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Prices of Lithium Battery Cells to Go Up in Second Half of 2017 Due to Seasonal Demand, TrendForce Reports

10 July 2017

The global market for lithium batteries witnessed an average price increase of 15% to 25% for battery cells in the first half of 2017 compared with the second half of 2016, according to EnergyTrend, a division of TrendForce. This rise was mainly attributed to the cobalt price hitting a five-year high. Going into the second half of 2017, the price upswing in the cobalt market is expected to start leveling off. On the other hand, seasonal demand during the same period will drive market for batteries used in x-electric vehicles (or xEV, which include plug-in hybrid electric and battery electric vehicles). EnergyTrend projects that battery cell prices on average will increase by about 10% this third quarter compared with the previous quarter and will continue to be on a gradual uptrend through the fourth quarter.

Samsung to Invest $18.6 Billion in South Korea to Widen Lead in Memory Chips and Smartphone Displays

6 July 2017

TrendForce Forecasts Global Market for AI-Powered Financial Robo-Advisors to Expand by a CAGR of 75% From 2016 to 2020

6 July 2017

The financial industry, which has been labor intensive and data driven, is one of the sectors most affected by the transformative changes brought about by artificial intelligence (AI). The latest AI market analysis by TrendForce finds that the fastest application growth for AI within the financial industry is taking place in the field of investment consultation services.

Samsung plans $18.6 billion South Korea investment to widen chip lead

5 July 2017

Suspension of Inotera’s Fab Disrupts DRAM Market; TrendForce Forecasts 5.5% Reduction in Global Production Capacity in July and Further Price Increases

5 July 2017

Inotera, which is also known as Micron Technology Taiwan, suspended the operation of Fab-2, one of its two fabrication plants in Taiwan’s Taoyuan City, on July 1. The malfunctioning of the nitrogen gas dispensing system led to the contamination of wafers and equipment in the facility. DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, estimates that Inotera has suffered a production capacity loss of around 60K wafer starts per month, out of the supplier’s previous total of 125K wafer starts per month (K = 1,000). This conservative estimate also amounts to a 5.5% cut in the global DRAM production capacity for this July. The temporary shutdown of Fab-2 is expected to aggravate the current undersupply situation in the DRAM market and cause further price increases for memory products.