1. NXP and World Advanced Announce Joint Venture to Establish a 12 inch Wafer Factory

NXP recently announced that it plans to establish a manufacturing joint venture with VisionPower Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (VSMC) with wafer foundry World Advanced (VIS) to build a new 300mm wafer factory in Singapore. The factory will support mixed signal, power management, and analog products ranging from 130 nanometers to 40 nanometers, targeting the automotive, industrial, consumer, and mobile terminal markets. The basic process technology plan is licensed from TSMC and transferred to a joint venture.
The joint venture will begin the initial phase of wafer fab construction in the second half of 2024, awaiting all necessary regulatory approvals and providing initial production to customers in 2027. The joint venture will operate as an independent commercial OEM supplier, providing guaranteed proportional production capacity for two equity partners. It is expected to produce 55000 300mm wafers per month in 2029. After the successful launch of the first phase, the second phase will be considered and formulated, awaiting the commitment of both equity partners.
The total cost of the initial expansion is expected to be 7.8 billion US dollars. World Advanced will inject $2.4 billion, accounting for 60% of the equity of the joint venture, while NXP will inject $1.6 billion, accounting for the remaining 40% of the equity. World Advanced and NXP have agreed to invest an additional $1.9 billion to support long-term capacity infrastructure. The remaining funds, including loans, will be provided by a third party to the joint venture. The wafer factory will be operated by the world's advanced technology.

2. NXP announces collaboration with ZF to develop SiC traction inverters

NXP recently announced a partnership with ZF to develop the next generation of traction inverters for electric vehicles based on silicon carbide (SiC). By utilizing NXP's advanced GD316x high-voltage (HV) isolated gate driver, this solution aims to accelerate the adoption of 800-V and SiC power devices. The safe, efficient, and high-performance traction inverters provided by this series can be used to extend the range of electric vehicles, reduce charging times, and lower the system level costs of original equipment manufacturers.
The traction inverter is a key component of the electric power system of electric vehicles, which converts the DC voltage of the battery into a time-varying AC voltage to drive the vehicle's motor. Compared with the previous generation of silicon-based IGBT and MOSFET power switches, SiC power devices need to be paired with high-voltage isolated gate drivers to take advantage of higher switching frequencies, lower conduction losses, better thermal characteristics, and higher high voltage robustness.

3. Intel sells 49% stake in its Irish factory for $11 billion

According to Fast Technology, Intel recently announced that it has agreed to sell 49% of its Fab 34 chip factory in Ireland to Apollo Global Management for $11 billion. This measure aims to introduce more external funds into Intel's large-scale expansion plan while alleviating the company's financial pressure.
The Fab 34 factory is Intel's only chip manufacturing plant in Europe that uses extreme EUV lithography technology, providing support for wafers using Intel 4 and Intel 3 processes. To date, Intel has invested $18.4 billion in the factory. This transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2024 and is part of Intel's second semiconductor co investment plan (SCIP).

4. Nvidia Huang Renxun denies that Samsung HBM did not pass the test

According to IT Home, Nvidia's Huang Renxun stated at the 2024 Taipei International Computer Show that he is still certifying Samsung's HBM memory, denying that Samsung's HBM has not passed any Nvidia tests, and stating that certifying Samsung's HBM requires more work and patience.
Since SK Hynix began supplying Nvidia with HBM3 and more advanced HBM3e chips, its stock price has skyrocketed, while Samsung is catching up in the HBM field.

5. Ansemy launches a complete power solution to improve data center energy efficiency

Ansemi recently announced the launch of the latest generation T10 PowerTrench series and a powerful combination of EliteSiC 650V MOSFETs, providing a complete solution for data center applications that offers unparalleled energy efficiency and excellent thermal performance in a smaller package size.
EliteSiC 650V MOSFET provides excellent switching performance and lower device capacitance, enabling higher efficiency in data centers and energy storage systems. The T10 PowerTrench series is designed specifically to handle high currents that are crucial for DC-DC power conversion stages, providing higher power density and excellent thermal performance in a compact package size. By using the T10 PowerTrench series and EliteSiC 650V solution, data centers can reduce power loss by approximately 1%.