Semiconductors & Critical Minerals
The items below capture September 2023’s news headlines around the global semiconductor industry, alongside coverage of critical minerals developments.
Items from September 2023 include: Indonesia’s moves in the critical minerals supply chain; Japan’s deepening commitment to domestic semiconductor manufacturing; Singapore’s semicon manufacturing bid; Taiwanese companies’ various moves to diversify and mitigate risks in their semiconductor market share; and many more.
Hit the links below to read the articles behind each semiconductor/critical mineral news headline in full, online and at no cost.
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CSIS: Japan seeks to revitalize its semiconductor industry
- d-Matrix raises $110M with AI-focused chips and management software, backed by Microsoft, Singapore’s Temasek and others
- AI chip firm SambaNova unveils new TSMC-manufactured semiconductor to run higher-level AI models at lower cost, specifically for large language models running enterprise applications
- Indonesia: Gov’t in August announced 47 critical minerals designated for strategic industry development
- Indonesia has proposed a critical minerals trade deal under the US Inflation Reduction Act, positioning for ‘green subsidies’
- Saudi Ma’aden mining firm and King Abdullah Uni of Science & Tech to co-invest in Lithium Infinity, a startup extracting lithium from unconventional sources including seawater
“In January, Ma’aden and KAUST Innovation Ventures Fund announced plans to invest $4 million and $2 million, respectively, into Lihytech.”
“Lihytech has patented a membrane-based lithium extraction technology developed by Professor Zhiping Lai at KAUST.”
- Australia and France ink agreement to boost cooperation on critical mineral supply chains, focusing on needs including in clean energy, medical and defence
- Ford US motor giant pauses work on $3.5BN Michigan factory set to make lithium iron phosphate batteries using tech and services provided by China’s CATL
- A brief look at growing ties between Japan and Canada in lithium technologies
- China: Researchers identify theoretical approach to produce 2D, one-atom-thick semiconductors, potentially a complement to current chip technologies
- Japan: Gov’t-backed Rapidus Corp hires over 200 in move to create cutting-edge chip foundry by 2027, potentially challenging Taiwan’s TSMC if successful
CSIS: Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity
- China aims to lead RISC-V industry with Alibaba T-Head chip unit, VeriSilicon and 7 others forming patent alliance on the open-source architecture, challenging reliance on Intel and Arm
- Taiwan’s SemiCon 2023 Conference sees UK delegation explore opportunities and partnerships for trade, investment and R&D collaboration in Taiwan
- ‘Should chip funds go to chaebols or underdogs? In South Korea, the question has taken on partisan undertones.’
- Japan: Gov’t-backed Rapidus breaks ground on Hokkaido facility, aiming for 2nm chip wafer plant online by 2025, and with engineers now studying with IBM
“If Huawei is constructing facilities under names of other companies, as the Semiconductor Industry Association alleges, then it may be able to circumvent US government restrictions to indirectly purchase American chip-making equipment, according to Bloomberg.”
“The Chinese tech firm moved into chip production last year and was receiving an estimated $30bn (£23.7bn) in state funding from the government, the Washington-based Semiconductor Industry Association was quoted as saying by Bloomberg, adding that Huawei had acquired at least two existing plants and was building three others.”
“The US commerce department had added Huawei to its export control list in 2019 over security concerns. The company denies being a security risk.”
- Japan: ‘Rapidus envisions a chipmaking cluster spanning coast to coast, with easy access to multiple ports…’
- Singapore: GlobalFoundries opens $4BN, 23,000-square meter facility to meet projected semiconductor demand, manufacturing chips designed by global firms
- Taiwan: Toshiba-backed Photon Taiwan Fund invested in a projected 120MW solar power plant, aiming to generate ‘green energy’ for use by as-yet unnamed semiconductor manufacturer
- China: Nio electric vehicle firm launches its own smartphone, aiming for car systems integration for navigation and more, alongside announcing production of in-house auto semiconductors
Europe in the Crosshairs: PRC United Front Targets Semiconductor Sector
- Taiwan to establish overseas training centers under 10-year semiconductor innovation program, aiming to boost cooperation with countries on chip development and workforce skills
- Japanese public and private entities to develop Canada supply chains for EVs, encompassing mineral extraction and processing, and battery production, with Canadian gov’t support
- Indonesia’s Bababos gains $3M seed with platform connecting small SME manufacturers with the raw material suppliers, streamlining supply chains and consolidating processes
- Export-Import Bank of Korea inks MOU with Export Finance Australia to collaborate on stabilizing core mineral supply chains
“As per the agreement, if Korean companies invest in Australian minerals such as lithium and nickel used in batteries, both Korea Eximbank and EFA have agreed to provide joint financial support.”
“The two organizations also decided to intensify cooperation on projects such as hydrogen, renewable energy, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) initiatives, and infrastructure projects in India and the Pacific.”
- India: Taiwan’s Foxconn reportedly partnering Europe’s STMicro for new semiconductor facility in India, focusing on ‘larger’, established chipsets
- NVIDIA joins investment in Enfabrica, US firm working on networking chips more effectively for better utilization in artificial intelligence data centers
Assessing the Criticality of Minerals for India: Fact Sheets
- World-first AI-focused NR1 ‘server-on-a-chip’ delivered to TSMC production facility by NeuReality, following validation of chip design
- An overview of Japan and India’s growing semiconductor industry partnerships, with both nations pursuing tech self-reliance and innovation-driven growth
- South Korea: Panmnesia chip firm backed with IP on Compute Express Link tech which allows data center operators to pool devices including AI chips, processors and memory
- Germany’s Saxony state inks agreement with TSMC to train German students for semicon-related careers, adding to new $3.8BN TSMC factory announced for Dresden
Australian Strategic Policy Institute: AUKUS and critical minerals
- Taiwan set to deepen ties with Arizona and New Mexico with visit from state politicians
- Intel to launch laptop featuring AI data-handling chip features, running a local generative AI chatbot rather than cloud data services for computing
- Malaysia: Singapore’s GlobalFoundries chip-maker opens new facility in Penang, creating 300 roles supporting Singapore, US and European operations
- Taiwan: Foxconn joins $49M new funding to Kneron, US edge computing focused AI chip firm, part of Foxconn move to become both hardware and software integrator
“Through the latest fundraising, Kneron said it will continue to speed up its pace in the deployment of advanced AI, focusing on nano Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) solutions for automotive, in particular.”
“According to Kneron, the American start-up provides end-to-end integrated hardware and software solutions that enable on-device edge AI inferencing with launching the first edge AI chip supporting transformer neural networks, which underpins all GPT models, in 2021.”
- Japan: US Space Force may establish unit in Japan, expanding on Hawaii unit and subordinate unit in South Korea
- Indian Space Research Org’n and Amazon Web Services and India’s IN-SPACe partner for cloud computing resources, support and tools for startups and research via AWS Activate program
- Factories In Space, a resource focused on coverage of in-space manufacturing and the space economy
The US, Taiwan and Semiconductors – A Critical Supply Chain Partnership
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CSIS: Mapping semiconductor supply chains – Role of the Indo-Pacific
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Indo-Pacific Tech News, September 2023 download edition
