China’s semiconductor prowess is becoming increasingly evident in important technology sectors, So reveals a recent report by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP).

The South Korean think tank’s research indicates China has surpassed South Korea in foundational capabilities across nearly all semiconductor technology areas, including the memory sector, where South Korean firms have traditionally been global leaders.

KISTEP findings reveal a shifting semiconductor landscape

The KISTEP report is based on a survey of 39 South Korean semiconductor experts conducted in 2024, and highlights a significant shift in the global semiconductor landscape. According to the findings, China now outranks South Korea in memory chip technologies, where South Korean giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have maintained dominance for a generation.

China now ranks second globally, trailing only the US in the sector. The change marks a substantial difference from KISTEP’s previous findings published in 2022, when South Korea held the second position after the US in the memory and advanced packaging technology sectors. China ranked third and fourth in these areas at that time, respectively.

“Even in the memory market, where Korea had maintained its unrivalled status, Chinese semiconductor companies are increasing their market share,” states the latest KISTEP report, adding that China is ramping up production of legacy chips “with little technology gap” compared to industry leaders.

Measuring China semiconductor dominance: technology scores and capabilities

The detailed evaluation conducted last year reveals that China’s high-density resistive memory technology scored a ranking of 94.1% (with 100% representing the highest level), outperforming South Korea’s 90.9%. This statistic is particularly noteworthy as memory technology has been South Korea’s most substantial semiconductor sector to date.

The report further demonstrates China’s advance in multiple semiconductor domains. In high-performance and low-power AI semiconductor technology, China scored 88.3%, exceeding South Korea’s 84.1%. It registered 79.8% for power semiconductors, significantly surpassing South Korea’s 67.5%, and in next-generation, high-performance sensing technology, China achieved 83.9% compared to South Korea’s 81.3%.

The two countries achieved parity only in advanced packaging technology, with both scoring 74.2% in foundational capabilities. However, Taiwan leads in semiconductor advanced packaging technology commercialisation, while the US dominates all other technology sectors in both foundational capabilities and commercialisation perspectives.

The KISTEP report also evaluated the technological lifecycle of the semiconductor sector, noting that South Korea maintains an advantage in process and mass production, while China excels in foundational capabilities and design. The report identifies South Korea’s foundational capabilities and design technology as the weakest links in its semiconductor life cycle, ranking lowest among evaluated countries.

Chinese memory manufacturers have been making significant strides in narrowing technology gaps with global industry leaders. ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chip producer, has developed consumer-grade chips using 16-nanometer processing technology.

While still behind the 12-nm and 14-nm nodes used by Samsung, SK Hynix, and US-based Micron Technology in DDR5 memory production, the progress represents the closing of the technological divide. Growing Chinese semiconductor dominance comes despite extensive US export restrictions limiting China’s access to advanced chips and chip-making technologies. In response to those challenges, Beijing has implemented what observers call a “whole nation” approach to achieving semiconductor self-sufficiency, including establishing the country’s largest-ever chip investment fund last year.

Challenges and opportunities in the global chip race

The report highlights concerns about the impact of geopolitical tensions on South Korea’s semiconductor industry, including “the risk of Korea’s exports falling or being forced out of the Chinese market due to US export controls.” Other challenges identified include the exodus of core talent, intensifying competition in AI semiconductor technology, South Korea’s domestically focused policies, and rapid shifts in supply chains.

The findings represent a serious situation for South Korea, which has built much of its economic success on its leadership in the semiconductor market. To maintain its high-ranking position, the country must address its foundational capabilities and design technology shortcomings.

Taiwan remains a leader in advanced packaging technology commercialisation, while the United States continues to lead in overall semiconductor technology, both in foundational capabilities and commercialisation. However, China’s rapid advancement despite well-publicised international restrictions demonstrates the effectiveness of its focus and its national strategy to achieve technological self-sufficiency.

As China’s domestic semiconductor industry develops, particularly in memory technologies (which have traditionally lagged behind), the global semiconductor landscape is experiencing a significant realignment. The China semiconductor dominance emerging in foundational capabilities suggests that despite export controls and various restrictions imposed on the market, the country is making substantial progress toward its goal of technological self-reliance.

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Taiwan needs to double down on advancing its chip technology and expanding its supply chain to keep its top spot in the global market, according to a leading trade group. The call came just hours after Donald Trump secured his second term as US president.

“I am confident that the long-standing Taiwan-US partnership, built on shared values and interests, will continue to be a pillar of regional stability and prosperity for all,” said Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te in a congratulatory note to Trump.

Taiwan has long been a semiconductor powerhouse, with its chips powering everything from everyday electronics to advanced wind turbines and military equipment.

“We need to ramp up R&D to keep our critical position in the global semiconductor supply chain,” said Cliff Hou, Chairman of the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association and senior vice president at TSMC. He also said that talks with the Taiwanese government are underway to bring in foreign partners to establish design and materials hubs in Taiwan.

Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is set to see its output rise by 22% this year, reaching over US$164 billion, driven by booming AI technology and a rebounding economy, according to a top TSMC executive.

While Taiwan enjoys its status as a global chipmaking leader, it faces the threat of physical invasion by China, which views it as a breakaway province. Trump’s re-election could shift how Taiwan fits into international relations. President Joe Biden had consistently backed Taiwan with clear support, while Trump has signalled that the island should pay for its own defence. In a Bloomberg interview, he commented on his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying, “He was a very good friend of mine until Covid.”

Hou, a 27-year TSMC veteran with a US doctorate, stressed that Taiwan should also develop expertise in equipment and materials—areas still dominated by international companies. He told reporters at an event in Hsinchu that Taiwan’s strong bond with the US won’t waver, regardless of the political landscape.

Beyond TSMC, smaller Taiwanese suppliers are making big strides in AI-related tech, securing significant orders for data centre servers, cooling systems, and power solutions.

Despite his tough stance on Beijing during his previous presidency, Trump’s recent comments have been less favourable for Taiwan. He suggested that Taiwan’s defence budget should jump to 10% of its GDP and openly questioned the US’s role in defending the country. In October, he told podcast host Joe Rogan, “These chip companies, they stole 95% of our business. It’s in Taiwan right now. They do a great job, but that’s only because we have stupid politicians.”

John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, previously noted that another Trump presidency could be dire for Taiwan, warning that “Taiwan is potentially toast.”

The day before the election, Cho Jung-tai, who heads Taiwan’s cabinet, was candid about defence spending, pointing out that the budget couldn’t be expanded “overnight.” Han Kuo-yu, a key legislator, echoed those concerns, saying that Taiwan’s political and economic challenges are likely to grow during a Trump presidency. He emphasised the importance of balancing ties with Washington while maintaining peace with Beijing.

Lai Shyh-bao, another legislator, added that Trump’s potential influence on Taiwan’s chip industry “should not be underestimated.”

Kuo Yu-jen, a professor from the Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies, advised that Taiwan should “watch Trump’s policies closely” to prepare for any shifts.

The president-elect hinted that tariffs could be his tool of choice to incentivise companies like TSMC to build chip facilities in the US. Hou, however, said Taiwan’s industry hasn’t been notified of any upcoming tariffs.

TSMC, which supplies Apple and Nvidia, has committed over US$65 billion for chip plants in Arizona, contingent on strong governmental support. Nonetheless, Taiwan aims to keep its most advanced tech within its borders. Recently, Economic Affairs Minister J.W. Kuo confirmed that local laws prevent TSMC from exporting its cutting-edge technologies abroad.

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Foxconn’s Smart Manufacturing robots will utilize Nvidia’s Isaac autonomous mobile robot platform, while their Smart City will integrate the Nvidia Metropolis video analytics platform.

When graphics chipmaker Nvidia Corp announced at the beginning of this year that it is partnering with electronics componentmaker Foxconn Technology Group on electric vehicles (EVs), the tech giant’s goal was to continue its push into the booming EV market. Ten months later, both companies announced that they are expanding their decade-long partnership, this time to supercharge the AI industrial revolution.

Alongside Foxconn’s Chairman and CEO, Young Liu, the CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, said that the world is at the beginning of a “new computing revolution, which leads to the eminence of a new type of manufacturing. “The production of intelligence and the data centers that produce it are AI factories,” Huang said during a fireside chat at Foxconn’s Tech Day.

That said, Foxconn, the world’s largest manufacturer, according to Huang, has the expertise and scale to build AI factories globally.

Foxconn will integrate Nvidia technology to develop a new class of data centers, or ‘AI factories’ as Huang put it, powering a wide range of applications — including the digitalization of manufacturing and inspection workflows, development of AI-powered electric vehicles and robotics platforms, and a growing number of language-based generative AI services.

“This factory takes data input and produces intelligence as its output. In the future, every company and industry will have AI factories. What we showed here today is Foxconn building an entire end-to-end system,” Huang explained. What he meant was that the collaboration would start with the creation of AI factories.

The AI factory will utilize an Nvidia GPU computing infrastructure specially built for processing, refining, and transforming vast amounts of data into valuable AI models and tokens — based on the Nvidia accelerated computing platform, including the latest Nvidia GH200 Grace Hopper superchip and Nvidia AI Enterprise software.

Huang shared an example of the collaboration by explaining how the AI factory will build Foxconn’s Model B EV concept car with its AI software. “This car will go through ‘life experience’ and collect more data, then go to the AI factory where the software will be improved to update the entire AI fleet. This entire end-to-end system – on one side AI factory, on the other, AI EV fleet – is what Nvidia and Foxconn are collaborating on,” Nvidia’s CEO said.

“Most importantly, Nvidia and Foxconn are building these factories together. We will be helping the whole industry move much faster into the new AI era,” Liu added. 

AI factories for Foxconn and its customers

Foxconn is expected to build many systems based on Nvidia CPUs, GPUs, and networking for its global customer base. It wants to create and operate its AI factories optimized with Nvidia AI Enterprise software. Among the key Nvidia technologies Foxconn is using to create these custom designs are Nvidia HGX reference designs (featuring eight Nvidia H100 Tensor Core GPUs per system), Nvidia GH200 superchips, Nvidia OVX reference designs and Nvidia networking. 

With these systems, Foxconn customers can leverage Nvidia accelerated computing to deliver generative AI services and use simulation to speed up the training of autonomous machines, including industrial robots and self-driving cars. In addition to equipping its customers with Nvidia technology-powered AI factories, Foxconn is eyeing its own factories that will tap into the Nvidia Omniverse platform and the Isaac and Metropolis frameworks to meet the electronics industry’s strict production and quality standards.

“Advances in edge AI and simulation are enabling the deployment of autonomous mobile robots that can travel several miles a day and industrial robots for assembling components, applying coatings, packaging, and performing quality inspections,” the company explained. An AI factory with these Nvidia platforms will allow Foxconn to accomplish AI training and inference, enhance factory workflows, and run simulations in the virtual world before deployment in the physical world. 

Simulating the entire robotics and automation pipeline from end to end provides Foxconn with a path to operational efficiency gains, saving time and costs.

Foxconn and Nvidia beyond AI factories

Foxconn is also developing other smart solution platforms based on Nvidia technologies. The solutions are listed below:

• Foxconn Smart EV will be built on Nvidia Drive Hyperion 9, a next-generation platform for autonomous automotive fleets, powered by Nvidia Drive Thor, its future automotive systems-on-a-chip.
• Foxconn Smart Manufacturing robotic systems will be built on the Nvidia Isaac autonomous mobile robot platform.
• Foxconn Smart City will incorporate the Nvidia Metropolis intelligent video analytics platform.

Foxconn’s Liu also announced that his company would be delivering a range of Nvidia Drive solutions to global automakers, serving as a tier-one manufacturer of Nvidia Drive Orin-based electronic control units (ECUs) today and scaling to Nvidia Drive Thor-based ECUs in the future.

“As a contract manufacturer, Foxconn will offer highly automated and autonomous, AI-rich EVs featuring the upcoming Nvidia Drive Hyperion 9 platform, which includes Drive Thor and a state-of-the-art sensor architecture. This will enable Foxconn and its automotive customers to realize a new era of functionally safe and secure software-defined cars,” he concluded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmT3MAU09tg

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For several decades, Taiwan has stood as the epicenter of global semiconductor manufacturing, producing over 60% of the world’s semiconductors – but of late, China has been raising its game.

According to the latest IDC report, there will soon be significant changes in the global semiconductor landscape. Taiwan’s share of the global chip manufacturing supply chain, including foundry operations and assembly and testing, is anticipated to reduce in the coming years.

In contrast, China’s share is predicted to grow, driven by shifts in semiconductor policies and geopolitical tensions between various governments. The report, titled The Impact of Geopolitics on Asia’s Semiconductor Supply Chain: Trends and Strategies, says that implementing the CHIP acts and semiconductor policies by various countries will be the main factors behind the changes in market dynamics.

In the report, published last week, Helen Chiang, IDC’s Asia-Pacific semiconductor research lead and Taiwan country manager, wrote, “Geopolitical shifts are fundamentally changing the semiconductor game.” She meant that CHIP acts and semiconductor policies have led to manufacturers being required to set “China + 1” or “Taiwan + 1” production plans. 

Such an overhaul has driven a new global layout for the foundry and assembly/test industry, leading to a regional development in the semiconductor industry chain. “While immediate impacts might be subtle, long-term strategies are focusing more on supply chain self-reliance, security, and control,” she said, noting that the industry operation will move from global collaborations to multi-regional competitions.

Chiang is right, considering major industry players have been making strategic moves. “In terms of foundry, TSMC, Samsung, and Intel are spearheading advanced processes in the US, which will gradually exert influence in the foundry field. Meanwhile, even as China grapples with developing advanced processes, its mature processes have developed rapidly under the impetus of its domestic demand and national policies,” she noted.

How will the market share between China and Taiwan change?

Based on the categorization by production location, IDC thinks the proportion of overall industrial areas in China will continue to increase, reaching 29% in 2027, an increase of 2% from 2023. In contrast, Taiwan’s market share is expected to fall from 46% in 2023 to 43% in 2027, while the US will make some gains in the advanced process part. “Its [the US] share for 7nm and below is expected to reach 11% in 2027,” Chiang added.

IDC’s latest chip industry projection indicates that Beijing’s pursuit of self-sufficiency in high-tech industries has advanced, even in the face of efforts led by the US to reduce mainland China’s role in global technology supply chains. “Even as China grapples with the development of advanced chip manufacturing processes, its mature processes have developed rapidly,” the IDC report said, on the back of domestic demand and national policies.

The Biden administration is reportedly preparing to revise its export control regulations this month, intending to restrict China’s access to more semiconductor manufacturing equipment and address loopholes in trade restrictions related to AI chips. Simultaneously, the European Union is evaluating export control measures for critical technologies, including semiconductors and AI.

The moves by the US and Europe were triggered by China’s pursuit of technological self-sufficiency, which had recently received a boost from Huawei Technologies’ 5G-enabled Mate 60 Pro series smartphones. Because a cutting-edge processor powers those devices, it was viewed as a success against US-led tech sanctions, which included limiting access to advanced chip manufacturing equipment. 

While the exact source of this state-of-the-art processor, the Kirin 9000s, remains undisclosed, it is widely speculated to have originated from Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, China’s largest chip foundry, based on third-party teardowns of the Huawei handset.

Adding to that, despite export controls imposed by the US, Japan, and the Netherlands, mainland China’s chip foundries are expected to increase their share of mature 12-inch wafer production capacity to 26% by 2026, up from 24% in 2022, as per a July report by the research firm TrendForce.

Assembly and test to flourish in Southeast Asia

Given the influence of geopolitics, technological development, and talents in semiconductor assembly and testing, IDC highlighted that leading integrated device manufacturers (IDM) in the US and Europe have begun investing more in Southeast Asia. “Outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) companies have begun to shift their attention from China to Southeast Asia,” the report stated.

Thus, IDC has predicted that Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia and Vietnam, will make further headway in OSAT, achieving a 10% global share by 2027. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s share is predicted to  decline to 47% in the same year, from 51% in 2022. 

Semiconductors are the future. Wars have been fought for less.

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In 2018 China made a move it claims to be the world’s first – introducing an artificial intelligence (AI) news anchor. The move was unlike any other, and according to China’s state news agency, Xinhua, the virtual newsreader was meant to “work” 24 hours a day on its website and social media channels, “reducing news production costs.”

That was five years ago, and for Xinhua’s already tightly-scripted and controlled state news presenters, the AI anchors would take things a step further. But journalism generated by machines is still nascent for the industry, and it’s unsurprising China was at the forefront of the evolution.

With the rise of AI in many forms, like generative AI, the use of technology has become part of the industry’s toolbox. Four years ago, Francesco Marconi, the head of research and development at The Journal, told the New York Times AI had become a necessity.

“I think a lot of the tools in journalism will soon be powered by AI,” Marconi predicted in 2019. He wasn’t wrong – in an era of ChatGPT, newsrooms worldwide are starting to grapple with how they will incorporate the technology into their workflows and workplaces.

Take Asia, for instance – the region is witnessing the rise of AI news bots that have started reading bulletins in countries, often to help cater to diverse cultural and linguistic needs.

India’s AI news anchors

Following China’s state-run Xinhua news agency launch of two AI news anchors in 2018, one speaking Chinese and the other speaking English, India followed suit this year. The South Asian nation launched its first AI-powered anchor, Sana, in April.

Sana occasionally presents bulletins on the India Today Group’s Aaj Tak news channel. Just last week, Sana made history on Aaj Tak’s prime-time show by presenting a news report entirely in French, marking a significant milestone in the country’s field of broadcasting.

Sana’s latest abilities coincided with Prime Minister Modi’s visit to France. It holds special significance as it commemorates the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between India and France. Joining the trend, several other channels nationwide have also introduced their AI-powered news presenters.

Last week alone, two AI news presenters debuted in India. Lisa appeared on the private news channel in Odisha, presenting bulletins in English and Odia – a language spoken in the state. 

The channel’s leader Jagi Mangat Panda called the moment “a milestone in broadcasting TV and digital journalism” and said ‘Lisa’s’ role would involve doing repetitive work “so news people can focus on doing more creative work to bring better quality news.” 

‘Lisa’ will be able to deliver news in various local Indian languages. Even India’s Power TV, a Kannada channel, made a similar groundbreaking move. The channel introduced its very own AI presenter, Soundarya.

Indonesia

The same month India launched their first virtual news presenter, Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelagic state also introduced three AI news. tvOne, one of Indonesia’s most-watched broadcast channels, introduced three virtual presenters named Nadira and Sasya, and Bhoomi. 

The different avatars are to appeal to some of the country’s leading demographic groups. According to a local media report, despite being promoted by the Indonesian government as AI avatars, the figures are not yet interactive, although they have been generated using AI software. 

“Indonesians have not been wholly impressed — in the rollout video, the avatars’ speech tracks were visibly out of sync with the animation, and the figures looked awkwardly cut out against a flat background,” an article by the Rest of World reads.

Taiwan

Taiwan’s FTV News has recently introduced an AI weather presenter for a two-minute forecast on July 3. It came following six months of development. The AI weather presenter, yet to be named, was created using Artificial Intelligence Global Company (AIGC) technology, allowing it to generate photorealistic human images. 

As with other virtual presenters, the one in Taiwan can learn from its past broadcasts, enhancing its manner of speech, pauses, cadence, and overall presentation. Additionally, this Taiwanese channel supplies the AI character with a daily news script for “practice,” tailored to specific situations.

Kuwait: Middle East’s first AI news presenter

Besides India and Indonesia, in April a Middle Eastern media company also took the chance to launch its first virtual news presenter. The AI anchor “Fedha” appeared on the Twitter account of Kuwait News, and it generated a flood of reactions on social media. 

While some praised the virtual presenter as an innovation, others expressed concern about the ethics of using AI in newsrooms.

Malaysia

Even in Malaysia, the generative AI wave in newsroom operations has commenced. Two AI avatars were introduced in May this year in one of the country’s leading broadcast news organizations, Astro Awani. Joon is an AI avatar that appears on Astro Awani’s channel 501, delivering news reports in Malay during the evening news broadcast. Monica, who has a Scandinavian appearance, joins the Agenda AWANI talk show discussion every night on the same day. 

According to Astro AWANI’s Editor-in-Chief, Ashwad Ismail, the development of AI avatars like Joon and Monica holds significant importance. While they are not intended to challenge or replace existing human talents, they aim to enhance and strengthen the quality of human individuals and the products they create. 

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The Chip 4 Alliance, a semiconductor working group initiated by the United States (US) in late 2021, is finally gearing up for more collaboration and concerted efforts, as senior officials from each country met for the first time last week. The meeting between the US, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan senior officials took place virtually on February 16, following months of coordination.

To recall, the preliminary meeting of the Chip 4 Alliance took place last September, but it only involved working-level officials from the four governments. This time, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the “US-East Asia Semiconductor Supply Chain Resilience Working Group“, or “Fab 4”, had, after many months of coordination, held the first video meeting of senior officials from its working group on February 16.

“The focus of the discussions of the participating quartet at the meeting was mainly on how to maintain the resilience of the semiconductor supply chain and explore the possible future cooperation directions of all parties,” the Taiwanese ministry said in a statement. The ministry, however, did not elaborate on which officials took part in the call.

“As an important member of the Indo-Pacific region, our country also plays a key role in the global semiconductor industry and has deep economic and trade relations with countries in the region,” the ministry added. The countries that are members of the group in the Indo-Pacific region are home to some of the world’s largest contract chip makers.

That includes Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, South Korean memory chip giants Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, and SK Hynix, with Japan being the supplier of materials and equipment required to make the semiconductors. With the US as a chip design powerhouse and the other three countries having top capabilities in manufacturing and production of critical equipment and materials, the envisioned alliance would cover all major areas of the chips value chain.

In an interview with the New York Times last year, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said the Chip 4 alliance is “necessary” for the four countries to closely communicate on the semiconductor industry, despite fears that doing so could anger China. Under Yoon, South Korea joined the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, often seen as an American-led effort to counter China in the race to secure global supply chains.

In response, China has criticized the alliance as an entity aimed at containing China’s growing influence in the industry and opposed South Korea’s joining the grouping. There have also been arguments that, to date, the Chip 4 Alliance has remained a proposed working group with no clear indication of when it will be fortified.

While two virtual meetings have been held to date, no concrete outcome has come from the meetings besides the intention to drive technological breakthroughs and withstand supply disruption emanating from trade conflicts or geopolitical tensions. But for China, it’s growing to be more complicated with the mounting export controls from the US.

To top it off, the Biden administration last month secured support from Tokyo and The Hague to tighten export controls on advanced chip manufacturing equipment and technologies to China. The move will make it increasingly difficult for Dutch and Japanese suppliers to sell to Chinese clients.

It is undeniable that recent developments in the US-China technology war have reshaped the future of the semiconductor industry, which has become a hot-button issue in geopolitics. Perhaps one of the most pressing expositions in the midst of the ‘chip war’ is a bunch of vulnerabilities in China’s semiconductor manufacturing capability and strength.

Although in the short run, US measures may topple China’s advancement, in the long run, the chokepoints set by the US measures may soon become less effective. Experts have also argued that a chunk of big and small Chinese companies will eventually find ways to manipulate loopholes in US regulations if efforts to enforce a blockade are ineffective.

When the US first announced its most aggressive measures against China last October, experts reckoned that the effort could backfire without buy-in from foreign partners and allies. Given the complexity of global supply chains, assistance from allied semiconductor states – especially fellow chip-making tool producers Japan and the Netherlands – is critical to restrict Chinese access to the materials, equipment, and advanced chips that enable production. 

So far, the US is heading in the right direction since it has successfully gathered support and partnership with major chip producers in Europe and Asia. It is left to see how the Chip 4 Alliance will play out against China and if there will be counter measures from the latter.

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Supercomputers have played a vital role in advancing the field of weather forecasting. The fastest and first exascale supercomputer in the world, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Frontier, or OLCF-5, located at Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) in Tennessee, is capable of performing 1.102 quintillion operations per second, making it well suited for complex weather modeling.

Similarly, Fujitsu has announced the development of a supercomputer system for Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau (CWB) for use in numerical weather predictions, which is set to become the fastest supercomputer in Taiwan with a theoretical peak performance of 10 PFLOPS.

Supercomputers can simulate the atmosphere and oceans more accurately than ever by using high-resolution models and large amounts of data. This feature allows for more accurate short-term forecasts and improved predictions of severe weather events such as hurricanes and tornadoes.

Researchers in Taiwan are using supercomputers to simulate the effects of climate change on weather patterns. This is crucial for understanding the long-term impacts of these changes. Fujitsu’s new system for CWB started its operation in June 2022 under an initiative initially implemented in 2021. The program will be extended in stages over three years, and the final system will be completed in December 2023.

The state of supercomputer

Supercomputers have become an essential tool for various industries and research fields in Taiwan. Researchers in Taiwan use these powerful machines to perform complex simulations, analyze large sets of data, and conduct research in various fields such as weather forecasting, scientific research, and artificial intelligence. Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau (CWB) utilizes supercomputers to improve the accuracy of weather disaster forecasting and analysis and to observe and analyze the long-term effects of climate change.

The National Center for High-performance Computing (NCHC) in Taiwan has also developed one of the most powerful supercomputers in Asia, the Taiwania 2, which can perform over 1.4 exaflops. It is built using AMD EPYC processors and employs the GPI-Space interconnect technology. In 2019, they installed Taiwania 2; currently, they are using it for various applications such as scientific research, weather forecasting, and artificial intelligence.

Supercomputers like Taiwania 2 are crucial for advancing the field of weather forecasting. They can run high-resolution weather models and process large amounts of data, resulting in more accurate short-term forecasts and improved predictions of severe weather events. Supercomputers are also enabling researchers to simulate the effects of climate change on weather patterns, which is an essential step in understanding the long-term impacts of these changes.

This aligns with the trend of using supercomputers for accurate weather and climate-change forecasting. For example, Fujitsu Laboratories utilized the world’s most powerful supercomputer, Fugaku, to develop an AI model to predict tsunami flooding.

Similarly, Hewlett Packard Enterprise is developing a supercomputer, which will be installed at NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Centre in the U.S., to help study phenomena such as climate change and severe weather.

What is Fujitsu’s new development capable of?

With its tropical and subtropical climate, Taiwan is one of the areas most susceptible to natural disasters such as typhoons and heavy rain. The new supercomputer system that Fujitsu is developing for Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau (CWB) aims to mitigate these threats by enabling the CWB to advance weather observation, improve the accuracy of weather disaster forecasting and analysis, and strengthen its efforts in observing and analyzing the long-term effects of climate change. The system will also support the CWB’s efforts to diversify weather services as a critical component in promoting smart and advanced weather services, a goal of the CWB’s mid-term plan.

Fujitsu built the system on its FUJITSU Supercomputer PRIMEHPC FX1000 hardware, which features the same A64FX CPU as the Fugaku supercomputer developed by RIKEN and Fujitsu. Fujitsu will continue to support the CWB’s weather forecasting services by providing its expertise in high-performance computing and knowledge of weather services.

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The world’s largest chip maker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company or better known as TSMC, has scheduled an investor conference later this week to lay out its expectations for the first quarter of 2023 and for the year as a whole. So far, the Taiwanese giant has released its December 2022 revenue, and for the first time in two years, it missed its quarterly revenue forecast.

“Fourth quarter revenue at TSMC rose 43% to NT$625.5 billion (US$20.6 billion). That missed the NT$636 billion predicted by analysts on average. Its December sales advanced 24% to NT$192.6 billion,” Bloomberg said, according to its calculations based on monthly numbers reported by TSMC. If anything, the missed revenue simply shows that the global decline in electronics demand is starting to catch up with the chip giant.

Separately, in a statement on its website, TSMC shared net revenue for December 2022 which was approximately NT$192.56 billion, a decrease of 13.5% from November 2022 but an increase of 23.9% from December 2021. Revenue for January through December 2022 on the other hand totalled NT$2,263.89 billion, an increase of 42.6% compared to the same period in 2021.

“The shortfall suggests that even TSMC, with its technology and scale advantages, can’t escape a global slowdown in spending by consumers affected by rising interest rates and accelerating inflation,” the report added. To recall, last year, TSMC, the world’s biggest contract manufacturer of chips, reduced its capital spending plans by about 10% to US$36 billion. Some analysts have warned it may further delay expenditure on expansion this year.

Frankly, the global economic slowdown has overall diminished consumer demand for many products that TSMC chips go into — but the reality remains that long-term trend in electronics demand is expected to increase. It is apparent through the scale of TSMC’s expansion with the most recent being last month when TSMC kicked off mass production of next generation chips and increased its investment in the US state of Arizona to US$40 billion.

However, some market experts also reckon that the best thing TSMC can do during its upcoming investors call is to cut its outlook for 2023 big, “indicating a bottoming in the first half of the year”, Market Watch said, quoting an analyst.” Needham analyst Charles Shi, who keeps TSMC as his top pick for 2023, said that the bigger the cut to TSMC’s full year guidance, the better shape 2024 will be

“A bottoming in revenue in the first quarter would indicate a bottoming of volume in the second quarter, setting the fab up for a 2024 rebound,” Shi said, according to Market Watch. Shi also expects US$34 billion in capex in 2023 for TSMC, with a return to US$40 billion capex in 2024. Just two days before the year ended, TSMC announced that it had kicked off mass production of next-generation chips, 3nm.

Apparently, TSMC, the primary chipmaker for Apple Inc. began bulk production of advanced 3nm chips at its Tainan campus in southern Taiwan. The move basically indicates that TSMC is following the footsteps of Samsung Electronics Co. in gearing up on production of a technology that’s expected to control the next line-up of cutting-edge devices.

As the competition between TSMC and Samsung remains intense, industry sources have claimed this week that the latter has just sharply increased its production yield of the industry’s most advanced 3nm chips for fabless clients. The news came as expected, just when TSMC announced it had started mass production of the smallest chips. To be fair though, Samsung, the world’s largest memory chipmaker, kicked off mass production of 3nm chips in 2022, as a global first, way before TSMC did.

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Following the passing of the landmark American Chips Act last year, more countries are coming up with incentives for their local chip industry to encourage growth and advancement, with the latest being Taiwan. Home to the world’s biggest chipmaker in the world, the country’s policymakers had passed a new set of rules that is mainly put in place to keep cutting-edge semiconductor technologies at home and maintain the island’s technology leadership. 

“Taiwanese lawmakers have passed new rules that let local chip firms turn 25% of their annual research and development expenses into tax credits,” according to a report by Bloomberg on Monday. While Taiwan had always assisted local chipmakers in the past with infrastructure construction and other measures, the island seems to be increasing its efforts as more nations up their game.

“Officials there have repeatedly said they will ensure the latest chip technologies remain in Taiwan, a point that has been reaffirmed by executives at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and other local chip giants,” the report by Bloomberg stated. For context, even Japan, South Korea and the European Union have come forward, offering massive incentives to build their domestic supply chains.

“As the United States, Japan, South Korea and the European Union are all offering massive incentives to build domestic supply chains, Taiwan should bolster the global competitiveness of its key industries,” Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement on Saturday. “The new rules will help encourage Taiwanese companies to keep their roots here.”

Incentives offered by governments from Washington to Seoul are intended to reduce a heavy reliance on Taiwan for advanced semiconductors and to avoid future supply disruptions. Those are also the reasons why TSMC is building new facilities in Japan and the US, while also considering an additional site in Germany. 

The new incentives, according to Bloomberg’s report, should take effect sometime this year. Local chip companies in Taiwan can also claim tax credits on 5% of the annual costs of buying new equipment for advanced process technologies, the ministry said. Any credits earned, however, cannot exceed 50% of the total annual income taxes a firm owes. Nations are finding themselves in a subsidy race, bidding to attract and keep semiconductor manufacturers in their country.

Last week, Tech Wire Asia reported that South Korea has plans to introduce larger than previously announced tax breaks for companies prepared to invest in strategic technologies such as semiconductor manufacturing. It comprises tax credits of up to 15% for large corporations such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, and up to 25% for smaller concerns.

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When the idea first came about, many questioned the rationale behind the US pushing a possible grouping between itself and the East Asian tigers, and what it does for the semiconductor value chain. For the US, it wanted a forum for governments and companies to discuss and coordinate policies on supply chain security, workforce development, R&D and subsidies.

To the rest of the world, it was clearly a strategy by Washington to strengthen its access to vital chips and weaken Chinese involvement, on trade and national security grounds. After all, for the US to fortify its supply chains on top of all restrictions imposed against China, it needs alliances. However, it has been more than a year since the proposals were first drawn up, yet the four countries have not finalized the alliance, let alone signed any agreements or treaties. 

Therefore, to date, the Chip 4 Alliance has remained as a proposed working group with no clear indication on when it will be fortified.

How were the members of the Chip 4 Alliance picked?

It is important to understand that the initiative includes Japan, South Korea and Taiwan because each state excels in certain areas of the semiconductor industry. When the ways that each place contributes to the supply chain is scrutinised, it’s obvious why the US chose those nations.

Firstly, being a design powerhouse and holding all Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools licenses, the US controls the fabless market via its private firms. Undoubtedly, the US also has the most semiconductor fabrication facilities in the world. Then there’s Taiwan, the global epicenter of semiconductor manufacturing, with over 60% of the world’s chips being manufactured by the country’s giants, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corp (UMC). 

Taiwan is also a hub for all Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging (ATMP) processes through domestic firms like Foxconn and Winstron. As for South Korea, the country also houses semiconductor behemoth, Samsung, with both design and manufacturing capability. Then there’s Japan that remains integral to the functioning of the supply chain with its dominance over the production of critical manufacturing equipment and materials such as photoresists.

All in all, the Chip 4 alliance covers all the major areas of the value chain. Although there are other dependencies and bottlenecks, it is safe to say the four states, should the alliances materialize, can run semiconductor production more efficiently together. However, the elephant in the room, that might prevent the alliance from taking shape, is China and the force of its market.

State and their US-China conundrum

In South Korea, the government and private sector appear to be wary of the implications and the potential restrictions that might be imposed on them by China mainly due to the fact that China remains the biggest market for local semiconductor companies. Looking into the data from the Korea International Trade Association, Mainland China and Hong Kong account for around 60% of Seoul’s semiconductor exports. 

Since South Korea is a global leader in memory chip production, China remains its biggest trading partner, accounting for over 48% of South Korea’s memory chip exports. Even Taiwan has been finding themselves in a crossfire: having the US as their security ally and China as their top trading partner. Taiwan specifically has been the beneficiary of worsening relations between Washington and Beijing — however, it has been anything but a smooth sailing journey for the country that is home to the world’s most significant chip player.

Democratic Taiwan, which China claims as its own, has come under increasing military and political pressure from Beijing, especially after Chinese war games in early August following a Taipei visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Data also shows that Taiwan depends more on China for trade than it does on the US. 

In 2021 alone, mainland China and Hong Kong accounted for 42% of Taiwan’s exports, while the US had a 15% share, according to official Taiwan data accessed through Wind Information. In all, Taiwan exported US$188.91 billion in goods to mainland China and Hong Kong in 2021. More than half were electronic parts, followed by optical equipment, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance.

Recently, Taiwan has bought an increasing number of products from mainland China, and vice versa. Over the last five years, Taiwan’s imports from mainland China have surged by about 87% versus 44% growth in imports from the US. Taiwan’s exports to mainland China grew by 71% between 2016 and 2021. At this point, it is clear that Taiwan’s economy will not be able to decouple from its biggest trade partner, China. 

Exports to the US did nearly double between 2016 and 2021, growing by 97%. Top US purchases of Taiwan’s goods include electrical machinery, vehicles, plastics and iron and steel products, according to US government data. Japan is the only other country besides Taiwan to restate its commitment wih the US to restrict hi-tech exports to China since the preliminary meeting.

During a visit at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, Japan’s minister of economy, trade and industry, Yasutoshi Nishimura said “it is also absolutely imperative for us to reinforce our cooperation in the area of export control”. Nishimura reckons the move is important especially “to address the misuse of critical and emerging technologies by malicious actors and inappropriate transfers of technologies.” 

All in all, for the US, the alliance is also a framework to drive technological breakthroughs and to withstand supply disruption emanating from trade conflicts or geopolitical tensions. Nishimura also said Tokyo wanted to work more closely with Washington to jointly develop dual-use technologies, citing rising military challenges from Beijing following tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

For now, the idea of Chip 4 Alliance remains overblown with little to no update on its progress or future.

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