1. Forecast: The lead time of most automotive chips will continue to shorten in 2023
According to the DIGITIMES Research survey quoted by the Science and Technology Board Daily, the shortage of automotive chips has gradually improved since the fourth quarter of 2022. Except for silicon-based power devices, MCUs are still in short supply, and the delivery dates of PMICs, CIS, embedded multimedia cards, and display driver ICs have gradually loosened. . However, as the backlog of orders of OEMs is gradually eliminated, the purchasing power of automotive chips in the automotive supply chain is gradually fading. It is estimated that the delivery time of most automotive chips will continue to shorten in 2023.
2. Infineon raised its performance guidance, saying strong automotive and industrial sales
According to the Financial Associated Press on March 29, Infineon expects that the performance in the second quarter and even the full year of fiscal year 2023 will be stronger, saying that the business momentum is resilient; it is expected that the revenue in the second quarter will exceed 4 billion euros, the company previously expected 3.9 billion euros; full-year revenue is expected to be higher than approximately 15.5 billion euros, ±500 million euros; profit margin is expected to reach the upper end of the 20%-30% range.
3. SMIC’s revenue in 2022 will be 49.5 billion, with a cumulative production of nearly 100 billion chips
According to Fast Technology, on the evening of March 28, SMIC released its 2022 annual report, achieving the strongest annual performance in history, with operating income of approximately 49.516 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 39%; net profit of approximately 12.133 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 13%. %. As of the end of the year, the company’s total assets were US$43.8 billion, an increase of 21% over the previous year, and the asset-liability ratio was 34%.
SMIC mentioned that in the past 22 years, the company has produced more than 60 million wafers equivalent to 8 inches, and the number of chips is nearly 100 billion.
According to the International Financial Reporting Standards, SMIC expects that the year-on-year decline in annual revenue in 2023 will be in the lower ten digits, and the gross profit margin will be around 20%. The monthly production capacity increment was similar to that of the previous year.
4. SEMI: Global 300mm fab capacity expansion slows down in 2023
According to a report released by the International Semiconductor Industry Association (SEMI), global semiconductor manufacturers are expected to increase the production capacity of 300mm fabs in 2026, reaching a record high of 9.6 million wafers per month. After strong growth in 2021 and 2022, 300mm fab capacity expansion is expected to slow this year due to weak demand for memory and logic components.
During the forecast period from 2022 to 2026, chip manufacturers will increase 300mm fab capacity to meet demand growth, including GlobalFoundries, Hua Hong Semiconductor, Infineon, Intel, Kioxia, Micron, Samsung, SK Hynix , SMIC, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, TSMC and UMC. These companies plan to have 82 new factories and production lines operating between 2023 and 2026.
5. IC design industry: TSMC’s short-term price increase is unlikely
According to the Taiwan Business Times report, the electronics industry is in a hurry to return orders. It is reported that TSMC may raise prices in the second half of the year. TSMC does not respond to price issues. However, according to the IC design industry, TSMC’s foundry prices were negotiated before the second quarter, and there is no change in the third quarter price, and the price negotiation for the fourth quarter will not start until April.
The production capacity of TSMC’s mature process has dropped from the previous full-load to about 80%-90%, and other factories such as UMC, PSMC and the world’s advanced factories have dropped to about 70%. Before the demand has fully recovered, most There is no cost to raise the price again.