According to WitsView, a division of TrendForce, prices for mid- and large-sized LCD panels are unlikely to stop falling in 3Q19, mainly due to the trade war that raged on in 2Q. Some LCD brands have already stocked up beforehand as well as raised inventory levels of completed devices in North American regions. Adding the fact that brands are stuck with relatively high inventories of both panels and completed devices as a result of low demand, brands are reducing panel procurement for 3Q, causing restocking momentum to weaken.
WitsView , a division of TrendForce , says that demand for LTPS devices were previously expected to grow steadily in 2019 and cause utilization for LTPS production lines to climb. But due to the effects of the Huawei ban, LTPS area produced is expected to shrink starting from 3Q, with the annual area produced expected to fall by about 7.2% compared to 2018, arriving at just 8.3 million square-meters. This is the first time in recent years that LTPS area faces the risk of decline. However, it is worth observing whether panel demand will recover swiftly as the US relaxes for now the sales ban on Huawei in the wake of G20.
According to TrendForce’s latest report, current RF front end component manufacturers are gradually turning to GaAs chips as their main material of choice, according to the functional requirements of the phone component in question. As 5G becomes more and more widespread, the number of RF components used will double compared to that of the 4G era. Both of these factors are expected to herald a new period of growth for the GaAs RF component market beginning from 2020.
According to WitsView, a division of TrendForce, although the US-China trade dispute reached a ceasefire after the Trump-Xi meeting at G20, TV brands have been engaging in preemptive stocking in 2Q due to fears of a 25% tariff to be placed into effect in 3Q as well as Samsung Display's (SDC) original decision to shut down their Gen 8.5 L8-1-1 plant. This caused TV panel prices to plunge in June to an unforeseeable extent.
According to the latest investigations by DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, although the US and China have reopened trade negotiations, US server-related imports from China still face a 25% tariff, thus server ODMs will still add production lines in Taiwan as scheduled to avoid risks. North American Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as AWS and Microsoft have already begun requesting collaborating ODMs to move their L6 (Level 6) server production lines to Taiwan to avoid potential tariff costs, whereas production plans for products shipped to non-US regions will remain as is.
