The global wafer foundry industry will grow by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5% from 2024 to 2029, reaching US$270 billion, driven by AI and high-performance computing (HPC) applications that will gear up demand for advanced processes and advanced packaging making them the primary growth driver for the sector, according to DIGITIMES Research's latest report forecasting the global wafer foundry industry performance until 2029.
DIGITIMES Research, by synthesizing supply chain information, regional market conditions, and analyzing global political and economic trends, forecasts that global smartphone shipments will reach 1,181.4 million units in 2024, marking a growth of 4.9%. Looking ahead over the next five years, there is an anticipated demand for feature phone users in regions such as India, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa to upgrade to smartphones, while the ongoing deployment and expansion of 5G networks in these markets are expected to further drive their smartphone shipments. DIGITIMES Research estimates that the global annual shipment growth rate will range between 3% and 4%, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.6%
US President-elect Donald Trump's policies tend to prioritize "America First" and "Made in America," with the objective of protecting domestic industrie
"Quality" is the foundation of all manufacturing industries. Companies initiate product plans from their R&D departments, working collaboratively through production teams, suppliers, and customers to meet the Six Sigma requirements, ultimately aiming for "zero defects" when presenting products to consumers and users
The semiconductor industry began in the early 1970s and is now the largest segment among Zeiss's four major divisions. Under President Andreas Pecher's arrangement, I met CTO Thomas Stammler at a factory producing semiconductor EUV equipment, along with Quanta's Vice President of Corporate Quality, JJ Wei
Recently reports have emerged that the Biden administration has proposed a controversial plan to bolster Intel by merging its chip design division with AMD's corresponding departments. While both companies have established collaborative foundations, this speculation appears worrisome from both the market and technical perspectives
As we enter the era of artificial intelligence, major companies such as Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, AWS, and Tesla are seizing vast resources, aiming for market dominance. However, as long as the market remains stable, two types of companies will still profit within the global technology industry
TSMC's earnings call for the third quarter of 2023 underscored a core message: "AI is Real." As AI demand surges, the expansion of data centers has become crucial. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang highlighted that data centers will evolve into next-generation computing units, forming a virtualized network for AI computation
Zeiss president Andreas Pecher asked me how DIGITIMES observes Zeiss. I replied that it could gradually transition from an R&D focus to application markets, striking an appropriate balance between measurement and inspection technologies
Following Donald Trump's election victory, TSMC's future operations face heightened uncertainty. While TSMC has increased its market share in advanced processes due to chip export controls against China and the foundry challenges faced by Samsung and Intel, risks related to geopolitics and market concentration have intensified. How can TSMC mitigate its operational risks during the upcoming presidential term
I recently attended Zeiss's Quality Innovation Summit in Berlin, where I delivered a one-hour presentation titled "Reshaping Global ICT Supply Chain." Through arrangements made by the general manager of Zeiss Taiwan, PT Cheong, I met with three high-level decision-makers including Zeiss president Andreas Pecher and industrial quality solutions (IQS) head Marc Wawerla before my speech
Meta's XR division, Reality Labs, remains unprofitable despite revenue growth, with Quest 3 sales driving a 30% increase in the first quarter and 28% in the second quarter of 2024 over 2023. These gains were offset by high operating expenses, leading to a US$4.5 billion loss in the second quarter alone
Intel is grappling with an operational crisis as its IDM 2.0 transformation plan has yet to yield results, casting doubt on when its foundry business might finally become profitable. This raises the question of whether Intel should consider abandoning its IDM model and separating its product design and manufacturing divisions—a move with both potential advantages and drawbacks. Industry leaders, including former board members, are offering advice in hopes of helping Intel find a viable path forward. However, the conflicting nature of their advice highlights the complexity of the company's dilemma
With the US presidential election on the horizon, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris have drawn attention for their stances on Taiwan's semiconductor industry. Interest surged following Trump's controversial July 2024 interview, where he accused Taiwan of "taking away" US chip business and suggested Taiwan would need to pay for US protection
From the 14nm generation to the present, Samsung's attempts to capture Apple's orders have often been thwarted. Since the launch of Apple's A10 Fusion chip in 2016, TSMC has monopolized major contract manufacturing deals while Samsung has continued to face setbacks
