Tag: industry news

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Samsung Electronics has posted surprisingly robust second-quarter profit, driven by high demand for computer chips amid the new work-from-home economy, despite coronavirus affecting smartphone sales. Beating analyst’s forecasts, the world’s largest manufacturer of memory chips, smartphones and electronic displays posted operating profit for the April-June period at 8.1tn Won ($6.8bn), up 22.7% of last year. The group’s results indicate the health of Asia’s technology sector in the second quarter, during which the pandemic battered global economies. Chip prices were strengthened by data centres stockpiling chips on account of the surge in online activity. However, analysts warn that this trend would...

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While some semiconductor sectors are showing signs of recovery, the automotive sector continues to suffer as the pandemic extends into the summer of 2020. Despite Marvell and several other chip makers showing signs of life, including new 52-week highs for stock prices, the automotive electronics sector remains stagnant. London-based market research firm Omdia forecasts a 16% drop in annual revenue for the hard-hit automotive power semiconductor segment. That equates to approximately $9.1 billion in 2020 revenues. The contraction reflects declining vehicles sales and plunging auto production, according to analysts. Earlier this year, hopes of a rebound in automotive power semiconductor...

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The 5G AI, memory, and power amplifier (PA) semiconductor market is rapidly transitioning from a nascent stage to a growth stage, according to a new report by market research firm Frost & Sullivan. This development is strongly driven by exponentially increasing data traffic, technological advancements leading to hardware performance and capability improvements, and the emergence of new use cases, the report says. Registering an unprecedented growth at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 74.3%, the market for 5G AI, memory, and PA semiconductors is projected to reach revenue of $15.03 billion by 2025, up from $536.9 million in 2019....

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Earlier this month, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced that February 2020 saw global semiconductor sales reach $34.5 billion, presenting a 2.4% decline on January 2020 sales, but an increase of 5% on February 2019 which saw sales of $32.9 billion. Monthly sales figures are recorded by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organisation and represent a rolling three-month average. The SIA represents semiconductor manufacturers, designers and researchers, with members accounting for approximately 95% of US semiconductor sales and a large growing share of sales from non-US firms. "Global semiconductor sales in February were solid overall, outpacing sales from last...

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Electronics manufacturing is particularly exposed to problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, largely thanks to a combination of just-in-time manufacturing processes and a far-flung network of suppliers. Last week, analysts at research firm S&P Global painted a bleak picture, citing a 59.5% decline in US seaborne imports from China during the first three weeks of March 2020, resulting from China's nation-wide lockdown. Meanwhile, subcontracting firms such as Foxconn, are considering moving their operations outside of China where possible. One of Apple's manufacturing partners, Wistron Corp, recently stated that half of its capacity could reside outside China within one year. Electronics...