1-3 #Happy2021 : TSMC FinFET and Samsung GAA have encountered different but critical bottlenecks in the development of 3nm process technology; Samsung might introduce its own strategy to implement a display without any camera hole; etc.
TSMC FinFET and Samsung GAA have encountered different but critical bottlenecks in the development of 3nm process technology. TSMC and Samsung will therefore have to postpone the development progress of the 3nm process technology. According to TSMC’s plan, 3nm will complete certification and trial production this year. However, it will be put into mass production in 2022. (GizChina, IT Home, Digitimes)
Huawei HiSilicon’s next flagship SoC, which it claims will be called the Kirin 9010. The SoC is expected to be manufactured in a 3nm process. On the one hand, it is the US ban on Huawei. On the other hand, it is the progress of TSMC’s 3nm process. Regarding the ban, there is no new progress, but TSMC 3nm is still developing. (CN Beta, My Drivers, GizChina)
ASML has completed construction of its 100th EUV scanner. The industry predicts that ASML’s EUV lithography machine capacity will reach 45-50 units in 2021. After all, only 26 ASML units were shipped in 2019, and 23 units have been shipped for the whole year after 3Q20 (predicted 35 units for the whole year). (My Drivers, Bits-Chips, Linkedin)
Apple’s prototype foldable iPhones have reportedly passed internal tests for durability at the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China. The first foldable iPhone to undergo testing is said to be a dual-screen model. The second prototype to have undergone testing is reportedly a clamshell foldable. (Mac Rumors, UDN, Apple Insider, CN Beta)
Xiaomi has filed a patent with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Office) that features wrap-around display. The patent shows a phone’s display wraps around from top to bottom. There are two separate displays on either side. (Gizmo China, LetsGoDigital)
Apple is allegedly to equip the top 2 models of the next iPhone with a 120Hz OLED display. Samsung Display (Pro Max, mini) and LG Display (all except Pro Max) are said to be the prime suppliers for iPhone 13 series’ displays. LTPO and an LTPO-TFT backplane is able to evade the power consumption caused due to the 120Hz. Further, the LTPO backplane will also allow Apple to vary the refresh rate as low as 1Hz. (CN Beta, WCCFtech, Gizmo China, ET News)
Samsung might introduce its own strategy to implement a display without any camera hole. Samsung will share two different documents related to under-display camera technology. The first, titled “Under-display camera image recovery through diffraction compensation”, is a physics-based method, but the second, likely easier to implement, uses AI to do the magic. Titled, “Under-display camera Quad Bayer raw image restoration using deep learning”, the method promises real-time high-quality restoration with real-world applications. (CN Beta, Image Sensors World, Imaging.org, RPRNA, MS Poweruser)
Xpeng, a leading Chinese smart electric vehicle company, has collaborated with Livox, a leading lidar maker, to deploy its automotive-grade lidar technology in Xpeng’s new production model in 2021. Livox has customized its Horiz sensor (the automotive-grade version of its Livox Horizon) for Xpeng, not only meeting automotive-grade requirements but also delivering cost efficiency and reliability for production models. (My Drivers, Sina, East Money, Business Wire, Yahoo)
Tesla has launched the world’s largest Supercharger station in China. The 72-stall facility in Shanghai easily bests the 56-stall station the company opened in Fresno county, California. The station is located at Jing’an International Center in a key central business and commercial district of Shanghai. (Engadget, Electrek, Weibo, My Drivers)
Samsung SDI, LG Chem and SK Innovation (SKI) are likely to introduce ternary batteries with nickel content exceeding 80% beginning 2021, and such batteries will be mainly used in electric vehicles (EVs), according to Digitimes. (Digitimes, press)
Huawei recently removed all Tencent Games from its App Store. According to Huawei, it acted on the unilateral request of Tencent Games. Huawei is currently making a diligent assessment of the situation. As of now, both Tencent and Huawei are in active negotiations so that they can continue their cooperation. (Neowin, GizChina, Bloomberg, CN Stock, Sohu)
Tesla has confirmed that it has reached its goal of producing 0.5M cars in 2020, having built 509,737 EVs before the year was out. It has not quite delivered that many (‘just’ 499,550), but it is still a huge leap over the 367,500 deliveries from 2019. (Engadget, Business Insider, Tesla)
