Traceability Technology is Crucial for Effective Product Recalls
There were 218 non-food consumer product recalls in 2021 alone, and that figure has remained above 200 since 2017
Price Hikes Boost Chipmakers’ Growth in 2021
The semiconductor shortage is causing pain to manufacturers that can’t find enough chips, but it’s been a boon to the global IC industry
Merck & Palantir Unveil IC Supply Chain Platform
A technology partnership between the semiconductor materials arm of German multinational Merck and Palantir Technologies, the data analytics specialist, will tackle chip shortages via a collaboration platform aimed at chipmakers and their suppliers. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Denver-based Palantir said this week the partnership would leverage data analytics and AI to advance semiconductor manufacturing…
Foundry Revenue Approaches Records; Chips Tight Until 2022
While the global electronics supply chain experienced a chip shortage, the corresponding shortage of foundry capacities also led various foundries to raise their quotes, resulting in an over 20 percent YoY increase in the total annual revenues of the top 10 foundries for both 2020 and 2021, according to TrendForce’s latest investigations. The top 10…
IC Insights: IC Unit Shipments to Surge 21% This Year
After a 6 percent drop in IC unit shipments in 2019 and an 8 percent increase in 2020, IC Insights forecasts a huge 21 percent jump in chip unit shipments this year. Unit shipments in 2021 are forecast to reach 391.2 billion, more than 11x the 34.1 billion units shipped over 30 years ago in…
Executive Order Clears Path to $37 Billion Chip Investment
President Biden on Wednesday signed, as expected, an executive order that paves the way for allocation of $37 billion federal government investment to address the chip supply shortfall. Industry reaction has been positive with both the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) immediately issuing statements showing relief that the…
U.S. Chip-Revival Initiative Gains Traction
A new front has opened in efforts to revive U.S. chip manufacturing as lawmakers propose billions of dollars in spending and tax incentives to promote technology innovation across the entire semiconductor ecosystem — from post-Moore’s Law basic research to advanced chip packaging. While the Trump Administration seeks to block China’s access to U.S. chip making…
TSMC to Build Advanced Chip Fab in Arizona
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) said it will build a 5nm fab in Arizona with support from that state and the U.S. federal government. The facility will have a 20,000 wafer-per-month capacity, create over 1,600 jobs directly and thousands more indirect jobs, the company said in a press statement today. The announcement comes following press…
Chip Forecasts Slashed Amid Pandemic’s Grip
Grim global semiconductor forecasts agree on a pandemic-driven market contraction, with the only variable being how steep and for how long chip demand and revenues will decline. As the unrelenting spread of the novel coronavirus and the resulting lockdown slow consumption and hobble global supply chains, forecasters continue to slash their growth forecasts across market sectors and applications. Demand…
Chip Industry Dodges Covid-19 Woes — For Now
Despite logistical, packaging and test challenges related to the coronavirus (now known as Covid-19), chip fabs located in China are continuing to function normally with high capacity rates, according to Omdia. The semiconductor industry appears to have escaped the direct impact of the Covid-19 crisis so far, but the market is likely to suffer the…