Group 1 - Major US stock indices opened significantly lower, with the Dow Jones down 1.28%, S&P 500 down 1.33%, and Nasdaq down 1.59% [1] - Notable declines were observed in companies such as Nvidia, Google, Amazon, and Broadcom, each dropping over 2% [1] - United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) surged over 14%, marking an 18% increase year-to-date, following the official launch of its fourth-generation SuperFlash technology [1] - 3M Company’s stock fell by 4.9% after announcing annual profit expectations below market estimates [1] Group 2 - Quantum computing company Quantinuum, backed by Honeywell, is reportedly advancing towards an IPO, collaborating with Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan, aiming for a valuation of $15 billion to $20 billion and seeking to raise $1.5 billion [2] Group 3 - AI application stock Applovin experienced a pre-market drop of over 7% following a short-seller report from Capitalwatch, which accused the company of systemic compliance risks and significant financial crimes [3] Group 4 - The German government announced on January 19 that it will provide subsidies of up to €6,000 for families purchasing new electric vehicles, aiming to boost the domestic electric vehicle industry after ending previous subsidies in late 2023 [4] Group 5 - Sony announced a memorandum of understanding with TCL to establish a joint venture that will take over Sony's home entertainment business, including televisions and audio products, with TCL holding 51% and Sony holding 49% [5]

周二，联电(UMC.US)盘前大涨超14%，今年以来已累涨18%，现报10.66美元。消息面上，微芯科技旗 下子公司冠捷半导体(SST)与联电共同宣布，双方已完成SST嵌入式SuperFlash第四代(ESF4)技术在 UMC28HPC+工艺平台的车规1级(AG1)全面认证并正式投产。相比其他代工厂的28纳米高K金属栅 (HKMG)嵌入式闪存方案，ESF4在工艺复杂度与成本控制方面具备显著优势，为客户带来更高的制造效 率与经济效益。 ...

智通财经APP获悉，周二，联电(UMC.US)盘前大涨超14%，今年以来已累涨18%，现报10.66美元。消 息面上，微芯科技旗下子公司冠捷半导体(SST)与联电共同宣布，双方已完成SST嵌入式SuperFlash第四 代(ESF4)技术在UMC 28HPC+工艺平台的车规1级(AG1)全面认证并正式投产。相比其他代工厂的28纳 米高K金属栅(HKMG)嵌入式闪存方案，ESF4在工艺复杂度与成本控制方面具备显著优势，为客户带来 更高的制造效率与经济效益。 ...

Shares of Rapt Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:RAPT) rose sharply in pre-market trading after GSK (NYSE:GSK) agreed to acquire the company for $58 per share for an estimated aggregate equity value of $2.2 billion.Rapt Therapeutics shares jumped 63.4% to $57.36 in the pre-market trading session.Here are some other stocks moving in pre-market trading.GainersINVO Fertility Inc (NASDAQ:IVF) gained 418.2% to $4.21 in pre-market trading. Traders circulate unconfirmed rumor that President Trump making fertility treatment ...

Company - OpenAI will begin testing advertisements in ChatGPT to seek new revenue sources [5] - Google has requested a U.S. judge to postpone the order to share data during its appeal [5] - JPMorgan has surpassed Dimensional to become the world's largest active ETF company [6] - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue to decline, raising concerns about their IPO prospects [6] - Spotify plans to generate significant profits through another price increase [6] Industry - The U.S. housing builder confidence index has dropped to 37 in January, marking the first decline in five months and falling below all estimates [5] - The U.S. manufacturing output is expected to grow in the last few months of 2025 [5] - The job market remains a concern, with the Federal Reserve advised to prepare for potential rate cuts [6] - The artificial intelligence sector is accelerating job reductions in key global industries [6] - Oil prices have slightly recovered, but traders remain cautious about risks related to Iran [6]

Core Viewpoint - UMC (United Microelectronics Corporation) has seen a stock increase of over 5%, reaching $9.27, following a strategic partnership with Unimicron Technology Corporation focused on high-end manufacturing needs in the AI era [1] Group 1: Partnership Details - UMC plans to invest NT$700 million in Unimicron's cash capital increase [1] - Unimicron intends to issue unsecured corporate bonds not exceeding NT$15 billion [1] Group 2: Strategic Implications - The collaboration aims to integrate Unimicron into UMC's advanced semiconductor packaging supply chain [1] - This partnership is designed to address TSMC's CoWoS capacity bottleneck by enhancing the "wafer manufacturing + PCB/substrate + packaging testing" ecosystem [1]

Group 1 - The semiconductor sector in the US stock market experienced a collective increase on Friday, with notable gains among several companies [1] - Astera Labs (ALAB.US) saw a rise of over 6%, while United Microelectronics (UMC.US) increased by more than 5.8% [1] - Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.US) and Marvell Technology (MRVL.US) both rose by 1.9%, Broadcom (AVGO.US) increased by 0.9%, and Nvidia (NVDA.US) saw a gain of 0.48% [1]

Core Viewpoint - UMC (United Microelectronics Corporation) shares rose by 5.7% to $9.27 following a strategic partnership with leading substrate manufacturer, Unimicron Technology, focusing on high-end manufacturing needs in the AI era [1] Group 1: Partnership Details - UMC plans to invest NT$700 million in Unimicron's cash capital increase [1] - Unimicron intends to issue unsecured corporate bonds not exceeding NT$15 billion [1] Group 2: Strategic Implications - The collaboration aims to integrate UMC into the advanced packaging core industry chain of semiconductors [1] - This partnership is designed to enhance the ecosystem of "wafer manufacturing + PCB/substrate + packaging testing" to address TSMC's CoWoS capacity bottleneck [1]

Core Viewpoint - SST and UMC have successfully qualified and released the embedded SuperFlash Gen 4 (ESF4) with full automotive grade 1 (AG1) capability on UMC's 28HPC+ process platform, addressing the automotive industry's demand for high-performance vehicle controllers while reducing manufacturing complexity and costs [1][2][4]. Company and Industry Developments - SST developed the ESF4 in collaboration with UMC to enhance embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) performance and reliability for automotive controllers, significantly reducing additional masking steps compared to other foundries' offerings [2][4]. - The automotive controller shipment volumes are rapidly increasing, necessitating innovative solutions for various vehicle applications, with the ESF4 designed to support high-capacity firmware and over-the-air (OTA) update flexibility [5]. - UMC's 28HPC+ ESF4 AG1 platform features key performance metrics, including read access time of less than 12.5ns, over 100,000 endurance cycles, and data retention exceeding 10 years at 125°C, with zero bit failures during qualification [7].

Core Insights - The recent changes in the 8-inch wafer supply-demand landscape are driven by TSMC and Samsung's gradual production cuts, alongside robust growth in AI-related power IC demand and preemptive inventory stocking by customers due to concerns over rising IC costs in the second half of the year [1][2] Group 1: Supply and Demand Dynamics - TSMC has officially begun to reduce its 8-inch capacity starting in 2025, with plans for some facilities to cease operations by 2027, while Samsung is also adopting a more aggressive reduction strategy [1] - TrendForce forecasts a 0.3% decline in global 8-inch capacity in 2025, entering a negative growth phase, with a further expected reduction of 2.4% in 2026 despite minor expansions from companies like SMIC and Vanguard [1] - The demand side is bolstered by increased orders for AI server power ICs and a trend towards localizing IC production in China, leading to higher capacity utilization rates among Chinese wafer foundries [1] Group 2: Price Adjustments and Market Outlook - In 2026, the demand for power-related ICs driven by AI applications is expected to support an increase in global 8-inch average capacity utilization rates to 85-90%, significantly higher than the 75-80% in 2025 [2] - Some wafer foundries anticipate a tightening of 8-inch capacity in 2026 and have notified customers of planned price increases ranging from 5% to 20% across all customer segments and process platforms [2] - The actual price increase for 8-inch wafers may be moderated due to concerns in consumer electronics and rising costs from memory and advanced process technologies [2] Group 3: TSMC's Capacity Reallocation - TSMC is adjusting its mature process capacity configuration, which reflects a shift towards advanced processes and packaging resources, benefiting 8-inch platforms and long-term customers in automotive and industrial control sectors [4] - The company has begun transferring equipment to its subsidiary, World Advanced, in preparation for the anticipated demand shift in mature processes, with a transaction value of approximately $20-23 million [5] - TSMC's exit from the high-voltage GaN foundry market has released capacity and customer demand, allowing other companies like Powertech to step in and capitalize on the AI power supply chain [6]