Judging from the transaction situation, although the quotations of the material companies have continued to drop, the procurement actions at the crystal pulling end are still deadlocked against the background of high inventory, resulting in a significant increase in the inventory pressure of the mat

As an important engine for cultivating new productive forces, the development of the electronic information industry has attracted much attention. In the spring of April, the domestic industry-leading electronic information industry event with international influence grandly opened in Shenzhen, draw

According to TrendForce’s latest LED industry report, the global LED market will have the opportunity to resume growth in 2024, with an estimated output value of US$13 billion, an annual increase of 3%. Mainly benefiting from the gradual recovery in market demand for automotive lighting and displays, lighting (general lighting, architectural lighting, agricultural lighting), LED displays, ultraviolet/infrared LEDs, and the fact that Micro LED technology has been successfully introduced into large-scale displays Driven by factors such as Samsung and watches such as Tag Heuer. According to TrendForce, automotive display is an area with greater growth potential this year. The first is automotive lighting and display. Driven by sales in the new energy vehicle market, in adaptive headlights (ADB Headlight), Mini LED With the continued advancement of advanced technologies such as taillights, full-width taillights, (intelligent) ambient lights, and Mini LED backlight displays, it is estimated that the automotive LED market output value is expected to grow to US$3.4 billion this year. Secondly, the reading light/knob button uses Micro LED technology and has the opportunity to be introduced into European car manufacturers; at the same time, European, American and Japanese car manufacturers plan to introduce Micro LED transparent displays. Since car manufacturers require Micro LED head-up displays to have a penetration rate of ≥70% and a curved surface design, as the technology and product prices gradually mature, it is expected that Micro LED transparent displays will be introduced into the automotive market in 2026-2027 for expansion. Realistic head-up display (AR-HUD) or car window display. In terms of Mini LED displays, market demand is growing rapidly. Major display manufacturers include Samsung, LG Electronics, Leyard, Unilumin, and Absen. In terms of ultraviolet LEDs, UV-C LED manufacturers continue to launch related products in response to high-power sterilization and purification market requirements. It is expected that from the second half of this year to 2026, they will be gradually introduced into home appliances and dynamic water sterilization market applications. For example, Huawei AITO uses UV-C LED air sterilization. The order period is from 2023 to 2025, which will help accelerate the introduction of automotive air sterilization applications by other car manufacturers. Compared with UV lamps (UV Lamp), UV LED has a longer product life and simple optical design. Nichia, Seoul Viosys, Violumas, etc. have launched complete UV-A/B/C LED product lines to solve the problem through complete wavelengths. solutions to meet customer needs for alternative UV lamps (UV Lamp). In terms of agricultural lighting, as Central and Eastern Europe such as the Czech Republic and Poland have benefited from the price reduction of plant lighting terminal products, and the overall plant factory solution has a higher return on investment (ROI), the demand has strengthened. At the same time, investment in horticultural lighting in high latitudes in Asia and Northern Europe to grow fruits, vegetables and grass to improve the negative impact of long winters on food supply is expected to drive the horticultural lighting LED market upward in 2024. Reposted from: International Electronic Commerce, automatically translated by Google

There are currently more than 3 million truck driver positions that need to be filled globally. The driver shortage is expected to double by 2028. The global logistics industry is the backbone of international trade, accounting for approximately 10% of global GDP. As demand surges, companies have made significant investments in robotics and automation: sales of professional service robots for cargo or cargo transportation increased by 44% year-on-year in 2021-2022. However, severe labor shortages are threatening the future development of the global logistics industry. A new generation of artificial intelligence robots can help address these challenges. “Shortages of truck drivers, warehouse workers or dockworkers place significant pressure on global supply chain management,” said Marina Bill, president of the International Federation of Robotics. “By combining automation hardware with intelligent software, robots Manufacturers can meet the specific needs of the warehousing and logistics industry. Robots equipped with artificial intelligence offer huge new opportunities for this industry." AI robots learn to deal with variability and unpredictability The main purpose of using artificial intelligence in robots is to better manage variability and unpredictability: Logistics providers address the mass market of cross-border transport, e-commerce or last-mile delivery, which needs to handle frequently changing products, orders and inventory. To enable machines to support this flexible workflow, AI software operates based on experience rather than programming. These AI-equipped robots learn to pick and pack different items at high speed in warehouses, use vision to autonomously transport items around the factory, and provide an AI-driven interface that turns 90-minute maintenance tasks into two-second adjustments. 3 million truck drivers missing For many logistics companies, now is the time to take automation even further. The global truck driver shortage is one of many reasons: According to the International Road Transport Union (IRU), there are currently more than 3 million truck driver positions that need to be filled worldwide. The driver shortage is expected to double by 2028 as the demographic gap between younger and older drivers continues to widen. While the overall challenge of labor shortages is common across logistics supply chains in Europe, Asia and the United States, the specific causes and severity vary. For example, new working time regulations introduced by the Japanese government force companies to further automate their work. In the United States, a particular shortage of skilled logistics professionals in e-commerce warehouses requires technical support. In Germany, in order for older workers to continue to work in physically demanding jobs, these workers need to be provided with better working conditions. “Robotics technology is suitable for a variety of tasks in the logistics industry. Service robots work alongside humans to create more efficient workplaces, while industrial robots help automate dirty, boring and dangerous tasks. The combined power of robotics and automation will Play a key role in addressing the workforce gap and catalyzing the future growth of this industry," said Marina Bill. Reposted from: International Electronic Commerce, automatically translated by Google

Benefiting from the strong demand in the downstream application market, the silicon carbide industry is in a period of rapid growth. According to TrendForce Consulting's forecast, the SiC power component market size is expected to reach US$5.33 billion by 2026, and its mainstream applications still rely heavily on electric vehicles and renewable energy. Recently, there have been new developments in the silicon carbide market that has attracted much attention, involving companies such as Mitsubishi Electric, Mersen, and Core Guangdong Energy. Mitsubishi Electric SiC factory expected to start construction in April According to a recent report by Nikkei, Mitsubishi Electric will start construction of a new 8-inch SiC factory in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, in April this year and plans to put it into operation in April 2026. In March 2023, Mitsubishi Electric announced that it plans to invest approximately 100 billion yen (equivalent to approximately RMB 4.856 billion) within five years to build an 8-inch SiC factory and strengthen related production facilities. The plant is scheduled to be put into operation in April 2026. It is understood that the new factory has six floors and a total construction area of approximately 42,000 square meters. It will be mainly responsible for the front-end process of 8-inch SiC wafers. Mitsubishi Electric will introduce automatic conveying systems in the entire process section to create a production line with high production efficiency, and plans to gradually increase production capacity, aiming to increase SiC production capacity by five times in fiscal 2026 (compared to fiscal 2022). In May 2023, Mitsubishi Electric and Coherent signed a memorandum of understanding. Coherent will supply 8-inch n-type 4HSiC substrates to Mitsubishi Electric's new factory. Both parties are committed to expanding the production scale of 8-inch SiC devices. Xin Yueneng SiC chip manufacturing project accelerates phase one production capacity ramp-up Recently, according to Shao Yonghua, director of the Core Guangdong Energy Wafer Factory, the entire factory is currently expanding production and is expected to achieve a planned annual production capacity of 240,000 6-inch automotive-grade SiC chips by the end of this year. The reserved 8-inch production line is right next door to the 6-inch production line. Once completed, it will have the ability to produce 240,000 8-inch automotive-grade SiC chips per year. According to previous news, the Xinyue Energy Silicon Carbide (SiC) chip manufacturing project is a major project of Guangdong's "Strengthening Core Project", with a total investment of 7.5 billion yuan, covering an area of 150 acres, a first-phase investment of 3.5 billion yuan, and an annual output of 240,000 yuan. A production line for 6-inch SiC chips will be built in the second phase to build a production line with an annual output of 240,000 8-inch SiC chips. The products include IGBT, SiC SBD/JBS, SiC MOSFET and other power devices, which are mainly used in new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, smart grids, etc. field. In November 2022, the project's dust-free workshop was officially opened. It has now achieved a monthly production capacity of 10,000 pieces. Automotive-grade and industrial-grade chips have been successfully taped out and samples have been sent, and automotive regulation certification is about to be completed. Up to now, Xinyueeng has signed tape-out contracts with more than 40 customers, covering most SiC chip design companies across the country. Mersen ramps up SiC substrate project On March 12, Mersen, a European supplier of graphite materials and silicon carbide substrates, announced that the company had received investment from the French government and will be used to expand the production capacity of the SiC substrate project. The amount of this subsidy may exceed 12 million euros (approximately RMB 94 million) and comes from the "France 2023 Plan" - an important European joint interest project in microelectronics and communication technology. Mersen said they plan to use this to advance the research and development and industrial production stages of p-SiC substrates. p-SiC is a low-resistivity polycrystalline SiC substrate that can be combined with single-crystal SiC active layers to help Improve yield and transistor performance for SiC device manufacturers. Mersen expects to invest 85 million euros (approximately RMB 670 million) from 2023 to 2025, employ 80 to 100 employees, promote the production capacity construction of the Gennevilliers factory in France, and reach 400,000 pieces by 2027 Potential manufacturing capacity of substrate (150mm). In addition, Mersen will supply silicon carbide substrates to Soitec. In November 2021, Mersen and Soitec reached a strategic partnership. With their respective experience in substrates and materials, the ultra-low resistivity polycrystalline SiC substrate jointly developed by the two parties will be used in SiC designed with Soitec Smart SiC? technology. Power electronic components. Reposted from: International Electronic Commerce, automatically translated by Google

The demand outlook for the whole year of 2024 is still unclear, so the original manufacturers believe that continued production reduction is still necessary. International Electronic Business News on the 6th: The global IC industry will undergo major changes. According to research firm TechInsights, global IC sales will grow by 24% in 2024, which is 8% more than the previous forecast of 16% growth. It is reported that the main driver of this major change is memory. TechInsights predicts that global memory product sales will surge by 71% in 2024, much higher than the previous forecast of 41%. This is due to much stronger than expected memory pricing due to limited supply and improving demand. The report points out that from an inventory perspective, electronic OEM inventories continue to trend downward, with the inventory-to-shipment ratio falling below the historical average in the fourth quarter of 2023, indicating a return to healthy levels. Bank inventories are declining, but the inventory-to-bills ratio remains above historical norms, although it is approaching healthier levels. In addition, according to TrendForce research, the current storage market is gradually recovering. In the fourth quarter of 2023, global DRAM industry revenue reached US$17.46 billion, a quarterly increase of 29.6%. At the same time, the revenue of global DRAM manufacturers including Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron and others increased year-on-year in this quarter. Among the three major DRAM manufacturers, Samsung had the highest growth rate, with revenue reaching US$7.95 billion, a quarterly increase of more than 50%. This was mainly due to the increase in 1alpha nm DDR5 shipments, which caused server DRAM shipments to increase by more than 60%. SK hynix benefited from the price advantages of HBM and DDR5, as well as profits from high-capacity server DRAM modules. Its average sales unit price increased by 17~19% quarterly, and its revenue in the fourth quarter reached US$5.56 billion. Quarterly growth of 20.2%. Micron's sales volume and price are both rising. The proportion of DDR5 and HBM is relatively low, so the revenue growth rate is relatively moderate. In the fourth quarter, revenue reached US$3.35 billion, a quarterly increase of 8.9%. Looking back on the past, DRAM began to fall in the fourth quarter of 2021, falling for eight consecutive quarters, and began to rise in the fourth quarter of 2023; NAND Flash began to fall in the third quarter of 2022, falling for four consecutive quarters, and by the third quarter of 2023 The quarter started to rise again. Some people in the industry believe that the recent round of price increases is the market's recovery after a cold winter, but there is still some way to go before returning to the normal price level before the plunge. TrendForce said that DRAM contract prices will increase by approximately 13% to 18% in the first quarter of 2024, with Mobile DRAM continuing to lead the increase. It is currently observed that since the demand outlook for 2024 is still unclear, the original manufacturers believe that continuous production reduction is still necessary to maintain the supply and demand balance of the memory industry. Reposted from: International Electronic Commerce, automatically translated by Google