Tech News Pickup - 2 October 2024: Taiwan braces for powerful Typhoon Sandor

Taiwan Braces for Powerful Typhoon Sandor

Typhoon Sandor is approaching Taiwan, making landfall from the southwestern tip of the island and bringing heavy rain as its diameter expands. With major semiconductor facilities in Kaohsiung, including TSMC and its packaging partner ASE, companies have prepared for the storm and reported that they do not expect significant disruptions to their operations. TSMC is currently constructing three fabs in Kaohsiung for its advanced 2nm production node.

Apple to Launch New iPhone SE in Early 2025

Apple is nearing the production of an updated iPhone SE, which is set to be the company's new low-end model, and is also planning the release of new iPad Air models, according to Bloomberg News. The refreshed products are expected to hit the market in early 2025. This will mark the iPhone SE’s first update since 2022 when it received 5G support and a faster A15 Bionic chip. The SE model plays a crucial role in Apple's strategy to compete with Samsung, Xiaomi, and other mid-range smartphone leaders. However, production may face challenges due to a recent fire at Tata Electronic's plant in India, which could prompt Apple to source components from China.

Taiwan’s Sovereign AI Initiative Takes First Steps in 2025

Beginning in 2025, Taiwan's National Science Council (NSC) will invest over NT$4 billion to build a sovereign AI data center, foster AI applications, and promote industry investment, according to NSC Minister Cheng-Wen Wu. Taiwan, a global hub for AI hardware, already supplies all GPUs used in generative AI and sources high-bandwidth memory (HBM) from South Korea. Taiwanese manufacturers also assemble over 90% of the world's AI servers. The Taiwanese government is signaling its commitment to developing sovereign AI with this significant financial backing.

China Aims to Address Fragmentation in AI Chip Ecosystem

At the China Computational Power Conference, the 2024 Comprehensive Computing Power Index Report revealed that China's computational power has reached 246 EFLOPS, supported by 246 national green data centers. More than 13,000 applications in sectors such as industry, education, and healthcare rely on these resources. Experts at the conference emphasized that the fragmentation of China’s AI chip ecosystem is leading to inefficient power consumption and system instability. They recommended forming clusters, standardizing software, and accelerating GPU connectivity to improve performance and stability.

Chinese EV Makers Set Monthly Sales Records Amid Discounts

Despite looming tariff negotiations with the EU, China’s domestic EV market is thriving, driven by significant discounts that have attracted young buyers. BYD, Leapmotor, Li Auto, Xpeng, and Zeekr all set new monthly sales records in September, with double-digit year-on-year growth. In August, total EV sales in China surged by 43.2% to 1.03 million units, with EVs making up 53.9% of total vehicle deliveries. Pure electric and hybrid cars also outsold traditional petrol vehicles in July, with China accounting for 65% of the world’s EV sales in the first half of this year.