at processing AI workloads. Samsung is good at hardware and NAVER develops AI algorithms - they aim to combine these talents.
Gartner has downgraded its semiconductor revenue growth estimate for next year. The analyst has earlier predicted higher growth, but now revenue will fall by 3.6% in the coming year.
Intel is expected to build a new European chip factory in Veneto, Italy, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. The area is ideal as it has good rail and road links.
President Joe Biden has signed the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act that provides subsidies worth $52.7 billion for the country's chip manufacturing industry and helping it compete against China.
Intel and Italy are close to a deal that will see a chip manufacturing facility be built in the country. The deal is worth $5 billion and will help Europe reduce its dependence on Asia for chips.
Gartner has revealed that semiconductor revenues won't be as good in 2022 as anticipated during the last quarter. Early figures for 2023 also reveal the sector will see contraction.
Companies across various sectors that are reliant on semiconductor chips have said the shortages seem to be starting to ease. This was due to increased capacity and lower consumer electronics demand.
Broadcom has said that it will buy VMware for $61 billion after news that a deal was in the works a couple of days ago. The acquisition will see Broadcom pay cash and buy outstanding stocks.
Broadcom is in talks to buy VMware. The talks are in an early stage and no purchase is imminent. Sources familiar with the matter did not divulge particular details about the talks either.
The United States and European Union will try to avoid a subsidy race as they look to boost chip output. The parties want to avoid manufacturing pooling in a handful of areas, weakening supply chains.
Intel's CEO has said that the semiconductor shortage could run on into 2024 because there's also a shortage in manufacturing tools. He previously expected the shortage to end in 2023.
Gartner has said that the semiconductor shortage is set to abate in some sectors this year. It also said that worldwide revenues in the industry will increase by 13.6% this year and 3.6% in 2023.
Intel has formed an alliance with Micron, Analog Devices, and MITRE Engenuity. The firms want to work together to boost semiconductor research, development, and prototyping while protecting IP.
Logitech's CEO has said that he sees the semiconductor shortage continuing through the year. It echoes similar statements from other tech bosses but hopefully, things get back on track in 2023.
