As per Chongqing News Broadcast, the San’an-ST project, with a total investment of approximately CNY 30 billion, is close to completion. The substrate factory is expected to start production this month, two months ahead of schedule.

The project, jointly developed by Chongqing San’an and ST, includes a chip factory and a substrate factory, focusing on the production of SiC power chips and substrates. The substrate factory, fully funded by San’an Semiconductor, is set to produce 480,000 8-inch SiC substrates annually.

The chip plant, a joint venture between San’an Semiconductor and ST, aims for an annual production capacity of 480,000 automotive-grade SiC MOSFET power chips.

San’an, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Hunan San’an, established Chongqing San’an for the substrate factory. The total investment for this factory is approximately CNY 7 billion, focusing on the growth and manufacturing of SiC substrates, with an annual production capacity of 480,000 8-inch SiC substrates.

San’an STMicroelectronics, a joint venture between Hunan San’an (51%) and ST (China) Investment (49%), was established in August 2023 with a registered capital of USD 612 million.

This chip factory has a total investment of USD 3.2 billion and aims for an annual revenue of CNY 13.9 billion, with an annual production capacity of 480,000 8-inch automotive-grade SiC MOSFETs.

San’an has disclosed that the project is currently in the critical stage of equipment installation and commissioning, and the substrate factory is expected to be ready for operation by the end of August, while the chip factory is projected to be fully operational by the end of November.

Read more

• [News] ST to Build a New 8-Inch SiC Facility in Italy with EUR 5 Billion
• [News] A Price War in SiC Wafer Sector seems to Start

(Photo credit: STMicroelectronics)

In a report by Bloomberg on August 29 citing sources, it’s rumored that Intel Corp. is working with investment bankers to navigate what is described as the most challenging period in its 56-year history.

Reportedly, Intel is said to be exploring various options, including spinning off its product design and foundry businesses, and canceling certain construction plans. Notably, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs have been advising Intel, with merger being one of the options on the table.

Multiple options are expected to be presented at the board meeting in September. According to sources cited by Bloomberg, Intel is unlikely to spin off its foundry business unless absolutely necessary. The company is rumored to favor more moderate approaches, such as delaying certain expansion plans.

Per another report from CNBC, during the Deutsche Bank’s Technology Conference on August 29, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger acknowledged that the past few weeks have been challenging. He then emphasized that the company is prepared to face the market’s criticism and tackle the challenges ahead.

Gelsinger further mentioned that the surge in AI has led to weaker performance in Intel’s server business, a challenge the company is still working to address. However, he remains optimistic about the future, noting that the finish line is already in sight.

He also mentioned that Intel will soon launch “Lunar Lake,” which he described as the most compelling PC product the company has ever developed.

Intel is currently facing significant challenges. On August 1, the company announced financial results that fell short of Wall Street expectations and revealed plans to cut over 15% of its workforce.

Gelsinger noted that the layoffs would impact approximately 15,000 employees. He acknowledged that Intel’s revenue growth has been below expectations and that the company has not yet benefited from trends like AI. Gelsinger highlighted issues with high costs and low profit margins as well, stating that he never anticipated an easy path ahead.

A report from Reuters also revealed that former Intel board member Lip-Bu Tan has stepped down after just two years. Tan, who was previously the CEO and executive chairman of electronic design automation (EDA) software company Cadence Design Systems Inc..

Read more

• [News] Lip-Bu Tan Resigns from Intel Board Amid Reported Disagreements
• [News] Intel’s Earnings Fall Short, Cutting Over 15% of Workforce

(Photo credit: Intel)

As per a report from Bloomberg citing sources, Finnish telecommunications company Nokia is said to be having discussions on potential options for selling its mobile network business, of which is estimated to be valued at around USD 10 billion.

The sources cited in the report indicated that Nokia has been discussing various options for handling its mobile network assets with advisors. Its mobile network division has been facing tough competition from larger rivals like Huawei in recent years. Possible scenarios under consideration by Nokia include partial or full sale, spin-off, or merger with a competitor.

Sources further reveal that Samsung has shown preliminary interest in acquiring part of Nokia’s mobile network assets to expand its presence in radio networks, which connect user phones to telecommunications infrastructure. Additionally, any asset sale by a competitor naturally attracts interest from rivals.

Regarding the rumor, a Samsung representative declined to comment, while a Nokia spokesperson stated that the company is committed to the success of its mobile network business, which holds high strategic importance for the company.

In a statement released after publication, Nokia stated to Bloomberg that it has “nothing to announce” and mentioned that there is “no related insider project.”

Nokia, which was once the world’s top mobile phone supplier, eventually sold its mobile phone business after losing market share to Apple and Samsung. Since then, the company has shifted its focus to producing equipment for communication networks, including the hardware that transmits signals for mobile devices.

During the early phase of the 5G upgrade, demand from telecom service providers in the mobile communications market was strong.

However, this demand has begun to decline, reportedly due to delays in network upgrades, especially in Europe. This further suggests that Nokia may need to seek new business opportunities to reduce its reliance on the telecom network deployment market.

Read more

• [News] ST to Build a New 8-Inch SiC Facility in Italy with EUR 5 Billion
• [News] A Price War in SiC Wafer Sector seems to Start

(Photo credit: Nokia)

On August 27, AI server giant Supermicro was accused of accounting violations, inadequate disclosure of related party transactions, and evading sanctions by selling products to Russia by short-seller Hindenburg Research.

In addition, Supermicro announced on August 28 that it would delay the release of its annual report, potentially facing order withdrawals. Industry sources also believe this news presents a chance for Supermicro’s competitor Dell to gain market share.

Besides Dell, a report from Commercial Times also points out that Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) could benefit from the shift in orders, potentially boosting shipments for its Taiwanese supply chain partners such as Wistron, Inventec, Quanta, and Foxconn.

The report from Commercial Times also cite sources, suggesting that this shift could provide Gigabyte, which is actively promoting its liquid-cooled products for NVIDIA’s H200 series, with  opportunities in the second half of the year.

Wistron, as a key supplier of motherboard and GPU accelerator cards for NVIDIA’s Hopper and Blackwell GPU, is not only a major supplier for Supermicro’s server motherboards but also for Dell. Its clients include HPE and Lenovo as well, which makes the company one of the primary beneficiaries.

Similarly, Inventec, one of the server motherboard suppliers, is also expected to benefit if the shift in orders boosts Dell, HPE, and Lenovo.

Moreover, one of Supermicro’s largest clients, CoreWeave, is transitioning to become a cloud computing service provider specializing in GPU-accelerated computing.

This shift has increased demand for GPU-accelerated computing and liquid cooling solutions. Reportedly, it’s believed that Gigabyte, which holds orders from CoreWeave, could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the upcoming order shift.

Read more

• [News] Supermicro Faces Order Withdrawal Crisis, Potentially Benefiting Dell
• [News] Quick Couplings’ Buying Surge Reportedly Leads to AI Server Component Shortage Brought up by Supermicro

(Photo credit: Supermicro)

According to a report from the China Business Network, Huawei, seems to have overcome the pressure of U.S. sanctions, as it posted strong financial results in the first half of 2024 on August 29.

The report shows that Huawei’s revenue for the first half of the year reached CNY 417.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 34.3%. The net profit was CNY 55.1 billion, up 18.2% year-on-year, marking the best performance for this period in the company’s history.

It is further reported that Huawei’s revenue for the first half of the year has already surpassed the CNY 401.3 billion recorded in the first half of 2019, second only to the CNY 454 billion in the first half of 2020.

This is also the first time in history that Huawei’s net profit for the same period has exceeded CNY 50 billion, higher than the CNY 46.6 billion recorded in the first half of last year. The net profit margin for the first half of this year reached 13.2%.

Huawei’s rotating chairman, Xu Zhijun (Eric Xu), stated that the group’s overall operating performance met expectations.

He then pointed out that Huawei will continue to implement its high-quality strategy, continuously optimize its industrial portfolio, strengthen development resilience, and build a prosperous business ecosystem, providing more competitive products and solutions for its customers.

Currently, Huawei divides its business into five segments: ICT Infrastructure Business, Consumer Business, Cloud Computing Business, Digital Power Business, and Intelligent Automotive Solution Business.

Huawei did not disclose the revenue details for each business segment. However, according to last year’s annual report, the consumer business remains the main revenue driver, while Huawei Cloud has shown the fastest growth.

On the other hand, according to a recent report released by Seres, the new company under Huawei’s Intelligent Automotive Solution Business – Shenzhen Yinwang Intelligent Technology Co Ltd – achieved revenue of CNY 10.43 billion in the first half of 2024, a tenfold increase compared to the same period last year. The company’s net profit reached CNY 2.231 billion, with a net profit margin of 21.38%.

Read more

• [News] Huawei Rumored to Launch New High-End AI Chip, Potentially Rivaling NVIDIA’s H100
• [News] Huawei’s Shanghai R&D Center Nears Operation; Talent Apartments Set for September Completion

(Photo credit: Huawei)