Samsung Display (SDC), a subsidiary of Samsung, has been developing its own OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon) technology. However, there are reports now indicating that Samsung’s smartphone division plans to adopt Sony’s OLEDoS technology for integration into Samsung’s XR devices.

According to the Korean media “The Elec,” Samsung’s MX division has decided to utilize the technology from Sony instead of the technology from the group’s SDC, reflecting Samsung’s need for a new technology manager to oversee new semiconductor devices (referring to electronic components, such as OLEDs and transistors).

This newly created position for device development must oversee the technological advancement of all of Samsung’s electronic businesses, including Samsung MX, DS (chip division), displays, and motors. If Samsung’s subsidiaries had collaborated closely from the outset, then Samsung’s MX division might have adopted SDC’s technology instead of Sony’s. A similar situation has also occurred with the glass substrate developed by Samsung Electronics.

“The Elec” believes it is strange that SDC has not collaborated with the group’s companies on OLEDoS technology, as SDC has expertise in glass processing. This highlights a lack of clear roles and responsibilities within Samsung, which is a significant waste of internal resources.

OLEDoS and glass substrate microdisplays require close cooperation between departments such as semiconductors, displays, circuit boards, and display glass processing technology. If these departments are well integrated, it could bring opportunities for Samsung, as the company has departments capable of handling all related technologies.

However, the current situation does not reflect this. SDC initiated the M project at the end of 2022, aimed at developing OLEDoS and LED on Silicon technology. But SDC losing to Sony now means the former will lose valuable production experience.

(Photo credit: Samsung)

TrendForce has released the latest panel quotations for late April. The upward trend in TV is beginning to stabilize due to the increased supply capacity; monitor (MNT) panel prices continue to rise in April as the demand remains strong; for notebook (NB) panel, amid challenges in forming a consensus for price increases, NB panel prices continue to hover at the bottom.

More details are as follows:

• TV

In April, signs of weakening demand for television panels have emerged, particularly evident in the weakening demand for TVs sized 55 inches and below. Only large-size TV panels of 65-inch and above continue to be supported by subsequent peak-season promotional stocking demands.

Meanwhile, panel manufacturers continue to operate at relatively high capacity levels. With increased supply capacity, the upward trend in panel prices is beginning to stabilize. In April, the expected price increases for TV panels include 1 USD for 32-inch, 43-inch and 50-inch; 2 USD for 55-inch; 4~5 USD for 65-inch and 75-inch.

• MNT

Driven by the price increases in TV panels, the MNT panel sector has seen panel manufacturers actively negotiating with customers in hopes of improving the profitability of MNT panels. Starting from March, they have successfully raised the prices of MNT panels.

Entering April, demand for consumer-grade models from some customers remains strong. The extended shipping times caused by the shipping crisis have forced some customers to increase inventory levels and stock up earlier. Additionally, the risk of capacity constraints due to the improved demand for TV panels still exists.

Therefore, it is expected that MNT panel prices will continue to rise in April, with the possibility of further expansion in price increases. For Open Cell panels, the prices for mainstream sizes like 23.8 inch and 27 inch are expected to rise by 0.7 USD. As for panel modules, the 21.5-inch and 23.8-inch are projected to increase by 0.5 USD, while the 27-inch is expected to increase by 0.4 USD.

• NB

After passing through the off-season in the first quarter, NB panel demand from brands remains weak entering April, without the expected strong rebound.

Due to this weak demand, there is a noticeable disparity among panel manufacturers regarding their stance on price increases. This disparity makes it challenging for panel manufacturers to create a rising price trend similar to that seen in TV and MNT panels. With a consensus on price increases difficult to form, NB panel prices continue to hover at a low point.

Looking at April, it is expected that only TN panel models, due to their lower prices, may see a slight increase of around 1 USD. IPS panel models are mostly expected to remain stable, while 16:10 panel models are anticipated to stay flat or decrease slightly by up to 0.2 USD.

Read more

• [Insights] March Panel Prices Update, TV Brands Further Increased, Notebook Panel Prices Await Clear Direction
• [Insights] Late February Panel Prices Update, TV Panel Prices Return to Rising Trend

Apple has released its supply chain list for the 2023 fiscal year, with notable changes compared to the 2022 list. According to a report from CNA, Major IC substrate manufacturer Nan Ya PCB has returned to Apple’s supply chain list, while Nanya Technology, Lotes, Novatek are no longer included. TSMC, Foxconn, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE), Pegatron, Compal, Wistron, and YAGEO remain part of Apple’s supply chain.

Apple’s 2023 fiscal year supply chain list covers approximately 98% of the materials, manufacturing, and assembly related to Apple products globally.

Compared to the 2022 supply chain list, for Foxconn, the updated list shows manufacturing locations for Apple products in Guangdong, Henan, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang provinces in China, with the addition of Jiangxi while Hubei continues to be excluded. In other global regions, locations in Amazonas and Sao Paulo in Brazil, as well as California in the United States, are not included in the current list. However, locations in Tamil Nadu, India, and Bac Giang province, Vietnam, remain on the list.

For ASE, related locations include Jiangsu and Shanghai in China, Yamagata Prefecture in Japan, Taiwan, and Hai Phong City in Vietnam, with Gyeonggi-do in South Korea and Singapore continuing to be excluded.

Notably, companies including FPGA designer Lattice Semiconductor’s facility in Taiwan, Nanya’s facilities in Jiangsu and Taiwan, Lotes Terminal’s facility in Guangdong, Novatek Microelectronics and Taiwanese company Triotek Technology Incorporated are no longer parts of Apple’s supply chain for the fiscal year 2023.

On the other hand, major IC substrate manufacturer Nan Ya PCB, with facilities in Jiangsu, China, and Taiwan, has returned to Apple’s supply chain list. Golden Arrow Printing Company, with locations in Jiangsu, China, and Henan Province, Vietnam, is a new addition to Apple’s supply chain list.

Regarding Taiwanese companies that were first included in Apple’s supply chain list in 2022, including Platinum Optics Technology Incorporated, Primax Electronics Limited with locations in Guangdong, Radiant Opto-Electronics Corporation with locations in Guangdong and Jiangsu, Trinseo in Taiwan, and Winbond Electronics Corporation, these companies remain on Apple’s supply chain list for the 2023 fiscal year.

Furthermore, major Taiwanese companies such as TSMC, Catcher, Foxlink, Compal, Compeq, Delta Electronics, Largan Precision, Lite-On Technology Corporation, Pegatron, Shin Zu Shing, TXC Corporation, Unimicron Technology Corporation, Unitech, Wistron, and YAGEO continue to be included in Apple’s supply chain list.

Read more

• [News] Apple’s Abandonment of Micro LED Watch Project Reportedly Results in Further Impact
• [News] Foxconn Capitalizes on AI Opportunities? Reportedly Looking at Apple’s AI Server Market, B200 Also Poised to Succeed

(Photo credit: Apple)

Following Apple’s cancellation of the Micro LED watch project, the associated supply chain has been further impacted. According to a report from TechNews citing MicroLED-Info, the latest one is KLA Corporation, which has announced a complete exit from the flat panel display (FPD) equipment business.

KLA recently announced its complete withdrawal from the FPD market. The company, which acquired Israeli automated optical inspection (AOI) system supplier Orbotech for USD 3.4 billion, had entered the Micro LED market opportunistically through this acquisition, as Orbotech is a developer of inspection equipment for the semiconductor and display industries.

Due to slowdowns in investment and demand in the consumer electronics market, Orbotech’s performance has been lackluster in recent quarters, with the entire division accounting for only about 3% of KLA’s revenue, totaling USD 283 million in 2023, a decline of 48%. As per the same report, it’s believed that KLA’s decision to shut down this division is linked to the cancellation of a major project with a key customer, likely Apple.

As FPD is one of Orbotech’s main divisions, with KLA announcing its withdrawal from the FPD market, more than 100 employees from this division will face layoffs. KLA stated that exiting the FPD equipment business will not impact the company’s revenue expectations for this quarter, which are projected to be USD 2.3 billion with a variance of plus or minus USD 12.5 million.

Apple’s decision in March to cancel the Micro LED watch project sent shockwaves through the display industry and Micro LED developers.

German LED giant Osram is still considering its next steps, with expected losses of USD 650-900 million; electronic assembly solutions provider Kulicke & Soffa also announced losses of USD 110-130 million due to the cancellation of its collaboration with Apple. Additionally, LG Display’s Micro LED development team within the Strategic Customer (SC) department has started downsizing.

Read more

• [News] Why Apple “Unexpectedly Cancels” Micro LED Watch Project?
• [New] The Reality of Micro LED Unveiled – Infinite Opportunities, Yet Initial Capacity Demand Remains Low

(Photo credit: Apple)

Following the announcements of AI PC processor chips by NVIDIA and Intel, AMD has also entered the fray by unveiling the Ryzen Pro 8040 and Ryzen Pro 8000 series chips. According to a report from Commercial Times, they will be manufactured by TSMC and are expected to be released in the second half of the year.

On April 16th, AMD announced that the Ryzen Pro 8040 series chip, designed for laptops, and the Ryzen Pro 8000 series chip, designed for desktops, are the most advanced commercial PC chips ever created. These chips will be manufactured using 4-nanometer technology. It is expected that new AI PCs from HP and Lenovo, starting in the second half of this year, will incorporate these two major chip series.

“AI PC” are laptops and desktops capable of directly running real-time language translation and other AI applications locally, as opposed to most PC devices on the market that rely on cloud platforms for AI computations.

Intel previously announced the Core Ultra series chips designed specifically for AI PCs last year and claimed that the first batch of over 230 AI PCs globally will feature this series of chips. Collaborating partners include major PC manufacturers such as Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. Gelsinger once expressed at a New York launch event in 2023 that they anticipate the AI PC to be the standout performer in the coming year.

NVIDIA also unveiled a new generation of AI chips in January of this year, claiming they can execute AI applications directly on PC. Collaborating partners include Acer, Dell, and Lenovo.

Similarly targeting the AI PC market, AMD previously announced the Ryzen 8000G series chips designed specifically for desktops in January. Previously, during an interview with Chinese media Sina, Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, indicated that AI-powered PCs will play a crucial role in driving the growth of the PC market this year.

As NVIDIA, Intel, and AMD vie for opportunities in the AI market, TSMC, which possesses the world’s most advanced chip manufacturing technology, emerges as the primary beneficiary. TSMC currently manufactures AI chips for NVIDIA using a 3-nanometer process and is expected to begin mass production of the next-generation 2-nanometer process starting from next year.

Read more

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• [News] AMD Unveils Ryzen 8040 Series AI Processor Utilizing TSMC’s Advanced 4nm Process

(Photo credit: AMD)