1. North American semiconductor equipment shipments have declined for four consecutive months. According to the September shipment report released by the International Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Industry Association, North American semiconductor equipment shipments con

1. North American semiconductor equipment shipments have declined for four consecutive months

According to the September shipment report released by the International Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Industry Association (SEMI), North American semiconductor equipment shipments continued to decline in September, with a monthly decrease The rate exceeded 6%, but the annual growth rate remained at a horizontal level. The

report shows that North American semiconductor equipment manufacturers' global sales and shipments in September 2018 were US$2.09 billion, a decrease of 6.5% from US$2.37 billion last month and a four-month decline in a row. However, it is still 1.8% higher than the US$2.05 billion in the same period last year.

According to statistics, North American semiconductor equipment manufacturers' shipments decreased by 14.9% in the third quarter from the previous quarter, to approximately US$6.71 billion. The report stated that the decrease in the number was due to seasonal factors, and it is expected that this number will improve significantly by the end of the year.

SEMI President and CEO Ajit Manocha said: "Quarterly global sales of North American semiconductor equipment suppliers experienced a typical seasonal weakening in the latest quarter. Relative to the third quarter, we estimate that investment activity in the fourth quarter of this year will be Improved.” Previously, Ajit Manocha said that semiconductor equipment-related spending is expected to grow for four consecutive years in 2018.

SEMI said that it is optimistic about the semiconductor equipment market next year. It is estimated that the amount of global semiconductor equipment investment in 2019 will reach 67.5 billion US dollars, which is expected to grow by 7.5% compared with this year, and will maintain growth for four consecutive years, and is expected to set a new historical record.

2. Yixing Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Planning Release

On October 19, the Yixing Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Planning Release and Development Seminar was hosted by the Yixing Municipal People's Government and co-organized by the China Electronic Information Industry Development Research Institute and Jiangsu Semiconductor Industry Association. The meeting will be held in Yixing Hotel. Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Chu Junhao and Hao Yue, Vice Chairman of China Semiconductor Industry Association Yu Xiekang, Chairman of Eleven Technology Zhao Zhenyuan, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Professor Zhang Bo and other experts and experts and entrepreneurs from the national integrated circuit industry attended the meeting. They jointly witnessed the release of Yixing’s integrated circuit materials industry plan and discussed the development of the integrated circuit materials industry. At the meeting, the Yixing Municipal People's Government hired eight experts including Chu Junhao and Hao Yue to serve as the first batch of integrated circuit industry development consultants.

Yixing's integrated circuit materials industry plan points out that by 2025, the scale of Yixing's integrated circuit materials industry will exceed 30 billion yuan, becoming the largest integrated circuit materials industry cluster in East China. At present, Yixing Economic Development Zone has integrated into the "one body, two wings" development pattern, launched and implemented a number of high-quality major projects, covering various fields such as semiconductor chemical materials, silicon wafer slicing and polishing, and semiconductor component manufacturing, gradually forming a stable industrial chain supply ecosystem.

3. Jiangsu Xinhua plans to build a wafer production line in Xuzhou

According to the "Xuzhou Daily" report: Jiangsu Xinhua Semiconductor Materials Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Jiangsu Xinhua) plans to invest 16 billion yuan in building a 12-inch/ The 8-inch wafer production line can achieve an annual output value of 10 billion yuan after it is fully put into production.

Jiangsu Xinhua was jointly invested and established in 2015 by Jiangsu Zhongneng Silicon Technology Development Co., Ltd. (referred to as Jiangsu Zhongneng) and the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund Co., Ltd. (referred to as the Big Fund). Jiangsu Xinhua invested 37.8 in Xuzhou 100 million yuan to build the country's first electronic grade polysilicon production line with an annual output of 5,000 tons of semiconductor integrated circuits. In November 2017, Jiangsu Xinhua officially produced electronic grade polysilicon and launched it on the market, which can meet the single crystal manufacturing needs of 12-inch production lines of 40 nanometers and below. It has broken the foreign monopoly on electronic-grade polysilicon technology and market and filled the gap in domestic electronic-grade polysilicon. It is the third largest semiconductor silicon material manufacturer after HemLock in the United States and Wacker in Germany. A small number of products have been exported to South Korea in May 2018. .

Xuzhou City is located in the north of Jiangsu Province, at the intersection of the Beijing-Shanghai, Longhai Line and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It is a strategic military location and an important industrial town. It has obvious location advantages and has great prospects for developing the integrated circuit wafer industry. The industrial chain can radiate to the five provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong, Anhui, Henan and Hebei. It has a vast area and rich resources, and is favored by industry experts. It is foreseeable that the development of the integrated circuit industry in Xuzhou City is of great significance and has a huge impact on regional industrial development, adding highlights and stamina to the development of the integrated circuit industry in Jiangsu Province.

4. Chongqing Wanguo's 12-inch production line will be officially mass-produced by the end of the year

Recently, reporters learned from Chongqing Wanguo Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Chongqing Wanguo"), a municipal key project located in Shuitu, Liangjiang New District, Chongqing, that the company's semiconductor project has been in operation since June Since the trial production last month, the progress has been smooth. At present, the 12-inch power semiconductor wafer test piece has been successfully produced, and it is expected to be officially mass-produced by the end of the year.

The Chongqing Wanguo Semiconductor Project was jointly funded and established in 2016 by the American AOS, Chongqing Strategic Emerging Industries Equity Investment Fund and Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Strategic Emerging Industries Equity Investment Fund. The first phase investment is US$500 million. The main construction scale is to produce 20,000 12-inch power semiconductor chips per month and 500KK power semiconductor chip packaging and testing per month. The second phase plans to invest US$500 million to build a monthly production capacity of 50,000 12-inch power semiconductor chips and a monthly production capacity of 1,250KK power semiconductor chip packaging and testing.

5. GlobalFoundries and its Chengdu partners adjust their Chengdu joint venture strategy

On October 26, GF and its Chengdu partners signed an amendment to the investment cooperation agreement. Based on changes in market conditions, GF’s recently announced refocus on differentiated solutions, and discussions with potential customers, the original project phase one investment in mature process technologies (180nm/130nm) will be cancelled. At the same time, the project schedule will be revised to better adjust production capacity to meet China-based demand for differentiated products, including GF’s industry-leading 22FDX technology.

With more than $2 billion in design wins and more than 50 customer designs, GF’s 22FDX technology has demonstrated its industry-leading capabilities in a variety of high-growth applications including automotive, 5G connectivity and the Internet of Things (IoT). The appeal of consumption-optimized chip platforms. GF's Chinese customers have begun to adopt this technology in GF's advanced production base in Dresden, Germany, including 7 customers with more than 8 products entering different stages of production ramping.

Rockchip CEO Limin said: "We have been cooperating with GlobalFoundries for a long time. The low power consumption of 22FDX makes it very suitable for our different products, such as security, AI, etc. We also look forward to the production of 22FDX in China. This will bring us more convenience."

Both partners still plan to continue to promote the construction of the FDSOI ecosystem, including creating local technology infrastructure, introducing more IP suppliers and EDA partners, etc., to make Chengdu a leader in FDX technology. Key hubs and empower local market adoption and demand generation.

Chengdu shareholders believe: “This adjustment and change of the GF Chengdu project will allow both parties to make sufficient time for evaluation to more accurately grasp the Chinese market demand and make early preparations for future new production capacity planning and substantive launch of the project. ".

GF CEO Tom Caulfield said: "As one of the largest and fastest-growing semiconductor markets in the world, China is a high-priority market for GF. FDX technology is particularly suitable for the Chinese market, and we will continue to witness its application in 5G , IoT and edge computing and other attractive market areas. We will continue to deepen pragmatic cooperation with the Chengdu government, firmly promote the implementation of the Chengdu project, and jointly accelerate the development of China's FDX technology ecosystem and customer base.”

6. The actual controller of Ziguang Group changed

On the evening of October 25, the “Unisociety” listed companies Ziguang Guowei, Ziguang Co., Ltd., and Ziguang Optical made a big disclosure. The actual controller Tsinghua Holdings today and Suzhou High-speed Railway New City State-owned Assets Operations Management Co., Ltd. and Hainan United Asset Management Co., Ltd. respectively signed the "Termination Agreement of the Equity Transfer Agreement" and jointly signed the "Termination Agreement of the Joint Control Agreement". They had previously been disclosed as recipients of 36% of the equity of Ziguang Group. Let people.

On the same day, Tsinghua Holdings signed a "Cooperation Framework Agreement" with Shenzhen Investment Holding Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Shenzhen Investment Holdings"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, and Ziguang Group. Transferring 36% of the equity of Ziguang Group to Shenzhen Investment Holdings.

It is worth noting that this equity transfer may change the actual controller of Ziguang Group, and this will also change the actual controller of the "Unigroup" listed companies. After the above-mentioned equity transfer is completed, it will be agreed that Tsinghua Holdings and Shenzhen Investment Holdings will act in concert or make similar arrangements to meet the conditions for including Ziguang Group into the scope of Shenzhen Investment Holdings' consolidated statements, so as to realize Shenzhen Investment Control's actual control over Ziguang Group.

7 ."China·Xuzhou Integrated Circuit and ICT Industry Forum" was successfully held

On October 21, the "China·Xuzhou Integrated Circuit and ICT Industry Forum" was held. Former President of the University of Hong Kong and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Zheng Yaozong, former CTO of TSMC and Taiwan Industrial Research Institute Academician Jiang Shangyi, micro-nano electronics scientist, academician of the American Academy of Engineering, foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and academician of the Taiwan Academia Sinica Ma Zuoping , and more than 100 innovative entrepreneur representatives in the field of integrated circuits and ICT in Xuzhou participated in this event

The forum was hosted by. Under the guidance of the China International Talent Exchange Foundation and the China Overseas Talent Development Foundation, with the theme of "'Core' Era, 'Core' Momentum, and 'Core' Ideas", they will bring cutting-edge technologies and information of the integrated circuit industry to relevant enterprises in Xuzhou City. Promote the coordinated and sustainable development of the entire industry chain and help accelerate the development of Xuzhou's integrated circuit and ICT industry.

The three academicians are unanimously optimistic about the development prospects of Xuzhou's integrated circuit and ICT industry. They believe that Xuzhou's infrastructure is complete, the industry continues to develop rapidly, and the industrial system is gradually evolving. Improvement and industrial agglomeration have initially emerged. The academicians suggested that we should accelerate the cultivation and expansion of three major industrial chains with complete chains, complete supporting facilities, and distinctive features, accelerate the formation of an industrial pattern of agglomeration and coordinated development, and create a regional integrated circuit and ICT with high influence. Industrial base.

8. The national integrated circuit industry investment progress is 9 months ahead of schedule

Recently, Huaxin Investment announced on its official WeChat platform that as of September 12, 2018, the effective commitment of the National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund exceeded 120 billion yuan. , the actual investment amount reached 100 billion yuan, and the investment progress and results were better than expected. It is expected that the effective commitment of the first phase of the scale will be basically completed by the end of 2018, and the overall investment progress is 9 months ahead of schedule. Since the establishment of the

fund in September 2014, Huaxin Investment Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Huaxin Investment") and National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the "Fund Company") have strictly followed the requirements of the State Council's approval plan , standardize operations, continuously explore effective ways to achieve national strategic goals through market-based means, and actively carry out investment business innovation. Following the realization of investment commitments and capital contributions for two projects at the end of 2014, it has basically maintained a daily commitment of 100 million yuan and an investment of 80 million yuan since 2015, creating unprecedented investment progress and strongly supporting industrial improvement and enterprise development.

9. Wingtech Technology "She Tunxiang" acquires Nexperia

On October 24, listed company Wingtech Technology (600745.SH) announced a plan to acquire all GP and Nexperia Group products by issuing shares and paying cash. LP share. After the transaction is completed, Wingtech Technology will indirectly hold control of Nexperia Group. According to the current pre-assessment of Nexperia Group, as of the estimated base date of June 30, 2018, the value of 100% of the equity of Nexperia Group is 35.1 billion yuan. The issuance price of issuing shares to purchase assets is 24.86 yuan/share and raising supporting funds. 4.63 billion yuan.

Wingtech Technology was formerly the real estate company Zhongyin Co., Ltd. In 2016, Wingtech was listed on the backdoor. This company is currently the world's largest mobile phone ODM manufacturer. In addition to mobile phones, its products also include Internet of Things devices and laptops.

Anshi was formerly the standard industry business unit of NXP . In 2016, NXP spun it off and transferred it to Jianguang Assets and Zhilu Capital. In December 2016, Yucheng Holdings, a joint venture between Jianguang Assets and Zhilu Capital, was established. Nexperia Group acquired 100% of Nexperia Semiconductor's shares held by NXP for US$2.76 billion in cash on February 7, 2017. The simulated net profits of Nexperia Group in 2016 and 2017 were approximately 1.070 billion yuan and 1.274 billion yuan respectively.

In contrast, Wingtech’s profits are not that “ideal”. As of the end of June this year, the company's asset-liability ratio has reached 75.52%. If the acquisition is completed, Wingtech's asset-liability ratio will further increase.

In China, Wingtech Technology plans to acquire the relevant equity shares of the upper-level investors of Hefei Yuxin's 12 shareholders (i.e. 12 domestic funds) by issuing shares and paying cash. This includes all property shares and related interests owned by the 12 domestic funds China Jianguang Assets and Hefei Jianguang as GPs, as well as all property shares owned by the LPs of the seven domestic funds participating in this transaction.

Overseas, Wingtech Technology’s overseas related parties plan to acquire all property shares and related interests owned by the overseas fund Zhongzhilu Capital as GP by paying cash. After obtaining control of Nexperia Group, Wingtech Technology's overseas related parties plan to acquire or repurchase all property shares owned by the LP of the overseas fund by paying cash.

An insider of Wingtech Technology told the author that Wingtech Technology, which is familiar with the global market, can introduce a large number of Nexperia's products to world-renowned brand customers such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and smart hardware, helping Nexperia expand its consumer market Expand market share in the electronics, IoT, and laptop market segments. In addition, Wingtech Technology has some deficiencies in the international market in the field of automotive electronics. After integrating Nexperia, it will have the opportunity to enter the European, American, Japanese and Korean markets through Nexperia's channels, opening up the vast global automotive electronics market.

But it can be seen that this potential acquisition has the risk of failure. Under the influence of multiple factors, the global merger and acquisition wave is declining. This trend has been evident since the second half of last year.

A person in charge of a semiconductor company who did not want to be named told the author that the acquisition transaction process is very expensive and takes some time.

For Wingtech, taking control of Nexperia shows greater confidence and determination, but it has to be said that the huge and complex transaction process and the uncertain impact on the external market are also a huge test for this company. . We are happy to see a more mature and active market performance of China's semiconductors, but more calm capital thinking is needed.

10. Xinzhi Holdings plans to spend US$3.07 million to acquire 25% of the equity of Mingguan International.

Xinzhi Holdings announced on October 22, 2018 that Smart IC Cloud Holdings Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the group, will serve as the buyer and the sellers (Yan Qing, Li Hongsheng, NgTeck Yee (Jason), Ni Li), and the company signed a share acquisition agreement for the acquisition of 25% of the issued shares of the target company Mingguan International Hong Kong Co., Ltd. (referred to as "Mingguan International"). The total amount of this acquisition is 307 Ten thousand U.S. dollars.

70% of the total amount of this acquisition will be paid in cash, and the remaining 30% will be paid by the company's issuance of a total of 4.105 million consideration shares, accounting for 0.81% of the company's enlarged total issued share capital; the issue price per share Approximately US$0.2244 (approximately HK$1.75), a discount of 0.57% from the closing price on the Stock Exchange on October 22.

Mingguan International, together with its wholly-owned subsidiary Suzhou Coolco Electronics Co., Ltd., is a leading electronic component distributor. Its founders and management have extensive experience and resources in the electronic component distribution business. The customer base is mainly located in Asia, including some multinational companies.The reverse supply chain management services it specializes in can provide customers with procurement solutions for in-demand materials when market supply is in short supply. It is also good at handling customers' excess inventory and helping customers run OEM/EMS businesses globally.

For the fiscal year ending September 30, Mingguan International’s net profit after tax in 2018 was US$1.857 million. After the completion of this equity acquisition, the buyer will become the largest shareholder of Mingguan International. Therefore, the financial results of the target company will be incorporated into the group's comprehensive financial statements in accordance with relevant accounting policies.

In the future, the two parties will combine Mingguan International’s rich global brand electronic component resources, Xinzhi Holdings’ technical value-added service capabilities, as well as the professional marketing teams and channel networks of both parties, in supply chain, marketing, component e-commerce and other businesses. Carry out in-depth cooperation on both sides, thereby promoting the growth of both parties’ business scale and market share.

11. Jinhua Integrated Circuit invests in ASE’s subsidiary

ASE’s subsidiary recently announced that mainland Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit will invest in the company’s Silicone Electronics (Fujian) (referred to as Silicone) and hold 20% of its equity. It is understood that Jinhua and Silicon Power will cooperate in the field of DRAM packaging and testing.

Jinhua was jointly funded by Fujian Electronic Information Group, Jinjiang Energy Investment Group and others. It was established in early 2016. It started to build a 12-inch factory and worked closely with Taiwanese factories. It first signed a technical cooperation agreement with United Microelectronics to develop DRAM-related The technology is expected to be applied to niche DRAM, and now it is also joining hands with Silicon Power to cooperate in DRAM packaging and testing business.

The industry believes that as China actively supports the development of the semiconductor industry, business cooperation and investment equity are common methods of cooperation between industry players and their local manufacturers. ASE Group can consolidate and secure more local business opportunities.

12. TSMC’s 8-inch wafer utilization rate is loose, and there are noises in the supply chain.

TSMC said it will end, and released a slightly better-than-expected outlook for the fourth quarter, but revealed that the capacity utilization rate of 8-inch wafer foundry is not at full capacity. , especially the overall production capacity of 28nm is significantly greater than the market supply. As the capacity utilization rate of TSMC's 8-inch wafer foundry has loosened, it is worth paying attention to whether the traditional peak season in the fourth quarter will be sluggish.

8-inch wafer applications include power management chips , panel driver chips, microcontrollers, fingerprint identification chips, MOSFETs and other products. In addition to bulk products, it is also suitable for small quantities and a wide range of applications. TSMC is the first to develop the first Gun, saying that the current capacity utilization rate of 8-inch wafer foundry is no longer at full capacity, which means that the overall market momentum is showing signs of weakening.

From the perspective of upstream semiconductor silicon wafers, industry players said that the demand for heavily doped products in 8-inch silicon wafers remains strong, and the situation of customer orders has not changed much. However, the original pressure of insufficient supply has been slightly relieved. .

The market believes that with the gradual opening of new production capacity for 8-inch semiconductor silicon wafers, the original tight supply situation will change. Some discrete component manufacturers also revealed that 8-inch wafers are no longer out of stock as before. Due to the The first quarter is the traditional off-season, so the tight supply and demand situation will also change in the future.

13. TMC, the world's second largest NAND factory, IPO ahead of schedule

The world's second largest NAND flash memory (Flash Memory) manufacturer "Toshiba Memory (TMC)", which was independent from Toshiba (Toshiba), was sold to... The "Japan-US-Korea Alliance" is dominated by the American private equity fund Bain Capital, and TMC originally planned to IPO (initial public offering) in three years. However, in order to raise the funds needed for equipment investment, it has to compete with leading manufacturers. Samsung Electronics, it is reported that TMC’s IPO plan will be significantly advanced and will be implemented as soon as the fall of next year (2019).

Kyodo Communications, NHK and many other Japanese media reported on the 24th that TMC’s IPO plan will be significantly advanced. According to relevant sources, TMC has begun preparations for listing this summer and will implement the IPO as soon as next fall. It is estimated that It will be listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and the company name will also be changed at that time.

reported that TMC originally planned to IPO after three years, and the reason why the plan was significantly advanced was not only to allow the "Japan-US-Korea Alliance" to recover the funds spent on acquiring TMC early, but also to use the IPO to Ensure the funds required for equipment investment and compete with Samsung, the leading manufacturer.

14. Broadcom is facing antitrust scrutiny from the EU and the FTC for allegedly forcing customers to buy chips.

Broadcom is facing antitrust scrutiny from the EU for allegedly using its market dominance to pressure customers to buy its semiconductor products. EU officials are seeking evidence that California-based Broadcom used its market position to force customers to stick with its chips and unfairly disadvantage rivals.

According to information disclosed by people familiar with the matter and a questionnaire issued by the European Commission, the EU's preliminary investigation focuses on Broadcom's sales of set-top box chips used in the limited network and satellite industries to provide television and Internet services to users. In addition, sources said the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also reviewing Broadcom’s actions. In the

questionnaire, the EU asked other companies whether they have been threatened by Broadcom patent lawsuits, whether they have indicated that they will raise prices, eliminate discounts for customers who do not have exclusive access to Broadcom chips, and whether they use technical compatibility as a way to force the industry to continue using their products. lever. One of the Broadcom customers who received the questionnaire was Arris International, a leading global provider of entertainment, communications and networking technologies.

EU Membership Council, FTC and Broadcom did not comment on this news.

These investigations are more evidence that Broadcom and most technology companies are facing increased scrutiny from regulators. Broadcom had previously attempted to acquire Qualcomm, but was blocked by the U.S. government. If this transaction can be completed, it will be the largest merger and acquisition transaction in the history of the semiconductor industry. But Broadcom executives said they plan to continue driving growth through acquisitions.