1. Inventory continues to rise, MCU manufacturer Shengqun will comprehensively reduce prices starting from this month

According to the Taiwan, China Industrial and Commercial Times, MCU manufacturer Sheng Qun confirmed that it will comprehensively reduce the quotation for channel providers from this month. The company expects that the inventory level in the first quarter of this year will increase again, and it will not significantly decrease until the second quarter, gradually returning to normal. However, on the price side, it is facing the problem of TSMC and Liandian's two major wafer foundries sticking to prices and clients continuously demanding price reductions, resulting in product prices falling, but costs have not decreased, and manufacturers can only reduce inventory by lowering prices.

2. Silicon wafer price reduction, the first in nearly three years

According to the Taiwan, China Economic Daily quoted by IT Home, at present, long-term customers in the silicon wafer market have asked to delay the delivery of goods. The spot price has recently started to lead the decline, which is the first price reduction in recent three years, and has spread from 6 inches and 8 inches to 12 inches. At present, some silicon wafer spot quotes are for three months, and most are updated every six months. The silicon wafer factory admits to accepting spot price adjustments. The spot price of 6-inch silicon wafers has decreased by about a single digit percentage this quarter; There are products with a slight decline in 8-inch silicon wafers, as well as products with a slight increase due to continuous supply shortage, with little change on average. The spot quotation for 12 inch silicon wafers is the most stable, but the manufacturer has admitted that customers have requested a price reduction, and the two parties are currently negotiating.

3. The inventory of storage chips continues to rise in Q1, and the purchasing momentum or Q3 will only warm up

According to the Taiwan, China Electronic Times quoted by the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily, memory chips are facing a lot of inventory adjustment pressure, the original factory operating losses fall into the industry low tide, and the inventory level continues to rise. The supply chain points out that the conservative approach of end customers continuing to pull goods will lead to an upward trend in inventory that will not reach its peak until the first quarter of 2023. Although inventory is expected to gradually decrease in the future, the significant rebound in purchasing momentum may be delayed until the end of the third quarter, and it is difficult to hold optimistic expectations for the full year industrial recovery.

4. Bo Tong Chen Fuyang: Will continue to seek large-scale mergers and acquisitions, considering Intel OEM

According to relevant reports cited by Sina Technology, Bo Tong CEO Chen Fuyang recently stated in a media interview that after acquiring VMware for $69 billion, Bo Tong will continue to seek more merger and acquisition transactions, including the acquisition of a semiconductor company. At present, the acquisition of Vmware by Broadcom is still under review by regulatory agencies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Previously, due to the impact of the epidemic, Botong also experienced product shortages and supply interruptions. In addition to a few specialized components, Botong also outsources its semiconductor manufacturing tasks. Chen Fuyang stated that he is still considering Intel as a potential new OEM partner as an alternative to his main supplier TSMC.

5. Murata once again lowered revenue and capital expenditure forecasts

According to the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily on the 3rd, due to the sluggish smartphone and PC markets and prolonged inventory adjustments, the demand for communication and computer parts is expected to decrease, leading to a decline in factory productivity. Murata Manufacturing's annual (April 2022 to March 2023) revenue estimate has been lowered to 168 million yen, a year-on-year decrease of 7.3%. Meanwhile, Murata Studio's capital expenditure in 2023 has also decreased from the original 210 billion yen to 20%