The EU will launch a formal investigation into Nvidia’s acquisition of ARM | ​my country has become the main source country for 6G patent applications-Breadboard Community

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EU will launch a formal investigation into Nvidia’s acquisition of ARM

August 27, news,According to media reports, after several months of informal discussions between regulators and US chip companies, the EU will start a formal competition investigation into Nvidia’s plan to acquire British chip designer ARM in early September.

According to two people familiar with the matter, the investigation may begin after NVIDIA officially notified the European Commission of its plan to acquire ARM.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) released the findings of a report submitted to the government on August 20, in which it stated that the transaction may “stifle innovation in multiple markets.”

However, Nvidia still expressed its belief that this transaction is still beneficial to the industry. ARM’s CEO stated that the proposed merger will better support the creation of jobs and enable it to invest in future technologies, as opposed to becoming an independent public company.

Nvidia also said: “We are completing the regulatory process, and we look forward to working with the European Commission to explain the transaction and resolve any concerns they may have.”

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Rumor has it that Dongbu Hi-Tech, South Korea’s second largest foundry, may be sold

August 27, news,According to the Korea Times，According to industry sources, companies such as LG and Hyundai Motor are interested in acquiring South Korea’s second largest wafer foundry DB HiTek (East Hi-Tech).

DB HiTekMainly produce analog and mixed signal processing chips, but also produce SoC using 80~90 nanometer process. Since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic,DB HiTekThe demand for production of temperature and heart rate measuring analog chips and OLED driver chips has surged.

A senior official in a related industry said that companies such as LG and Hyundai Motor Group are considered potential acquirers of DB HiTek. However, these companies may try to acquire this foundry at a lower price. In addition, it is also questionable whether DB Group wants to continue operating its foundry business or intends to sell its subsidiary.

Although DB Group denied the rumors that it was considering selling its 17.38% stake in DB HiTek, industry insiders expressed skepticism. Because in 2014, as part of the group’s restructuring plan, the predecessor of DB Group, Eastern Group, tried to sell its foundry. However, as there were no potential acquirers, the idea eventually fell through.

But the current situation has been greatly reversed-the importance of the fab is becoming increasingly prominent.

Another industry insider said that LG may become a potential buyer of DB HiTek because LG is seeking to expand its auto parts business. Having said that, the price is still quite critical. The person further pointed out that the current price of DB HiTek is too high, and the amount of the transaction will determine whether it can be sold.

However, LG and Hyundai Motor both denied the above news. In addition, there are public opinions in South Korea that, in view of the importance of the foundry business to the national economy, DB HiTek should be prevented from being acquired by overseas companies.

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CNNIC: my country has become the main source country for 6G patent applications

August 27, news,China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) released the 48th “Statistical Report on China’s Internet Development Status”.

The “Report” mentioned the patent situation of my country’s 5G and 6G. The “Report” pointed out that as of May 2021, the number of 5G standard essential patent declarations accounted for more than 38%, ranking first in the world.

In the field of 6G communication technology, my country has become the main source country for 6G patent applications. At present, the number of global patent applications in the field of 6G communication technology exceeds 38,000, of which my country’s patent applications account for 35% (more than 13,000, or about 15,800), ranking first in the world.

In addition, the “Report” also mentioned that in terms of artificial intelligence patent applications, the overall number of artificial intelligence applications in my country has shown an upward trend year by year. As of the end of 2020, global artificial intelligence patent applications are concentrated in China, the United States, Japan, and South Korea. Among them, China and the United States are in a leading position, far ahead of other countries. The number of patent applications in my country was 389,571, ranking first in the world, accounting for 74.7% of the global total and 8.2 times that of the second-ranked United States.

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UMC has notified customers to increase prices starting from November

August 27, news,According to a report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily，The turmoil caused by the rumors of TSMC’s price increase has not yet subsided, and UMC has also reported that it has notified customers that it will increase the foundry price again from November, with an average increase of 10%.

According to UMC’s notice, driver chips will increase by 10%-15%, special high-voltage processes will increase by more than 10%, and consumer-grade chips will increase by 5%-10%. In this regard, UMC said it would not comment on the price increase.

UMC has previously reported that it will raise prices again in the fourth quarter, and has revised the annual ASP growth twice, from a year-on-year increase of 10% to 10%-13%. The visibility of orders will be seen at the end of 2022, showing maturity. Capacity continues to be in short supply.

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IC Insights: In 2021, the global MPU market is expected to exceed the US$100 billion mark for the first time

August 27, news,IC Insights, a global semiconductor analysis organization, recently made the latest outlook on the global MPU market and updated its mid-year report. The report pointed out that benefiting from the strong growth of mobile application processor revenue, the total MPU market in 2021 is expected to exceed US$100 billion for the first time.

During the global epidemic, MPU sales have increased by 16% in 2020 and will continue to be strong in 2021, with an expected annual growth of 14%. This will bring the total MPU market to a record 103.7 billion U.S. dollars. The initial forecast was for an annual increase of 9%.

The agency also predicts that MPU shipments will reach 2.5 billion in 2021, and the average selling price (ASP) will rise by 4%.

IC Insights also raised MPU’s revenue forecast for the next five years to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1%. It is estimated that sales in 2025 will reach 127.8 billion U.S. dollars, and sales in 2020 will be approximately 90.7 billion U.S. dollars.

The report shows that mobile phone application processor sales will increase by 34% in 2021, reaching 35.7 billion U.S. dollars. The agency predicts that shipments of mobile phone application processors will increase by 11% in 2021, and the average selling price of these processors will increase by 20% in 2021.

The agency also analyzed and pointed out that the sales of computer CPU microprocessors increased by 14% in 2020, which is the highest increase in the MPU market segment in 10 years. The demand for portable personal computers has skyrocketed in 2020 as more workers, students, and consumers are quarantined at home during the epidemic and need to go online. The report reduces the expected growth rate of computer CPU processor sales in 2021 to 4%, but it also reached a record high of nearly 48.4 billion U.S. dollars. Mid-year forecasts show that after a 12% increase in computer CPU processor shipments in 2020, it will increase by 6% in 2021.

In the field of embedded processors, the report lowered its sales forecast for 2021 to 11%, partly due to some shortages of MPUs during the economic rebound in 2021. Embedded MPU sales cover system applications such as the Internet of Things, automotive, industrial, medical, consumer, telecommunications and network equipment, and are expected to reach US$19.7 billion in 2021, with global unit shipments increasing by 12%.

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