Weekly News

Contents:

1.?Tesla Berlin will stop most of its output for two weeks due to the Red Sea disruption.

2.?Tech titans?Sequentially Enter the Smart Ring Market.

3.?BOE Constructs 8.6th Generation AMOLED Production Line in Chengdu, China.

4.?Great Wall Motors Collaborates with EPMB to Launch the First CKD Project in ASEAN.

5.?Intel challenges Nvidia and Qualcomm with 'AI PC' car chips.

1.?Tesla Berlin will stop most of its output for two weeks due to the Red Sea disruption.

Tesla will suspend most car production at its factory near Berlin from Jan. 29 to Feb. 11, the company said on Thursday, citing a lack of components due to shifts in transport routes because of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. The partial production stop is evidence that the crisis in the Red Sea has hit Europe's largest economy.

The U.S. electric vehicle maker is the first company to disclose an interruption to output due to the disruption. Many companies, including Geely, China's second-largest automaker by sales, and Swedish home furnishing company Ikea, have warned of delivery delays.

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"The armed conflicts in the Red Sea and the associated shifts in transport routes between Europe and Asia via the Cape of Good Hope are also impacting production in Gruenheide," Tesla said in a statement.

"The considerably longer transportation times are creating a gap in supply chains."

Analysts expect that other automakers could suffer fallout from the Red Sea conflict.

The company said in its statement on Thursday that production would resume in full on Feb. 12. It did not respond to requests for further detail on which components were missing or how it would restore production by then.

Comment:?

The?attacks?in the Red Sea?have forced the world's top shipping companies to avoid the Suez Canal, the fastest maritime route from Asia to Europe, which accounts for about 12% of global maritime traffic.

2.?Tech titans?Sequentially Enter the Smart Ring Market.

Smart ring models have been recently released. Huami Amazfit unveiled the HelioRing smart ring during CES 2024, claiming to be designed for "optimal athletic performance" and capable of understanding users' physical and mental conditions. It is expected to be rolled out?in early spring this year. Additionally, South Korean company VTouch introduced the WHSPRing ring at CES 2024, enabling users to converse discreetly with AI assistants.

Major smartphone manufacturers, such as Apple, Samsung, OPPO, etc., are actively entering the smart ring arena, initiating technological preparations, and even starting mass production. Western Securities believes that with leading smartphone brands progressively marching?the smart ring market, it indicates the recognition of top technology hardware companies for this emerging intelligent wearable product.

Comment:

With the impetus from smartphone giants, the smart ring industry is expected to experience accelerated growth, and 2024 is anticipated to be a pivotal year.

3.?BOE Constructs 8.6th Generation AMOLED Production Line in Chengdu, China.

BOE Technology Group and Chengdu High-Tech Zone have signed a cooperation agreement to build the world's second 8.6th generation AMOLED display device production line in Chengdu, with a total investment of 63 billion?RMB ($8.79 billion). The project will achieve mass production in the fourth quarter of 2026, targeting the medium-sized AMOLED market for high-end laptops, tablets, and other IT products. When the line is completed, Chengdu will become the country's most extensive flexible display?production base.

Comment:

In the electronic information industry field, Chengdu Province has gathered hundreds of upstream and downstream companies needed for industry development. Approximately 20-30 upstream and downstream enterprises have been founded?in Chengdu in the display industry segment.

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4.?Great Wall Motors Collaborates with EPMB to Launch the First CKD Project in ASEAN.

Recently, Great Wall Motors signed a cooperation agreement with Malaysian manufacturer EPMB to conduct completely knocked-down (CKD) assembly production locally. This marks the initiation of GWM’s?first CKD project in the ASEAN region, aimed at promoting the advancement?of Malaysia's automotive industry.

According to the agreement, EPMB will locally assemble and produce GWM's?electric vehicles and various SUV models. The project is expected to start assembly production later this year officially.

Comment:?

Great Wall Motors has achieved extensive coverage in the ASEAN market, and in 2023, it surpassed annual overseas sales of 300,000 vehicles, with cumulative overseas sales exceeding 1.4 million vehicles.? ? ? ? ? ?

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5.?Intel challenges Nvidia and Qualcomm with 'AI PC' car chips.

On January 9, during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Intel officially announced its entry into the automotive market, focusing on three major directions: intelligent cockpit chips, electric vehicle energy AI management, and an open automotive chip customization platform. Among these, intelligent cockpit chips are the primary focus.

Chinese automaker Zeekr?will be the first automaker to use Intel's AI system on a chip to create "an enhanced living room experience" in vehicles, including AI voice assistants and video conferencing, Intel's automotive business chief Jack Weast said ahead of the CES technology show in Las Vegas.

It is reported that Intel's new?automotive chip is derived from the Core chip, utilizing Intel's 7nm process technology. In the future, chip makers?intend?to offer a variety of automotive chips to car manufacturers.

Comment:

Furthermore, Intel announced the acquisition of the French startup Silicon Mobility to provide a complete in-car system solution and enhance competitiveness in the smart electric vehicle sector. This company designs system-on-chip (SoC) technology and software for controlling electric vehicle motors and in-car charging systems.