Power supply restriction imposed by the provincial government of Sichuan, western China, beginning mid-August 2022 has pushed up prices for lithium carbonate and as a consequence, prices for lithium (Li) batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) are likely to rise because Sichuan accounts for over 20% of total lithium mineral output in China, according to industry sources.

China’s largest foundry SMIC announced on August 26 that it planned to establish a new 300mm fab in Tianjin, China, with a capacity of 100,000 wafers per month. With US$7.5 billion investment, the new fab will focus on mature technology nodes between 28nm to 180nm.

The Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) has released a report of Taiwan’s venture capital (VC) investment trend, showing that VCs have displayed a trend of “lower quantity but higher price,” with the health and energy sectors being the most popular. Corporations have also been focusing more on VCs in recent years, looking to use investments in startups to stimulate internal innovation, stated Eric Wu, director of Wistron’s CVC office.

US-based Synopsys is increasing investments in Vietnam as it becomes cautious on China. Meanwhile the cooling of the semiconductor industry will drag Malaysia’s exports for the rest of the year.