VW's Supply Chain Woes
Can Volkswagen Solve Auto Chip Supply Chain?
By Junko Yoshida
Volkswagen's Cariad software unit has struck a deal with STMicroelectronics and TSMC. The partnership presents advantages and pitfalls for all parties
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Intel Tripped by ‘Execution’ Challenges; Can it Rise Again?
By Bolaji Ojo
Intel's second quarter results were the worst in years, triggering questions about its future.
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House Approves CHIPS Act
By George Leopold
President Biden lauds passage, expects to sign semiconductor legislation in coming days.
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Intel Optane Dominates Emerging-Memory Market
By Gary Hilson
The only commercially available phase-change memory still faces hurdles competing against DRAM, NAND.
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Software Doomed CEO, But It’s China That Will Cripple VW
By Junko Yoshida
The biggest challenges facing a new VW CEO include penetrating the China market, software development, and overcoming the automaker’s hidebound corporate culture.
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The Innovation Smokescreen
By David Benjamin
Innovation has devolved from a term that means 'making something new from something old' into a sort of rhetorical furniture polish.
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TSMC: The Foundry Fortress Built on Advanced Technologies
By Bolaji Ojo
The Taiwanese juggernaut is posed to dominate the global foundry business for the foreseeable future.
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Podcast: You're a RISC-V Member. Should You Join Open Hardware Group?
By Junko Yoshida
We asked Rick O'Connor what motivated him to start Open Hardware Group, and why the world needs it.
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What Caught Our Eye This Week
LG Eyes Growing Euro Battery Demand
Responding to Covid lockdowns in China, Seoul-based LG Energy Solutions announced this week it is looking to ramp EV battery production in Europe.
The move is significant since the LG unit supplies batteries to established and emerging EV manufacturers, including Tesla, Lucid, Ford Motor Co. and GM. The Korean manufacturer also said it was responding to increased European demand for new battery form factors such as cylindrical configurations.
"With the easing chip shortage and auto customers' plans to launch new models as well as solid EV demand among customers, we expect solid demand for pouch and cylindrical EV batteries in the second half of this year," CEO Lee Chang Sil said during an earnings call.No timeframe or investment total was provided. Along with a new lithium iron phosphate production facility in China, LG also plans a new LFP battery production line at its Michigan factory.
Chips Stocks: Light at the End of the Tunnel?
Relatively safe bets populate a list of chip technology stocks expected to emerge from the chip industry’s current down cycle, along with a sprinkling of embedded and renewable-energy specialists. The blue-chippers include foundry giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., key chip equipment supplier ASML and graphics leader Nvidia.
Also expected to bounce back are Intel’s key CPU rival, AMD, along with Marvell Technology.
Wide-bandgap chip maker Wolfspeed is also seen as a good bet with demand growing for gallium nitride and silicon carbide materials.Meanwhile, sustainable energy companies leveraging silicon photonics also dominate the prospectus, including First Solar, SolarEdge and SunPower.
Market Watch:?Semiconductor stocks have been hit hard, but many are poised for rapid growth. Here are 15 expected to shine through 2024
Smartphone Demand Cools
Qualcomm’s quarterly financial results announced this week were strong, but the mobile chip specialist foresees softening demand in its fourth quarter. For its fiscal third quarter ended June 26, Qualcomm reported revenue of $10.9 billion, up 36 percent from a year ago.
However, Qualcomm is forecasting fourth-quarter revenue below previous estimates as smartphone sales slow in response to recession worries.
Reuters?reported that smartphone sales are “under pressure as runaway inflation, growing recession risks and repeated COVID-19 lockdowns in China force consumers to rein in spending.” Citing data from IDC, the news service added, “Global smartphone shipments will fall 3.5% this year.”
The good news for Qualcomm is its diversification strategy is working. The chip maker posted “record automotive and IOT revenues” in the third quarter, said Cristiano Amon, president and CEO. The company’s handset chip business still accounts for more than half of total sales.
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