Global DRAM contract prices remained unchanged for two consecutive months, and figures indicate that despite being a seasonally low period, memory chip prices will stabilize in the first quarter of 2020 as OEM firms are stacking up on inventory.According to market research firm DRAMeXchange in Decem

Japan’s Kaneka will no longer be the sole supplier of PI film for Samsung Electronics, with SKC Kolon PI scheduled to provide the film for 5G smartphone antennae, industry sources said on Jan. 2.During the first half of this year, SKC Kolon PI will be supplying PI fim for the Galaxy S 11’s 5G antenn

In 2020, semiconductor manufacturers are expected to produce more wafers on improving market conditions, according to a report by IC Insights on Dec. 20.In its Global Wafer Capacity 2020-2024 report, the company said the IC industry’s wafer production capacity will jump next year to grow by a record

Foxconn is paying back its suppliers as its Gen-10.5 LCD production lines in Guanzhou of China are becoming normalized, according to industry sources.Due to a stop-still in Foxconn’s plans for mass production, local display equipment suppliers have been unable to receive payment for their equipment

The price of graphic DRAM is expected to rise in 2020 on the back of growing demand for major-scale GDDR6 products, according to market research firm TrendForce.The firm expected graphic DRAM prices to jump by 5% or more on-quarter during the first three months of 2020. This would be the largest gro

Korea PI Holdings – a special purpose company set up by local private equity fund Glenwood PE – signed a 608 billion won (US$523 million) deal on Dec.24 to acquire a controlling stake in SKC Kolon PI.Korea PI Holdings will buy 54.06-percent stake in SKC Kolon PI, with each buying a 27.03-percent sta

South Korean battery-making equipment manufacturers are tapping into the European markets. On the surface, they said it’s to respond to the growing number of local battery makers who are relocating there, but industry watchers say the real reason is to seek new opportunities in the EU where EV batte

SK Innovation has begun acting on its plans to produce Lithium Battery Separators (LiBS) over the next three years by kick-starting the operation at its new plant in Jeungpyeong of North Chungcheong Province.On Dec. 17, SK i.e. Technology – the sister company of SK Innovation handling material produ

In a bid to diversify its portfolio of suppliers for battery anode materials, the LG Chem has signed a source contract with China’s GEM, according to industry sources on Dec. 11.GEM will be supplying precursors for high-nickel battery anode materials that will help raise nickel content for better en

South Korean testing equipment firm Intek Plus is looking to supply new package testing equipment including Large Form Factors (LFF) to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, according to Intek Plus CEO Lee Sang-hoon on Dec. 6.“We are currently undergoing trials with the two firms, and SK hynix gave a gr

Motorola has solved the problem of creases in its foldable smartphone RAZR by using transparent PI film, an indication that manufacturers don’t necessarily have to opt for Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) as screen covers, according to Kolon Industries’ executive Lee Seong-chan at a symposium in Yeouido on De

SK hynix, the world’s No.2 memory chipmaker, on Dec. 5 said it has undergone its regular executive reshuffling that involved promoting Jin kyo-won, vice chief executive at the DRAM development division, to the new head for development and manufacturing.The firm’s vice chief for global business at SK

South Korea's SK Innovation on Dec. 4 signed a 6-year contract with the world’s largest cobalt producer Glencore of Switzerland to secure up to 30,000 tons of cobalt for producing batteries for EV, according to the company.The contract will be effective between 2020 and 2025. The amount of cobalt SK

South Korean battery maker SK Innovation is looking to diversify its battery notching equipment suppliers in a move that reflects its long-term plans to stabilize the production lines it is building in China, Hungary and the US, according to industry sources on Nov. 27.South Korea’s Mplus is one sup

As a part of a strategy to attain a minimum sentence, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong said in his trial on Nov. 22 that impeached president Park Geun-hye demanded the bribes the authorities are accusing Lee of offering.Lee also asked CJ Group Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik to appear as a wi

LG Display’s LCD factory in Gumi of North Gyeongsang Province tasked with supplying Apple’s iPhones are showing higher operation ratios than expected after a recent disruption in Apple’s Japanese supplier JDI’s production lines.LG Display mass produces LCDs for Apple’s iPhones from its AP3 Gen-6 LTP

The global display cover market for foldable smartphones is increasingly being divided into transparent Colorless Polyimide (CPI) film and Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) due to the pros and cons of each solution, according to industry sources on Nov. 19.Screen covers in smartphones serve to protect the disp

LG Chem on Nov. 14 said it has requested the US International Trade Commission to make a default judgement against SK Innovation for destroying evidence and failing to comply with the commission’s digital forensics orders, which indicates contempt of court.SK Innovation, on the other hand, said the

South Korea’s SK Innovation chose Chinese company Lead Intelligent Equipment to supply key equipment for its EV battery plant in Changzhou of China, according to industry sources on Nov. 11. This is the first time the firms struck a business deal.The equipment will be used for stacking, which comes

South Korean manufacturer TechWing has received its first orders to supply semiconductor Burn-in testing chambers from one of its clients, according to industry sources on Nov. 8.The orders come after receiving separate orders for sorters, which the firm plans to finish supplying up until the first