TrendForce’s latest industry report on AI servers reveals that high demand for advanced AI servers from major CSPs and brand clients is expected to continue in 2024. Meanwhile, TSMC, SK hynix, Samsung, and Micron’s gradual production expansion has significantly eased shortages in 2Q24. Consequently, the lead time for NVIDIA’s flagship H100 solution has decreased from the previous 40–50 weeks to less than 16 weeks.
The AI hardware boom is in full swing: TrendForce reports that the first half of this year witnessed a robust increase in AI server orders. Looking ahead, the latter half of the year promises more to come as NVIDIA’s Blackwell GB200 servers and WoA AI-powered notebooks hit mass production and begin shipping in Q3. This surge is driving ODMs to ramp up their inventory procurement and setting the stage for a spike in orders and shipments of high-capacitance MLCCs. The outcome is a welcome stabilization of market prices and a notable uptick in ASP for suppliers.
The EU has initiated provisional countervailing duties on Chinese-made BEVs as of July 4, 2024. While new tariff percentages have been announced, they show minimal change from the rates published on June 12. The tariffs include 17.4% for BYD, 19.9% for Geely, and 37.6% for SAIC. Additionally, automakers identified as cooperating with the investigation but not sampled will face a 20.8% tariff—affecting a total of 13 companies—while other automakers not listed will be subject to a 37.6% tariff.
TrendForce reports that June saw a significant drop in lithium prices due to a focus on inventory reduction in the downstream battery sector. Weak demand for lithium salts and sluggish shipments of lithium carbonate—compounded by short-term oversupply—drove lithium carbonate prices to a new low for the year. Prices fell from over CNY 100,000 per ton last month to the range of CNY 90,000 per ton.
In 2016, TSMC developed and named its InFO FOWLP technology, and applied it to the A10 processor used in the iPhone 7. TrendForce points out that since then, OSAT providers have been striving to develop FOWLP and FOPLP technologies to offer more cost-effective packaging solutions.