As indicated by the survey of global market intelligence firm TrendForce, chip suppliers such as AMD have been actively involved in negotiations with TSMC and OSAT throughout 2Q24 on chip packaging using the FOPLP technology, with major partnership models and items shown below:
Model 1: OSATs transitioning from traditional packaging method to FOPLP when packaging consumer ICs: AMD is currently negotiating with PTI and ASE on PC CPUs, whereas Qualcomm is talking it over with ASE on PMIC. Prior to this wave of demand, MediaTek had been worked with PTI on PMIC, while Qualcomm was already a partner of ASE pertaining to PMIC.
Model 2: foundries and OSATs transitioning from 2.5D wafer level to panel level when packaging AI GPUs: AMD and NVIDIA are currently negotiating with TSMC and SPIL on packaging AI GPUs by switching from the existing 2.5D wafer level to panel level, followed by an expansion in chip packaging sizes.
Model 3: panel providers packaging consumer ICs: NXP and STMicroelectronics are negotiating with Innolux on PMIC products.
Optical module is an indispensable component for achieving optical communication. However, corresponding issues are becoming increasingly apparent alongside the continuously climbing usage and growing transmission performance. This report, aside from probing into the development bottlenecks of existing optical module solutions, also focuses on the dynamics of three major solutions - LPO, OBO, and CPO - and their supply chains.
Under the influence of growing AI-related demand and the slowing pace of node migration under Moore’s Law, achieving lower power consumption and higher transistor counts on a single chip has become a major challenge. To address this, 3D stacking architecture has emerged as a key technology. TSMC anticipates that within the next several years, a single chip could contain as many as 200 billion transistors. Furthermore, TSMC aims to reach a milestone of over 1 trillion transistors through 3D packaging.
As the AI chip architectures for the integration of memory and logic ICs advance from 2.5D to 3D, breakthroughs in the development of hybrid bonding will be critical. This report examines the implications of these technological advancements, focusing on the growth in the demand for hybrid bonding and related processes as well as how this trend affects equipment providers.
TSMC president C.C. Wei was questioned by analysts about the potential introduction of High-NA EUV during TSMC’s 4Q23 earnings call. He responded, “Because of technology itself is no value. Only when that can serve your customer. So we always work with our customers to give them the best transistor technology and the best power-efficient technology and at a reasonable cost, okay? And more importantly, the technology maturity that—in the high-volume production, that's all important. Everything. Everything counted together. So we—every time we know that there are some new structure, new tools such a high-NA EUV, we look at it carefully, look at the maturity of the tools, look at the cost of the tools and look at the schedule of that—how to achieve it. We always make the right decision at the right moment to serve our customers.”
1. Status-quo of the Cloud AI Chip Market
2. Developments of Cloud AI Chipmakers Worldwide
3. Developments of CSPs’ Self-designed AI Chips
4. TRI’s View
FPGAs have diverse functions and are widely used in various fields, and is increasing in importance with the continuous advancement of electronic devices. This report mainly analyzes the product characteristics of FPGAs, explores their long-term development trends, and also focuses on the development dynamics of the global FPGA market and key suppliers.
1. Market Status of Cloud AI Chips
2. AI ASIC Suppliers
3. IC Design Service Providers
4. Memory IP Providers
5. TRI’s View
As international geopolitical risks rise, Apple is beginning to face the issue of supply chain relocation. Since 2000, Apple has established a complete supply chain layout in China. Before the outbreak of the epidemic, the assembly factory located in Zhengzhou of Henan provided sufficient production capacity for iPhones every year, allowing the products to be exported worldwide. However, the factory's capacity utilization rate continued to decline after the outbreak of the epidemic. In November 2022, a large-scale protest erupted due to some employees' dissatisfaction with wages and epidemic restrictions, leading to serious problems in the supply chain. Apple realized that it could no longer concentrate a large amount of production capacity on a single supplier or region, so it accelerated the relocation of its supply chain.
Silicon photonics, which emerges from the synthesis of silicon-based integrated circuits and semiconductor lasers, plays a pivotal role in advancing semiconductor technologies. This report aims to analyze the development and applications of silicon photonics. It also examines how Taiwan leverages its strengths—such as a robust semiconductor industry, a complete electronics supply chain, and a well-established optoelectronics industry—to seize opportunities in the development of silicon photonics. Furthermore, the analysis includes a review of corporate investments and strategic planning in this emerging field.
Demand for large panel driver ICs is set to rise sequentially throughout 2024, with ample overall supply. However, uncertainty in end-user demand has led to conservative stocking practices in the supply chain, fostering a reliance on short-term, rush orders—a practice that threatens long-term supply chain health.
In 2023, mobile TDDI chips benefited significantly from active repair and second-hand markets, resulting in annual shipments far exceeding intial forecasts. The release of lower-cost capacities by Chinese wafer foundries has helped sustain robust demand for mobile TDDIs through 2023 to 2024. Nonetheless, intense comptition in this segment has escalated price wars.
For AMOLED driver ICs, the introduction of new production capacities has boosted demand as AMOLED smartphone panel penetration increases. Currently, the market faces no-short-term supply shortages. As more suppliers enter the AMOLED DDI market, prices continue to decline. Maintaining profitability in AMOLED DDI production remains a critical challenge for IC manufacturers, especially with stable wafer prices.