The sales of x-electric vehicles (xEV) in China reached a historic high of 300,000 units in 2015. Correspondingly, the market for xEV lithium batteries witnessed surging growth in the same period. In the fourth quarter, for instance, xEV batteries for vehicles models such as passenger cars and microcars took off. Strong demand in the xEV market has put pressure on the supply of cylindrical lithium cells for IT applications (e.g. notebook and tablet batteries).
DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, reports that the global DRAM industry posted US$8.56 billion in revenue in this first quarter, down 16.6% from the previous quarter. Market oversupply and sliding average selling price were the main culprits behind the revenue decline.
With Apple almost certain to use AMOLED for the future models of iPhone series, both panel makers and rival smartphone brands worldwide have also entered the race to invest in small- and mid-size AMOLED panels. The global production capacity of small- and mid-size AMOLED panels by area is projected to grow 16.5% annually to 5.9 million square meters in 2016, according to the latest data from WitsView, a division of TrendForce.