• The continuous AI integration of smart homes accelerates with the Matter protocol.

In the context of the modern era, smart homes are the AI applications that come second only to smartphones and smartwatches. As the penetration rate of smart home devices increases, more and more AI-enabled devices are permeating into human life, ushering in a large-scale era of personalization. The realization of smart homes not only requires smart appliances but also sensors and energy management systems. The deployment of AI will enhance recognition and control.

The diverse application scenarios of smart homes result in a wide variety of products. Despite the vast market size, there is an issue of product ecosystem fragmentation, leading to slow deployment. This can be addressed through the integration of the smart home market via the Matter protocol. As Matter facilitates communication between different devices through software protocols, the importance of software in devices will increase with the product’s AI capabilities, catering to the demands of edge AI applications.

• The RISC-V architecture is on the rise, and the form of MCUs with NPUs will continue to proliferate.

Although CPUs in MCUs are currently dominated by the Arm architecture, open-source RISC-V is gradually rising. In addition to its features such as customization, modularity, and cost-effectiveness, RISC-V is expected to become one of the advantages in smart home applications. It continues to gain support and application from many major manufacturers, expanding the ecosystem of the RISC-V architecture.

Because TinyML models are much smaller than general-purpose AI, they do not require a large amount of computational resources for deployment. This makes them suitable for IoT devices or smart homes that require large-scale deployment, with significant advantages in both technology and cost. Furthermore, with the diverse range of products in smart homes and the increasing demand for product functionality, the form of MCUs equipped with NPUs will become increasingly common as they adapt to the product’s uniqueness and evolve with AI integration.

Last month, the primary iPhone casing supplier, American company Jabil, announced that it had reached a preliminary agreement with China’s prominent EMS (Electronic Manufacturing Services) firm, BYD, to sell its Mobile Business Unit for $2.2 billion. The completion of the subsequent transaction will depend on due diligence findings and final agreement terms.

TrendForce analysis reveals that as Jabil’s main focus in its Mobile Business Unit is iPhone casing manufacturing, the successful conclusion of this deal would leave iPhone casing supply primarily in the hands of Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers, potentially bolstering China’s position in the supply chain.

Furthermore, BYD’s acquisition of Jabil’s China Metal Business not only marks its formal entry into the iPhone supply chain, expanding its presence, but also signals its aspirations to become a supplier in the iPhone assembly business.

Jabil’s main production facilities for its Mobile Business Unit are located in Wuxi and Chengdu, China. Wuxi primarily handles iPhone aluminum frame manufacturing, while Chengdu focuses on stainless steel components. This year, the iPhone 15 Pro features a titanium alloy frame for the first time, and Jabil is a key supplier for this component.

In terms of operational performance, Jabil’s Wuxi facility, due to its smaller scale compared to Foxconn and Lens Tech, and lower product prices, has underperformed expectations. Conversely, Chengdu, responsible for high-end metal components, has superior technical capabilities and better performance.

Considering Jabil Group’s global footprint and the configuration of its key customer supply chains, the company had been seeking a buyer for some time. Initially, Luxshare was a contender in the acquisition, but a consensus on the purchase price was not reached, leading BYD to secure the deal at a higher price.

TrendForce believes that BYD’s acquisition presents an opportunity to replicate Lens Tech’s experience in acquiring the Catcher’s Taizhou factory in 2020, becoming a direct supplier of iPhone casings. Given Jabil’s involvement in both high-end and low-end iPhone casing businesses, BYD might even be in a position to directly compete with Foxconn for high-end orders. This move would make it difficult for Lens Tech, which still lacks a high-end product line and advanced manufacturing processes, to join the ranks of high-end product suppliers.

In the long term, TrendForce believes that BYD, which is already an iPad EMS supplier, aims to leverage its position in critical components to venture into iPhone EMS business in the future, expanding its EMS business footprint.

(Photo credit: BYD)

On September 13th, Huawei and Xiaomi announced a global patent cross-licensing agreement that covers communication technologies, including 5G.

Huawei stated, “We are pleased to have reached this licensing agreement with Xiaomi. This agreement once again underscores the industry’s recognition of Huawei’s contributions in the field of communication standards and allows us to enhance our future research investment in mobile communication technologies.”

Xiaomi expressed, “We are delighted to have entered into a patent cross-licensing agreement with Huawei, which fully demonstrates the mutual recognition and respect for each other’s intellectual property rights. Xiaomi will continue to uphold its values regarding intellectual property, respecting intellectual property rights, seeking win-win, and building a long-term sustainable intellectual property partnership to promote technology for the benefit of a broader audience.”

Previously, on August 25th, Huawei and Ericsson announced a long-term global patent cross-licensing agreement, covering essential patents related to a wide range of standards, including 3/4/5G cellular technologies within the framework of standards organizations such as 3GPP, ITU, IEEE, IETF, and others. This agreement includes both communication network infrastructure and terminal device sales. According to the agreement, both parties license each other to use their respective standard patent technologies worldwide.

In addition to Xiaomi and Ericsson, Huawei has signed nearly 200 bilateral licensing agreements, and over 350 companies have obtained Huawei patent licenses.

According to official data, as of the end of 2022, Huawei holds over 120,000 valid authorized patents worldwide, with a significant presence in China, Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Huawei holds over 40,000 patents in both China and Europe, as well as more than 22,000 patents in the United States.

(Photo credit: Xiaomi)

Report to the media, China Times the analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, from TF International pointed out that demand for the Huawei Mate 60 Pro exceeded expectations, leading to a 20% increase in shipments in the second half of 2023, reaching 6 million units. In 2024, Huawei is set to launch new high-end phones in the P series and Mate series, with procurement reaching a scale of 30 to 40 million units.

Kuo emphasized that Taiwanese manufacturer COMPEQ will experience revenue growth thanks to Huawei’s high-end phones and Amazon’s AI servers.

Due to the Huawei Mate 60 Pro’s adoption of a 12-layer anylayer HDI motherboard, COMPEQ’s production yield is better, accounting for approximately 50% to 60% of shipments, significantly higher than the second supplier, Founder Technology.

It is expected that COMPEQ will be the largest motherboard supplier for Huawei’s new high-end P and Mate series in 2024, with contributions from Huawei’s high-end phones projected to grow by at least 150% to 200% in 2024.

COMPEQ will also enter the AI server market in 2024, becoming a long-term growth driver for the company. If successful, Amazon/AWS will be one of COMPEQ’s key customers for AI servers in 2024. (Image credit: Huawei)

(Source: https://www.ctee.com.tw/news/20230914700952-430502)

Source to Tai Sounds, in what is considered a major camera upgrade highlight for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the “periscope lens,” Apple made no mention of it during its product announcement. Industry insiders suggest that the 5x optical zoom is achieved using a periscope lens, and Apple may have chosen not to disclose this technology, possibly due to competition within the industry. Renowned analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, who is known for his deep understanding of Apple, stated that Largan Precision has expanded its production capacity to meet this order.

Kuo explained that Apple’s long-range camera for the iPhone will adopt a periscope design starting this year. This design will be used in the iPhone 15 Pro Max released this year and the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro scheduled for next year. Largan Precision, a Taiwanese manufacturer, has expanded its production facilities in both Taichung and Xiamen to accommodate this order.

During the Apple product presentation, they emphasized the 5x optical zoom capability of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, claiming it’s equivalent to having seven individual camera lenses. However, there was no mention of the key technology, the “periscope lens,” which led some market experts to believe that the iPhone 15 Pro Max did not incorporate this technology, causing a decline in optical lens-related stocks.

According to the analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo’s,  from Tianfeng Securities’ latest research on September 13th, Apple’s long-range camera for the iPhone will indeed adopt a periscope design starting this year, covering the iPhone 15 Pro Max, next year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 Pro.

In terms of technical specifications, Kuo’s analysis indicates that the periscope lenses on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 will share similar specifications, including a 1/3″ 12MP sensor, f/2.8 aperture, Sensor shift support, and 5-6x optical zoom.

Kuo also pointed out that the cost of components depends on yield rates in mass production. Based on estimates using the cost of existing periscope lenses as a reference, the total production value of various components for the rear cameras of the iPhone 15 series in the second half of this year, including CIS, VCM, lenses, and CCM, is expected to grow by 5-10%, 20-25%, 65-70%, and 20-25%, respectively.

Benefiting from more iPhone 16 Pro models adopting periscope lenses and other rear camera upgrades, the total production value of various components for the rear cameras of the new iPhone 16 series next year, including CIS, VCM, lenses, and CCM, is expected to grow by 15-20%, 15-20%, 40-45%, and 15-20%, respectively.

Kuo also explained that among all the components, the lens specifications and business models are changing the most, and the growth in production value is most significant. A complete periscope lens module includes high-priced 1G2P lenses, two high-priced prisms, and lens barrels. High-priced materials are the key drivers of production value. Apple’s lens suppliers will provide more complex assembly services for the first time, as Largan Precision and Yujingguang have expanded their production capacities in Taichung and Xiamen, respectively, to meet this order. (Image credit: Apple.com)

(Source: https://www.taisounds.com/news/content/76/80703)