1. Storage price turns to fall, factory postpones capacity expansion plan
In 2018, the prices of DRAM and NAND flash, the two main products of general memory, showed a trend of high in the first and then low in the later, and rising and then falling in 2018. In the first quarter of 2018, affected by the traditional off-season, the global NAND flash market once oversupplied, and the unit price of sales was loose. It began to decline by 15% - 20% in the second quarter. It is expected that the decline will be difficult to stop in the first half of 2019, and will continue to fall by 10% in the first quarter. DRAM's situation is relatively good. The price reversal occurred in the fourth quarter of 2018, and the average sales unit price dropped by 8%. It is expected that the decline will further expand in the first quarter of 2019.
Comments: the semiconductor industry boom from 2017 to the present is largely due to the price rise of memory. With DRAM and NAND flash both turning up and down, this round of silicon cycle will also enter the downward phase. It can be predicted that for a period of time in the future, the industry manufacturers will reduce capital expenditure, slow down the expansion plan, and begin to consider winter issues. Before this, some IC enterprises have taken off rapidly by taking advantage of the "tuyere" for a while. Now, the "wind" is about to weaken, and whether it can land safely will be a major test. At the same time, it is also a test of China's achievements in developing the semiconductor industry some time ago.
2. Huahong Wuxi project starts construction, characteristic technology becomes development focus
On March 2, 2018, the commencement ceremony of Huahong Wuxi integrated circuit R & D and manufacturing base project was held. The project covers an area of about 700 mu, with a total investment of 10 billion US dollars, and the total investment of phase I project is about 2.5 billion US dollars. It plans to build a 12 inch characteristic process integrated circuit production line with a process level of 90-65nm and a monthly production capacity of about 40000 pieces to support the application of 5g and Internet of things and other emerging fields. Huahong Wuxi base project will build several 12 inch IC production lines by stages. After the implementation of the first phase of the project, the construction of the second production line will be started in due time.
Comments: the importance of characteristic technology is increasingly prominent. The Internet of things market is the killer application of semiconductor industry. It does not need to rely on advanced process. Its product design and process mode will match Chinese enterprises very well under mature process. For Chinese semiconductor companies, at the beginning of the process platform development, they can not focus on the standard process. In addition to the Huahong Wuxi project, SMIC also started to build an 8-inch production line in Shaoxing in 2018, aiming at the fields of micro electromechanical (MEMS) and power device integrated circuits.
3. Alibaba set up "Flathead brother" to enter chip design industry
At the 2018 cloud habitat conference, Alibaba CTO and President of Dharma Institute Zhang Jianfeng announced the establishment of pingtouge Semiconductor Co., Ltd. to enter the integrated circuit industry, and plans to release the first neural network chip in April 2019. In the past few years, Alibaba has been making layout in the chip field, and has invested in a number of competitive chip companies, including Cambrian, barefoot networks, Shenjian, Neng kneron and Aojie technology ASR. In April 2018, Alibaba wholly acquired Zhongtian micro, an embedded CPU IP company.
Comments: in 2018, the investment boom in the field of integrated circuits in China continues. Players from different fields have the potential to enter the integrated circuit industry, including Internet companies Ali and Baidu, home appliance manufacturers Gree and Skyworth, real estate companies such as Evergrande and Wanye. As a capital intensive, talent intensive and technology intensive industry, IC needs a lot of fresh blood to inject if it wants to really develop. It is just surrounded by a small circle and will never develop well. However, it should be noted that capital always has two sides. It can blow the "pig" standing at the wind outlet to the sky, and it can also kill the "pig" when the wind stops.
4. Ziguang's breakthrough in mass production of 32 layer 3D NAND memory chip
In 2018, Ziguang group mass produced 32 layer 3D NAND flash chips. Flash memory chip can be widely used in computer, mobile phone, monitoring, data center and other fields. In the future, it will also be used in unmanned driving, machine learning, artificial intelligence and other aspects. It is one of the key products of integrated circuit. China has been relying on foreign countries in the field of memory chip for a long time. Ziguang group started the research and development of 3D NAND project in 2014, and the indicators of 32 layer products met the expected requirements, and achieved a breakthrough of zero in China's memory industry.
Comments: the specifications of 32 layer 3D NAND chips developed by Ziguang group have reached the expected requirements, which is a key step towards the industrialization of domestic 3D NAND chips. This is China's first 3D NAND chip, which was successfully developed by Ziguang group with a team of 1000 people at a cost of US $1 billion. The design level has reached the domestic leading level, making China enter the second echelon of global memory chips.
5. North Huachuang acquires akrion's rich cleaning equipment product line
In January 2018, North Huachuang announced that it had completed the acquisition of akrion Systems LLC with a transaction amount of US $15 million. Akrion has many years of technology accumulation and customer base in precision cleaning technology. The acquisition will expand the production and marketing system of North Huachuang in the field of cleaning machine equipment, enrich the product line of cleaning machine equipment, and realize complementarity.
Comments: affected by the external environment, China's international M & A in the semiconductor field almost stopped in 2018. It is not easy for North Huachuang to successfully complete this transaction. This merger and acquisition makes the industrial layout of North Huachuang more comprehensive, and can provide comprehensive solutions for semiconductor, new energy, new materials and other fields.
6. TSMC Nanjing factory mass production and shipment, and the mainland agent factory is facing competitive pressure
On May 2, 2018, TSMC Nanjing 12 inch factory realized the formal mass production and shipment of the first batch of 16 nm wafers in the near future. It took only 20 months from the ground breaking to the formal shipment. TSMC Nanjing plant is the most advanced wafer fab in Chinese mainland now, with a planned capacity of 20 thousand units per month, but it is estimated that it will expand to 60 thousand pieces per month.
Comment: the rapid construction and mass production of Nanjing 12 inch factory of TSMC will undoubtedly have great competitive pressure on the Chinese mainland Foundry plant. After all, the opponent is on the side of the couch. He is still such a strong opponent. I hope that the Foundry plant in Chinese mainland can change pressure into power, and strive to achieve 14 nm as soon as possible, and bring up the rate of good quality.
7. The road of IPO of the three mining machinery manufacturers is bumpy, and the industrial transformation becomes the key
In 2018, the price of bitcoin continued to decline and fell to US $3785 at the end of the year. The falling price of bitcoin and the cold mining machine market have had a significant impact on the listing of the three major mining machine manufacturers bitcontinental, Jianan Yunzhi and Yibang international. Bitmainland's IPO application has been questioned. Jianan Yunzhi failed to make progress until the IPO application failed. Yibang international began its second application after the first listing application expired.
Comments: on the occasion of the IPO, the three major mining machinery manufacturers have opened the road of business transformation and expanded to new fields such as artificial intelligence. When the traditional business encounters a cold winter, seizing AI business opportunities and quickly opening up a new situation has become the key to the success or failure of the three enterprises.
8. Shanghai Xinshengda silicon wafer mass production and sales to make up for the short board of the industrial chain
In May 2018, Shanghai Xinsheng said that its 12 inch silicon wafer has achieved mass production and sales, and Shanghai Huali microelectronics has purchased in small quantities. Since then, Shanghai Xinsheng also confirmed that its large silicon wafer has also passed the certification of SMIC international. Shanghai Xinsheng 12 inch silicon wafer currently has a monthly production capacity of 100000 pieces. It is expected to achieve a monthly production capacity of 200000 pieces in 2019 and 300000 pieces by the end of 2020.
Comments: large size silicon wafer is a key material in the field of integrated circuit manufacturing and a short board of China's semiconductor industry chain. At present, the Chinese mainland semiconductor wafer suppliers mainly produce silicon wafers under 6 inches and 8 inch silicon wafer production strength is only two or three, while the 12 inch silicon wafer has been relying on imports. Shanghai Xinsheng is the first 12 inch silicon wafer factory built in Chinese mainland.
9. The construction of Tianyue silicon carbide material project is started, and the project is completed in two phases
On November 13, 2018, the construction of Tianyue silicon carbide material project started. This is the largest wide band gap semiconductor silicon carbide material project and complete process production line in China. The project is divided into two phases: the first phase mainly produces silicon carbide substrate, and the annual output value is expected to reach 1.3 billion yuan; Phase II mainly produces functional devices, including power device packaging, modules and devices, new energy vehicles and charging station devices, rail transit traction converters, etc., with an estimated annual output value of 5-6 billion yuan.
Comments: silicon carbide is the most mature wide band gap semiconductor material at present, and its application range is gradually expanding. It plays an important role in smart grid, electric vehicles, rail transit, new energy grid connection, industrial motors and household appliances. International leading enterprises have begun to deploy the market. China should not miss the opportunity of industrial upgrading, and should establish the independent guarantee ability of the whole chain from materials, devices, modules to applications.
10. Risc-v has been recognized by concerned industries
In 2018, risc-v received extensive attention from domestic academic and industrial circles. The industry recognition increased rapidly, and a number of risc-v innovation forces emerged, including Hangzhou Zhongtian micro, Beijing Junzheng, huami technology and xinlai technology. Local governments also support risc-v related design and development companies.
Comments: developing independent intellectual property rights and mastering core technologies have become a consensus on the development of China's integrated circuit industry. Risc-v provides us with a new choice in addition to x86 and arm architecture. However, we should avoid a swarm of bees and stir fry hot spots. Real work is the basis of success.
