Banner of new STM factory

ASC Global Industry Updates

Jun 23, 2023

In this article, ASC Global summarizes for you the latest updates in the realm of the global electronic component industry. Large scale investments in semiconductor factories, notable industry acquisitions, rising demand for diodes, and solutions for counterfeit products and supply chain resilience.

  • Allocation of 2.9€ billion by the French Ministry to support a new semiconductor factory in France by STMicroelectronics and Global Foundries.
  • US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced several defense and commercial agreements including a Micron Technology investment over $800 million in a $2.75 billion semiconductor facility in India.
  • The Japanese government has announced a significant agreement worth $6.3 billion to acquire and privatize JSR Corp., a renowned global provider of chipmaking compounds.
  • IBM will acquire the software firm Apptio for a substantial sum of $4.6 billion. This transaction represents the seventh acquisition made by IBM in the current year.
  • Surging demand for diodes as well as the manufacturer Texas Instruments and Onsemi - a noteworthy trend analysis observed by various testing lab reports in 2023.
  • ASC Global’s Solution for Counterfeit Products & Supply Chain Resilience.

2.9€ Billion by the French Ministry for New Semiconductor Factory

image

The French Ministry of Economy and Finance is supporting a new semiconductor factory with a financial assistance package of around 2.9€ billion. The factory, a joint venture between STMicroelectronics and Global Foundries, will be built near Grenoble, France. With a total investment of 7.5€ billion, the project aims to reach full capacity and create 1,000 jobs by 2028. The increased chip production capacity within the EU resulting from this collaboration will have a significant impact on sectors such as automotive, IoT, and mobile applications.

The financial assistance agreement was signed by the French Minister of Economy and Finance, Le Maire, and representatives from STMicroelectronics and Global Foundries. The project has also received approval from the European Union, highlighting its long-term implications for economic growth, job creation, technological advancement, national security, European autonomy, and future investments in the French semiconductor industry.

USA Invests Into $2.75 Billion Semiconductor Facility in India

US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have jointly unveiled several defense and commercial agreements aimed at bolstering the military and economic bonds between their respective countries. Micron Technology will invest over $800 million in a $2.75 billion semiconductor facility in India, Applied Materials will establish a semiconductor center, and Lam Research plans to train up to 60,000 engineers in India (Sink & Leonard, June 2023).

In addition, General Electric Co. intends to collaborate with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., a state-owned Indian company, to co-manufacture F414 engines for the Tejas light-combat aircraft. This partnership is a strategic move to enhance defense capabilities and foster technology-sharing, particularly in response to China's increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. These partnerships strengthen defense capabilities, secure supply chains, and promote economic growth and technological advancements.

image

Advancements of this partnership foster plenty of opportunities for competitive sourcing and the expansion of Indian manufacturers in the electronic components market. As ASC diligently expands its operations and strives to streamline acquisition processes, we have appointed a new Sales Director for the region. Additionally, we are actively preparing a new office location that will aptly reflect the industry's significance within the context of the nation's partnership.

Notable Acquisitions in the Global Electronics Industry

The Japanese government has announced a significant agreement worth $6.3 billion to acquire and privatize JSR Corp., a renowned global provider of chipmaking compounds. This move allows the government to assume direct control over JSR Corp. and comes at a critical juncture where escalating tensions between the United States and China pose a potential risk of fragmentation within the $550 billion global semiconductor industry (Furukawa, 2023).

image
image

IBM will acquire the software firm Apptio for a substantial sum of $4.6 billion. This transaction represents the seventh acquisition made by IBM in the current year, reflecting the determined efforts to steer the company towards becoming a leading enterprise in the domains of hybrid-cloud solutions and artificial intelligence (Lung and Frier, 2023).

Test Reports Indicate a Surge in Demand for Diodes in 2023

The analysis of testing reports of our lab combined with third party testing house reports reveals a shift in the most frequently tested electronic components. The 2023 reports highlight the rising interest in Diodes, becoming the second most tested component, surpassing MCU microcontrollers and FPGAs from 2022. Previously, MCUs held the second spot while MOSFETs dominated the testing space. Diodes have gained traction since 2022, sparking more interest and becoming more prevalent. In 2021, Diodes were tested less frequently compared to Transceivers and MCUs.

Texas Instruments has consistently been the top tested manufacturer since 2021. In 2023, Onsemi has overtaken STMicro. These shifts indicate a growing demand for Diodes and MOSFETs, whether from Texas Instruments or Onsemi.

ASC Global’s Solution for Counterfeit Products & Supply Chain Resilience

The COVID pandemic paved the way for new emerging trends focused on supply chain management and addressing extensive quality control (Smith, 2023). Some of them include:

  • Supply Chain Resilience: Enforcing stricter risk management which improves traceability and transparency.
  • Counterfeit Mitigation: Being aware of the risks associated with counterfeit components in the industry harming reliability for both manufacturers and suppliers.
image

By implementing these practices, backed by our AS6081, ISO9001, and AS9120 certifications, supply chains can avoid counterfeit issues when doing business with ASC. In addition to a 26-year strong network in the industry, we offer inventory and excess stock not to be found anywhere on the open market.

In combination with in-house or third-party testing labs, we can ensure quality and transparency for clients. This results in ASC Global providing competitive lead times for all component classifications to build up our clients’ supply chain resilience.

Are you currently searching for any electronic components? Send us your requirements, and we will reply within 1 hour. “Quote Now” button. 

Sources

Furukawa, Y., & Hsu, W. (2023, June 26). Japan unveils $6 billion deal to buy out Chip Linchpin JSR. Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-26/japan-unveils-6-billion-deal-to-buy-out-chip-linchpin-jsr cmpid=BBD062723_TECH&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=230627&utm_campaign=tech

Lung, Natalie and Frier, Sarah (2023, June 26). IBM Will Buy Software Company Apptio for $4.6 Billion. Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-26/ibm-agrees-to-buy-apptio-for-4-6-billion-in-automation-push?cmpid=BBD062723_TECH&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=230627&utm_campaign=tech

Sink, J., & Leonard, J. (2023, June 22). Modi press conference: India, US deals include drones, jet engines, space, Chips. Bloomberg.com. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-22/biden-and-modi-deals-span-drones-jet-engines-space-and-chips#xj4y7vzkg

Smith, H. (2023, May 18). Emerging Trends In The Electronic Components Distribution Industry [Review of Emerging Trends In The Electronic Components Distribution Industry]. Tech Bullion; FinTech News 7 Information. https://techbullion.com/emerging-trends-in-the-electronic-components-distribution-industry/

Frequently Asked Questions About
Industrial Microsd

How is ASC's industrial-grade MicroSD different from a standard consumer MicroSD card?

The difference starts at the NAND level. ASC's industrial MicroSD line uses true SLC (Single-Level Cell) architecture on capacities from 4GB to 32GB, which stores one bit per cell and supports millions of write cycles, compared to the multi-bit-per-cell TLC or QLC NAND used in consumer cards, which wear out far sooner under continuous write loads. Higher-capacity cards (64GB to 1TB) use TLC or QLC NAND graded for commercial or industrial duty depending on the application. Beyond the NAND, ASC's industrial cards carry a locked bill of materials, so the controller, firmware, and NAND source stay fixed for the life of the design rather than changing without notice, which is common with consumer-grade cards sold through retail channels. Every industrial card also ships with a 36-month manufacturer warranty and passes 100% pre-shipment quality inspection, neither of which apply to consumer retail products.

Our last microSD supplier changed the NAND or controller without notice and broke our qualification. How does ASC prevent that from happening again?

BOM changes are one of the most common ways embedded and industrial programs lose qualification on a memory component, because a consumer-grade supplier can substitute NAND die, controller firmware, or even the flash vendor between production runs without informing the customer. ASC's industrial MicroSD program locks the BOM at the point of qualification, so the NAND, controller, and firmware combination your engineering team tested and approved is the combination you receive on every reorder for the life of the program. Combined with 100% pre-shipment inspection and a 36-month warranty, this gives procurement and engineering teams a documented, stable part number to build a long-term hardware lifecycle around, rather than requalifying every time a reorder arrives.

We need microSD cards that survive automotive or outdoor temperature swings and years of continuous power cycling. What environmental and endurance specs does ASC's industrial MicroSD line meet?

ASC's industrial MicroSD cards are built for a -40°C to +85°C operating range and a stable 2.7V to 3.6V power profile, which covers the temperature extremes typical of outdoor enclosures, vehicle cabins, and unconditioned industrial spaces. Mechanically, the cards are rated for 10,000 insertion and removal cycles and are tested against ESD, drops, moisture, corrosion, torque, and bending, conditions that a consumer card is never validated against. On the endurance side, the SLC NAND used in the 4GB to 32GB range supports millions of write cycles, which matters for applications like continuous data logging, HMI displays, and always-on surveillance recording where the card is written to constantly rather than occasionally. All cards support the SD 6.1 and UHS-I specifications plus SPI interfaces, with read speeds up to 100MB/s and write speeds up to 80MB/s.

Global memory shortages have made microSD allocation and lead times unpredictable. How does ASC keep supply stable for OEM production schedules?

ASC's industrial MicroSD manufacturing runs independently of the open-market NAND allocation swings that have driven the broader memory shortage, with production capacity of up to 1.5 million units per month and flexible scaling for OEM and high-volume programs. First orders ship in approximately 3 weeks, with faster turnaround on repeat replenishment orders, and customers on ASC's program receive priority allocation during industry-wide shortage periods rather than competing for open-market spot inventory. ASC also supports long-term lifecycle planning mapped to multi-year hardware programs, volume pricing tied to forecast-based manufacturing, and global logistics integration, so a production schedule set 12 to 24 months out can be planned against a defined supply commitment rather than quarter-to-quarter market conditions.

We want a private-label or custom-firmware microSD solution for our product line. What does ASC's manufacturing program support?

ASC's industrial MicroSD manufacturing includes OEM and private-label support, with customizable packaging and firmware tailored to the customer's application, in addition to standard catalog cards. Because production runs through ASC's own manufacturing rather than a repackaged consumer supply chain, customers can work directly with ASC's team on firmware behavior, capacity point, and NAND grade (SLC, TLC, or QLC) before the design is locked, and that configuration becomes the fixed BOM for the life of the program. Free samples are available with full engineering evaluation and compatibility testing before committing to a production order, which lets your team validate the custom configuration against your existing hardware and firmware before volume manufacturing begins.

How does ASC verify quality on every microSD shipment before it reaches our production line?

Every industrial MicroSD order goes through 100% pre-shipment quality inspection before it leaves ASC's manufacturing facility, backed by a 36-month manufacturer warranty on the finished product. This sits alongside ASC's broader quality infrastructure across its component lines, including AS 6081:2012 certification for counterfeit avoidance, ISO 9001:2015 and AS 9120:2016 certifications supporting traceability for regulated industries, and an in-house testing lab capable of XRF analysis and electrical testing to confirm that a card's marked capacity, NAND grade, and temperature rating match what actually ships. For programs that need documentation beyond standard inspection, including automotive, medical, or aerospace end uses, ASC can provide certificates of conformance and traceability records covering the manufacturing lot.

Related News

Loading...