1. TSMC's net profit rose 2.1% year-on-year in the first quarter, the smallest increase in four years
According to IT House, the earnings report showed TSMC's consolidated revenue for the first quarter of 2023 was approximately NT$508.63 billion and net income after tax was approximately NT$206.9 billion. Revenue increased by 3.6% year-on-year and net income after tax increased by 2.1%, the smallest quarterly increase in nearly four years, but still exceeding market expectations. Compared to the previous quarter, revenue decreased by 18.7% and net income after tax decreased by 30.0% in the first quarter of 2023.
In U.S. dollar terms, revenue for 1Q2023 decreased 4.8% year-over-year and 16.1% sequentially to US$16.72 billion.
TSMC's gross margin for 1Q2023 was 56.3%, operating profit margin was 45.5% and net income after tax margin was 40.7%.
Shipments of 5nm process accounted for 31% of TSMC's Q1 wafer sales; shipments of 7nm process accounted for 20% of the quarter's wafer sales. Overall, revenue from advanced processes (including 7nm and more advanced) accounted for 51% of wafer sales in the quarter.
2. TSMC receives tough conditions for US subsidies, asked to provide operational data
According to fast technology reports, in the United States to build a factory to get subsidies, TSMC, Samsung not only face the trouble of cost surge, but also to meet a series of conditions set by the United States, for example, as long as the subsidies received more than $ 150 million, these manufacturers need to commit to exceed the agreed threshold, the United States government to return part of the profits.
As more rules were introduced, companies such as Samsung and TSMC were also asked to provide detailed operational data, including capacity by wafer type, utilisation rates, expected wafer yields, selling prices in the first year of production, annual volumes and changes in prices. Such a request is unprecedented and makes it difficult for companies such as Samsung and TSMC. It is hard to say how Samsung's final attitude will be, but TSMC plans to object to this, and profits and secrets cannot be shared.
3. ASML first quarter revenue of 6.7 billion euros, new orders fell sharply
According to the financial news agency 19, the global consumer electronics downturn, customers to inventory, orders continue to adjust the impact has been transmitted to the semiconductor equipment manufacturers. The financial report shows that ASML's first quarter net sales of 6.7 billion euros, net profit of 2 billion euros. During the quarter, ASML sold a total of 100 lithography machines, including 96 new lithography machines and 4 used lithography machines.
New orders for ASML in the quarter amounted to EUR 3.75 billion, a significant decline of approximately 40% compared to the previous quarter. The Chinese market accounted for 8% of sales revenue, a slight decline from the previous quarter, and ASML CFO Roger Dassen explained that orders from China still accounted for more than 20% of its undelivered orders, which means that revenue from the Chinese market will grow significantly in the following quarters.
4. Global mobile phone shipments still down in Q1, Apple drops to second
According to data from research institutions, global demand for smartphones did not improve in the first quarter of this year, with shipments still down 12 percent year-on-year, TechWeb reported, citing foreign media.
Among the manufacturers, Samsung's share returned to first place in the first quarter, at 22%, but not as much as the 24% in the same quarter last year. Apple had a 21% share last quarter, but slipped to second place from first in the fourth quarter last year. The third to fifth places were taken by Xiaomi, OPPO and Vivo, with Xiaomi's share at 11%, down from 13% a year ago, OPPO at 10%, up from 9% a year ago, and Vivo at 8%, the same as a year ago.
5. Guoguang to invest 205 million euros to build a factory in North Macedonia
Ltd. and the Republic of North Macedonia jointly announced that the two sides have signed an investment agreement, according to the official website of Guoco. In the next ten years, a total of at least 205 million euros will be invested in a new plant in the technological industrial development park in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, and in the large eastern city of Stip.
Cathay's founder and chairman, Mr. Tammy Chen, said that the company has a long-standing business partnership with North Macedonia, and that Kimet has already established two operating plants and a research and development centre there, mainly for the production of capacitors for electric vehicles. The investment in North Macedonia is the largest investment in the country since independence and is expected to create more than 3,900 jobs in the region.
6. Intel's chip foundry division announces cooperation with Arm in SoC design
On Wednesday, local time, Intel's chip foundry division (IFS) and Arm announced a multi-generation agreement that will enable chip designers to build low-power SoCs based on Intel's 18A process, TechWeb reported, citing foreign media.
Intel and Arm said the partnership will initially focus on mobile SoC designs, with the potential to expand to automotive, IoT, data centre, aerospace and government applications. arm's customers will benefit from Intel's 18A process when designing next-generation mobile SoCs.
7. Texas Instruments launches new Wi-Fi 6 supporting IC, mass production in Q4 this year
Texas Instruments (TI) has launched a new SimpleLink series of Wi-Fi 6 companion ICs that help designers achieve highly reliable, secure and efficient Wi-Fi connectivity at an affordable price for applications operating in high-density or high-temperature environments up to 105 degrees Celsius, according to the Texas Instruments website on the 19th.
The first products in the new CC33xx family include devices that support Wi-Fi 6 only, as well as devices that support both Wi-Fi 6 and low-power Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. When connected to an MCU or processor, the CC33xx devices provide secure IoT connectivity with reliable RF performance for a variety of industrial markets such as grid infrastructure, healthcare and building automation.
For supply, design engineers can first request a CC33xx companion prototype. BP-CC3301 evaluation boards are available for purchase on TI's website. The CC3300 and CC3301 are expected to enter volume production in the fourth quarter of 2023.