UMS Holdings

Global Semiconductor Sales Continue to Climb in November

Worldwide sales increase for ninth straight month; Americas continue to lead growth

Published Friday, January 3, 2014 5:00 pm
by Dan Rosso

WASHINGTON—Jan. 3, 2014—The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, today announced that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $27.24 billion for the month of November 2013, an increase of 6.8 percent over November 2012 when sales were $25.51 billion and an uptick of 0.6 percent over the previous month’s total. The global industry notched its ninth consecutive month of increasing sales in November, led largely by the Americas, which grew by 18.6 percent year-over-year and 4.2 percent month-over-month. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

“Buoyed by sustained growth in the Americas and Asia Pacific and a recent rebound in Europe and Japan, the global semiconductor industry has shown increasing strength in 2013 and is on pace for record revenue,” said Brian Toohey, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “With solid momentum across all regions and most product categories, the industry is well-positioned for a strong start to the new year.”

Regionally, sequential monthly sales increased in the Americas (4.2 percent), Europe (2.0 percent), and Japan (0.1 percent), but fell slightly in Asia Pacific (-1.0 percent). Compared to November 2012, sales increased in the Americas (18.6 percent), Europe (10.9 percent), and Asia Pacific (5.5 percent). Sales in Japan decreased (-8.8 percent) compared to November 2012, in part due to the devaluation of the Japanese yen, but the region has been closer to last year’s pace in recent months.

http://www.semiconductors.org/news/2014/..._november/

November 2013 chart and graph: http://www.semiconductors.org/clientuplo...elease.pdf

(vested)

SEMI Reports Shift in Semiconductor Capacity and Equipment Spending Trends

SAN JOSE, Calif. — January 9, 2014 — Based on SEMI World Fab Forecast data, SEMI suggests that spending trends for the semiconductor industry have changed. Before 2009, capacity expansion corresponded closely to fab equipment spending. Now more money is spent on upgrading existing facilities, while new capacity additions are occurring at a lower pace, to levels previously seen only during an economic or industry-wide slowdown.

While the 2013 installed capacity growth mimics economic crisis behavior, according to the SEMI World Fab Forecast Report, the data support improvement in overall capacity expansion in both 2014 and 2015. ................................................................

http://www.semi.org/en/node/48566?id=highlights

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Technology worn in your socks and the rest of the body
09 Jan 2014

LAS VEGAS: There's a sensor in a bra, in your socks, on your wrist, attached to your chest, in the ears: wearable tech is spreading all over the body.

The growing use of embedded wearable devices connected to a smartphone is spawning a massive industry geared to fitness, health and other goals, offering potential benefits to everyone from the newborn infant to the infirm elderly.

It was also one of the hottest sectors on display at this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the largest annual showcase of tech-related gear.

"Our vision is that the garment is the next computer," says Davide Vigano, chief executive of Heapsylon, maker of the Sensoria Fitness bra, T-shirt and socks, which connect to a smartphone designed for runners and others who want to monitor their health and improve workouts..............................................................................

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/tech...48234.html

(vested)

You can track how well the semiconductor industry is doing by monitoring TSMC's monthly revenue numbers.

http://www.tsmc.com/tsmcdotcom/ExtIRList...&year=2013

Crisis? What Crisis?

New Paradigm Adjustments for Capacity and Equipment Spending

By Christian Gregor Dieseldorff and Dan Tracy, SEMI Industry Research & Statistics Group (January 7, 2014)

http://www.semi.org/en/node/48496?id=sgurow0114

(vested)

Smartphones replace keys in smart door locks
by Glenn Chapman
January 10, 2014

http://phys.org/news/2014-01-smartphones...-door.html

Call it "death of the internet" or "internet of the things"

Smart homes, smart door locks, smart shirts, smart .....................>> smartphones would have to be smarter........ >> chips would have to perform better and faster................

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Smart shirt knows when you're unwell
11 Jan 2014

French fashion is getting smarter with the help of fabric woven with micro-sensors that can reveal when someone is weary or unwell.

LAS VEGAS: French fashion is getting smarter with the help of fabric woven with micro-sensors that can reveal when someone is weary or unwell.

France-based Cityzen Sciences was at the Consumer Electronics Show on Friday with shirts made of "Smart Sensing" material that reads body heat, heart rate, motion and location.

"The fabric can be made into any clothing; gloves, shirts, pants, you name it," said Gilbert Reveillon, international managing director at Cityzen, the lead company in a consortium that created the material.

"It is the first time ever that we managed to mix these two industries, embedding sensors into textile."

Sensors in the shirt capture data about a wearer and transmit the information through a small battery-powered unit sewn discretely where a label typically goes.

The data is sent in real-time wirelessly to a smartphone, where an application charts it in a timeline and alerts people to potential physical problems.

The application can show if a wearer is tired or stressed, or even if a coming heart attack is coming, according to Reveillon.

"You can't prevent a heart attack from happening, but you could definitely detect it hours, or even days, ahead of it taking place," Reveillon told AFP.

"On the field, a coach could tell when a member of the team has been running over capacity and put in a fresh player."

The material was developed in collaboration with major French sports teams as well as members of the health industry.

The Cityzen smart shirt was honoured for innovation at a first-ever digital health summit at CES.

"This really does seem like science fiction," Everyday Health chief operating officer Paul Slavin quipped after presenting Cityzen a top award for innovation.

Everyday Health, a digital health company, sponsored the prize.

A member of the Cityzen team wore the shirt while venturing for more than an hour along the famed Las Vegas strip, with his smartphone revealing how his body handled the outing.

"The Las Vegas street definitely increases the heartbeat," Reveillon said. "The vibes are very positive."

The smart fabric can be laundered and ironed without worry.

"In two years' time, by washing it, you will recharge the batteries," Reveillon promised.

The material was said to cost about 30 to 40 percent more than commonly-used fabric.

The fabric was expected to be in commercial products late this year.

"It will be worldwide, either medical or sports," Reveillon said.

"Our proposal is to embed micro-sensors now, nano-sensors soon, into any fabric."

Potential uses of the material will only be limited by the creativity and talent of software savants making applications that analyse and react to what is learned about wearers.

"A child could be wearing this shirt and, if a mother sees his heart rate and temperature jump, she can call him home and even watch the path he takes," Reveillon said.

The Smart Sensing consortium is backed, in part, by the French government.

The fabric is part of a hot trend of putting low-cost sensors in anything from light fixtures to jewellery or the soles of shoes to make environments adapt to or provide feedback regarding what people want or do.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/tech...50966.html

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Tech gets in your head, literally, to ease stress

11 Jan 2014

Yes, technology can get into your head, says the maker of a new brain-sensing headband that promises to reduce stress. The Muse headband monitors brain activity and helps people with stress-reducing exercises.

LAS VEGAS: Yes, technology can get into your head, says the maker of a new brain-sensing headband that promises to reduce stress.

The Muse headband from Canadian-based Interaxon presented at the Consumer Electronics Show uses seven sensors, including five on the forehead and two behind the ears, to monitor brain activity and help people with stress-reducing exercises.

"It's based on neuro feedback," said company communications manager Gena Meldazy.

"The sensors detect and measure changes in your brainwaves." They then transmit this information to a smartphone app, which enables the user to find ways to relax and reduce stress.

It can deliver results in just a few minutes, for example, "very quickly before an important meeting," Meldazy told AFP.

The system uses a series of training exercises designed to calm and focus the mind, helping keep stress under control.

The product is set to be launched in 2015 at a price of $269

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/heal...50998.html

Samsung, TSMC, and Micron Top List of IC Industry Capacity Leaders

The top 10 companies now hold 67% of worldwide IC industry capacity, up from 54% in 2009.


January 08, 2014

..........................................................The combined capacity of the top-5 leaders accounted for 47% of total worldwide capacity in Dec-2013. At the same time, just over two-thirds (67%) of the world’s capacity was represented by the combined capacity of the top-10 leaders, while the top 15 accounted for 76% and the top 25, 85%, of worldwide installed IC capacity in Dec-2013. It should be noted that the shares of these groups have each increased significantly since 2009. The top-5 group gained 11 percentage points; the top-10 group, 13 points; the top-15 group, 12 points; and the top-25 group, seven points. Those are big gains over the course of just four years!

IC manufacturing is increasingly becoming a high stakes poker game with enormous up-front costs. Today, it costs $4.0-$5.0 billion for a high-volume state-of-the-art 300mm wafer fab and the cost to build tomorrow’s 450mm wafer fab will probably be double that. Despite the cost-per-unit area advantage that larger wafers provide, there are fewer and fewer companies willing and able to continue investing that kind of money.

IC Insights believes that the capacity shares of the top 5, 10, 15, and 25 leaders will continue to increase over the next several years as the big get bigger, middle-tier manufacturers merge to consolidate resources and improve competitiveness, and a greater number of mid- to small-size companies move away from in-house IC fabrication and move toward using third-party foundries...............................................................................................................

http://www.icinsights.com/news/bulletins...y-Leaders/

Comments:
1) The trend towards fewer players (oligopolistic situation) continues.
2) Customer "concentration risk" which is already high for AMAT (includiing its comoetitors) would become even higher.

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2014 will be a ‘more than stunning’ growth year for equipment sales, says SEMI.
2014/01/13

The semiconductor manufacturing equipment market will experience ‘more than stunning’ growth this year, says Heinz Kundert, European boss of SEMI. Worldwide, the industry should see 2014 sales worth $40 billion. European fabs will spend $3 billion in 2014 compared to $2 billion in 2013. “Technological advancements such as EUV, 450mm transition, and 3D-TSV will continue, supported by an aggressive growth strategy (Key Enabling Technology and 10/100/20 initiative) of the European Commission,” says Kundert. He adds: “2014 will also mark the first wave of EU funding opportunities for electronics, under the EU 10/100/20 strategy. SEMI Europe will be providing regular information and organising support activities to help SEMI members access funding.”

http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/bu...i-2014-01/

(vested)

TMT Predictions 2014 : By Deloitte

Explore what's ahead in Technology, Media & Telecommunications

http://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages...-2014.html

You can download the full report and watch video ( about 20 videos) covering the following topics + a look back on 2013 + overviews

Technology - TMT Predictions 2014
Explore the future in Technology: Sales of smartphones, tablets, PCs, TV sets and videogame consoles set to exceed $750 billion; What can we expect in wearable computers and other new device form factors? The emergence of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and how will faster broadband boost online healthcare: eVisits?
Learn more about the individual Technology Predictions below:
• The $750 billion converged living room: a plateau approaches
• Wearables: the eyes have it
• One became many: the tablet market stratifies
• Wearable technology
• Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)
• eVisits: the 21st century housecall

Media - TMT Predictions 2014
Explore the future in Media: Pay-television—cord cutting or increased subscriptions? Increased accuracy in measuring television viewing including viewership on devices; The continuing growth in value of premium sports broadcast rights; A growth story in recorded music performance rights set to exceed one billion dollars, and how use of satellite links impact the growth of ‘cordless’ video-on-demand (VOD) in countries with low bandwidth?
Learn more about the individual Media predictions below:
• Doubling up on pay-television
• Television measurement: for better and worse
• Broadcast sports rights: premium plus
• Performance rights lift recorded music revenues
• Cordless Video-on-demand leaps in Sub-Saharan Africa (VOD)

Telecommunications - Predictions 2014
Explore the future in Telecoms: Short messaging services vs. instant messaging? Phablets a $125 billion market led out of Asia; Smartphone penetration set to rise in the over 55 group, and the costs of ‘ruggedized’ data devices is set to decline.
Learn more about the individual Telecommunications predictions below.
• Short messaging services versus instant messaging: value versus volume
• Phablets are not a phad
• The smartphone generation gap: Over-55? There's no app for that
• 'Ruggedized' data devices at $250: reinventing the business case for mobile field force

The race towards producing faster and better performing chips continues.....................
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Digitimes Research: Foundry sector to outperform overall semiconductor industry in 2014

Nobunaga Chai,
DIGITIMES Research,
Taipei [Tuesday 14 January 2014]

The global IC foundry sector is forecast to increase almost 9% in output value in 2014, while output value for the overall semiconductor industry will grow by a smaller 5.2%, according to Digitimes Research.

However, the anticipated rise in output value for the 2014 IC foundry industry shows a slowdown compared to growth of 15% in 2013 and 19.9% in 2012, said Digitimes Research.

TSMC is set to move its 20nm SoC process to mass production in 2014, while new capacity at its 12-inch fabs will come online, Digitimes Research indicated.

Rivals Globalfoundries and Samsung Electronics will also ramp up production of 20nm chips in the first half of 2014, Digitimes Research disclosed.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics' foundry capacity utilization rate is likely to fall in 2014, due to the loss of Apple orders, Digitimes Research said. Buoyed by orders of application processors from Apple and strong IC demand for smartphones and tablets, TSMC's share of the global IC foundry market is expected to reach 50.3% in 2014 from 48.4% in 2012, Digitimes Research noted.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20140114PD203.html

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Digitimes Research: Global smartphone shipments to top 1.24 billion units in 2014

Luke Lin,
DIGITIMES Research,
Taipei [Tuesday 14 January 2014]

Global smartphone shipments are expected to top 1.24 billion units in 2014, with Samsung Electronics, Apple, LG Electronics, Sony Mobile Communications, Lenovo, Huawei, Microsoft, ZTE, Coolpad and TCL serving as top-10 vendors, according to Digitimes Research.

Apple may see its shipments double in 2014 largely due to increased shipments to China and Japan as it will benefit from its cooperation with the largest telecom operators in the two countries, said Digitimes Research.

The growth rate for Samsung will be limited in 2014 as its sales in the US, China and Japan will be depressed by growing popularity of iPhones.

China-based Lenovo, Huawei and Coolpad are expected to step up their efforts to boost sales in overseas markets after being enlisted among the top-10 vendors due to higher shipment volumes in the home market in China.

However, TCL and ZTE will continue to ship smartphones to overseas markets mainly, but will also strengthen sales in China, with domestic sales to account for less than 50% of their total shipments in 2014, commented Digitimes Research.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20140114PD205.html

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TSMC to produce fingerprint sensors for next-generation iPhone at 12-inch fab

Josephine Lien, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Monday 13 January 2014]

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) reportedly will begin producing fingerprint sensors for Apple's next-generation iPhone at its 12-inch fab using a 65nm process in the second quarter of 2014, according to industry sources.

However, in order to ensure the yield rates of the new fingerprint sensors, TSMC is also expected to handle the backend wafer level-chip scale packaging (WL-CSP) process in house, instead of subcontracting the packaging process to IC backend service firms as done previously, the sources revealed.

TSMC has been fabricating the fingerprint sensors for iPhone 5s at its 8-inch fabs, while outsourcing the backend services to Xintec, China Wafer Level CSP and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE).

Due to limited packaging capacity, TSMC may switch part of packaging orders for Qualcomm's chips to STATS ChipPAC, the sources added.

Meanwhile, TSMC will also begin to produce application processors for Apple soon using a 20nm process, said the sources, noting that the production of APs will be ramped up significantly starting the third
quarter

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20140113PD218.html

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Intel prepares Haswell Refresh processors for 2Q14

Monica Chen, Taipei; Joseph Tsai, DIGITIMES [Monday 13 January 2014]

Intel's next-generation Haswell Refresh processors are expected to become available in the retail channel in May, and the CPU giant will also start shipping its Z97 and H97 chipsets in April in order to enable motherboard players such as Asustek Computer and Gigabyte Technology to start selling related products at the end of the month.

Intel will release about 20 new processors for its Haswell Refresh platform in the second quarter including Core i7-4790, Core i5-4690, Core i5-4590, Core i3-4360, Pentium G3450 and Celeron G1840 and low-power Core i7-4790S, Core i5-4590S and Core i3-4150T.

Intel will then release its Haswell Refresh K series and Haswell-E in the third quarter and phase out its Core i5-3350P, Core i3-3225 and Core i3-3210 processors in the first quarter.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20140113PD216.html

(vested)

CEO buys more shares?

Anyone?