According to the latest report on TV panel shipment by the WitsView research division of TrendForce, the end of the fiscal quarter in March and the near-resolution of TV panel material shortages have induced manufacturers to proactively step up their shipments, in turn raising TV panel shipment in March to 23.371 million pieces, a 16.4% increase MoM compared to February figures.
According to the latest investigations by the WitsView research division of TrendForce, disappointing 1Q20 shipment performances by panel manufacturers, combined with the continued acceleration of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe and the U.S., resulted in a reduction of proposed TV panel purchases in 2Q20 by several major TV brands. Despite urgent orders for IT panels due to the increased need for telework, overall IT panel demand following the fulfillment of these urgent orders remains yet unclear. As such, the previous projection of tight large-size DDI supply in 2020 has not surfaced at the moment.
Market intelligence firm TrendForce reports that the ongoing campaigns to suppress the spread of COVID-19 in many countries have rapidly exhausted the global supply of critical medical equipment and materials. Currently, the shortages of protective gears including face masks, face shields, and protective suits are starting to ease a bit as production of these items goes into high gear due to manufacturers’ efforts and cross-industry collaboration. However, there is still a sizable supply gap for electronic devices deployed in the monitoring and caring of coronavirus patients. Since these devices contain a multitude of semiconductor components that are made using high-precision manufacturing processes, medical device suppliers are depending on chip makers to ramp up production. Going forward, shortening the lead time for the key components will be a significant factor in overcoming the supply bottleneck for the essential medical equipment.
As Samsung Display Co. (SDC) buckles under the pressure of oversupply and pandemic-induced operating difficulties, the company has made the decision to exit the LCD panel manufacturing business. According to the latest investigations by the WitsView research division of TrendForce, the rapid decline of Korean manufacturers’ large-size panel glass capacity by area in 2020 is projected to result in a drop in market share from 28.4% in 2019 to 20.4% this year. The production capacity of Chinese panel manufacturers is expected to continue expanding in 2021. This growth, combined with the capacity shortfall from SDC’s discontinued LCD manufacturing, is expected to lead to Korean panel manufacturers’ large-size panel capacity by area to drop below 10% market share.
According to the latest investigations by the DRAMeXchange research division of TrendForce, owing to strong orders for data center servers and traditional server brands’ preemptive stock-up demand to avoid pandemic-induced breaks in the server supply chain, overall server shipment is expected to remain on the upswing in 2Q20. However, as 1Q20 was a relatively high base period, server shipment is projected to grow by a mere 7-9% QoQ in 2Q20, falling short of the usual double-digit QoQ growths in past second quarters.