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☆ South Korea Says U.S. Chips Act Subsidies Have Too Many Requirements
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Jiyoung Sohn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL—The U.S. Chips Act is dangling billions of dollars in subsidies in front of the world’s biggest semiconductor manufacturers, but South Korea says there are too many strings attached. The conditions for receiving the subsidies unveiled last week are putting two of South Korea’s biggest chip makers— Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc.—in a difficult position as they decide whether to apply for the federal funding, government officials and industry analysts said.

SEOUL, March 6 (Reuters) - South Korea will halt a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute process sparked by a complaint against Japan as the two countries discuss Japan's export curbs on high-tech materials to South Korea, the two countries' trade ministries said on Monday. In July 2019, Japan imposed export curbs on materials used in smartphone displays and chips amid a decades-old row with Seoul about South Koreans who said they were forced to work under Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea. As South Korea has proposed its companies would compensate those people, both countries will quickly begin discussions to return export curbs to their pre-July 2019 state, the ministries said on Monday. "The suspension of the WTO dispute resolution process is not really a withdrawal... but a pause," said Kamchan Kang, director-general at Korea's trade ministry. Reporting by Joyce Lee and Heekyong Yang; Editing by Kim Coghill and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Chinese chipmaking equipment manufacturers filling void left by U.S. export restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Naura's most advanced etching machine supports 55 nm and 28 nm chipmaking technology, well behind the leading edge of chip manufacturing. The firm also makes deposition machines, which apply chemicals and gases to silicon wafers throughout the chipmaking process. It produces machines that can service the 14 nm to 28 nm process nodes of its deposition machines. ADVANCED MICRO-FABRICATION EQUIPMENT INC CHINA (AMEC) (688012.SS)AMEC makes etching equipment used to remove excess material from the surface of silicon wafers. BEIJING E-TOWN SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY CO LTD (BEST)BEST produces degumming equipment used to remove photoresist chemicals during the lithography process.

☆ South Korean startup rival to Nvidia seeks $400 million valuation and plans new A.I. chip
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sapeon was spun off from South Korea's SK Telecom in 2022 and is raising outside investment. BARCELONA, Spain — Sapeon, a South Korean artificial intelligence chip startup headquartered in California, is raising a funding round that puts its valuation above $400 million, its CEO told CNBC. The startup is backed by massive South Korean firms SK Telecom, memory-chip maker SK Hynix and SK Square, an investment company spun off of SK Telecom. But a number of established players such as AMD and startups like Sapeon, are looking to challenge Nvidia. Analysts at Bernstein expect ChatGPT to be a multi-billion dollar boon for chipmakers looking to fuel these AI models.

☆ Is ChatGPT the tip of the iceberg? Analysts reveal potential A.I. uses — and the stocks to play it
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

ChatGPT is considered by far the most successful generative AI tool to date. But while ChatGPT is undoubtedly the talk of the town, HSBC believes it could just be the tip of the generative AI iceberg. However, there is the potential for Generative AI to have a significant impact on several sectors of the economy," the bank said. How to play it Morgan Stanley has named a raft of global stocks to play generative AI. Medical diagnostics Meanwhile, Canaccord Genuity in a Feb. 20 note highlighted the implications of AI on the medical diagnostics sector.

☆ Taiwan says 'Fab 4' chip group held first senior officials meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Florence Lo/IllustrationTAIPEI, Feb 25 (Reuters) - The U.S.-led "Fab 4" semiconductor alliance of Taiwan, the United States, Japan and South Korea held its first video meeting of senior officials last week focused on supply chain resilience, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. The United States last September convened the first meeting of the working group, colloquially called "Fab 4" or "Chip 4", to discuss how to strengthen the semiconductor supply chain, after a global chip crunch caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The semiconductor shortage, which forced some carmakers to halt production, thrust chip powerhouse Taiwan into the spotlight and has made supply chain management a bigger priority for governments around the world. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said the "U.S.-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 Feb. 16. The group's members are home to the world's largest contract chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (2330.TW), South Korean memory chip giants Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) and SK Hynix (000660.KS), and key Japanese suppliers of semiconductor materials and equipment.

☆ U.S. likely to cap level of S.Korean chips made in China- U.S. official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Feb 24 (Reuters) - The United States will likely limit the level of advanced semiconductors made by South Korean companies in China, a senior U.S. official said. Estevez who oversees restrictions on tech exports to China made the comments on Thursday during a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were not immediately available for comment. Earlier, an American official acknowledged the existence of a deal with Japan and the Netherlands for those countries to impose new restrictions on exports of chipmaking tools to China. read moreReporting by Ju-min Park and Heekyong Yang; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Asia stocks see bright side after Nvidia sounds upbeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Shares in the giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2330.TW) rose 2.2% to lift Taiwan's benchmark (.TWII) 1.3%. A 4% gain for SK Hynix (000660.KS) and a 2% gain for Samsung (005930.KS) drove South Korea's Kospi (.KS11) 1% higher. The Bank of Korea also offered some relief by ending a year-long run of uninterrupted rate hikes with a pause - as expected. Wall Street indexes fell overnight and are eyeing their worst week of the year so far as stronger-than-forecast U.S. labour, inflation, retail sales and manufacturing figures have traders pricing interest rates staying higher for longer. "Markets have been forced to reprice interest rate expectations, not just higher, but also questioning the view that once peak rates are hit, central banks will pivot quickly to cutting interest rates," said ANZ economist Finn Robinson.

☆ U.S. Commerce Dept. names financial sector, government experts to chips team
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it is naming more than a dozen members to a team overseeing $52.7 billion in government funding to boost semiconductor manufacturing and research. The new team members include officials with experience managing large federal programs, experts from the semiconductor industry, and executives with financial sector experience, the department said. The department said Todd Fisher - a Commerce official who previously worked for nearly 25 years at KKR & Co. Inc - will serve as chief investment officer. The department plans to release its first Notice of Funding Opportunity this month, a key step to beginning the process of making funding awards. In September, Commerce Department chief economist Aaron "Ronnie" Chatterji was named White House Coordinator for CHIPS Implementation while former Treasury official Michael Schmidt was named Commerce Department CHIPS Program Office director.

☆ A corner of tech is up 50% from its 2022 lows — and strategists recommend these stocks to play it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The semiconductor sector has seen quite a turnaround of late. Chip stocks were among the worst performers last year, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) shedding more than 35% of its value. Despite this, chip stocks have flown somewhat under the radar since the beginning of the year as the buzz around artificial intelligence and a recovery in Big Tech dominated investor attention. While the semiconductor sector is notorious for its cyclicality and boom-bust cycles, several Wall Street pros are urging investors to take a longer-term view. Europe stock ideas In Europe, a raft of chip stocks made Bank of America 's list of "2023 European Best Stock Ideas."

☆ STMicro leans on AI, cloud as chip designs become more complex
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - European chipmaker STMicroelectronics (STM.BN) and chip design software maker Synopsys (SNPS.O) on Tuesday said STMicro had for the first time used artificial intelligence software running on Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O) cloud to design a working chip. The achievement would help solve the growing problem of getting increasingly complex designs ready for customers in an acceptable time, STMicro said. The company is one of a several that are using AI to help design chips, which involves translating a complicated circuit architecture into a blueprint for fabricating billions of transistors on a small piece of silicon. Shankar Krishnamoorthy, general manager of the design automation group at Synopsys, said that company's AI engine got better results faster when it had more computing power behind it. Cloud providers like Microsoft offer the option to rent a huge burst of computing power in a short time.

[1/2] Memory chips by South Korean semiconductor supplier SK Hynix are seen on a circuit board of a computer in this illustration picture taken February 25, 2022. SK Hynix flagged lower chip prices in the current quarter. For the fourth quarter ended December, SK Hynix swung to a worse-than-expected 1.7 trillion won ($1.38 billion) operating loss, from 4.2 trillion won profit a year earlier. Analysts had expected a 1.3 trillion won operating loss, according to Refinitiv SmartEstimate. On its earnings call, SK Hynix said it will focus its resources on advanced chips to prepare for a market upturn in 2024.

☆ Samsung's long-term competitiveness makes it a better investment pick, says investment firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSamsung's long-term competitiveness makes it a better investment pick, says investment firmJames Lim of Dalton Investments says Samsung's balance sheet and long-term competitiveness make it a better pick over competitors SK Hynix and Micron.

"Samsung, in a roundabout way, is saying production will decrease slightly," said analyst Kim Yang-jae at Daol Investment and Securities. CHIP PROFIT TUMBLESEarlier on Tuesday, Samsung reported its lowest quarterly profit since 2014 and said persistent macroeconomic uncertainty will make for a tough first half of this year, though it expects demand to start recovering in the second half. At 4.3 trillion won ($3.49 billion), October-December operating profit was Samsung's lowest quarterly profit in eight years. Some analysts expect the chip business to book a loss in the first quarter, pulling overall profit below that of the fourth. In mobile, Samsung said fourth-quarter profit fell to 1.7 trillion won from 2.66 trillion won a year earlier, as a decline in low- and mid-end smartphone sales was greater than expected.

At 4.3 trillion won ($3.49 billion), October-December operating profit was Samsung's lowest quarterly profit in eight years. Revenue fell 8% to 70.5 trillion won. Some analysts expect the chip business to book a loss in the first quarter, pulling overall profit below that of the fourth. Memory chip rivals Micron Technology Inc (MU.O) and SK Hynix Inc (000660.KS) had already said they would slash investment in 2023. Investors will be watching for whether Samsung avoids mentioning a direct chip production cut - as is its usual stance - or rather gives a clear signal of production cuts given the severity of the memory chip down-cycle.

☆ Morgan Stanley has a ‘simple’ tech playbook, names TSMC and others as stocks to buy right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Despite the recent rally, few believe the downturn in tech has bottomed — but Morgan Stanley believes investors should not sit on the sidelines. Stay invested even if a recession strikes Morgan Stanley believes investors should continue to selectively own Asia tech names even if a widely anticipated recession materializes, given the sector's historical resilience. Stock picks Morgan Stanley recommends investing in commodity and consumer cyclical companies "that will likely be first to come out of the downturn." Morgan Stanley also likes Samsung Electronics on the back of its market share gains, dividend support and potential for growth through M & A. Morgan Stanley has a price target of 700 Taiwan dollars ($23.10) on TSMC, which implies an upside of around 40%.

☆ Chip woes short-circuit Samsung's best laid plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Jan 6 (Reuters Breakingviews) - South Korea's Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) can only defy gravity for so long. The worse-than-expected earnings guidance throws cold water on the chipmaker's aggressive supply and capital expenditure spending plans laid out in October. Analysts at Citi reckon Samsung’s memory chip capex this year will be roughly $25 billion, more than 10% lower than their earlier forecast. Samsung's best laid plans are starting to go astray. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Samsung's quarterly profit set to hit 6-year low as consumers hunker down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Joyce Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Samsung, as the world's biggest maker of memory chips, smartphones and TVs, is a bellwether for global consumption trends. That would be Samsung's lowest quarterly profit since the third quarter of 2016 and compares with an operating profit of 13.87 trillion won a year earlier. Operating profit for Samsung's chip business likely tumbled by 78% to 1.9 trillion won, an average of seven analyst estimates showed. It had about 128.82 trillion won ($100.83 billion) in cash as of end-September. Samsung's mobile business is also expected to see profits shrink, with forecasts calling for a 14% fall to 2.3 trillion won for the quarter.

The dismal profit estimate by the world's largest memory chip, smartphone and TV maker - a bellwether for global consumer demand - sets a weak tone for other technology firms' quarterly results. Samsung's profits are expected to shrink again in the current quarter, analysts said, after the South Korean company announced its October-December operating profit likely fell 69% to 4.3 trillion won ($3.37 billion) from 13.87 trillion won a year earlier. It was Samsung's smallest quarterly profit since the third quarter of 2014 and fell short of a 5.9 trillion won Refinitiv SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. Quarterly revenue likely fell 9% from the same period a year earlier to 70 trillion won, Samsung said in a short preliminary earnings statement. Shares of rival memory chip maker SK Hynix (000660.KS) rose 2.1%.

HONG KONG, Dec 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - America’s chip war against China will make only partial inroads in 2023. After unveiling sweeping new export restrictions in October, Washington appears to have successfully lobbied friendly governments including Japan and the Netherlands to join. Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher already said in November her government "will not copy the American measures one-to-one". Rival Nikon (7731.T) made sales of over 153 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in China, some 28% of total. In November, Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher confirmed the Netherlands was in talks with the U.S. government about new export restrictions.

☆ We expect SK Hynix to see large operating losses in 2023, S&P Global says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe expect SK Hynix to see large operating losses in 2023, S&P Global saysJunhong Park of S&P Global Ratings says since the third quarter, there have been "very strong operational headwinds" when it comes to the memory chips sector.

☆ India and Vietnam could benefit as chipmakers shift away from China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Weilun Soon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Yuichiro Chino | Moment | Getty ImagesU.S. curbs on chip exports to China are the latest shakeup prompting companies to consider moving some of their chipmaking capabilities to nearby Vietnam and India. In October, the U.S. began requiring companies to obtain licenses to export advanced semiconductors or related manufacturing equipment to China. Shift from China to AsiaThe curbs are the latest in a series of upheavals for the $600 billion global semiconductor industry. China firmly in the leadDespite Asia's rising attractiveness for chipmakers, experts point out that China still maintains a lead over regional economies in terms of its competitiveness in chipmaking. In its "Made in China 2025" blueprint released in 2015, the country laid the groundwork for technological self-sufficiency in chipmaking.

☆ When the chips go up: Big banks bet on S. Korea, Taiwan stocks for 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Harish Sridharan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Goldman Sachs says South Korean stocks are the bank's top "rebound candidate" for 2023 due to low valuations, made cheaper by a nosediving Korean won, and as companies benefit from an expected recovery in Chinese demand. "We think (Korean stocks) sold off too much in September and August." Morgan Stanley downgraded its view on Indian exposure in October, when it upgraded its recommendation for South Korea. Like South Korea, Taiwan (.TWII) is another heavily-sold and chip-maker dominated market - though tensions with China make some investors a bit less enthusiastic. Meanwhile, Taiwan and South Korea are both geopolitical flashpoints - but analysts argue at least some of that is already in the price.

☆ Goldman Sachs says U.S., Europe could end reliance on Chinese EV batteries by 2030 -FT
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 22 (Reuters) - The United States and Europe could cut their dependence on China for electric vehicle batteries through more than $160 billion of new capital spending by 2030, the Financial Times reported on Monday, citing a Goldman Sachs forecast. Goldman forecast that the U.S. market share of the Korean battery makers would soar to about 55% in three years, from 11% in 2021, FT said. For now, China dominates battery production, including the mining and refining of raw materials. The analysts said this dominance could be unwound by protectionist policies in Europe and the United States, coupled with alternative battery chemistries that require fewer critical minerals from China, FT reported. Reporting by Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ SoftBank faces tech stock weakness at Q2 earnings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Nov 7 (Reuters) - SoftBank Group Corp (9984.T) is expected to face further weakness in tech stocks when it reports second-quarter earnings on Friday, after two brutal quarters that have shaken Masayoshi Son's tech conglomerate. The Vision Fund investing arm booked $50 billion in losses in the six months to end-June as valuations slid. Founder and Chief Executive Son has moved to cut headcount and refocus the second fund on managing its existing portfolio. Alibaba (9988.HK), , which SoftBank has been selling to raise cash, has fallen more than 40% year-to-date. "For most/all funding needs, SBG will use Alibaba shares to defend its balance sheet or stock price," Goyal wrote.

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