A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck southern Taiwan, with its epicenter in Chiayi, at 12:17 AM on January 21, 2025. TrendForce’s preliminary assessment found that nearby wafer fabs had not suffered significant damage.
TrendForce’s latest report, “2025 Infrared Sensing Application Market and Branding Strategies,” reveals that LiDAR is gaining traction in automotive markets—including passenger vehicles and robo-taxis—as well as in industrial applications such as robotics, factory automation, and logistics. Propelled by advancements in Level 3 and higher autonomous driving systems and logistics solutions, the global LiDAR market is forecast to grow from US$1.181 billion in 2024 to $5.352 billion in 2029, achieving a robust CAGR of 35%.
TrendForce’s latest investigations have revealed the U.S. economy outperformed market expectations in December 2024, with non-farm payrolls and the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) delivering strong results. Consequently, the Federal Reserve may significantly scale back the frequency of rate cuts in 2025, prolonging a high-interest-rate environment. This scenario could dampen consumer spending and undermine corporate confidence in investment and expansion. TrendForce estimates that MLCC shipments will reach 1,146.7 billion units in 1Q25, marking a 3% QoQ decline.
TrendForce’s latest investigations reveal that nearly 90% of newly launched electric passenger car models (including BEVs, PHEVs, FCVs, and HEVs) in 2024 will feature SAE Level 2. These systems predominantly include automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping assist, although not all models will offer all three functionalities. However, the adoption of more advanced SAE Level 3 autonomous systems remains limited due to high technological barriers, unresolved regulatory challenges, and elevated vehicle costs.
TrendForce’s latest investigations reveal that the prolonged decline in the prices of Chinese EV and ESS batteries during 2024 showed signs of easing in the fourth quarter. Suppliers are expected to push for price increases to mitigate losses as global demand for EVs and energy storage is expected to grow in 2025. This is anticipated to support the prices of key battery materials—such as LFP, li-ion battery copper foil, and electrolytes—thereby stabilizing average battery cell prices in the first quarter of 2025