SK Hynix has expressed an intention to expand its investment in its 8” foundry business. System IC, a foundry affiliate of SK Hynix, has secured price competitiveness by moving its plant from Cheongju to China. However, SK Hynix has said that it has no plan to promote a 12” wafer-based foundry business or an advanced process foundry business that requires large-scale investment. In detail, SK Hynix will supply high-capacity multi chip packages (MCPs) based on 12GB starting from 2Q21. It has decided to increase production of third-generation (1z) 10nm products. It will start mass-producing fourth-generation (1a) products within 2021 by utilizing EUV technology. (CN Beta, The Elec, Business Korea)
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has indicated that the company wants EUR8B (USD9.7B) in public subsidies towards building a semiconductor factory in Europe, as the region seeks to reduce its reliance on imports amid a shortage of supplies. (Reuters, Yahoo)
According to Counterpoint Research, global smartphone AP (Application Processor) / SoC (System on Chip) chipset shipments will grow 3% YoY in 2021, factoring in the impact of supply constraint, rapid growth of 5G smartphones and related competitive dynamics. MediaTek is likely to continue its 4Q20 momentum into 2021 and likely to capture 37% unit share of all the smartphone AP / SoC shipped for the full the year. They also estimate Qualcomm to increase its 5G SoC market share to grow to 30% mark in 2021, with 5G solutions across the tiers, from Snapdragon 8-series down to 4-series. (Laoyaoba, Counterpoint Research)
