Author: Claire Anderson

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As of September 15th 2020, non-US suppliers can no longer ship goods to Huawei if their products contain US technology. The US chip ban threatens to cut off supplies of key electronic components to Huawei's smartphones - from semiconductors to displays, to camera lenses, and vital printed circuit boards. How will the tech giant survive the crisis? In the short term, Huawei could rely on its stockpiles. The firm has been stockpiling chips since the end of 2018. In fact, in the past 3 months, its last-minute chip orders increased Taiwan's overall growth by 30% year-on-year. According to Gai Keke,...

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The building of the UK's first commercial-scale refinery for extracting precious metals from e-waste has resumed following Covid-19 delays, and is expected to be operational within 12 months. Mint Innovation, a New-Zealand based start-up, is delivering the facility, located in Cheshire. Mint has developed a new process for extracting metals from mixed waste, using bacteria and water-based solutions, and combining hydrometallurgy and biotechnology, rather than traditional methods which use harmful cyanide. The new method involves grinding feedstocks into a fine, sand-like powder before inserting the material into a sealed device where a chemical leaching process can be used to remove...

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Orders for components and materials from manufacturers of consumer electronics products such as true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds, wearables and smartwatches are starting to pick up, following the recovery of previously delayed end-market demand, according to upstream supply chain sources. Suppliers also expect a surge in orders from the automotive electronics industry in 2021, as clients' inventory is gradually depleting, the sources added. Many channel retailers have also been strengthening their deployments in Southeast Asia, and are developing new consumer products to meet local needs, providing new orders for materials and components. But for the handset business, the situation may...

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A new study from market research firm Global Market Insights reveals that demand for haptic technology is forecast to rise from its current market value of over $7 trillion to over $10 trillion by 2026, gaining remarkable traction between 2020 and 2026. Thanks to growing demand for haptics in the gaming industry and increased use of haptic systems in consumer electronic devices such as tablets and smartphones, the haptics market is set to enjoy exponential growth in coming years. Haptic technology seeks to simulate the sensation of touch using multiple mechanisms. Along with other sensory mechanisms, haptics can be used...

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The first half of 2020 saw sales of the top-10 semiconductor companies rise by 17% compared to the same period last year, over 3 times the total worldwide semiconductor industry increase of 5%, reports IC Insights. (Source: IC Insights, 2020) All of the top-10 firms had sales of at least $5 billion during 1H20; two more than 1H19. It took $5.2 billion in first half sales to make it onto the list. HiSilicon was the only new entrant in the top-ten rankings, replacing Infineon. HiSilicon is the China-based semiconductor design division of telecommunications giant Huawei. More than 90% of HiSilicon's...