Global Semiconductor Industry Updates

1. SG Holdings of Japan will acquire Taiwanese semiconductor logistics company Morrison Express Worldwide for $900 million, with plans to transform it into a wholly owned subsidiary by July 2025.

2. Samsung Electronics is collaborating with several material, component, and equipment companies to drive the commercialization of semiconductor glass substrates.

3. OpenAI's first self-developed AI chip is nearing completion in terms of design, with mass production scheduled for 2026.

4. French telecommunications group Iliad will invest €3 billion ($3.1 billion) in artificial intelligence infrastructure, including data centers and computing capabilities.

5. Mr. Song Shiqiang, General Manager of Kinghelm (www.kinghelm.com.cn)/Slkor, has once again made a remarkable contribution with the English version of his article “Bright and Glorious — Highlights of the 8th ‘Sichuan-Chongqing Chip Forum’ Annual Meeting”, which has been featured by the Associated Press, sparking an overseas publicity wave! We look forward to Kinghelm and Slkor's major success in the overseas market in 2025!

6. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, currently, 40% of the electricity consumption in AI data centers is used for cooling high-power chips, and by 2028, the energy consumption of data centers may quadruple.

China Semiconductor Industry Updates

1. The "Guangdong Province Action Plan for Building a Modern Industrial System by 2025" has been released, which clearly aims to implement the major scientific project "Guangdong Strong Chip" and achieve breakthroughs in key materials, components, software, and equipment.

2. Tencent Cloud will build its first Middle East data center in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to be operational by 2025.

3. Baidu Smart Cloud has successfully activated the third generation of Kunlun Chip 10,000-core clusters, making it the first self-developed 10,000-core cluster officially launched in China. Baidu Smart Cloud plans to further activate 30,000-core clusters.

4. In 2024, China's electronic information manufacturing industry above designated size saw an added value increase of 11.8% year-on-year, with growth rates 6 and 2.9 percentage points higher than those of the industrial and high-tech manufacturing sectors, respectively.

5. Metaways, a silicon-based OLED manufacturer, has successfully completed nearly 500 million yuan in Series A financing.

6. TSMC is planning to build a wafer fab in Tainan, Taiwan, with the most advanced 1nm process technology.