According to Bloomberg citing sources, the US government is considering adding Chinese semiconductor companies linked to Huawei to a blacklist. This move comes after Huawei made significant breakthroughs in technology last year, indicating a potential escalation in US efforts to curb China’s ambitions in AI and semiconductors.

As per a report from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), most of the potentially affected Chinese entities are identified as chip manufacturing facilities either acquired by or under construction by Huawei. Among them, companies that may be blacklisted include Qingdao Si’En, SwaySure, and Shenzhen Pengsheng Technology Co., Ltd.

Furthermore, US officials are also considering action against companies like Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT). A previous report from Bloomberg already indicated that the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) was contemplating placing CXMT on the entity list, which would restrict their access to US technology. Additionally, restrictions on five other Chinese companies are being considered, although the final list is yet to be confirmed.

Regarding this matter, the BIS and White House National Security Council declined to comment at that time.

In addition to companies involved in actual chip production, the United States may also consider sanctioning Shenzhen Pengjin High-Tech Co., Ltd. and SiCarrier. Per the report citing industry sources, there are concerns that these two semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies may act as agents to help Huawei obtain restricted equipment.

Currently, companies that have been listed on the entity list by the US Department of Commerce include Huawei, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), and Shanghai Micro Electronics. Additionally, China’s other major memory manufacturer, Yangtze Memory Technology Corp, was added to this restriction list in 2022.

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• [News] US Government Considers Adding ChangXin Memory Technologies to Entity List, Imposing Further Sanctions on Chinese Firms
• [News] Bypassing U.S. Restrictions? CXMT Showcases GAA Technology for 3nm Chips

(Photo credit: iStock)

NVIDIA unveiled its Blackwell architecture and the touted powerhouse AI chip GB200 at GTC 2024 held in San Jose, California, on March 19th. Manufactured using TSMC’s 4-nanometer (4NP) process, it is expected to ship later this year.

According to a report from TechNews, TSMC’s CoWoS technology comes in various forms, including CoWoS-R, CoWoS-L, and CoWoS-S, each differing in cost due to variations in the interposer material. Customers can choose the appropriate technology based on their specific requirements.

CoWoS-R, for instance, integrates InFo technology, utilizing RDL wiring in the interposer to connect chips, making it suitable for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and SoC integration.

On the other hand, CoWoS-L combines the advantages of CoWoS-S and InFO technologies, offering a cost-effective solution with the use of LSI (Local Silicon Interconnect) chips as the interposer for dense chip-to-chip connections. According to market reports, the Blackwell platform adopts CoWoS-L, as this technology is better suited for larger chiplets.

CoWoS-S, utilizing silicon as the interposer material, represents the highest cost variant and is currently the mainstream choice. Notably, NVIDIA’s H100, H200, and AMD’s MI300 chips all employ CoWoS-S.

NVIDIA’s latest Blackwell architecture features AI chips, including the B100, B200, and the GB200 with Grace CPU, all manufactured on TSMC’s 4-nanometer process. As per the industry sources cited by the report, insights suggest that production for the B100 is slated for the fourth quarter of this year, with mass production expected in the first half of next year.

Meanwhile, the B200 and GB200 are set to follow suit with mass production next year. As per a report from Tom’s Hardware, the AI computing performance of a single B200 GPU can reach 20 petaflops, whereas the previous generation H100 offered a maximum of only 4 petaflops of AI computing performance. The B200 will also be paired with 192GB of HBM3e memory, providing up to 8 TB/s of bandwidth.

TSMC’s advanced manufacturing processes and CoWoS packaging technology are expected to continue benefiting, particularly with the adoption of CoWoS-L packaging.

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• [News] TSMC’s 4nm Process Powers NVIDIA’s Blackwell Architecture GPU, AI Performance Surpasses Previous Generations by Multiples
• [News] NVIDIA and AMD Clash in AI Chip Market, as TSMC Dominates Orders with Strong Momentum in Advanced Processes

(Photo credit: TSMC)

Following NVIDIA’s launch of the new computing platform GB200, as per a report from Commerical Times, Taiwanese supply chain players including Quanta, Pegatron, Wiwynn, Wistron, Gigabyte, and Foxconn’s subsidiary Ingrasys have showcased their solutions and related cooling technologies based on the GB200 at the latest GTC conference, aiming to capture opportunities in the next-generation AI server market.

Quanta Cloud Technology (QCT), a subsidiary of Quanta Computer, demonstrated its systems and AI applications based on the NVIDIA MGX architecture, announcing support for the upcoming NVIDIA GB200 superchip and NVIDIA GB200 NVL72.

QCT showcased their NVIDIA MGX architecture systems, featuring the NVIDIA GH200 chip, employing a modular reference design. System manufacturers can utilize the NVIDIA MGX architecture to tailor models suitable for applications like generative AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and edge deployments.

Pegatron, on the other hand, has become one of NVIDIA’s global partners in advanced GPU computing technology, particularly with the latest NVIDIA GB200 chip. Reportedly, Pegatron is actively developing the GB200 NVL36, designed as a multi-node, liquid-cooled, rack-level platform dedicated to processing compute-intensive workloads. Equipped with the NVIDIA BlueField-3 data processing unit, it enables network acceleration in ultra-scale AI cloud environments and fulfills various GPU computing functionalities.

GIGABYTE, a key supplier of high-end AI GPU servers for NVIDIA last year, showcased their latest offerings at this year’s GTC exhibition. Their subsidiary, GIGABYTE Technology, unveiled the GIGABYTE XH23-VG0, a 2U server featuring the NVIDIA H100 GPU and GH200 architecture, capable of transferring data at speeds of up to 900GB per second. Additionally, they announced the readiness of their product line for the next-generation Blackwell platform, including HGX boards, superchips, and PCIe expansion cards, which will be released gradually over the coming months.

Meanwhile, Wiwynn, included in the first wave of suppliers for the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 system, showcased its latest AI server cabinet solution based on the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 at the GTC exhibition. They also presented their newest comprehensive liquid-cooled management system, the UMS100.

Ingrasys also showcased a range of innovations at the exhibition, including NVIDIA MGX architecture servers and the GB200 NVL72 solution. They also demonstrated advanced liquid cooling technologies such as the liquid-to-gas Sidecar technology and liquid-to-liquid Cooling Distribution Unit (CDU).

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• [News] TSMC’s 4nm Process Powers NVIDIA’s Blackwell Architecture GPU, AI Performance Surpasses Previous Generations by Multiples

(Photo credit: NVIDIA)

DRAM Spot Market:

The spot market has not changed noticeably from the previous week and still lacks significant demand momentum. Therefore, spot prices of DDR4 and DDR5 chips have maintained a mostly flat to slightly downward trend. Module houses also hold a conservative demand outlook, so they have yet to actively raise the spot prices of their products.

Currently, the overall price trend remains steady due to suppliers’ efforts to limit supply and prop up prices. However, more chips will be released into the spot market in 2Q24. This supply increase will be especially noticeable for DDR5 products, and spot prices, on the whole, will probably weaken as a result. The average spot price of the mainstream chips (i.e., DDR4 1Gx8 2666MT/s) fell by 0.05% from US$1.940 last week to US$1.939 this week.

NAND Flash Spot Market:

Despite enervation from end demand, quotations for NAND Flash wafers and other related products have yet to loosen under the stimulation generated by the ongoing increment of contract prices, and prices are still somewhat being supported on the whole. Additionally, provision from suppliers has not expanded significantly, where overall price dynamics are slightly better than that of DRAM spots. 512Gb TLC wafer spots have risen by 8.26% this week, arriving at US$3.840.

As TSMC and Intel slow down their plans for building fabs in the United States, the supply chain, according to a report from Nikkei Asia, is also said to delay in following suit, with semiconductor material suppliers like Topco Scientific, LCY Chemical, and Chang Chun Group among those named.

Per the same report citing statements from several industry sources, the construction of these fabs has been either postponed or significantly scaled back due to soaring costs of construction materials and labor, as well as a shortage of construction workers.

While some delays may be temporary, other fab construction projects are being thoroughly reassessed, with no specific timetable for resuming. Suppliers attribute the delays in fab construction plans to the slower-than-expected progress of Intel and TSMC in setting up their facilities.

The sources cited in the report also revealed that Solvay, a leading supplier of high-purity hydrogen peroxide for semiconductor use based in Belgium, has postponed the construction of its Arizona plant due to cost concerns and fears that Intel and TSMC’s expansion progress may take longer than expected.

Meanwhile, another major manufacturer of high-purity hydrogen peroxide for semiconductors, Taiwan’s Chang Chun Group, has significantly scaled back the construction of its new Arizona plant due to costs that have exceeded expectations by several times.

Regarding this issue, Chang Chun Group reportedly opted not to provide comments, while Solvay mentioned they are currently investigating the matter.

Topco Scientific has reportedly pointed out that it has acquired land in Arizona, USA. However, the company is currently adjusting its investment schedule for warehouse logistics in Arizona. This adjustment aligns with the progress and demand of its customers in setting up factories, as well as the local infrastructure planning, which includes water and power supply and road construction.

Per the report citing sources, TSMC originally planned to begin mass production at its Arizona plant in 2024. However, this timeline has now been postponed to 2025. Initial expectations for the second fab’s schedule were set for 2026, but it is now likely to be pushed back to 2027-2028

As per a previous report from TechNews, despite the United States outperforms Taiwan in various aspects for foundry construction, the primary obstacle is regulatory issues.

Due to the unique federal structure of the United States, foundry construction must comply with federal, state, and local regulations, resulting in an exceptionally complex regulatory process. Additionally, environmental policies pose obstacles to foundry construction, particularly due to stringent requirements for environmental protection

The report suggests that to enhance the United States’ competitiveness in the global semiconductor industry, the government needs to streamline regulatory processes, eliminate redundant regulations, and establish expedited pathways to accelerate semiconductor industry construction projects.

Additionally, there should be an acceleration of environmental review processes and investment in the development of alternative materials to ensure sustainable semiconductor material supplies.

With the continued growth in global semiconductor demand, the construction speed and efficiency of US semiconductor fabs will directly impact its position in the global market.

Read more

• [News] TSMC’s 4nm Process Powers NVIDIA’s Blackwell Architecture GPU, AI Performance Surpasses Previous Generations by Multiples
• [News] Opening of TSMC Kumamoto Plant Nears, Yet Delay in Arizona Plant – Why is US Semiconductor Fab Construction Lagging Globally?

(Photo credit: TSMC)