Driven by forces such as the pandemic, geopolitics, and the digital transformation of everyday life, there has been a shortage of global foundry production capacity for nearly two years and shortages have been especially severe for mature 1Xnm~180nm nodes, according to TrendForce's investigations. Although all foundries are furiously increasing capital expenditures to expand capacity, unrealized future expansion does not ease existing supply issues. In addition, the uneven distribution of supply chain resources that has exacerbated the shortage of parts and components has yet to be definitively alleviated. Circumstances as a whole will continue affecting shipments of related whole devices. Only the PC category is expected to emerge largely unscathed in 1Q22.

Moving into 1Q22, TrendForce states, due to the limited increase in production capacity, the market's supply situation is expected to be approximately the same as in 4Q21. However, some end products have entered their traditional off-season cycle and the slowdown in demand momentum is expected to alleviate the immediate pressure on OEMs and ODMs regarding supply chain stocking.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions today announced AORUS RGB DDR5 6000 MHz 32 GB Memory Kit, which uplift frequency to 6000 MHz with RGB lighting for performance boost and striking accents. Enhanced by DDR5 XMP Booster and XMP 3.0 User Profile of GIGABYTE Z690 motherboards, and copper-aluminium heat spreaders with nano-carbon coating thermal design, the new memory kit promises the next-level performance with stability while dissipating heat efficiently under high-speed operation.

AORUS RGB DDR5 6000 MHz 32 GB Memory Kit features high clock speed and low power consumption by two 16 GB DDR5 XMP 6000 MHz dual-channel designs with 40-40-40-76 timings, which fit the support of DDR5 memory on Intel Z690 platform. Along with GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS motherboards, AORUS RGB DDR5 6000 MHz 32 GB memory kit can enable "DDR5 XMP Booster" function which detect the brand of memory IC in the BIOS setting to allow users to choose promptly from multiple built-in memory overclocking profiles, boosting the native DDR5 or XMP DDR5 memory speed. Furthermore, "XMP 3.0 User Profile" enables users to create and store XMP profiles of their own to unleash the extreme performance of memories.

LG Display, the world's leading innovator of display technologies, announced today that it will be showcasing its latest innovations at CES 2022. Under the theme of "Display Your Universe", LG Display will be introducing innovative solutions that not only cater to people's constantly-evolving needs and various lifestyles, but also propose new experiences set to redefine the way people do ordinary tasks in their daily lives.

The company will be highlighting its differentiated and cutting-edge technologies to enhance people's lives - including OLED.EX, the next phase of OLED's evolution; Transparent and Flexible OLED solutions that break away from spatial limitations; IPS Black, its new high-end LCD technology for IT products; new Gaming OLED displays, as well as a 17-inch Foldable OLED display for laptops.

The semicondustor market in 3Q21 is red hot with total revenue of the global top 10 IC design (fabless) companies reaching US$33.7 billion or 45% growth YoY, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. In addition to the Taiwanese companies MediaTek, Novatek, and Realtek already on the list, Himax comes in at number ten, bringing the total number of Taiwanese companies on the top 10 list to 4.

Qualcomm has been buoyed by continuing robust demand for 5G mobile phones form major mobile phone manufacturers with further revenue growth from its processor and radio frequency front end (RFFE) departments. Qualcomm's IoT department benefited from strong demand in the consumer electronics, edge networking, and industrial sectors, posting revenue growth of 66% YoY, highest among Qualcomm departments. In turn, this drove Qualcomm's total 3Q21 revenue to US$7.7 billion, 56% growth YoY, and ranking first in the world.

As the global vaccination rate rose, and border restrictions in Europe and North America eased, social activities also began to enter a period of recovery, with the consumer electronics market seemingly ready for the arrival of the traditional peak season in 2H21, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. At the same time, however, the global supply chain was affected by delays in maritime transport, skyrocketing shipping costs, and component shortages, in addition to already-prohibitive price hikes for certain components in 1H21. Given the parallel rise in both material and manufacturing costs, the market for end products has not undergone the expected cyclical upturn in 2H21. Even so, the overall demand for and shipment of smartphones, notebook computers, and monitors experienced QoQ increases in 3Q21, thereby driving up businesses for major OSAT (outsourced semiconductor assembly and test) companies. For 3Q21, the revenues of the top 10 OSAT companies reached US$8.89 billion, a 31.6% YoY increase.

For those who do not familiar with PC DIY users, MSI also offers pre-built systems. The only thing that customers should worry about is what games you should play and MSI will take over the rest parts. MSI desktop line-up fully implements the concept of G.A.M.E. unlimited into the products, including performance, aesthetics, connectivity, and experience. A prebuild PC user only just enjoys the plug-and-play experience, the rest of the software and hardware integrated MSI will help you to complete the processing, while you get the product.

The new MSI gaming desktops are equipped with Intel's latest 12th Gen Alder Lake processors. The advanced Intel 7 process technology with hybrid architecture combining P-Core (Performance) and E-Core (Efficiency) increases multi-thread performance by up to 47%. The gaming performance also has more than 13% increase compared to the previous generation. The full lineup of K Series gaming desktops adopted DDR5 memory with read speed up to 60% higher than the previous generation equipped with DDR4. This can provide players with faster data reading. In addition, the MSI 12th Gen gaming desktops are all equipped with Windows 11. The Direct Storage technology can help players quickly read the games while the Auto HDR function can even improve SDR game scenes to HDR quality. This time MSI launched the all new 12th Gen Series Intel unlocked processors models including MEG Aegis Ti5, MEG Trident X and MAG Codex X5. All of these models embody the G.A.M.E. Unlimited sprit to bring gamers to the new era of gaming.

PNY today announces specifications and availability for its upcoming Desktop Performance and XLR8 Gaming DDR5 memory products. The three models include the overclocked XLR8 Gaming MAKO and MAKO RGB models, running at 5600 MHz and a CAS latency of 36, as well as the PNY Performance model that follows JEDEC standards.

The XLR8 Gaming MAKO and MAKO RGB modules have been designed to meet the needs of gamers and enthusiasts. The designs for both modules feature aluminium heat spreaders with elements inspired by the powerful, fast and aggressive Mako shark from which they get their name. An XLR8 logo and GAMING text is proudly emblazoned on the side of the module and silver angled relief lines are machined into the heatspreader to reflect other components' lighting and provide unmatched flair and style.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers (Hong Kong Stock Code: 1337), today unveiled three new additions to its Productivity range with the new Pro Click Mini wireless mouse, the Pro Type Ultra wireless keyboard, and the Pro Glide XXL mouse mat. The new Pro range features multi-device wireless connectivity, extended battery life, and a quieter sound profile. Coupled with Razer's expertise in producing high-performance, durable, ergonomic hardware, the new Pro range delivers the ideal work, home office, or mobile peripherals for today's flexible workspace locations.

As people continue to work from home, high-quality keyboards and mice have become more important to increase productivity and ensure a smoother, faster workflow. The new Pro range from Razer features the latest in hardware and software technology, honed from Razer's years of experience producing pro-level gaming devices. Combining industry-leading ergonomic designs with modern, sleek styling and high-performance gaming technologies, the Pro range delivers the comfort, battery-life and precision to enable users to win at work.

Fancy some extra RGB lighting to make your home pop just a little bit more than your PC can provide? Then the Nanoleaf Lines might be what you've been waiting for, as these modular RGB LED strips are wall mountable and customisable to your liking.

They serve as much purpose as RGB lights in your PC, although they could obviously be used for mood lighting, albeit a very expensive set of mood lighting. The Lines feature a built-in controller, but can also be controlled by an app, or via most of the popular home assistants through voice. It's also possible to sync the lighting effects with both music and what's being displayed on your screen. Finally there's Razer Chroma Connect integration.
Each Line has two LED zones that can display individual colours and the starter kit comes with a total of nine Lines, which will set you back US$199.99, with a set of three extra Lines going for US$69.99.

The Alphacool Eisblock Aurora acrylic GPX water cooler with backplate is now also available for MSI Radeon RX 6700 XT Gaming X graphics cards.

More performance! Voltage converters and V-RAM is now cooled much better and more effectively with liquid cooling. This is due to the components being brought closer to the cooler through the use of thinner, yet more powerful Thermal pads. The reduction of the thickness of the nickel-plated copper block to 5.5mm and the constant optimisation of the water flow within the heat sink promise a significant increase in performance. In addition to performance, design also plays an important role. The addressable digital RGB LEDs are embedded directly in the cooling block and give the cooler its very own visual touch.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced an all-new gaming peripherals lineup that channels the minimalist feel of monochrome through a striking Moonlight White color scheme. The ROG Strix Scope NX TKL 80%, tenkeyless mechanical RGB gaming keyboard, ROG Strix Impact II ambidextrous gaming mouse, ROG Strix Go Core gaming headset and ROG Cetra II Core in-ear gaming headphones are all now available in North America in this stunning colorway.

ROG has a long history of weaving Aura Sync into a huge ecosystem of devices to let gamers shine a light on their personalities through their gear - but many players also seek a minimalist look. That's why the ROG color palette is expanding to include the Moonlight White series, providing a commanding counterpart to the signature red-and-black color scheme.

The Genesis Krypton 290 is the model from the 200 series. In its ergonomic case you will find a 6400 DPI sensor, in-built memory for storing settings, as well as switches which provide effortless work for a long time. The set is complete with LED illumination with the signature PRISMO effect.

The Genesis Krypton 290 gaming mouse is a light (99 g) design with a symmetrical shape. The model is equipped with seven programmable buttons which can be configured with the use of the manufacturer's software. It also allows for recording of macros as well as changing the illumination settings and saving those options in the in-built memory. There are 16 million colors to choose from. The roller, logo on the top, as well as a LEDs running along the base are illuminated.

If it wasn't bad enough that we're in the middle of a pandemic, which has resulted in major shipping issues globally and a semiconductor shortage, it now looks like electronics are likely to get even more expensive due to skyrocketing prices of many rare earth metals.
Nikkei is reporting that many often overlooked materials, such as neodymium and the lesser known praseodymium, have increased by almost 74 percent since the same time last year and that's only one of several key materials that have increased in price by 50 percent or more in a year.

It's no secret that lithium has increased in price and it now costs about 150 percent of what it was costing last year. However, many other, less obvious materials have also increased in price, with copper up over 37 percent and tin up almost 82 percent in a year. To TPU's readers this mainly means that you can expect higher costs for PCBs and all the components that are soldered onto them, as tin is used to solder just about every component in place.

The panic buying of chips persisted in 2Q21 owing to factors such as post-pandemic demand, industry-wide shift to 5G telecom technology, geopolitical tensions, and chronic chip shortages, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. Chip demand from ODMs/OEMs remained high, as they were unable to meet shipment targets for various end-products due to the shortage of foundry capacities. In addition, wafers inputted in 1Q21 underwent a price hike and were subsequently outputted in 2Q21. Foundry revenue for the quarter reached US$24.407 billion, representing a 6.2% QoQ increase and yet another record high for the eighth consecutive quarter since 3Q19.

Samsung Electronics today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021. Total consolidated revenue was KRW 63.67 trillion, a 20% increase from the previous year and a record for the second quarter. Operating profit increased 34% from the previous quarter to KRW 12.57 trillion as market conditions improved in the memory market, operations normalized at the Austin foundry fab, and as effective global supply chain management (SCM) helped maintain solid profitability for the finished product businesses.

The Semiconductor business saw a significant improvement in earnings as memory shipments exceeded previous guidance and price increases were higher than expected, while the Company strengthened its cost competitiveness. For the Display Panel Business, a one-off gain and an increase in overall prices boosted profits.

The massive rise in market demand for notebook computers in response to distance learning needs and WFH applications from 2020 to 2021 has generated not only a double-digit growth in notebook panel shipment, but also a price hike of more than 40% for notebook panels, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. As various suppliers subsequently scramble to manufacture OLED, LTPS, and oxide panels, TrendForce forecasts these high-end notebook panels to reach a 17.8% market share in 2021 and 21.4% in 2022.

Panels based on OLED technology are primarily supplied by SDC, whose OLED notebook panel shipment for 2020 reached 800,000 pcs. SDC is expected to ship more than four million pcs of OLED notebook panels in 2021, with room for further growth in 2022. In addition to SDC, EDO is also expected to begin mass producing OLED notebook panels in 2H21-1H22. As such, TrendForce expects OLED panels to reach a 1.3% penetration rate in the overall notebook panel market this year. Although BOE and CSOT are currently fully engaged in Hybrid OLED development, Hybrid OLED panels will not enter mass production until 2023 due to technological and cost-related bottlenecks that are yet to be resolved.

InWin today announced its new BR Series AIO CPU Coolers with a built-in CPU block fan blower. The additional CPU block fan blower chills the upper motherboard area (UMA) up to 35 percent more than traditional AIO CPU coolers, ensuring the more powerful CPUs can be cooled and kept stable. The InWin BR24 and BR36 offer 240 mm and 360 mm radiator variants respectively and are bundled with high-performance Luna AL120 ARGB fans specially designed with higher static pressure.

High Performance AIO CPU Cooling
With outstanding AIO performance, the BR Series is tailored for all PC users, especially for those that operate frequently with higher loads, such as gamers, designers and content creators. High-density microchannel fins in the BR Series copper plate efficiently draw heat away from the CPU, minimizing the temperature delta to unlock maximum thermal headroom and overclocking performance. Its internal pump is designed to sit separately from the water block to minimize vibration and noise.

[Editor's note: Our review can be found here for those interested.]

CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gaming gear and enthusiast components, today announced the launch of a new range of performance RGB cooling fans, the iCUE SP RGB ELITE Series. With eight vibrant individually addressable RGB LEDs per fan and CORSAIR AirGuide technology for powerful directed airflow, the SP RGB ELITE Series is now available in 120mm and 140mm sizes to cool and illuminate any system. SP120 RGB ELITE fans are available in a Triple Fan Kit with an included iCUE Lighting Node CORE Controller, or as a single fan to expand your system's cooling. SP140 RGB ELITE fans come in a Dual Fan Kit with the iCUE Lighting Node CORE, or as a single fan.

SP RGB ELITE fans are each equipped with eight individually addressable RGB LEDs, putting on a mesmerizing lighting display as they cool your PC. To easily control RGB lighting, the SP120 RGB ELITE Triple Fan Kit and SP140 RGB ELITE Dual Fan Kit include the compact iCUE Lighting Node CORE, connecting to your PC via simple USB 2.0 and SATA connections. With the Lighting Node CORE, lighting effects are customizable through powerful CORSAIR iCUE software and can be synchronized with all CORSAIR RGB devices in your setup to create stunning light shows across the entire iCUE ecosystem.

Antec Inc., a leading provider of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself market, is presenting a new ITX case which offers PC enthusiasts the best watercooling options in a small format case. The Dark Cube will soon reach store shelves and online retail outlets in Europe with a competitive MSRP of 209 Euros.

The Dark Cube is a masterpiece of the revolutionary ITX case from Antec. This untraditional case provides powerful support for the latest gaming gear. Despite the small size, the Dark Cube still supports motherboards up to M-ATX. The Dark Cube supports high-end hardware and provides dual front panel options: Users can choose either the tempered glass panel or mesh front panel - whether the emphasis is on maximum airflow performance or on showcasing the gaming components.

Alienware, the gaming division of Dell Technologies, has today announced a lineup refresh, meaning that all of the existing products will get upgraded to versions with the latest hardware. And to start off, the company has equipped their thin and powerful Alienware m15 R4 and m17 R4 laptops with the latest hardware we saw announced just yesterday. The laptops are equipped with 12-phase voltage regulation modules to power the newest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000 series of mobile GPUs. To pair with a strong GPU, Alienware decided to use 10th generation Intel Comet Lake-H designs. These new laptops can be equipped with up to 4 TB of PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD storage and up to 32 GB of 2933 MHz RAM. For display, options range from FHD LCD to a 4K OLED panel and 360 Hz refresh rate for the m17 R4 model.

ZOTAC Technology Limited, a global manufacturer of innovation, is proud to unveil the all-new ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Series based on the advanced NVIDIA Ampere architecture. The ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3060 Series introduces three models - AMP White Edition, Twin Edge OC, and Twin Edge. With its efficient, high-performance architecture and the second generation of NVIDIA RTX, the GeForce RTX 3060 brings amazing hardware raytracing capabilities and support for NVIDIA DLSS and other technologies, and is priced starting at $329.

Like all RTX 30 Series GPUs, the RTX 3060 supports the trifecta of GeForce gaming innovations: NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex and NVIDIA Broadcast, which accelerate performance and enhance image quality. Together with real-time raytracing, these technologies are the foundation of the GeForce gaming platform, which brings unparalleled performance and features to games and gamers everywhere.

LG Electronics (LG) announces a planned partnership with Google to bring Stadia to its latest webOS smart TVs in the second half of this year. After Stadia comes to Google TV, LG will be the first TV manufacturer to natively support Stadia gameplay via webOS.

LG is demonstrating its commitment to supporting premium gaming on its state-of-the-art displays, made even more compelling with support for 4k and 5.1 surround sound for Stadia Pro users. Stadia on LG TVs will allow customers to instantly play hit Stadia games such as Cyberpunk 2077, NBA 2K21, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion with just a Stadia controller and no additional hardware or game downloads required.

Thermaltake, the leading PC component brand offering premium solutions for cooling, gaming peripherals, and enthusiast memory, today is proud to announce the TOUGHLIQUID Series, the newest member of the Thermaltake AIO liquid cooler line up. TOUGHLIQUID ULTRA and TOUGHLIQUID ARGB Sync are built using the TOUGHFAN 12 high-performance fans to deliver superior cooling performance and stability for system builders. Offering a variety of models, supporting radiators sizes including 240mm, 280mm and 360mm, equipped with a LED display or RGB on the pump.

"Intuitive hardware monitoring and advanced personalization are what the THOUGLIQUID ULTRA series brings to the market," said Kenny Lin, the CEO of Thermaltake. "The important information like CPU temperature, frequency, and performance usage can be displayed in real-time on the smart 2.1" LCD monitor. Users can also personalize the display with GIF pictures or with custom RGB lighting modes through our RGB software. Thermaltake is giving PC builders even more customization options with this next-gen AIO watercooler."

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking and storage solution innovator, today announced the desktop smart edge PoE Switch - QGD-3014-16PT. With sixteen 30-watt Gigabit PoE ports, two 2.5GbE host management ports, Intel Celeron J4125 quad-core 2.0 GHz processor, and four 3.5-inch SATA drive bays, the QGD-3014-16PT supports QVR Pro, HBS 3 and QuWAN SD-WAN to integrate surveillance deployment, video storage computing, and multi-site remote management to offer SMBs innovative intelligent IP surveillance infrastructure and remote backup solutions.
"Expanding multi-site surveillance networks can be costly and involve large amounts of equipment with low transmission efficiency between multiple remote devices - not to mention the complexities involved in deployment and management. " said Daniel Hsieh, QNAP Product Manager, adding, "the QGD-3014-16PT desktop Smart Edge PoE Switch integrates PoE, surveillance capabilities, and data backup management to simplify these requirements and increase the transmission and backup efficiency of surveillance videos."

ASUS today introduced a new iteration of their Strix Scope keyboard, the Strix Scope RX. The new keyboard is now offering ASUS-developed ROG RX Red Optical Mechanical Switches - ASUS is promising consistent wobble-free keystrokes, superfast 1-millisecond response, and up to a 100-million-keystroke lifespan. ASUS says these are the first switches in the world to feature a hollow-square stem design with embedded RGB LEDs to provide all-round per-key lighting, offering near-zero debounce delay.

ASUS calls attention to the twice-as-wide CTRL key, ensuring easy, infallible access during gaming sessions, and also mentions the Stealth Key (marked by, as they say, "iconic cloaked figure") which allows for immediate hiding of all open apps and sound muting for instant privacy (an interesting feature, wonder what its perfect use case would be...). A Quick Toggle switch allows to change the top keyboard row between Media or Function (Fn) key input. The keyboard also offers a single USB 2.0 passthrough, and features dust and spill resistance. The keyboard's top plate is built out of brushed aluminium. The ASUS ROG Strix Scope RX will be available from Q1 2021 in Benelux with an MSRP of €139.