Tech News Pickup - 8 October 2024
Tech News Pickup - 8 October 2024
Samsung Denies Rumors of Foundry Division Spinoff
Samsung Electronics has no plans to spin off its contract chip manufacturing (foundry) business or its System LSI logic chip design division, Chairperson Jay Y. Lee told Reuters on Monday. Addressing speculation, Lee emphasized, "We are hungry to grow the business. Not interested in spinning them off."
Lee made these remarks during a visit to the Philippines, where he accompanied South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at a summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He also acknowledged the challenges facing Samsung’s new chip factory in Taylor, Texas, stating, "That's a little bit tough because of a changing situation, including the upcoming election."
Apple’s Global Head of Procurement Dan Rosckes to Retire
According to Bloomberg, Dan Rosckes, Apple's global supply chain procurement chief, is retiring after 24 years at the company, marking the end of an era in leadership. During his two-decade tenure, Rosckes played a pivotal role in ensuring timely product releases.
Sources familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity, revealed that Rosckes recently informed staff of his decision to leave. He will be succeeded by David Tom, his top deputy for several years. Apple has yet to make an official announcement regarding the leadership change.
Tim Culpan: AMD to Manufacture 5nm Chips in Arizona
Independent journalist Tim Culpan reports that AMD is set to produce its 5nm AI chips at TSMC’s Arizona fab starting in 2025, making it the second major customer to utilize the facility. Culpan suggests this development brings the U.S. closer to building a domestic AI hardware supply chain.
TSMC recently announced a partnership with Amkor to offer Integrated Fan-Out (InFO) and Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (CoWoS) packaging technologies in the U.S., which are essential for AI chips from companies like NVIDIA and AMD. Culpan speculates that AMD may soon use this Arizona facility for AI chip production.
Huawei’s New Smartphone Chip to Compete on Price with Qualcomm and MediaTek
Huawei’s upcoming Mate 70 flagship smartphone, expected to launch in November, is rumored to feature the Kirin 9100 chip designed by HiSilicon, DIGITIMES reports. The cost of the new chip is rumored to be in the range of $156 to $185, putting it on par with Qualcomm and MediaTek’s offerings.
While the exact process specifications remain unclear, sources suggest SMIC will again be the foundry for this chip. Advanced packaging techniques will likely be used to compensate for the foundry’s limitations, though the chip’s performance is said to be at least three years behind the current flagship smartphone SoCs.