South Korean memory giant SK hynix announced that it has started mass production of the world’s first triple-level cell-based 321-high 4D NAND Flash with a 1Tb capacity. The company plans to provide the 321-high products to customers starting in the first half of next year, according to its press release.

This new product represents a significant improvement over the previous generation. According to the press release, it offers a 12% enhancement in data transfer speed and a 13% boost in reading performance, while increasing data reading power efficiency by more than 10%. Furthermore, by adopting the same development platform used for the 238-high NAND, SK hynix improved productivity by 59% compared with the previous generation, minimizing the impact of a process switch.

The technological breakthrough behind this innovation lies in the company’s “three plugs” process technology. The process electrically connects three plugs through an optimized follow-up process after three times of plug processes are completed. For the process, the company developed a low-stress material and introduced technology that automatically corrects misalignments among the plugs, as the press release notes.

According to its press release, this breakthrough enabled SK hynix to successfully stack more than 300 layers, making it the first company in the industry to achieve this milestone.

SK hynix aims to expand the application of its 321-high products to meet the demands of emerging AI technologies. As noted in the press release, the company plans to steadily supply these products to nascent AI applications, which require low power and high performance.

The Head of NAND Development at SK hynix, Jungdal Choi, highlighted the significance of this achievement. According to the press release, Choi stated that this development brings SK hynix closer to becoming the leader in the AI storage market and advancing its goal of becoming a Full Stack AI Memory Provider. The company aims to achieve this by building a comprehensive portfolio in the ultra-high-performance NAND space, complementing its DRAM business led by HBM.

SK hynix has a strong track record of technological leadership in the NAND market. The press release recalls that the company was the first in the industry to introduce the world’s highest 238-layer NAND in June of last year. Now, with the 321-high 4D NAND, SK hynix has solidified its position as the first supplier to produce NAND with more than 300 layers, marking another significant milestone in the industry.

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• [News] SK hynix Sees U.S. Revenue Reach 64%, as China’s Contribution Fading
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(Photo credit: SK hynix)

According to a report from the Reuters, the CEO of European chip manufacturer STMicroelectronics (ST) has announced a new plan to collaborate with Chinese foundry Hua Hong, China’s second-largest custom chip manufacturer, to produce 40nm microcontroller chips in Shenzhen by the end of 2025.

CEO Jean-Marc Chery emphasized the importance of having local manufacturing in China, stating that it is crucial for maintaining the company’s competitive edge, the report notes.

The report highlights that Chery’s comments come amid growing demands from the European, U.S., and Chinese governments for more local chip manufacturing.

However, while many semiconductor companies have been expanding their operations in Singapore and Malaysia to better serve Asian markets, ST is the largest producer of energy-efficient Silicon Carbide (SiC) chips, which are widely used in electric vehicles by major customers such as Tesla and Geely, and Chery emphasized that the Chinese market is indispensable, since it is the world’s largest and most innovative market for EVs.

He emphasized that it is not feasible to compete effectively without a local presence in China, as per the report.

Chery stated, “If we cede our market share in China to another company working in the industrial or automotive sector, Chinese companies will dominate their market,” further noting that “with such a large domestic market, this would provide them an excellent platform to compete in other countries,” as noted by the report.

Chery’s remarks came after the company updated its long-term financial forecast during an investor day. The company has faced significant challenges resulting from a downturn in the industrial chip market, according to the report.

The report also quotes ST’s manufacturing chief, Fabio Gualandris, who explained that the decision to produce in China is driven by several factors, including the cost-effectiveness of the local supply chain, compatibility challenges, and potential risks associated with government restrictions.

Furthermore, Gualandris highlighted that manufacturing chips outside China would mean missing out on the country’s rapidly advancing EV development cycle, emphasizing that “the Chinese market is developing faster, and if you are not there, you cannot react in time,” as the report notes.

The report also points out that in 2023, ST established a SiC joint venture in Chongqing with Chinese company San’an. The project includes a chip factory and a substrate factory, focusing on the production of SiC power chips and substrates.

Read more

• [News] A 8-Inch SiC Wafer Fab Co-Built by San’an and ST to Start Production Soon
• [News] Signs of a Slowdown Surfaces in Automotive Chip Market Growth

(Photo credit: STMicroelectronics)

Now the world’s largest company by market capital, NVIDIA has posted a robust third-quarter earnings report, with its data center revenue hitting record high. According to a report from Reuters, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang reassured the market by refuting the Blackwell overheating rumors, stating “there are no issues with our Grace Blackwell liquid-cooled systems,” with successful customer implementation such as Microsoft.

In the company’s press release, Huang added that “demand for Hopper and anticipation for Blackwell — in full production — are incredible as foundation model makers scale pretraining, post-training, and inference.”

The AI giant also noted that demand for Blackwell is anticipated to outpace supply for several quarters into fiscal 2026, according to a report by CNBC.

Another Record Quarter, But Continued Slowdown for Growth Rate

Just as Huang’s statement that the age of AI is in full steam, NVIDIA reported revenue for the third quarter ended October 27, 2024, of $35.1 billion, up 17% from the previous quarter and up 94% from a year ago, hitting a new high.

The company’s Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share was $0.81, up 19% from the previous quarter and up 103% from a year ago, according to its press release.

It is worth noting that its data center revenue in the third quarter was a record $30.8 billion, up 17% from the previous quarter and up 112% from a year ago.

On the other hand, NVIDIA’s gaming revenue reached $3.3 billion, an increase from the $2.8 billion generated by the division last year.

For the fourth quarter, NVIDIA provides an optimistic forecast with a quarterly revenue of $37.5 billion, plus or minus 2%, which is slightly above Wall Street’s expectation of $37 billion, the CNBC report notes.

However, there is still a cause for concern. The CNBC report pointed out that though NVIDIA’s revenue soared 94% year-over-year in the third quarter, this marks a continued slowdown from the previous three quarters, which saw growth rates of 122%, 262%, and 265%, respectively.

According to another Reuters report, NVIDIA’s fourth-quarter forecast suggests a slowdown in revenue growth, as its year-over-year growth rate is expected to drop to around 69.5%.

No Issues with Blackwell Liquid-cooled Systems

One of the most important messages in the earnings call may be Jensen Huang’s remarks on Blackwell concerns. The latest rumor indicates that the flagship liquid-cooled server containing 72 of the new Blackwell chips was experiencing overheating issues during initial testing.

According to Reuters, Huang assured there were no problems. He confirmed that customers such as Microsoft, Oracle, and CoreWeave are successfully implementing the systems.

“There are no issues with our Grace Blackwell liquid-cooled systems,” Huang told Reuters. “The engineering is not easy at all, because what we’re doing is hard, but we’re in good shape.”

According to Reuters, citing NVIDIA CFO Colette Kress, Blackwell has been well-received by NVIDIA’s customers, and the company is expected to surpass its initial sales projections of several billion dollars for the processors in the fourth quarter.

Kress stated that 13,000 samples of the chip have been sent to customers, adding that both Hopper and Blackwell systems face supply constraints, and demand for Blackwell is anticipated to outstrip supply for several quarters in fiscal 2026, the CNBC report notes,

Kress also suggested that the Blackwell chips are expected to initially have gross margins in the low 70% range, which will improve to the mid-70% range as production increases, according to Reuters.

Read more

• [News] NVIDIA’s Blackwell GPUs Reportedly Overheat in Server Racks, Sparking Delay Concerns
• [News] Dell, Foxconn, and Quanta Reassure NVIDIA’s GB200 Shipments on Track Amid Overheat Rumors

(Photo credit: NVIDIA)

Super Micro Computer (SMCI) is once again facing the prospect of delisting from the Nasdaq exchange, despite appointing BDO USA as its new independent auditor.

Nasdaq Rejects Extension Request

According to Wccftech, Nasdaq has rejected Super Micro’s request for additional time to submit its overdue financial reports. The company disclosed in an SEC filing that it received a notice on November 19, 2024, from Nasdaq’s Listing Qualifications Department, citing non-compliance with listing rule 5250(c)(1).

The filing detailed the issue:

“On November 19, 2024, the Company received a notification letter (the “Letter”) from the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) indicating that the Company is not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(c)(1), as a result of the Company’s delay in filing its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2024 (the “Q1 2025 Form 10-Q”) and its continued delay in filing its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ending June 30, 2024 (the “2024 Form 10-K”). The 2024 Form 10-K was due on August 29, 2024 and the Q1 2025 Form 10-Q was due on November 12, 2024.”

The company further noted:

“The Letter has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.”

Wccftech also reported that SMCI still has the option to appeal Nasdaq’s decision. For now, the stock will remain listed and continue trading.

Super Micro’s challenges were compounded by the resignation of Ernst & Young as its auditor in October, citing undisclosed reasons. In response, the company appointed BDO USA on November 18, 2024, and submitted a compliance plan to Nasdaq, seeking more time to meet listing requirements.

(Photo credit: Super Micro Computer)

November 18，Chinese AR glasses company Rokid has unveiled its latest AR glasses, the Rokid Glasses.

(Photo Credit: JBD)

The Rokid Glasses boast a stylish design, weighing just 49 grams, and are comfortable for all-day wear.

A standout feature is the integration of Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen multimodal AI model, enabling functions such as making calls, AI-powered search, object recognition, AI-assisted photography and problem-solving, multilingual translation, navigation, transcription, and health reminders.

For the near-eye display system, the Rokid Glasses utilize JBD’s Hummingbird Mini II monochrome light engine, which is only 0.15 cubic centimeters in size and weighs a mere 0.3 grams.

Despite its compact size, the Hummingbird Mini II delivers a brightness of 8 lumens at a typical power consumption of 60mW. The Rokid Glasses Priced at RMB 2,499 yuan, are set to hit the market in Q2 2025.

(Photo credit: JBD)

Eight New Micro LED AR Glasses Released in 2024

According to “TrendForce’s 2024 Near-Eye Display Market Trends and Technology Analysis Report”, Micro LED is regarded as a critical micro-display technology for AR devices due to its ability to meet high brightness, compact size, and low power consumption requirements.

TrendForce projects that Micro LED’s market share in AR devices will reach 18% in 2024 and grow to 44% by 2030.

Over recent years, demand for Micro LED technology in AR glasses has been steadily increasing. Based on LEDinside‘s incomplete statistics, 14 AR glasses incorporating Micro LED technology were released in 2023—a record high. As of now, 8 new models featuring Micro LED have been announced for 2024.

Although fewer models are being launched this year compared to last, the involvement of major industry players and the integration of AI technologies have made these products highly discussed. These developments could be pivotal for the evolution of Micro LED-based near-eye display technologies.

Meta and Apple Entering the AR Glasses Arena Could Boost Micro LED’s Popularity

In September, U.S. tech giant Meta unveiled a prototype of its full-color Micro LED AR glasses, Orion, weighing just 98 grams. According to TrendForce, Orion uses a diffraction waveguide made from silicon carbide and JBD’s three-chip full-color LEDoS technology, achieving a 70-degree field of view (FOV).

TrendForce anticipates Meta’s consumer-grade AR glasses to launch after 2027. With major brands driving development, application advancements are expected to accelerate. By 2026–2027, more refined and affordable mass-market devices are likely to emerge.

(Photo credit: Meta)

Alongside Meta’s Orion, rumors suggest that Apple also has AR glasses in development. Reports indicate that Apple is still committed to Micro LED technology, with AR glasses featuring Micro LED expected to enter mass production in 2026.

Micro LED as a Key to AR+AI Integration

Such as Rokid Glasses, Meta’s Orion, StarV Air2 by Xingji Meizu, and G1 by Eyewear Technology, are all equipped with advanced AI functionalities. These include translation, object recognition, voice-to-text transcription, summary generation, and intelligent prompts.

AI technology has become a key selling point for AR glasses. The application of AI in complex, all-day scenarios makes it highly practical and relevant.

With the addition of Micro LED’s high brightness and transparency features, AI-generated information can be displayed clearly and promptly to users. The AI+Micro LED combination significantly enhances the practicality of AR glasses, driving the industry towards smarter and higher-definition products.

TrendForce highlights AR devices as ideal platforms for AI due to their lightweight and compact design. The characteristics of Micro LED technology—high brightness, small size, and low power consumption—perfectly align with AR device requirements, making it a critical technological reserve.

If full-color Micro LED solutions can be achieved through vertical stacking or color conversion, this technology is likely to become the optimal solution for future AR glasses.

(Photo credit: Rokid)