1. Rapidus, a Japanese startup in contract manufacturing, supported by IBM and the global research organization imec, is set to open its 2nm test factory in April 2025.

2. Besi anticipates that by 2028, the share of chip packaging in the semiconductor market will increase from the current 8% to 20%.

3. SoftBank Group of Japan is committed to developing super artificial intelligence beyond human capabilities, planning a project named "Izanagi" with a $100 billion investment in AI chip technology.

4. Nvidia's release of the Blackwell series AI chips has generated strong market response. Due to high demand for AI chips, payment policies for large projects have been adjusted to require full payment in advance.

5. Kinghelm (www.kinghelm.net) and Mr. Song Shiqiang, General Manager of SlkorMicro, visited Beijing for market research, specifically meeting with esteemed mentors such as Professor Zhou Zucheng and Professor Hua Ruxing of Tsinghua University.

6. ON Semiconductor plans to establish an advanced vertical integration Silicon Carbide (SiC) manufacturing facility in the Czech Republic, with a total investment of $2 billion ($44 billion Czech koruna).

China News

1. On July 25, 2024, the Global MCU and Embedded Ecosystem Development Conference will be held at the Grand Hyatt Shenzhen. Many international and domestic giants like ChipEasy have announced their participation in this MCU conference.

2. From July 8 to 10, 2024, electronica China 2024 will grandly open at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Munich. Huawei Pura 70 Pro smartphones will be offered in a free draw!

3. In the first quarter of 2024, revenues of the top five global Wafer Fabrication Equipment (WFE) manufacturers in China increased by 116% year-on-year, driven mainly by increased DRAM shipments.

4. Domestic storage chip manufacturer Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) filed a lawsuit accusing Danish consulting firm Strand Consult, supported by Micron, and its Vice President Roslyn Layton of spreading false information.

5. Shanghai welcomes a new semiconductor unicorn! Recently, Shanghai Jade Bird Display Technology Co., Ltd. announced the completion of its Pre-B round financing, raising hundreds of millions of RMB.

6. A fire broke out at Micron's Taichung memory factory in the afternoon of the 20th, with gas leakage causing white smoke. When firefighters arrived, the factory's automatic sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.