Display driver IC (DDI) demand for handsets and other consumer devices has been sluggish and market prospects remain uncertain for the third quarter, prompting DDI makers to switch their supply focus to automotive and niche-market applications, according to industry sources.

Despite a slowdown in sales of consumer electronics devices such as handsets and notebooks, foundry houses seem to remain unscathed. In particular, TSMC and its affiliate Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS), with their prowess in advanced process nodes and mature 8-inch wafer fabrication, respectively, are expected to keep their business performances in high gear through at least 2025, bolstered by big and long-term orders from major clients, according to industry sources.

III-V compound semiconductor wafer foundry service provider Unikorn Semiconductor may return to monthly profits by the end of 2022, according to company chairman Wayne Shih.

NAND flash was invented by Toshiba in 1989 and entered commercial mass production in the early 2000s. Since NAND flash has much faster access speed than mechanical hard drives, and since small-storage persistent memory products were gaining popularity, memory companies began placing increased focus on NAND flash.