“Changes in the semiconductor supply chain and shifting business models, as well as uncertainty related to US-china trade, creates a growing number of huge opportunities for some while posing a threat to others,” comments Emilie Jolivet, Division Director, Semiconductor & Software at Yole Développement (Yole). “At Yole, we are continuously monitoring the advanced packaging industry to get a comprehensive understanding of market issues and technical challenges. Advanced packaging processes are at the epicenter of all semiconductor manufacturing process steps today. For all semiconductor companies, advanced packaging is strategic in responding to the industry evolution directly impacted by the megatrends – 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) – and in ensuring the development of their activities.”
Yole announced in its Status of Advanced Packaging Industry report a US$44 billion market in 2024, with a 7.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) between 2018 and 2024.
In this dynamic context, and one year after a successful edition, the market research & strategy consulting company and its partner NCAP China are pleased to announce SYNAPS, the Symposium powered by Yole Développement & NCAP China on Advanced Packaging for Semiconductors, previously known as the Advanced Packaging & System Integration Technology Symposium.
After 5 editions, both partners, supported by a Technical Committee, are now back with an exciting 2020 program for the overall advanced packaging community. SYNAPS Technical Committee includes this year: Farhang Yazdani, President & CEO, BroadPak; Amy Leong, CMO] & Senior VP of M&A, FormFactor; Ram Trichur, Global Head of semiconductor packaging market segment, Henkel; Dr. Peng Sun, Director of Technology Division, National Center for Advanced Packaging, NCAP China; Santosh Kumar, Principal Analyst & Director Packaging, Assembly & Substrates, Yole Korea and more.
SYNAPS 2020 edition is the only advanced packaging symposium fully dedicated to the advanced packaging industry, its technologies and applications. The Symposium will take place on March 31 and April 1st in Suzhou, China. Over two days, Yole and NCAP China will help you to gain a clear vision of the latest innovations and to identify new business opportunities.
Sponsorships and calls for papers are now available on SYNAPS website. Save the date right now!
Facing a moving target, mostly due to the megatrends, the semiconductor companies are adapting their strategies. There is no doubt the semiconductor supply chain and the advanced packaging industry behind it are also undergoing changes at various levels.
Some players have successfully managed to transform to a new business model and significantly impact the IC manufacturing chain, while others have failed to take off.
Different players have different motivations to move or expand into new businesses – software players like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Alibaba, for example, are designing their own processors in order to have system-level integration/customization and control of the supply chain up to assembly level.
The biggest change is noticed in foundries expanding into the advanced packaging business. Though they are relative newcomers, their impact has been significant:
- TSMC leads in innovation in the fan-out and 3D advanced packaging platforms, with various offerings such as InFO (and its variants), CoWoS, WoW, 3D SoIC, and more. For TSMC, advanced packaging has become a full-fledged business, and the company expects US$3 billion in revenue from its advanced packaging activities in 2019, which would place them fourth among OSATs.
- Elsewhere, UMC is a supplier of silicon interposers for 2.5D packaging and recently partnered with Xperi to optimize and commercialize ZiBond and DBI technologies for a wide range of semiconductor devices.
- Meanwhile, XMC provides 3D IC through silicon via (TSV)] packaging for image sensors and high-performance applications. In general, these players are instrumental in moving the package from the substrate to a silicon platform.
Foundries are not the only ones… Indeed, IC substrate and printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturers, like SEMCO, Unimicron, AT&S, and Shinko, are entering the advanced packaging arena with competitive technologies. Panel-level fan-out packages and embedded dies (and passives) in organic substrates are part of their portfolio. “
“These companies are eating the lunch of OSATs – especially those involved in the advanced packaging business,” states Favier Shoo, Technology & Market Analyst, Advanced Packaging at Yole. “To remain competitive, we will see lots of M&A activity in the OSAT sector in the coming years at various levels: consolidation amongst big players, the merger or acquisition of two midsize players with complementary service offerings and small OSATs (or WLP houses) being acquired by big players. Niche WLP players like Deca Technologies and LB Semicon are strong candidates for the acquisition…” (See a detailed analysis of the 2019 OSAT ranking developed by Yole).
Trade tension between the U.S. and China could potentially disrupt semiconductor growth and cast uncertainty over the supply chain. The picture is still unclear and there is lots of confusion, intermingled with many “ifs” and “buts”.
“Multiple scenarios are possible depending on whether there is an all-out trade war or if a new trade deal is reached, either with concessions from each side, or the status quo is being maintained,” comments Santosh Kumar from Yole…
SYNAPS will be the place to be in 2020.
2020 SYNAPS will be a powerful mix of key technology sessions related to the evolution and innovation in the industry. The Symposium will offer effective networking time with advanced packaging executives, organized within the impressive Suzhou’s advanced packaging ecosystem. Yole, NCAP China and the Technical Committee will combine their technical and market expertise to build an exciting program.
Dr Cao LiQiang, NCAP’s CEO asserts: “With a strong commitment to the development of innovative advanced packaging technologies and partnerships in China, we are again part of SYNAPS in 2020. At NCAP China, we firmly believe that the 2020 edition will be a success, based on its 5-year reputation, hot topics, and presentations selected by the Technical Committee. Don’t miss the opportunity to be up-to-date on the latest technology trends and to expand your business in China.”
“With more and more functionalities, companies have to innovate,” says Emilie Jolivet from Yole: “They have to manage their ability to integrate more and more components on a single die and offer a final product with a high-reliability level. With SYNAPS 2020 edition, we invite you to dive deep into the advanced packaging technologies, understand the latest innovations and discover new business opportunities.”
Save the date right now and let us meet in Suzhou, China on March 31, 2020!
