Critical technologies, quarterly
December 2023 | November 2023 | October 2023
In Q4 of 2023, the world’s broad critical technologies sector saw developments, concerns, challenges and opportunities, including: space launches from China, delivering satellites to orbit for undeclared purposes; growing interest in alternatives to lithium in electric vehicles; RISC-V open-standard chips architecture as an alternative for semiconductor manufacturing; concerns over ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ cyber-attacks in preparation for quantum decryption technologies; emerging risks for the supply chains underpinning these, and all other, technologies; and more.
Other editions: Asia’s tech news, daily (via LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter/X); and Indo-Pacific technology newsletters, weekly.
Jamestown Foundation: Examining China’s Grand Strategy For RISC-V
Critical Technologies
in December 2023
- Critical minerals: “The existing rare earths refining process is a nightmare… That’s why there are so many companies promising new methods, because we need new ones.”
- Video: ‘US-ASEAN Partnership, Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ from the Consortium of Indo-Pacific Researchers, an hour-long discussion from the CIPR International Conference 2023
- Download: ‘Indo-Pacific Security in 2030-35 – Links in the Chain’ via the Hague Center for Strategic Studies
- “How secure is European maritime trade with the Indo-Pacific? Sea lines of communication between the two regions pass through several chokepoints…”
- 24M Technologies sees production ahead for ‘semisolid-state’ EV batteries near 40% cheaper than lithium-ion, and with 50% energy efficiency boost
CBDCs:
“Central bank digital currencies are the bad idea that won’t go away. There are simpler, more straightforward ways of solving the problems that CBDCs are deemed to address…”
- US Dep’t of Energy announces discovery of what may be the world’s largest lithium deposit in California, an estimated 18M-tons worth up to $540BN
- ‘US Department of the Treasury has sanctioned the Sinbad cryptocurrency mixing service for its use as a money-laundering tool by the North Korean Lazarus hacking group’
- North Korean cybercrime group, BlueNorOff, found to be using a new, fairly simple yet very functional malware that aids attackers commit financial crimes targeting Apple’s MacOS
- Available to download: ‘Crypto Country – North Korea’s Targeting of Cryptocurrency’ from Recorded Future’s Insikt Group
- North Korea believed to now have a second nuclear reactor online, raising new concerns over weapons development
Quantum technology’s future impacts, today:
“…a global effort to plunder data is underway so that intercepted messages can be decoded after Q-day in what he described as ‘harvest now, decrypt later‘ attacks…”
- Millennium Space Systems gains US Space Force approval for production of 6 satellites for medium Earth orbit to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles
- True Anomaly, US space firm, secures $100M with hardware, software, systems and orbital vehicles to aid clients with identifying and managing threats to assets in space
- Helicity Space is working on a fusion drive proof-of-concept for space travel, potentially capable of travelling from Earth to Mars in just 2 months
- Amazon inks contract with SpaceX for 3 launches of Project Kuiper satellites using SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, effectively using SpaceX to launch a Starlink competitor
- SpaceX’s newest launch includes first 6 StarLink satellites with Direct to Cell capabilities, aiming to enable mobile networks to provide texting, calling and browsing globally
Innocuous gadgets, data & privacy:
“Robot vacuum companies say your images are safe, but a sprawling global supply chain for data from our devices creates risk.”
- Can CPUs be reconfigured to work in a similar way to GPUs, and soften a semiconductors supply crunch in the process?
- The Coming Boom in Rare Earths: “…it is an unprecedented level of funding and hasn’t been seen from the U.S. government since World War II, basically.”
- In November, India launched part 1 of its critical minerals auction in 8 states, valued at $5.4BN and spanning minerals including lithium, potash, vanadium, graphite and rare earths
- Singapore: Atomionics rolls out ‘virtual drill’ tech using gravity and AI to define ore bodies, looking to cut customer costs and development times for minerals projects
- China: Gov’t bans export of technologies used to create rare earth magnets, adding to export restrictions on minerals graphite and germanium
- US Dep’t of Energy announces discovery of what may be the world’s largest lithium deposit in California, an estimated 18M-tons worth up to $540BN
EY 2024 Geostrategic Outlook – Thrive in ongoing geopolitical complexity
- Australia: Gov’t to allocate $17M for up to 5 industry-specific centres to aid organisations in responsibly applying AI to business practices
- Tech majors including Bosch, Infineon and Qualcomm partner to launch Quintauris in Germany to explore and promote global adoption of RISC-V chips open standard for next-gen hardware
- China: A very brief outline of the Deep Underground and Ultra-low Radiation Background Facility for Frontier Physics Experiments, exploring fields including particle physics, nuclear astrophysics and life sciences
- Millennium Space Systems gains US Space Force approval for production of 6 satellites for medium Earth orbit to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles
- 24M Technologies sees production ahead for ‘semisolid-state’ EV batteries near 40% cheaper than lithium-ion, and with 50% energy efficiency boost
Semiconductors in Europe & Indo-Pacific Economies: Supply Chain Risks
- Australia: Green Gravity and Wollongong Resources mining firm partner to explore gravitational energy storage tech at up to 8 sites in New South Wales,, utilizing unused mine shafts
- Australia’s largest grid-forming battery set for construction in New South Wales’ Hunter region, twice the initially-planned size and aiming for mid-2026 operation
- A brief intro to some of the companies, and technologies, in Europe focusing on non-lithium batteries and energy storage
- Australia: H2site and Gold Hydrogen partner for Yorke Peninsula natural hydrogen pilot plant using process claiming to recover over 95% of available hydrogen alongside valuable co-products including helium
- Australia’s AGL energy giant partners US firm, SLB, for large-scale nickel-hydrogen battery trial site in South Australia, looking at stationary energy storage options beyond lithium-ion batteries
MERICS: ‘Here to stay’ – Chinese state-affiliated hacking for strategic goals
- Japan’s Itochu trading house and Osaka Gas partner for hydrogen business, taking 40% in Denmark’s Everfuel hydrogen producer with goal of hydrogen supply chain and domestic production base
- Australia: Planning now underway for $425M Riverbend Energy Hub in SA, aiming to convert 200K tonnes of landfill into hydrogen annually upon completion
- Australia: AGL energy giant and Renewable Metals battery recycling firm partner to investigate viability of lithium battery recycling facility at AGL Hunter Energy Hub
Quantum technologies:
“Toshiba is a global leader in the field. It has successfully sent and received quantum encrypted data transmitted 600 kilometers between Tokyo and Osaka…”
- Australia: Ark Energy lithium-iron phosphate battery approved for construction, with Richmond Valley Battery Energy Storage System set to be the largest of its kind globally on completion
- Australia: Gov’t opens applications for $18.5M funding to establish Australian Centre for Quantum Growth to develop quantum workforce and relationships with international counterparts
Quantum Australia 2024 Conference & Careers Fair – February 20-22
- ‘Safeguarding semiconductor IoT security with post-quantum cryptography: Q&A with Crypto Quantique CEO’
- ‘The Indian Quantum Ecosystem 2022-2023’, available to download now
- Critical minerals: “The existing rare earths refining process is a nightmare… That’s why there are so many companies promising new methods, because we need new ones.”
- ‘Examining China’s Grand Strategy For RISC-V’, an analysis from The Jamestown Foundation looking at the open-standard chips architecture as a hedge against US-led tech sanctions
- Taiwan: More on Foxconn’s diversification moves into industries from electric vehicles to satellite technologies
- China: Hexin Technology CPU developer announces processor based on RISC architecture, featuring 110 billion transistors and built on the IBM Power ISA open standard
Jamestown Foundation: Examining China’s Grand Strategy For RISC-V
- China: Biren AI chip firm gains $282M Guangzhou government-backed investment, in part a bid to develop domestic supply chain
- Japan: Toshiba Corp and Rohm Co partner for boosted production of power semiconductors, key to energy efficiency in EVs and factories, setting $902M budget with 1/3 coming from gov’t
- China: Changxin Memory Technologies chipmaker delays IPO, instead looking at a fundraising round built around $19.5BN valuation
- Vietnam: NVIDIA chip giant to establish a Vietnam base as part of the country’s moves to develop a semiconductors industry
- India to roll out revamped electronics and semiconductor industry incentive scheme to boost development of component plants, aiming for support ecosystem for global entities
“For China, one way around technology transfer restrictions is advanced packaging, because so far it’s a safe space that everyone invests in…”
- South Korea and the Netherlands to boost cooperation in tech spanning semiconductors, artificial intelligence and quantum research, alongside feasibility of Korean-built nuclear energy stations
- South Korea: Samsung and the Netherland’s ASML partner for $760M investment in Korean advanced chip plant, with SK Hynix chip giant collaborating
- Download: ‘Assessing India’s Readiness to Assume a Greater Role in Global Semiconductor Value Chains’ from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (pdf)
- China: ChangXin Memory Technologies DRAM firm presented research on gate-all-around transistors, signaling developments towards ability to produce 3-nanometre chips
- South Korea: The inaugural US-ROK Next Generation Critical & Emerging Technologies Dialogue took place in Seoul, an upgrade on bilateral tech cooperation
“…10900 chip-related companies have lost their registration in 2023… That means an average of 30 Chinese chip-related companies closed their doors each day in 2023.”
- China: UK’s Arm Holdings chip-maker has laid off more than 70 software engineers in China, relocating some roles outside of the country, ‘to focus on direct support for local developers’
- South Korea: A deep dive into Samsung’s challenges with cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing
- India: A brief intro to InCore, working on semiconductor chip design with a particular focus on RISC-V open-standard architecture
CSIS: NATO’s role in protecting critical undersea infrastructure
- India’s semiconductor challenges: “There is a lack of an ecosystem for deep tech and semiconductor startups which impacts their growth at every step…”
- India: CtrlS Datacenters adds Intel next-generation processor R&D lab to Bangalore facility, looking to develop new microprocessor architectures
- Can CPUs be reconfigured to work in a similar way to GPUs, and soften a semiconductors supply crunch in the process?
“India is looking at semiconductor packaging
as a low-hanging fruit to capture a share
of the global semiconductor supply chain…
ATMP and OSAT are good starting points…”
- China: Phase II of Guangdong Semiconductor & Integrated Circuit Industry Equity Investment Fund initiated, a $1.5BN local gov’t version of national Big Fund
- China: SigmaStar chip maker sets sights on $780M IPO via Shanghai Star Market, building on the country’s bid for semiconductor and high-tech independence
- South Korea has launched its first military satellite, via SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, gaining independent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities
- China: Landspace to launch its 3rd methane-oxygen Zhuque 2 rocket in January 2024, with satellites as payload
- Australia unveils lunar rover prototype proposed for Australian Space Agency ‘s$50 million Moon to Mars Trailblazer program, potentially taking part in future NASA Artemis mission
- China: CERES-1 Y9 commercial rocket launch delivered 2 satellites into orbit, one featuring remote sensing and laser comm’s, the other a part of 100-sat StarPool Plan constellations
Europe in the Crosshairs: PRC United Front Targets Semiconductor Sector
- China: Shanghai Gesi Aerospace Tech secures $84.8M Series A with R&D, design and ‘smart manufacturing’ for mass-production of satellites and components
- Japan: iQPS draws high interest with small-sats using synthetic aperture radar, imaging Earth’s surface with microwaves and allowing observation regardless of night, environmental conditions and clouds
- More on Japan’s iQPS small-satellites firm, looking to to mass produce compact, inexpensive microwave-based radar satellites
- India: T-Hub incubator launches Space Tech Incubation Program to boost India’s evolving space technologies sector, looking initially to boost 10 startups
- China: Jielong-3 solid rocket successfully launches from mobile sea platform in Guangdong, with payload likely related to 13000-satellite Guowang mega-constellation
ASPI: Derisking authoritarian artificial intelligence
- In November, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency was hacked, potentially exposing sensitive space-related technology and data
- China’s Space Program in 2023: ‘From heavy-lift reusable rockets to satellite internet, a look at China’s progress on top space priorities’ via The Diplomat
- Australian Space Summit & Exhibition 2024 set for late May – details here
“How secure is European maritime trade with the Indo-Pacific? Sea lines of communication between the two regions pass through several chokepoints…”
“Investigating great power rivalries, littoral rivalries, maritime disputes, internal instability, piracy and armed robbery, terrorism, and climate security, the report demonstrates that different areas of the Indo-Pacific face different threats.”
“While the Western part is particularly at risk from littoral rivalries and internal instability, the Eastern part mainly faces great power rivalries and climate hazards.”
- China: Galactic Energy launch firm secures $154M for development of reusable Pallas-1 rocket, capable of delivering 5000kg to low Earth orbit or 3000kg to 700km sun-synchronous orbit
- China successfully adds 2 satellites to Beidou positioning system – but fails with staging rocket re-entry landing in inhabited area
- China National Space Admin and Egyptian Space Agency ink cooperation agreements for Egypt participation in China’s International Lunar Research Station project, China-led BRICS satellite constellation and more
“The 12,000-sat G60 Starlink project,
along with the 13,000-sat Guo Wang
national network which is currently
under construction, is widely seen as
China’s answer to Elon Musk’s Starlink“
- Amazon inks contract with SpaceX for 3 launches of Project Kuiper satellites using SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, effectively using SpaceX to launch a Starlink competitor
- Air New Zealand joins other airlines in partnering Starlink for in-flight connectivity, looking to add free passenger internet access
- SpaceX’s newest launch includes first 6 StarLink satellites with Direct to Cell capabilities, aiming to enable mobile networks to provide texting, calling and browsing globally
Deloitte & NASSCOM: Emerging technology hubs of India
- ‘Semiconductors in Key European and Indo-Pacific Economies: Geopolitical Risk in the Supply Chains into 2030 and Beyond’, research from the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies
- Google DeepMind’s GNoME AI tool described over 2.2 million new materials, with over 700 now produced and undergoing testing
- Japan’s Toshiba and Singapore’s SpeQtral boost existing collaboration around quantum key distribution hardware to deliver Singapore’s National Quantum-Safe Networks+ project
Recorded Future: North Korea’s Cyber Strategy
Critical Tech: November 2023
“…automakers from General Motors to Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and major suppliers like BorgWarner are researching, or have developed, motors with low- to zero-rare earth content such as magnet-free externally excited synchronous machines (EESMs), which generate a magnetic field using electric current.”
- ICYMI: UK’s Advanced Electric Machines raised $29M to scale production of EV motors containing no rare earths or copper, further growing existing market presence
- Quantum computing and space: “…from enhanced sensitivity and precision of quantum sensors and clocks, to global quantum secured communication and the quantum internet…”
- ICYMI: Qualcomm and Google join for next-gen wearables built on open-source RISC-V chips architecture, touted as an alternative to Arm ecosystem
pwc Digital Trust Insights 2024 survey findings
- ‘Loose Connections: Rethinking Semiconductor Supply Chains’ from Lloyd’s, built on surveys and interviews of over 140 semiconductor firms and insurance risk professionals
- One of the problems with small satellites: “Miniaturization can only go so far before it comes to a crashing halt against some very fundamental laws of physics.”
- ICYMI: UK gov’t awarded Space Forge $611K to build first manufacturing platform in space to create crucial defense items including semiconductors for radars and frontline communications
- China: Importers & exporters must now report transactions, orders and shipments of rare earths, oxide products, crude oil, iron ore, copper ore concentrates, potash fertilisers and more
- Australia: Liontown Resources secures Au$1.13BN backing for completion of Kathleen Valley lithium project, with sights on production by mid-2024
Deloitte: NewSpace – the India perspective
- China’s Tsingshan preps for $233M investment in Chilean mining firm SQM, gaining access to 11,244 tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate at a preferential price until 2030
- India: RecycleKaro, taking lithium ion battery waste and processing it into cobalt, nickel and manganese
- China: Alibaba cuts quantum computing laboratory and team from research arm, donating lab and experimental equipment to Zhejiang University
- Australia’s Q-CTRL and Quad Investors Network partner to grow quantum workforce in Australia and US, with quantum-focused Black Opal learning platform made available to TAFE students
- ‘Australia and the United Kingdom signed a joint statement to cooperate on quantum technology innovation, research and commercialisation’
World Economic Forum: Quantum Readiness Toolkit
- China to place Queqiao-2 sat in lunar orbit using Long March 8 rocket in early 2024, a 1200kg satellite with a lifespan of 8+ years, to facilitate communications for future moon missions
- Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom inks deal with Eutelsat OneWeb for low Earth orbit satellite services as backup for terrestrial fixed and mobile networks, undersea cables and microwave comms
- Taiwan: An overview of Taiwan’s moves into satellite-driven communications security
- Japan: Sky Perfect JSAT satellite operator and NTT Corp have partnered to sell Project Kuiper services in 2024, focusing on businesses and gov’t organizations in Japan
Australia & semiconductors:
“For Canberra, such an endeavour is of the same magnitude as America’s historic ‘moonshots’ during the 1960s and 1970s. It’s a once-in-a-generation challenge…”“It’s important to note that both AUKUS Pillar 2 and the Albanese government’s April 2023 publication of the Defence Strategic Review reflect a shift in Australia’s strategic thinking on defence and national security, and the important correlation and greater cooperation between industry, education and defence priorities, particularly when it comes to technology.”
“Delivering on that shift will be difficult and often costly, but this report provides a series of recommendations of what that correlation and cooperation could look like.”
- MangoBoost, a Seoul-Seattle startup developing data processing unit chips for data centers, secured $55M Series A, aiming to boost efficiency in existing server equipment
- Japan: More info on Canon’s new, potentially game-changing, nanoimprint lithography tech, used to print circuit patterns on semiconductor wafers
- Vietnam: Intel has reportedly shelved Vietnam chip manufacturing expansion plans, with sources citing excessive local bureaucracy and unstable power supply concerns
- Japan: Gov’t tagets $13.2BN in budget funding for chip production and generative AI tech, planning production, research, design and startup support
BryceTech: Small Satellites in 2023
- China: SMIC, the country’s largest chipmaker, posted a 80% profit drop in Q3 profits, tho income still reached $94M
- Australia: Another look at the country’s opportunities in the global semiconductors industry
‘Vietnam Sets Sights on Becoming Semiconductor Hub’, an interview with representatives from Vietnam’s FPT Semiconductor
- Japan’s Rapidus Corp chip-maker to partner Canada’s Tenstorrent to mass produce more-efficient semiconductors
- South Korea: Sapeon AI chip-maker unveils X330 NPU, targeting H1 2024 production and claiming X330 has ‘roughly twice the computational performance and 1.3 times better power efficiency’ than competitors
- China: SophGo chip-maker developes high-performance RISC-V chips based on designs from US firm, SiFive, with Shandong University successfully deploying a Sophgo RISC-V server
CSIS: Onboard AI – constraints & limitations for drones, satellites, vehicles
- Philippines gov’t and US Dept of State ink agreement explore opportunities to grow and diversify the global semiconductor ecosystem
- South Korea: An intro to 4 firms based in Pangyo Tech Valley, working on semiconductors, artificial intelligence and broad nanotechnology-driven solutions
- State-run China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund invested $1.99BN in Changxin Xinqiao chip-maker with stated focus on DRAM and 12-inch wafer design and manufacture
- Japan: The World Economic Forum looks at how Japan’s semiconductor industry is leaping into the future
- SEMICON Japan 2023 is set for December 13-15 in Tokyo – semiconductor manufacturing supply chains, insights, trends and innovations
“In the future, SMIC, startup foundry Nexchip, DRAM firm CXMT, and microLED startup Silan have plans to construct an additional ten fabs Therefore by the end of 2024, China is aiming to establish 32 large fabs, and all of them are about to focus on relatively mature processes.”
“The 44 fabs currently operated by Chinese companies exclude seven sites where construction is temporarily suspended. The 44 comprise 25 fabs at 300mm, 4 fabs in 6-inch wafers, and 15 fabs for 200mm wafers. The 22 under construction are 14 for 300mm wafers and 8 for 200mm wafers. The 10 wafer fabs in planning are all for 300mm wafers except one.”
- Chinese-owned Nexperia chip-maker to acquire Dutch semiconductor firm following Netherlands gov’t approval, gaining chips using ambient electricity sources such as light as a power source
- India may gain agreements for 3 more semiconductor fabrication facilities in the coming months, representing investment of $8-12BN
- South Korea: TelePIX space-tech firm partners Poland’s SatRev to supply satellite imagery data from proprietary satellite, focusing on greenhouse gases
- South Korea’s TelePIX inks MOU with Thrusters Unlimited, Mexican geo-info firm, building on Lat-Am and Caribbean-focus following partnership with Mexico’s Space Zero Gravity space-tech
- China’s space-tech moves: “By offering the chance to win missions from the space agency, China is pursuing a strategy used by NASA with Mr Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp…”
McKinsey & Co: Quantum Technology Monitor
- Quantum computing and space: “…from enhanced sensitivity and precision of quantum sensors and clocks, to global quantum secured communication and the quantum internet…”
- India: Skyroot Aerospace secures $27.5M backing, led by Singapore gov’t Temasek fund, with sights on the global small-to-medium size satellite launch market
“Yangtze Memory Technologies Co, China’s largest memory chip maker, has had to appeal for new funding after burning through cash reserves in its efforts to adapt to sanctions…”
“According to the Financial Times, YMTC has already used up $7 billion in capital it received from shareholders earlier this year, including from the state-run China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund.”
- China: iSpace completes the country’s first reusable rocket test, performing a 50-second ‘hop’, with the first stage of the launch vehicle running on methane and liquid oxygen mix
- China: Space Pioneer commercial llaunch firm announces new funding round for development of Tianlong-3 rocket, broadly comparable to SpaceX Falcon 9
- Malaysia: Aphelia wins Startup World Cup regional with wireless charging stations for use in space, impacting on overal satellite launch costs and extending sat lifespans
McKinsey: The economic potential of artificial intelligence
- South Korea: Nara Space successfully launched and placed Observer-1A satellite in orbit via SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, completing 2-way communication with Antarctica ground station
- China: First of a new series of Haiyang ocean monitoring satellites entered orbit, adding to capabilities in observation across environmental factors, and also marine navigation
- Taiwan’s Foxconn steps into space exploration as part of diversification moves with launch of 2 prototype low-Earth orbit satellites via SpaceX rocket, partnering Taiwan’s National Central Uni
China & space technologies:
“Shanghai is aiming to foster a complete industrial chain for commercial rocket production, with an annual production capacity of 50 commercial rockets and 600 commercial satellites by 2025…”
- Malaysia’s Planters Int’l launched SpaceANT-D satellite using SpaceX, aiming to monitor reforestation, illegal logging and other environmental concerns in deep jungle areas
- China: Landspace announces plans for reusable stainless steel launch vehicle, Zhuque-3, using methane-liquid oxygen propellant rocket engines
- China: Recent launches found to contain multiple satellite payloads, with no details beyond ‘experiment satellite for satellite internet technologies’
- A look at Australia’s opportunities in the space launch industry, building on elements including the country’s location allowing launch to orbit at a lower cost
MERICS: Chinese state-affiliated hacking for strategic goals
- Pakistan’s Voyage Freight secures over $1M pre-seed funding with digitally-driven freight forwarding, seeing opportunities in the international shipping sector in Pakistan
- Japan and South Korea to collaborate on quantum technologies, with national research institutes set to sign MOU
“Qatar‘s state-owned energy firm has entered into a 27-year sales and purchase agreement with China Petrochemical Corp, also known as Sinopec, to supply 3 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually.”
“This marks the third long-term LNG supply deal between Qatari and Chinese firms. The two companies previously signed a 10-year LNG purchase and sales agreement in 2021 and a 27-year contract in 2022.”
- ICYMI: Seurat Technologies 3D metal-printing firm raised $99M in part from NVIDIA’s NVDAO VC arm, focusing on green energy-powered manufacturing allowing reshoring of supply chains
- South Korea to launch its first locally-built surveillance satellite by month-end to better monitor North Korea, with SpaceX as carrier and sights on 4 more launches by 2025
Securing the Software Supply Chain: Managing Open-Source Software
- Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp to build $5.3BN factory in Japan, backed by SBI Holdings and the Japanese gov’t, in latest bid to expand Japan’s chip manufacturing base
- ‘Bolstering and Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains’, a study from the National Bureau of Asian Research, focusing on Japan, the United States and China
- Japan: Taiwan’s TSMC is reportedly considering a 3rd plant in Japan that will make 3-nm chips, potentially building on backing from Micron, Samsung and Japan’s PSM
- Canada’s Telesat sets sights on Taiwan and South Korea with Lightspeed Constellation low Earth orbit satellite project
CSIS: NATO’s role in protecting critical undersea infrastructure
Critical Tech: October 2023
McKinsey & Co: Quantum Technologies Monitor
- A ‘Semi7’ semiconductor supply chain alliance, one way to safeguard against technology risks in the Indo-Pacific
- ICYMI: Intel makes major semiconductors move with spin-off of Programmable Solutions Group as separate business entity
- Australia: Renewable Metals battery recycling firm closes $8M round to scale and commercialise environmentally friendlier, lower cost lithium-ion battery recycling tech
Semiconductors, AI & prefabrication:
“The bulk of the facility can be preassembled, flat-packed and put in shipping containers so that the facilities can be built ‘in 80% of the world’…”
- South Korea’s Posco Holdings conglomerate leads investment in EnergyX lithium tech firm, looking for more efficient ways to produce the battery metal for green energy transition use
- Japan: Dutch semiconductor lithography equipment-maker ASML to establish Hokkaido office in Q4 2024, in part responding to gov’t incentives
pwc Digital Trust Insights 2023: The Southeast Asia Perspective
- Samsung contract chip manufacturing arm gains Canada’s Tenstorrent as artificial intelligence chip customer; Tenstorrent in part uses RISC-V chips built on open-source architecture
- Japan to boost subsidies by up to $1.3BN for Micron Technology chipmaker plant in Hiroshima Prefecture, in bid to further strengthen chip supply chain
- Japan: EdgeCortix fabless semiconductor development and design firm completes $20M round, with specialization on processors for edge-based artificial intelligence
- South Korea: An overview of Pangyo Techno Valley’s moves to become a global leader in the semiconductor industry
- South Korea: rebellions, an AI-driven fabless semiconductor firm, to co-develop next-gen semiconductor for super-large language models with Samsung Electronics at 4-nm scale
- Japan: Canon announces ‘nanoimprint lithography’ machine, claimed to be capable of producing parts down to 5nm today, with refinement potentially producing 2nm parts
McKinsey: The economic potential of artificial intelligence
- Vietnam: A snapshot overview of tech moves the country is making, with sights on developing a workforce of 50K semiconductor engineers by 2030
- HK Science & Tech Park inks MOU with China’s J2 Semiconductor, aiming for R&D hub for 3rd-gen semiconductors and silicon carbide 8-inch advanced wafer production
- Taiwan’s Foxconn and NVIDIA partner for AI-focused tech moves across a range of applications
- India’s Reliance Industries business giant explores acquisition of Israel’s Tower Semiconductors in foray into chipmaking, stepping in as Intel backs away from bid
- Japan to set shared standards with Europe and US on subsidies for EVs, semiconductors and other critical tech fields including decarbonization
KPMG / GSA: 2024 Global Semiconductor Industry Outlook
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Securing the Software Supply Chain: Managing Open-Source Software
