Latest Semiconductor News Released on July 9 to 15, 2023

ASML hit with more Netherlands export restrictions on China

The Netherlands export control rules will prohibit ASML from maintaining, repairing and supplying spare parts for controlled equipment sold without government approval. These restrictions are related to new regulations issued by the Netherlands government in June, which prohibited ASML from shipping some immersion deep ultraviolet lithography machines (DUV) to China without a license starting in September. The U.S. is also expected to ban ASML from selling older DUV lithography equipment to about half a dozen Chinese factories without approval.

ROHM will acquire new site to expand SiC production

Rohm announced that it will acquire the former Solar Frontier Kunitomi factory to expand the production capacity of SiC power semiconductors. The acquisition is scheduled to finish in October 2023. It is planned to use it as the company's main factory to produc SiC chips. The target is to start operations by the end of 2024.

SK Hynix looking to set up chip packaging plant in India

While SK Hynix has not officially submitted its proposal yet, the company is reportedly evaluating India's semiconductor manufacturing incentive program and is in contact with the center to explore the prospect of setting up a packaging plant in the country. It is understood to be in the final stages of preparing a proposal.

Intel exits NUC business

Intel has confirmed that it's stopping direct investment in the Next Unit of Computing (NUC) business and will pivot to support its partners instead. "We have decided to discontinue direct investment in the NUC business and align our strategy to enable our ecosystem partners to continue its innovation and growth,. There will be no impact on Intel's Client Computing Group (CCG) or the rest of the Networking and Edge Computing (NEX) business. In addition, we are working with our partners and customers to ensure a smooth transition and fulfill all of our current commitments, including the continued support for NUC products currently on the market," the company wrote in a statement

Elon Musk announces new AI start-up

Recently, Elon Musk announced on his social media that the artificial intelligence (AI) start-up company xAI was officially established, which is also a new field that will enter after Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter and other businesses, and now Musk has finally decided to take the initiative to enter the field of AI.

Foxconn withdraws from $19.5 bn Vedanta chip plan in India

Taiwanese Chipmaker, Foxconn, announced on Monday that it has withdrawn from a joint-venture partnership with Indian. The company said that the two sides have worked together for more than a year in the hope of establishing a chip factory in India, but eventually unanimously decided to terminate the plan. Foxconn will remove its name in the joint venture, which is now fully owned by Vedanta.

Samsung Electronics' 4nm process yield has increased to over 75%

According to news on July 12, the yield rate of Samsung Electronics' 4nm process has now exceeded 75%. "Samsung Electronics has recently succeeded in increasing the yield of the 4nm process and raised the possibility of re-cooperating with Qualcomm and Nvidia," Park Sang-woo, a researcher at Hi Investment & Securities, said in a report.

Littelfuse acquires Elmos fab for €93 million

U.S. electronics manufacturer Littelfuse has reached a definitive agreement with Elmos Semiconductor to acquire its Dortmund fab for approximately 93 million euros. Under the agreement, Littelfuse will acquire the Dortmund fab and its technical team of approximately 225 employees. All other activities, including test operations, will be the responsibility of Elmos.