UMC wins Qualcomm superior packaging order, challenges TSMC’s lead- Financial Each day

Investing.com– United Microelectronics Company (TW:2303) (UMC) has secured a serious contract from Qualcomm Inc (NASDAQ:QCOM) for superior packaging know-how, marking a major breakthrough within the high-speed computing (HPC) section, Financial Each day reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

The transfer positions UMC to play a central position in rising markets akin to synthetic intelligence (AI) PCs, automotive functions, and the booming AI server market, with high-bandwidth reminiscence (HBM) integration additionally within the pipeline, the report acknowledged.

This growth challenges the longstanding dominance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) (TSMC) within the superior packaging house, in accordance the report.

The report mentioned that Qualcomm will make the most of TSMC’s superior course of for chip manufacturing however has chosen UMC for wafer-level superior packaging utilizing hybrid bonding know-how. UMC’s wafer-on-wafer (WoW) hybrid bonding course of gives chip-to-chip integration that reduces sign transmission distance, enhancing computing efficiency with out upgrading the manufacturing course of.

To strengthen its foothold, UMC is actively fostering a complicated packaging ecosystem, collaborating with subsidiaries Faraday Electronics and Silicon Methods, in addition to reminiscence accomplice Winbond. This newest order positions the corporate to achieve substantial traction in a market that has lengthy been managed by TSMC, the report mentioned.

UMC’s capabilities, together with ultra-precision manufacturing for silicon through-holes and a couple of.5D/3D chip stack integration, align with Qualcomm’s necessities for superior HPC functions.

Trial manufacturing of Qualcomm’s new high-speed computing chips using UMC’s superior packaging is predicted to start within the second half of 2025, with mass manufacturing scheduled for 2026, the Financial Each day report acknowledged.

This main contract not solely gives UMC with recent development momentum but in addition reshapes competitors within the superior packaging market, the report added.