production

China's largest DRAM manufacturer Changxin Storage (CXMT) has recently launched a bidding for equipment from partners for its new factory in Shanghai and is advancing capacity expansion in multiple locations. CXMT is currently mass-producing DRAM in Hefei Phase II and Beijing Phase I, with an estimated capacity of about 200,000 wafers per month, which may exceed 300,000 wafers per month by the end of the year.CXMT plans to open the new factory in Shanghai in the fourth quarter of this year, and the related equipment bidding has already started. Semiconductor equipment industry insiders say that the factory is planned to be expanded in two phases, with capacity significantly exceeding 100,000 wafers per month. Subsequently, there are plans to open a new factory in Hefei in the first half of next year and the earliest new factory in Beijing in the second half of next year, with another new factory in Hefei opening in the first half of the year after next.Equipment industry insiders say that CXMT has communicated with multiple parties regarding the timing of building factories in various locations. If all plans are realized, CXMT could add at least 70,000 to 80,000 wafers of capacity per month each year from this year until 2028, with a long-term goal of exceeding 600,000 wafers per month. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix's DRAM capacities are estimated at about 700,000 wafers and 600,000 wafers per month, respectively.

The global leader in passive components, the Japanese company Murata, has issued a notice that it will gradually cease production of multiple multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) products, reminding customers to seize the last opportunity to place orders. Industry analysts expect that after Murata discontinues certain part numbers, customers will initiate alternative supplier mechanisms, with companies such as Yageo, Walsin Technology, Yageo, and Xinchang Electric likely to take over the orders.Murata stated that this adjustment includes older products and part numbers, and will stop some general-purpose items as well as those originally included in the renewal plan, promoting the replacement of old products with new ones. The notice covers certain products from nine series, including GRM, GRJ, GRT, GXM, GXT, GCM, GCJ, GCG, and ZRA, with applications spanning consumer electronics, industrial equipment, and automotive markets. Customers must complete the transition to alternatives by December 31, 2027, with the last order date set for March 31, 2028, and the final shipping date for March 31, 2029.

Saudi Arabia reported to OPEC that its crude oil production in August plummeted to the lowest level since 1990, with a daily output decrease of 1.9 million barrels, down to 6.238 million barrels per day.The resumption of hostilities between the United States and Iran has squeezed Saudi Arabia's export channels, leading to a reduction in crude oil exports of about one-third, down to approximately 3 million barrels per day.

A Reuters survey shows that Saudi exports have been disrupted due to the Iran war, and U.S. sanctions have reduced Iranian shipments. OPEC's crude oil production in August decreased by 640,000 barrels per day to 19.71 million barrels per day.Although seven member countries agreed to increase production, the conflict in the Middle East has hindered the implementation of the plan.

The Central Science Management Bureau confirmed on the 9th that TSMC's Central Science Phase II 1.4 nanometer factory expansion is fully accelerating. The first P1 factory has completed its steel structure and is expected to begin trial production in April next year, with mass production anticipated in the second half of next year, ahead of the originally scheduled mass production in 2028. TSMC has applied to the Central Science Management Bureau to set up two temporary offices at the site, which are expected to be completed in April next year, with the first batch of over 5,400 operational and outsourced personnel moving in.The advanced process new factory for TSMC's Central Science Phase II park broke ground last October, planning to build four 1.4 nanometer factories, with nearly 2,000 workers working day and night. The P1 factory is currently undergoing floor and exterior wall construction, with the factory building expected to be completed early next year. The P2 factory has begun basic construction and is scheduled to be completed in October next year, with both factories expected to start mass production successively next year. The P3 factory has obtained a construction permit, while the P4 factory is in the process of applying for a construction permit, planning to be built with a six-month gap. P3 is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2028, and P4 is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of the same year. After the P2 factory is completed in the second half of next year, an additional 1,000 operational personnel will be added, with the total number of employees expected to be between 9,000 and 10,000 when all four new factories in Phase II are completed and put into production.

On September 8, TSMC announced that starting in 2030, it will adopt a new "high NA" extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machine manufactured by ASML from the Netherlands for mass production. Both parties also stated that they will carry out industry-wide improvements on the high NA machines. ASML monopolizes the supply of EUV lithography machines used to form nanoscale ultra-fine circuits and will begin shipping high NA machines capable of drawing finer circuits starting in December 2023. Intel has already introduced high NA machines, while TSMC previously delayed mass production due to high costs and other reasons.TSMC and ASML will launch an industry-wide project to enlarge the photomask, which serves as the original circuit pattern, from the current 6-inch (approximately 15 centimeters) square to a 12-inch square, and develop high NA machines and related components corresponding to the large masks. A large mask pilot production line is planned to be established before 2031, and the high NA machines corresponding to the large masks are expected to reach a state suitable for advanced semiconductor production before 2033. Major semiconductor manufacturers and mask companies have expressed interest in participating.High NA machines can draw finer circuits, but the area that can be drawn in a single exposure is reduced to half that of traditional models, requiring multiple exposures for large chip circuits, which complicates the process and increases costs. Enlarging the photomask can expand the exposure area and reduce costs. TSMC Chairman and CEO C. C. Wei stated that the company will gather expertise from the entire industry to continuously promote technological innovation that makes advanced technology widely usable and convey its benefits.

According to the Chosun Ilbo, China's largest DRAM manufacturer Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) has launched trial production of the fourth-generation high bandwidth memory HBM3, with initial yield stagnating at 25%, about one-third of the golden mass production yield of 80%. SK Hynix has been mass producing similar products since 2022, with a yield exceeding 90%.The front-end yield of Changxin Memory's HBM3 8-layer stacked products is about 30%, while the back-end yield is approximately 70%, resulting in final good products. The company supplies a small number of samples to Chinese companies such as Alibaba's Pingtouge and Cambricon, and continues to improve yields. Its G4 (17-nanometer) process ordinary DRAM has no major issues, but the DRAM chips used for HBM have larger areas and stricter electrical specifications.The industry attributes the reasons to the insufficient maturity of Through-Silicon Via (TSV) technology. Nomad Semi's analysis shows that Samsung's HBM2 has over 5,000 TSVs per chip, SK Hynix's HBM3 has over 8,000, while Changxin Memory has about 3,000. There is a gap of 4 to 5 years compared to Samsung and SK Hynix.

Xiaopeng Robotics production line officially launched today. The world's first advanced general-purpose humanoid robot completed automated assembly and autonomously walked off the production line, marking a key leap for Xiaopeng Robotics from research and development to production manufacturing.This production line is independently designed and developed by Xiaopeng, deeply integrating the mature quality systems of the automotive industry with the precision manufacturing of humanoid robots, achieving an automation rate of over 80% in core processes. The Xiaopeng robot has 76 degrees of freedom and is equipped with three Turing AI chips, with an effective computing power of 2250 TOPS.The Xiaopeng robot will officially enter large-scale production by the end of this year and will be launched and delivered in 2027.

Samsung Electronics' wafer foundry division has recently surpassed 50% in the allocation of production capacity for the sixth-generation high bandwidth memory HBM4 substrate chips in the 4-nanometer process. The industry states that this division will invest more than half of its 4-nanometer wafers into HBM4 substrate chip manufacturing in the second half of this year to expand supply to companies like NVIDIA, Broadcom, and AMD.Samsung initiated mass production and shipment of HBM4 in February this year and plans to increase supply starting from the third quarter, significantly increasing the related wafer input since mid-year. This chip is based on Samsung's wafer foundry 4-nanometer (SF4) process. As of last month, over 50% of its total 4-nanometer capacity has been allocated to HBM4 substrate chips. According to insiders, Samsung's 4-nanometer process is currently at full capacity, with HBM4 substrate chips accounting for about 50% to 60%, and this high proportion will be maintained in the second half of the year.Samsung's wafer foundry production lines at Pyeongtaek Plant 2 and Plant 3 are mass-producing processes ranging from 4 to 7 nanometers, with a monthly capacity of about 30,000 wafers for the 4-nanometer process. Based on this, the wafer input related to HBM4 substrate chips is estimated to be about 15,000 wafers per month. During the second quarter earnings call, Samsung stated that it expects HBM4 revenue to increase more than threefold quarter-over-quarter in the third quarter, with HBM4 revenue in the second half expected to exceed 60% of the company's overall HBM revenue.

According to Bitcoin.com, the Bitcoin-themed movie "Bitcoin" has entered the post-production stage, with a production budget of approximately 70 million dollars.The film is directed by Doug Liman, known for "The Bourne Identity," and stars Gal Gadot, Casey Affleck, Pete Davidson, and Isla Fisher. Among them, Casey Affleck will portray Craig Wright, who claims to be the creator of Bitcoin, while Pete Davidson will play his supporter Calvin Ayre.Reportedly, some scenes and lighting in the film are generated by AI. Currently, the film has not confirmed a major distributor in the United States or a specific release date.In addition, some commentators believe the film may lean towards portraying Craig Wright as Satoshi Nakamoto, but the production team has not confirmed this.

According to GMGN information, trading activity on the Robinhood Chain has gradually resumed. However, the network's browser still shows the block count remaining at 4 minutes ago.

The Bank of Korea stated that thanks to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix actively expanding domestic production facilities, South Korea's leading advantage in memory chip capacity is expected to further expand.The Bank of Korea expects that new chip factories to be put into production by 2028 will increase South Korea's monthly wafer capacity by approximately 600,000 wafers.

According to Electronic News on September 3, Micron plans to double its high bandwidth memory (HBM) production capacity compared to last year, with a maximum addition of 60,000 wafers per month by the end of this year. Insiders say that Micron's HBM output was about 40,000 to 50,000 wafers per month last year, and it is expected to reach about 100,000 wafers per month by the end of the year, narrowing the gap with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.Micron is increasing procurement orders from multiple HBM equipment suppliers, with production bases mainly in Taiwan and Singapore, continuously introducing equipment. Currently, the output is mainly HBM3E 12-layer, with HBM4 12-layer accounting for about 20% to 30% at the beginning of this year, which may rise to as high as 50% by the end of the year. HBM4 12-layer will be used in NVIDIA's latest AI accelerator, Vera Rubin, and Micron has started mass production of this product since the second quarter of this year.Micron CEO Mehrotra stated in the Q3 earnings call for fiscal year 2026 in June this year that the ramp-up speed of HBM4 12-layer mass production is about twice that of HBM3E 12-layer, and cumulative revenue from HBM4 shipments has exceeded $1 billion. The industry believes that Samsung and SK Hynix each have HBM production capacities of about 150,000 to 200,000 wafers per month. Counterpoint data shows that in Q2 of this year, the global HBM market shares were SK Hynix 50%, Samsung 32%, and Micron 18%. Micron is also preparing related investments in Hiroshima, Japan.

According to Bloomberg, UBS analysts expect that China's semiconductor manufacturing capabilities may struggle to make sufficient progress in the next decade to develop solutions that can truly replace ASML's cutting-edge EUV lithography technology. UBS analysts wrote in their report, "The stage they are currently at seems comparable to ASML's in 2004." Based on patent application activities, especially in the fields of light sources and laser subsystems, China's current technological maturity is roughly equivalent to ASML's level 15 years before it began mass production of EUV equipment.UBS also expects that China is likely to have the capability for mass production of immersion DUV lithography machines within the next two to five years. Although immersion DUV is not as advanced as EUV, it remains an indispensable tool in chip manufacturing. ASML's immersion DUV machines are priced at nearly $90 million, while EUV equipment costs over $200 million each. China is one of ASML's largest markets, but due to export restrictions, ASML is prohibited from selling EUV equipment to China. UBS pointed out that considering the yield and capacity gaps and regulatory restrictions, Chinese lithography equipment is unlikely to be applied overseas. An ASML spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. The report is based on UBS analysts' predictive views, and actual progress will depend on industry dynamics.

The Cronos network has resumed and restarted block production after pausing operations to protect users from the vulnerabilities of the Tectonic protocol. A complete post-incident analysis report will be released soon.

Cronos Network officially announced that the network has resumed block production and is fully operational again. Previously, Cronos paused block production due to a vulnerability exploitation incident involving the Tectonic protocol, and validators took emergency consensus measures to protect user funds, rolling back the chain state to before the Tectonic vulnerability exploitation on August 30.The network has resumed block production at UTC time August 30, 23:49:01 from block height 90,896,189. Cronos stated that node operators can now restart their nodes using Cronos v1.7.8 and the latest mainnet snapshot.The network is currently under continuous monitoring, and some protocols, RPC service providers, block explorers, and cross-chain bridges are expected to take longer to recover. Cronos stated that the team will release a complete event review report after confirming network stability.

According to the Ontology blog, its core development team discovered potential security vulnerabilities during routine security checks. Due to a high emphasis on the security and integrity of the mainnet, Ontology has immediately suspended block production on the Ontology mainnet to allow the technical team and validators to conduct a comprehensive security review of the network and related components. Ontology stated that no security incidents have been confirmed at this time, and there are no indications that user assets have been lost or stolen. ONT, ONG, and other on-chain assets are currently assessed to be unaffected; this suspension is a preventive security measure rather than a response to confirmed asset losses or ongoing attacks.During the review period, block production will remain suspended, and on-chain transactions cannot be processed. Users do not need to transfer or take any action regarding their ONT, ONG, and other on-chain assets, but should avoid conducting time-sensitive on-chain transactions until the network officially confirms its restoration. The duration of the suspension has not yet been determined, and the team will prioritize the comprehensiveness of the security review over speed; block production will not resume until the network has been thoroughly assessed and confirmed to be secure. The Ontology team is collaborating with validators and ecosystem partners to address this matter and will update progress through official channels, with a separate announcement to be made before and after the network restoration.

According to Nikkei Asia, storage chip manufacturer Kioxia Holdings plans to build new production facilities at its factory in northern Japan, with project investments expected to exceed 1 trillion yen (approximately 6.27 billion USD).Kioxia currently ranks third in the global NAND flash memory market, behind Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. The company's move aims to follow its South Korean competitors in increasing production capacity to meet market demand.

NVIDIA (NVDA.O) announced the full production of Vera Rubin.

He Xiaopeng, Chairman of XPeng Inc., stated at the 2026 semi-annual financial report meeting that the humanoid robot IRON plans to enter large-scale production by the end of this year and will implement commercial scenarios in XPeng stores and parks. In 2027, IRON will officially launch, targeting external customers in the retail and service industries, with large-scale deliveries in China and overseas, and monthly production capacity can quickly increase to several thousand units. He has also served as the CEO of the robotics business since June of this year, integrating resources such as the automotive supply chain, automotive-grade manufacturing, global layout, and Turing AI chips to promote mass production and commercialization.On the same day, XPeng announced that its humanoid robot business has secured over $900 million in its first round of financing, with a post-investment valuation exceeding $6.3 billion. IDG led the investment, with Gao Rong Venture Capital, Tencent, Alibaba, and others subscribing for $600 million, while XPeng Inc. and senior executives including He Xiaopeng subscribed for $300 million. He Xiaopeng believes that the technical threshold for advanced general-purpose robotics is at least 20 times that of smart cars, and the revenue and gross profit over the entire lifecycle of a single unit will be significantly higher than that of cars, expecting considerable gross profit after mass production to support physical AI research and development.The pre-installed mass-produced Robotaxi equipped with the second-generation VLA has completed over 2,000 internal test orders in Guangzhou, and XPeng has completed the development of the cloud takeover platform, aiming to achieve passenger operations without safety personnel next year. The automotive business generated total revenue of 32.78 billion yuan in the first half of the year, delivering 166,000 vehicles, with a gross margin of 20.6%; it is expected to deliver between 115,000 and 121,000 vehicles in the third quarter, with total revenue between 21.7 billion and 23.4 billion yuan.