Organization: NAND Flash Contract Prices Expected to Continue Rising

According to the news from Fast Technology, although the procurement volume of NAND flash in the second quarter was slightly lower than that of the first quarter, due to the continuous impact of upstream production cuts and the decrease in supplier inventory levels, the contract prices of flash memory are expected to continue to rise. TrendForce, a research organization, released its latest report, forecasting that consumer-grade SSD prices are expected to rise again, with an expected increase of between 10% and 15%.

The report predicts that the contract prices of eMMC in the second quarter will increase by 10%-15% for the quarter, and the overall contract prices of consumer-grade SSD products are expected to rise by 10-15%. However, due to weak demand in the retail market, the increase in NAND flash wafers is expected to significantly narrow compared to the previous quarter, at only 5-10%.

Industry: MCU destocking will bottom out in the second quarter.

According to China Taiwan Electronics Times cited by the Sci-Tech Board Daily, as the adjustment of agency and client inventories gradually concludes, the microcontroller (MCU) industry expects inventory in the second quarter of 2024 to return to a healthy level, while market prices continue to decline in line with cost structures.

UMC will manufacture antenna module chips for new iPhones

According to reports cited by Fast Technology, UMC's (United Microelectronics Corporation) 3D IC technology, developed over many years, has finally shone brightly, successfully winning a major contract for the critical chips of the antenna module in Apple's new iPhone. It is reported that the volume of chips produced this time reached tens of thousands, marking a significant breakthrough for UMC in the field of Apple's critical chip manufacturing, following its previous provision of driving ICs for Apple by contract manufacturing for TSMC.

UMC's ability to win this order stems from its close cooperation with Qorvo, a power amplifier (PA) collaborator factory for Apple. Qorvo has meticulously designed new iPhone antenna components for Apple, which not only integrate advanced new chips but also cleverly incorporate Qorvo's power amplifiers, jointly providing excellent performance for Apple.

Phison and Andes join forces to enter the automotive ECU field

According to China Taiwan Industrial Times, NAND flash controller manufacturer Phison has revealed that it has been in communication with international automotive giants about future electric vehicle architectures and plans to integrate more SoCs into the central control systems. Currently, it has partnered with JMicron to develop enterprise-level server solutions jointly and will further collaborate in the automotive sector in the future.

Both parties are actively pursuing more automotive certifications to ensure functional safety, including ISO26262 and ASPICE CL3. Phison points out that the automotive market is proliferating, with an average annual compound growth rate of 30%. Phison's market share in the automotive NAND controller IC market has reached 40%. Moving on to the next phase, the company will promote complete memory module solutions and has already secured design-ins with over 20 international automotive manufacturers last year.

NXP Introduces Open S32 CoreRide Automotive Software Platform

On March 28th, NXP announced the launch of the S32 CoreRide platform, aiming to break through the integration barriers in developing the next generation of Software Defined Vehicles (SDV). This platform can significantly simplify the complexity of automotive architecture development, helping car manufacturers and tier-one suppliers reduce costs.

At the same time, NXP also introduced the first S32 CoreRide Central Computing Solution based on the all-new S32N series vehicle's highly integrated processors. This solution can provide secure, scalable, real-time application processing capabilities while integrating vehicle networking functions. NXP collaborates with car manufacturers and tier-one suppliers and openly launches the S32 CoreRide platform. Mass-produced cars utilizing the functionalities of the S32 CoreRide platform are currently under development, with the first batch expected to be unveiled in 2027.

STMicroelectronics Launches ST4E1240 Series RS-485 Transceiver

On March 28th, STMicroelectronics (ST) launched the ST4E1240 RS-485 transceiver, featuring a speed of 40Mbit/s, PROFIBUS-compatible output, as well as transient and hot-plug protection, providing robust and reliable RS-485 signals for modern, high-performance industrial applications.

The ST4E1240 RS-485 transceiver is part of STMicroelectronics' 10-year longevity plan, ensuring long-term product support. The product is currently in mass production, available in an SO-8 package measuring 4.9mm x 3.91mm, with a price of $0.81 per 1000-unit order, and free samples are available from the ST web store.

Microchip Expands Serial SRAM Product Line

On March 28th local time, Microchip expanded its serial SRAM product line, including larger densities of up to 4Mb and increasing SPI/SQI speeds to 143 MHz. The 2Mb and 4Mb devices are designed to offer low-cost alternatives to traditional parallel SRAM and include optional battery backup switching circuits to preserve data in case of power loss. In terms of pricing, the 2Mb and 4Mb serial SRAM devices start at $1.60 per 10,000 units.