Starting October 12, US semiconductor equipment makers Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA have moved to withdraw their engineers and other related staff from China semiconductor plants, complying with new restrictions on China-bound advanced equipment sales and services, according to industry sources.

China’s top-3 power battery makers Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), Ganfeng Lithium Group and EVE Energy have been aggressively proceeding with capacity expansions, with their combined investments announced since September reaching over CNY100 billion (US$13.947 billion). Despite their continuous technology and capacity upgrades, the potential problem of overcapacity seems to be gradually surfacing, according to industry sources.

The US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) effective in mid-August 2022 encourages investment in manufacturing of PV products in the US by tax incentives and/or subsidies, and this affords opportunities for Taiwan-based solar cell and/or PV module makers to invest in production in the US for tapping the US market and possibly other overseas markets, according to chairwoman and CEO Doris Hsu for solar-grade crystalline silicon wafer maker Sino-American Silicon Products (SAS) who is also chairperson for Taiwan Photovoltaic Industry Association.