Financial
• Worldwide high inflation has caused a slump in the purchasing of consumer and enterprise electronic components in the main markets of North America and China, with the market not predicting the slump and continuing with full production. This has resulted in the revenue of many electronic components being reduced. In one such case, the revenue of enterprise SSDs used in servers and high-end computing machines fell by nearly half in Q1 2023. Although the market for SSDs fell by a significant 47%, there is already a noticeable shift upwards in Q2, causing manufacturers to predict a growth trajectory through the second quarter.
• The South African Rand rallied slightly at the start of June after an announcement by the central bank stating that the current account deficit narrowed in the first quarter of 2023. This was followed by an announcement, and supported by data, that said manufacturing output rose during April by 3,4% after the March decline of 1,8%.
• The global new energy vehicle sales, comprising BEVs, PHEVs and FCVs, reached 2,656 million units in the first quarter 2023. This marks a YoY increase of 28%. Tesla has reclaimed its market share with a total of 21,8% of the sales. Trendforce has predicted that as countries continue their drive towards zero-emission vehicles, that EVs will continue their upward trajectory.
• Although Eskom has not published its latest results for the 12 months ending March 2023, the National Treasury has indicated that the power utility has had its biggest loss to date, a whopping R21,2 billion. This amount is more than previously expected. The burden of debt now prevents the utility from raising money for continued operations, including the increased maintenance of its ageing fleet of coal-fired stations.
• The prices of lithium saw a major surge in the market during May, which is predicted to translate into higher battery prices for both EVs and other renewable energy storage systems. However, it is expected that this increase will be mostly negated by the downswing in prices of other crucial li-ion battery materials such as cathode precursor materials, anode materials, separators, electrolytes, and PVDF.
• Total NAND Flash revenue fell 16,1% in Q1 2023 as demand continues to decline. Despite suppliers aggressively slashing prices to stimulate sales, the shipment volume of NAND Flash saw a marginal growth of 2,1% over the first quarter. This drop in NAND Flash revenue amount to a decrease of $8,63 billion.
• The total smartphone production has dropped to a ten-year quarterly low, according to analysis by TrendForce. This is likely to be caused by the ongoing global economic downturn which continues to impact consumer confidence in the market. This downturn translates to a 19,5% YoY decrease.
• The top 10 foundries have reported an 18,6% QoQ revenue decline in Q1 2023. This decline, which has amounted to $27,3 billion, is expected to continue into Q2, and is attributed to the ongoing weak end-market demand. Samsung was the biggest loser, with a reported decline of 36,1% during the first quarter.
• Trendforce has predicted a huge surge in server shipments by as much as 40% during the rest of 2023. These units, fitted with GPUs, FPGAs and ASICs, are destined for markets worldwide as the race for AI and ML continues unabated. NVIDIA’s GPUs currently dominate the AI server market with an impressive 60-70% market share.
Companies
• Danisense has announced the appointment of Lars Fox as new director of R&D.; Fox has held various management positions in industrial, electronics and technology-driven market segments, and brings with him more than 20 years of experience in R&D, operations and product commercialisation.
• STMicroelectronics and Sanan Optoelectronics have announced that they have signed an agreement to create a new 200 mm silicon carbide device manufacturing joint venture in Chongqing, China. The new SiC fab is targeting to start production in Q4 2025 and full buildout is anticipated in 2028, supporting the rising demand in China for car electrification as well as for industrial power and energy applications. In parallel, Sanan Optoelectronics will build and separately operate a new 200 mm SiC substrate manufacturing facility to fulfil the joint venture’s needs, using its own SiC substrate process.
• Indium Corporation Strategic Advisor Dr. Dongkai Shangguan was honoured by the IEEE Electronics Packaging Society (EPS) with its 2023 electronics manufacturing technology award at the 73rd Electronics Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) in Orlando, Florida. The award serves to recognise major contributions to electronics manufacturing technology in fields encompassed by the IEEE EPS.
• Vertiv has announced the opening of its African head office and customer experience centre based in Johannesburg. The new facility will play a strategic role in Vertiv’s African investment and underscores the organisation’s investment in the region. The customer experience centre will showcase the company’s diverse range of solutions for applications from the edge of the network to the cloud. These include the SmartCabinet and the Liebert EXS and EXM2 range of UPSs.
• ZTE’s director of standards and open-source strategy, Meng Wei, has been elected as the new chairman of the governing board of the Linux Foundation AI and Data (LF AI & Data). This foundation is a non-profit technology consortium with a mission to build and support an open AI and data community.
• The South African government is considering extending the life of some of its coal-fired power stations as they seek to increase the country’s energy security. The country has seen as unprecedented surge in the forced power blackouts, known as loadshedding, in 2023 as the energy availability factor of its larger plants see a steady decline.
• The Milken Institute and the Motsepe Foundation has announced the 20 teams receiving design round prizes for the Milken–Motsepe Prize in Green Energy and advancing to the semi-finalist round. At this stage, each semi-finalist team will receive $20 000 to further develop and test their designs anywhere in the world. The competition will ultimately award $2 million in total prizes and additional benefits for entrepreneurs who expand access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity in Africa.
Technologies
• Pickering Interfaces has announced a new range of PXI/PXIe microwave relay modules capable of switching the 110 GHz signals associated with demanding RF and communications platforms, including emerging technologies like automotive radar. This extension to the company’s existing range of terminated SPDT microwave switches is the first to be offered in 110 GHz, delivering the highest RF switching performance available within a Pickering switching system.
• Silicon Labs recently opened registration for its fourth annual ‘works with Conference’, which will be held on 22 and 23 August. The industry-leading developer conference will feature 40+ in-depth technical sessions, covering every major IoT protocol and ecosystem. The sessions are designed to demystify, simplify, and accelerate the development of IoT products.
• According to regulations recently published by the trade, industry and competition department, it will be unlawful to sell fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs for use in South African households in a year’s time. The proposed amendments were published on 1 March 2021 and South Africans had until 30 April 2021 to make submissions. The new specifications aim to advance the safety, performance and energy efficiency of light bulbs sold in South Africa by eliminating both inefficient and environmentally damaging products.
• It has been reported that the recently unveiled Apple Vision Pro at this year’s WWDC is poised to revolutionise the AR/VR market. However, the complexity behind its production and its limited production capacity present significant challenges, leading to a projected initial release in 2024. Furthermore, considering factors such as pricing and the absence of certain essential features, a modest shipment volume of approximately 200 000 units is anticipated.
• Applications have opened for SA’s top tech talent to compete in the BRICS skills Olympics, a series of challenging centring around energy, water and health. This year’s young talent will represent the country at the event hosted by South Africa in Johannesburg from 12 to 15 September. Students at universities and TVET colleges between the ages of 16 and 35 are eligible to apply with 120 positions available for local talent.
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