Today, at Lattice Developers Conference 2024, Lattice Semiconductor expanded its edge to cloud FPGA innovation leadership with the launch of exciting new hardware and software solutions. The new Lattice Nexus 2 next-gen small FPGA platform and the first device family based on the platform, Lattice Certus -N2 general purpose FPGAs, offer advanced connectivity, optimized power and performance, and class-leading security. Lattice also announced new mid-range FPGA device capacity options - Lattice Avant 30 and Avant 50 - and new versions of Lattice design software tools and application-specific solution stacks to help accelerate customer time-to-market.

"At Lattice, we are proud to lead technological advancements in low power, small form factor FPGAs, ensuring our customers have the optimal devices, tools, and solutions to design groundbreaking applications that are power efficient, fast, and secure," said Esam Elashmawi, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Lattice Semiconductor. "From the edge to the cloud across a variety of industries, FPGAs stand at the forefront of innovation, and we're committed to delivering versatile and robust small and mid-range FPGA solutions that enable our customers and partners to unlock their full potential."

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced the development of OCTRAM (Oxide-Semiconductor Channel Transistor DRAM), a new type of 4F2 DRAM, comprised of an oxide-semiconductor transistor that has a high ON current, and an ultra-low OFF current, simultaneously. This technology is expected to realize a low power DRAM by bringing out the ultra-low leakage property of the InGaZnO transistor. This was first announced at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) held in San Francisco, CA on December 9, 2024. This achievement was jointly developed by Nanya Technology and Kioxia Corporation. This technology has the potential to lower power consumption in a wide range of applications, including AI and post-5G communication systems, and IoT products.

The OCTRAM utilizes a cylinder-shaped InGaZnO vertical transistor (Fig.1) as a cell transistor. This design enables the adaptation of a 4F2 DRAM, which offers significant advantages in memory density compared to the conventional silicon-based 6F2 DRAM.

Global sales of total semiconductor manufacturing equipment by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are forecast to set a new industry record, reaching $113 billion in 2024, growing 6.5% year-on-year, SEMI announced today in its Year-End Total Semiconductor Equipment Forecast - OEM Perspective at SEMICON Japan 2024. Semiconductor manufacturing equipment growth is expected to continue in the following years, reaching new records of $121 billion in 2025 and $139 billion in 2026, supported by both the front-end and back-end segments.

"Three consecutive years of projected growth in investments in semiconductor manufacturing reflect the vital role our industry plays in underpinning the global economy and advancing technology innovation," said Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO. "Since our July 2024 forecast, the outlook for 2024 semiconductor equipment sales has brightened, especially with stronger-than-expected investments from China and in AI-related sectors. Together with our forecast extension through 2026, it highlights the robust growth drivers across segments, applications, and regions."

The World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization has unveiled its latest projections for the global semiconductor market, highlighting robust growth expectations for 2024 and 2025.

2024: A Year of Strong Rebound
In its updated fall forecast, WSTS has revised its 2024 projections upward, anticipating a significant 19.0% year-over-year growth in the semiconductor market. The global market value for 2024 is now estimated to reach $627 billion, reflecting improved performance in second and third quarter of 2024, particularly in the computing sector.

Intel Corporation today announced that Eric Meurice, former president, chief executive officer and chairman of ASML Holding N.V., and Steve Sanghi, chairman and interim chief executive officer of Microchip Technology Inc., have been appointed to Intel's board of directors, effective immediately. Both will serve as independent directors.

"Eric and Steve are highly respected leaders in the semiconductor industry whose deep technical expertise, executive experience and operational rigor make them great additions to the Intel board," said Frank D. Yeary, interim executive chair of the Intel board. "As successful CEOs with proven track records of creating shareholder value, they will bring valuable perspectives to the board as the company delivers on its priorities for customers in Intel Products and Intel Foundry, while driving greater efficiency and improving profitability."

Germany is set to invest €2 billion in the semiconductor industry after recent setbacks, according to TrendForce via Liberty Times citing Bloomberg. The German government's new funding is in response to the chip sector's problems, including Intel's delay of the Magdeburg factory and global disruptions in the semiconductor supply chain. The investment will support 10 to 15 projects from wafer production to microchip assembly to strengthen Germany's and Europe's microelectronics ecosystem. This is in line with the European Chips Act which aims to increase the EU's global production capacity to 20% by 2030.

Intel's €30 billion Magdeburg factory delay and other cancelled chip projects from Wolfspeed and ZF Friedrichshafen AG have created uncertainty in the German market. The Ministry of Economic Affairs is now calling for new applications for funding, with up to €3 billion available. The timing of the semiconductor investment follows the global supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic and the increasing geopolitical tensions between the US, China and Taiwan. Germany is following a broader trend of governments investing in local semiconductor production to increase technological independence and economic resilience. The funding is subject to budget reallocation with the new government after February 2025 elections. In the first round of subsidies from the European Chips Act, Germany allocated resources to two key initiatives: Intel's investment and a collaborative project between Infineon and TSMC in Dresden.

Intel Altera's FPGA unit is attracting a lot of attention in the semiconductor industry according to a recent report by Bloomberg, Lattice Semiconductor emerging as a potential buyer for the entire division. Bloomberg reports that Lattice actively works with advisers and seeks private-sector backing to support their bid. However, Intel's preference appears to be leaning toward selling only a small portion of its Altera shares instead of selling everything and this can be a decisive factor in upcoming negotiations. The potential sale has attracted interest from many outside Lattice Semiconductor, including major private equity firms such as Francisco Partners, Bain Capital, and Silver Lake Management. Qualcomm has also expressed interest in acquiring parts of Intel's design business.

Bloomberg also reports that selling just a portion of Altera's shares would likely require complex financial arrangements, while private equity firms are considering investing about $3 billion through instruments. This could result in Intel's valuation being lower than the original purchase price. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has indicated plans to close the Altera transaction in early 2024, with the company valuing the nearly $16.7 billion Intel paid for Altera in 2015 at approximately $17 billion. Lattice's market value of $7.48 billion is certainly smaller and can challenge Lattice's ambitions for complete control of Altera. The Intel board discussed Altera's future last week and prefers to sell only a minority stake, with a decision expected soon.

The Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI) under the National Applied Research Laboratories today announces the procurement of its first full-stack quantum computer from IQM Quantum Computers (IQM), a global leader in designing, building, and selling superconducting quantum computers. The delivery and installation of the system at TSRI's premises will take place in the second quarter of 2025.

Both TSRI and IQM aim to accelerate quantum computing development in Taiwan, and the acquisition of IQM Spark, a 5-qubit quantum computer with high fidelity, will help TSRI utilize the system for educational and research purposes.

For over half a century, general-purpose processors have been built on the Tomasulo algorithm, developed by IBM engineer Robert Tomasulo in 1967. It's a $500B industry built on specialized CPU, GPU and other chips for different computing tasks. Hardware startup Ubitium has shattered this paradigm with a breakthrough universal processor that handles all computing workloads on a single, efficient chip - unlocking simpler, smarter, and more cost-effective devices across industries - while revolutionizing a 57-year-old industry standard.

Alongside this, Ubitium is announcing a $3.7 million in seed funding round, co-led by Runa Capital, Inflection, and KBC Focus Fund. The investment will be used to develop the first prototypes and prepare initial development kits for customers, with the first chips planned for 2026.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that it held a tool-in ceremony for its new semiconductor research and development complex (NRD-K) at its Giheung campus, marking a significant leap into the future. About 100 guests, including those from suppliers and customers, were in attendance to celebrate the milestone. As a state-of-the-art facility, NRD-K broke ground in 2022 and is set to become a key research base for Samsung's memory, system LSI and foundry semiconductor R&D. With its advanced infrastructure, research and product-level verification will be able to take place under one roof. Samsung plans to invest about KRW 20 trillion by 2030 for the complex in an area covering about 109,000 square meters (m²) within its Giheung campus. The complex will also include an R&D-dedicated line scheduled to begin operation in mid-2025.

"NRD-K will bolster our development speed, enabling the company to create a virtuous cycle to accelerate fundamental research on next generation technology and mass production. We will lay the foundation for a new leap forward in Giheung, where Samsung Electronics' 50-year history of semiconductors began, and create a new future for the next 100 years," said Young Hyun Jun, Vice Chairman and Head of the Device Solutions Division at Samsung Electronics.

Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increased 5.9% quarter-over-quarter to 3,214 million square inches (MSI) in the third quarter of 2024 and registered 6.8% growth from the 3,010 million square inches recorded during the same quarter last year, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

"The third quarter wafer shipment results continued the upward trend which started in the second quarter of this year," said Lee Chungwei (李崇偉), Chairman of SEMI SMG and Vice President and Chief Auditor at GlobalWafers. "Inventory levels have declined throughout the supply chain but generally remain high. Demand for advanced wafers used for AI continues to be strong. However, the silicon wafer demand for automotive and industrial uses continues to be muted, while the demand for silicon used for handset and other consumer products has seen some areas of improvement. As a result, 2025 is likely to continue upward trends, but total shipments are not yet expected to return to the peak levels of 2022."

Even with billions of US dollars being invested overseas, TSMC cannot legally manufacture its most advanced nodes outside of Taiwan. According to Taiwan's Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo, "Since Taiwan has regulations to protect its own technologies, TSMC cannot produce 2-nanometer chips overseas currently." He added, "Although TSMC plans to make 2-nanometer chips [abroad] in the future, its core technology will stay in Taiwan." This provides crucial insight into TSMC's strategic positioning, both in its US expansion plans and in navigating global geopolitical waters, especially with Taiwan being the major hub of silicon innovation. Taiwan's semiconductor industry follows strict regulations regarding overseas production capabilities, requiring companies to maintain their most advanced manufacturing processes within Taiwan.

The company's international expansion strategy includes significant developments in the United States. TSMC's Arizona facilities are central to these plans, with multiple fabs in different stages of development. The initial Arizona facility will begin producing 4 nm chips imminently, while a second facility, scheduled to open in 2028, will manufacture then mature 3 nm and 2 nm chips. A third planned facility aims to produce 2 nm or more sophisticated chips. Meanwhile, Taiwan-based facilities will produce more advanced chips at the same time, with volume production of A-16 chips planned for late 2026, following the rollout of 2 nm chip production in 2025. Furthermore, Taiwan-US semiconductor cooperation will continue regardless of political changes. Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association (TSIA) Chairman and TSMC Senior Vice President Cliff Hou noted that historical evidence suggests US electoral outcomes have not significantly impacted this technological partnership, though some adjustments may occur.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world, today announced its consolidated results of operations for the three months ended September 30, 2024.

Third Quarter 2024 Highlights

• Revenue was $2,171.2 million in 3Q24, compared to $1,901.3 million in 2Q24, and $1,620.6 million in 3Q23.
• Gross profit was $444.2 million in 3Q24, compared to $265.1 million in 2Q24, and $321.6 million in 3Q23.
• Gross margin was 20.5% in 3Q24, compared to 13.9% in 2Q24 and 19.8% in 3Q23.

Intel's ambitious fab expansion plans, which are currently facing a temporary halt, are of significant importance. The German government, as reported by HardwareLuxx, is now considering redirecting €10 billion from the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF) initially allocated to Intel, potentially returning these subsidies to the federal budget. The pause on Intel's investment to 2029-2030 (according to Tom's Hardware) not only threatens Germany's hopes of becoming one of semiconductor industry leaders but has also sparked debate over the intended use of this substantial financial support. Given the rise of geopolitical tensions, the urgency and significance of the German semiconductor industry in the current economic landscape cannot be overstated. The potential negative impact of the halt on Intel's investment is a cause for concern and engagement.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner has proposed that the funds be reallocated to address other economic needs, emphasizing fiscal responsibility amid current challenges. In contrast, Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck, whose department manages the KTF, opposes this reallocation, arguing that the fund should continue to support long-term economic growth and environmental initiatives. This disagreement between Lindner and Habeck illustrates the competing priorities within the government over the best use of public funds in uncertain economic times. The urgency of resolving this impasse is clear, as it will require navigating these tricky political waters while weighing the strategic importance of securing significant semiconductor investments in Germany. If Intel continues its Magdeburg expansion by the end of this decade, the terms for state subsidies might be changed. However, that is something to worry about in the distant future, as the blue giant has the priority of getting its financials back in line first.

GlobalFoundries faces a $500,000 fine from the US Commerce Department for breaching export controls by shipping $17.1 million worth of chips to SJ Semiconductor (SJS), a blacklisted Chinese firm affiliated with Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). The company made 74 unauthorized shipments between February 2021 and October 2022, delivering nearly 5,700 wafers. The chipmaker attributed the violation to a data entry error in its Oracle trade management system, where SJS was incorrectly recorded under a direct customer's shipping details. While SJS had previously handled GlobalFoundries' chips as a third-party assembly provider, both SJS and SMIC were placed on the Entity List in 2020 due to suspected military ties.

GlobalFoundries received a significantly reduced fine due to its voluntary disclosure and cooperation avoiding a potential fine of up to $34.2 million. "GlobalFoundries' voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) and extensive cooperation throughout the investigation resulted in a significant reduction in the monetary penalty, which is the main incentive of our VSD policies," said John Sonderman, director of the Office of Export Enforcement (OEE) within the Commerce Department. The incident comes as the company anticipates $1.5 billion in CHIPS Act funding for manufacturing expansion. For comparison, the department previously fined Seagate $300 million in April 2023 for shipping $1.1 billion worth of drives to Huawei.

Today, the Department of Commerce and Natcast, the operator of the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC), announced the expected location for the first CHIPS for America research and development (R&D) flagship facility. The CHIPS for America Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Accelerator, an NSTC facility (EUV Accelerator), is expected to operate within NY CREATES' Albany NanoTech Complex in Albany, New York, supported by a proposed federal investment of an estimated $825 million. The EUV Accelerator will focus on advancing state of the art EUV technology and the R&D that relies on it.

As a key part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, CHIPS for America is driven by the growing need to bolster the U.S. semiconductor supply chain, accelerate U.S. leading-edge R&D, and create good quality jobs around the country. This proposed facility will bring together NSTC members from across the ecosystem to accelerate semiconductor R&D and innovation by providing NSTC members access to technologies, capabilities, and critical resources.

After announcing the world's first 300-millimeter gallium nitride (GaN) power wafer and opening the world's largest 200-millimeter silicon carbide (SiC) power fab in Kulim, Malaysia, Infineon Technologies AG has unveiled the next milestone in semiconductor manufacturing technology. Infineon has reached a breakthrough in handling and processing the thinnest silicon power wafers ever manufactured, with a thickness of only 20 micrometers and a diameter of 300 millimeters, in a high-scale semiconductor fab. The ultra-thin silicon wafers are only a quarter as thick as a human hair and half as thick as current state-of-the-art wafers of 40-60 micrometers.

"The world's thinnest silicon wafer is proof of our dedication to deliver outstanding customer value by pushing the technical boundaries of power semiconductor technology," said Jochen Hanebeck, CEO at Infineon Technologies. "Infineon's breakthrough in ultra-thin wafer technology marks a significant step forward in energy-efficient power solutions and helps us leverage the full potential of the global trends decarbonization and digitalization. With this technological masterpiece, we are solidifying our position as the industry's innovation leader by mastering all three relevant semiconductor materials: Si, SiC and GaN."

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced that the company's research papers have been accepted for presentation at IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) 2024, a prestigious international conference to be held in San Francisco, USA, from December 7th to 11th.

Kioxia is committed to the research and development of semiconductor memory, which is indispensable for the advancement of AI and the digital transformation of society. Beyond its state-of-the-art three-dimensional (3D) flash memory technology BiCS FLASH, Kioxia excels at research in emerging memory solutions. The company is constantly striving to meet the needs for future computing and storage systems with innovative memory products.

Realtek Semiconductor will participate in Network X 2024 (October 08~10, 2024), an event being held in Paris, France, that will bring together over five thousand people from all over the world to include senior network infrastructure and service professionals from telcos, leading vendors, industry bodies, governments, analysts, and media to showcase the latest trending products, solutions, and services. Realtek will exhibit its highly integrated 2.5G Ethernet switch solutions and complete xPON broadband solutions to meet various bandwidth application needs.

Highly Integrated 2.5G Ethernet Switch Solution
With breakthroughs in large language model technology, generative AI has ushered in a new era of AI applications. The demand for AI applications is no longer confined to high-end cloud applications but has extended from the cloud to edge computing and is becoming increasingly widespread. Consequently, the high bandwidth requirements at the edge have become more critical. Currently, edge network speeds commonly use 1GbE. To address the growing bandwidth demands of AI applications, Realtek has developed a 2.5G Ethernet switch solution that integrates various technologies to provide 2.5GbE downstream bandwidth and 10GbE upstream bandwidth. This solution is designed to support future AI-enabled endpoint devices, such as AI PCs and AI notebooks, to meet their high bandwidth needs. Additionally, this 2.5G Ethernet switch solution can be used in Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 wireless routers, supporting high bandwidth applications to meet user demands for high bandwidth at the edge in AI applications.

According to a recent Reuters report, the US government, under Biden's administration, will allow a few criteria-matching semiconductor fabs to circumvent environmental protection laws. On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed legislation that effectively enables these fabs to not follow the strict regulations designed for maximum preservation of the environment. The Semiconductor Industry Association has noted that without this new legislation, companies that are extending facilities on US soil would be significantly slowed down due to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. The CHIPS Act's primary force driver isn't just domestic production but near-future completion so that future geopolitical shifts don't impact US companies. The speed of getting permits to manufacture advanced chips is essential for every CHIPS Act recipient company, like Intel, Samsung, TSMC, and Micron.

Corning Incorporated, one of the world's leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science, today unveiled Corning EXTREME ULE Glass, a next-generation material that will support chip manufacturers in meeting the rapidly growing demand for advanced and intelligent technologies. The new material will help chipmakers improve photomasks - the stencils for chip design - which are critical for the mass production of today's most advanced and cost-efficient microchips.

Corning designed EXTREME ULE Glass to withstand the highest intensity extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, including high numerical aperture (High NA) EUV, which is rapidly becoming an industry standard. EUV lithography allows manufacturers to use the most advanced photomasks to pattern and print the smallest, most complex chip designs. This process requires extreme thermal stability and a uniform glass material to help ensure consistent manufacturing performance.

Canon Inc. announced today that it will ship its most advanced lithography platform, the FPA-1200NZ2C nanoimprint lithography (NIL) system for semiconductor manufacturing, to the Texas Institute for Electronics (TIE), a Texas-based semiconductor consortium. Canon became the first in the world to commercialize a semiconductor manufacturing system that uses NIL technology, which forms circuit patterns in a different method from conventional projection exposure technology, when it released the FPA-1200NZ2C on October 13, 2023.

In contrast to conventional photolithography equipment, which transfers a circuit pattern by projecting it onto the resist coated wafer, the new product does it by pressing a mask imprinted with the circuit pattern into the resist on the wafer like a stamp. Because its circuit pattern transfer process does not go through an optical mechanism, fine circuit patterns on the mask can be faithfully reproduced on the wafer. With reduced power consumption and cost, the new system enables patterning with a minimum linewidth of 14 nm, equivalent to the 5 nm node that is required to produce most advanced logic semiconductors currently available.

Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (SSS) today announced the upcoming release of the ECX350F, a 0.44-type Full HD resolution OLED Microdisplay that combines the industry's smallest 5.1 µm pixels (approximately 5,000 ppi) with the industry's highest brightness of up to 10,000 cd/m².

The ECX350F is an OLED Microdisplay designed for use in augmented reality (AR) glasses, an application which demands a thin, lightweight form factor without compromising visibility. Adopting a novel OLED structure and microlenses, the microdisplay enhances pixel light emission despite its diminutive size. This innovation allows for Full HD resolution within a compact 0.44-inch panel while delivering a peak brightness of 10,000 cd/m² — approximately double that of the conventional model. This new product represents a breakthrough that addresses the longstanding challenge of delivering high brightness with small pixels.

TSMC and Samsung are reportedly in talks with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to establish chip factories in the Gulf nation. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, this "desert dream" aligns with the UAE's ambitious plans to diversify its economy beyond oil and become a key player in the AI sector by building chips for AI domestically. The UAE and neighboring Saudi Arabia plan to leverage their oil wealth to invest in cutting-edge manufacturing, with AI emerging as a primary focus due to its high computational demands. Successful implementation of chip factories could significantly boost the region's AI capabilities and impact the global semiconductor supply chain. However, the project faces substantial challenges. Previous attempts to establish semiconductor manufacturing in the Gulf, such as the GlobalFoundries initiative over a decade ago, have yet to progress beyond initial planning.

The current proposal faces even greater obstacles, with estimated costs exceeding $100 billion for a state-of-the-art facility and necessary infrastructure. Geopolitical concerns add another layer of complexity. Recent US export restrictions of certain chips to the Gulf region may complicate the transfer of advanced manufacturing processes to the UAE. Despite these hurdles, the potential benefits are significant. For the UAE, success would represent a major step towards economic diversification and technological leadership. TSMC and Samsung could gain a strategic presence in a region eager for technological advancement. TSMC noted that the company focuses on current expansion projects in the US, Japan, and Germany, while Samsung declined to comment.

TSMC has reportedly initiated production of Apple's last-generation A16 Bionic processors at its newly constructed Fab 21 in Arizona. This development comes significantly earlier than anticipated, with the facility's full-scale production initially scheduled for 2025. According to insights from industry expert Tim Culpan, the Arizona plant is already churning out a modest but noteworthy quantity of A16 Bionic chips. These processors are being manufactured using TSMC's NP4 4 nm semiconductor node. Culpan also hinted at a substantial increase in production capacity once the second stage of Fab 21's initial phase becomes operational.

This early start serves a critical function for TSMC, allowing the company to calibrate its advanced equipment and refine its manufacturing processes thoroughly. Using the well-established A16 Bionic design, TSMC can ensure its new facility meets the exacting standards required for next-generation semiconductor production. The news aligns with recent industry buzz suggesting that Fab 21 is already achieving yield rates comparable to TSMC's long-established Taiwanese plants—a remarkable feat for a newly launched facility. While current output remains limited, this milestone marks a significant step in TSMC's expansion into US-based chip manufacturing. With more fabs on American soil, companies can push domestic manufacturing and ensure that geopolitics don't hinder the vital supply chain.