According to the latest investigations by TrendForce, if the COVID-19 pandemic were to cause a break in the semiconductor supply chain, the industry would then be confronted with operational difficulties; the pandemic-induced decline in commercial and social activities may also potentially push back or even lower the traditional strong seasonality, thus affecting the foundry industry’s magnitude of revenue growth in 2020. Prior to the onset of COVID-19, foundries had originally forecasted a double-digit revenue growth YoY. However, given the deferred schedule of disease containment and the uncertain recovery time for market demand, TrendForce is forecasting a 5%-9% single-digit YoY growth in foundry revenue this year, with 6.8% being the median.
According to the latest report by the LEDinside research division of TrendForce, 2020 Deep UV LED Application Market and Branding Strategies, the rapid acceleration of COVID-19 has generated a corresponding boom in the disease-prevention business. Case in point, the demand for UV-C LED (wavelength≦280 nm), a type of LED with disinfection/sterilization properties, has skyrocketed since the Lunar New Year, in turn causing massive shortages across the entire supply chain. Given the extreme shortage of UV-C LED chips, LED package suppliers looking to place orders for these chips need to exercise caution when setting chip specifications; these suppliers may also need to bear the risk of possible chip shortages. The current shortage in the UV-C LED market has led to an adjustment to UV-C LED chip quotes, in turn resulting in purchasers being unable to procure chips even with at high bid prices.
According to the DRAMeXchange research division of TrendForce, Chinese NAND Flash manufacturer YMTC submitted samples of its 128L 3D NAND products to storage controller chip suppliers in 1Q20. The company is aiming to begin wafer input in 3Q20 and start mass production by the end of the year. The initial applications being considered for the 128L process include UFS-based storage solutions and SSDs; YMTC also intends on shipping packaged dies and wafers based on this technology to module houses. Factoring in the time for adoption among OEM clients, TrendForce believes that YMTC’s 128L production could first affect contract prices of NAND wafers as early as 4Q20. Then, YMTC is expected to apply its 128L process to client SSDs, eMMC/UFS solutions, and other storage products starting from 2021. With the Chinese manufacturer poised to expand the overall supply with its latest technology, the possibility of declining prices next year has become significantly higher for most types of NAND Flash products.
According to the latest report on TV panel shipment by the WitsView research division of TrendForce, the end of the fiscal quarter in March and the near-resolution of TV panel material shortages have induced manufacturers to proactively step up their shipments, in turn raising TV panel shipment in March to 23.371 million pieces, a 16.4% increase MoM compared to February figures.
According to the latest investigations by the WitsView research division of TrendForce, disappointing 1Q20 shipment performances by panel manufacturers, combined with the continued acceleration of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and the U.S., resulted in a reduction of proposed TV panel purchases in 2Q20 by several major TV brands. Despite urgent orders for IT panels due to the increased need for telework, overall IT panel demand following the fulfillment of these urgent orders remains yet unclear. As such, the previous projection of tight large-size DDI supply in 2020 has not surfaced at the moment.