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hot_img Samsung Electronics plans to repurpose the NRD-K R&D production line for wafer foundry use, aiming for mass production of 2nm base chips for HBM

According to South Korean media ZDNet Korea, Samsung Electronics is adjusting the original purpose of its NRD-K Line 2 at the Giheung campus from a research and development facility to a wafer foundry line, with the main target product being the 2nm base chips required for NVIDIA's HBM. This production line is expected to be operational in the second half of 2028, adopting a "Send-Fab" model, which involves receiving wafers from other mass production lines and performing specific processes.NRD-K is the most advanced composite research and development campus built by Samsung Electronics to seize future semiconductor technology, with a total investment of approximately 20 trillion won, planning for three production lines, of which the first line is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024. This adjustment aims to proactively respond to the expansion of HBM demand driven by investments in AI infrastructure. Samsung plans to first apply the 2nm process to custom HBM and HBM5 to maintain performance advantages.Industry insiders point out that the scale of NRD-K Line 2 is relatively small, making it suitable for operation in the Send-Fab format. However, there are still about two years until the production line is operational, and the final purpose may be adjusted again based on market conditions. Samsung had previously considered using this production line for DRAM production, but after modifications to the relevant plans this month, DRAM capacity will be more concentrated in the Pyeongtaek campus. Equipment procurement orders have not yet been officially issued.

hot_img NVIDIA's Feynman platform is expected to go into mass production in 2028, with TSMC's A16 and SoIC expanding production simultaneously

According to DIGITIMES, NVIDIA's next-generation AI platform Feynman aims for mass production in the second half of 2028, utilizing TSMC's A16 process and incorporating SoIC 3D stacking and CPO technology. The Rubin generation focuses on integrating multiple small chips with HBM, while Feynman further develops towards 3D small chips, SoIC, and CPO. The report indicates that TSMC is accelerating the construction of related production capacity, with the original plan for SoIC monthly capacity to reach 20,000 pieces by the end of 2026, now updated to a target of 50,000 pieces by the end of 2027.The construction progress of TSMC's Chiayi AP7 and Tainan AP8 is also accelerating, with AP7 planned in 8 phases. P1 and P2 have entered installation, P3 and P4 have obtained construction permits, and P5 to P8 are still in planning. In addition to mass-producing Apple-specific WMCM, the factory will configure SoIC, CoPoS, and CPO production lines according to customer demand. NVIDIA has rapidly shifted its R&D and supply chain resources to the Feynman platform, and the spillover effect of TSMC's advanced packaging orders continues to expand, with Siliconware becoming the main testing and packaging factory for NVIDIA's CoWoS and CPO orders. The NVLink interconnect bandwidth of NVIDIA's Feynman platform is expected to exceed 1 PB/s, further improving from Rubin Ultra's 520 TB/s. TSMC's COUPE technology integrates EIC and PIC in 3D through SoIC to form a light engine, advancing optoelectronic conversion from traditional circuit boards to the internal packaging structure. Since 2026, NVIDIA has invested over $40 billion in building the AI ecosystem, covering areas such as models, wafer manufacturing, data centers, and optical communications.

Coinbase once offered $2.5 billion to acquire BVNK, ultimately losing to Mastercard's $1.8 billion acquisition

The insider information about the acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure company BVNK by Mastercard for $1.8 billion has recently been revealed. BVNK's early investment firm Concentric disclosed that during the acquisition bidding process, the U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase once held an advantage and reportedly made a top bid of $2.5 billion, but ultimately withdrew from the competition due to insufficient strategic and cultural fit between the two parties.Kjartan Rist, founding partner of Concentric, stated that the founding team of BVNK did not only focus on the bid amount when choosing an acquirer, but placed more importance on long-term partnerships and cultural alignment. "Although Coinbase may have offered a higher price, the chemistry between the two parties was not ideal." In contrast, Mastercard, as a traditional financial services company, found it easier to form synergies with BVNK in the areas of payment infrastructure and stablecoin applications.It is reported that Mastercard was involved in the acquisition discussions for BVNK early on, and after Coinbase failed to advance the deal, Mastercard re-emerged as the primary buyer, ultimately completing the acquisition for $1.8 billion.Visa also participated in the competition. Having previously invested in BVNK and holding a board observer seat, Visa once had an advantage. However, Visa ultimately chose not to pursue a direct acquisition, opting instead for an open strategy of collaborating with multiple stablecoin companies.BVNK was founded in 2018 and primarily provides stablecoin payment, cross-border settlement, and fund management infrastructure for enterprises. Its early investor Concentric invested in the company at a valuation of $4 million in 2019, and this transaction has resulted in significant returns.

hot_img Intel's EMIB-T advanced packaging faces yield challenges, with the first mass production target in 2027 only at 50%

According to Taiwanese media reports, Intel's next-generation advanced packaging technology EMIB-T is facing severe yield challenges. ABF substrate supplier Unimicron stated during its earnings call on July 29 that the technology is "not yet mature," and the yield target for three EMIB-T substrate suppliers (Unimicron, Ibiden, and Shinkawa) during the initial mass production phase at the end of 2027 is only 50%.EMIB-T is Intel's advanced packaging solution that competes with TSMC's CoWoS-L, differing in that it embeds the silicon bridge directly into the substrate rather than using a silicon interposer, making substrate suppliers a key factor in determining success or failure. Google's ninth-generation TPU has confirmed that it will adopt EMIB-T packaging when it goes into mass production in 2028, with MediaTek responsible for chip co-design. If the chip successfully goes into mass production, its shipment volume is expected to challenge NVIDIA. Unimicron stated that the customer (Intel) has provided a profit guarantee mechanism, ensuring that suppliers can remain profitable even if yields are poor, and that profit margins will exceed the company's average level after achieving the 50% yield target. Currently, there is still considerable uncertainty about whether EMIB-T can achieve its mass production target by the end of 2027.

hot_img Kioxia accelerates AI with NAND layout, mass-producing PCIe 6.0 and UFS 5.0 products to catch up with Korean manufacturers

Japanese NAND manufacturer Kioxia is accelerating its layout in the AI NAND market. This year, it has launched mass production of the 10th generation (BiCS 10) 332-layer 3D NAND and based on this, introduced the PCIe 6.0 supported data center eSSD "CM10," which has improved sequential read performance by up to 92% compared to the previous generation. In addition, Kioxia plans to start mass production of UFS 5.0 embedded storage by the end of this year, with data transfer speeds approximately doubling compared to UFS 4.1, primarily targeting the AI mobile device market. According to TrendForce data, Kioxia's global NAND market share in the first quarter of this year was 13.9%, ranking third, following Samsung Electronics (31.6%) and SK Hynix (17.6%).Korean manufacturers are also quickening their pace. Samsung has begun mass production of the PCIe 6.0 eSSD "PM1763" last month, equipped with the 9th generation V-NAND and a 4nm controller, with plans to mass produce UFS 5.0 in the fourth quarter. Samsung also announced that it will start mass production of the 10th generation V-NAND (approximately 430 layers) this month, applying hybrid bonding and triple stacking technology for the first time. Industry analysts believe that Kioxia is quite competitive in terms of the speed of technological iteration, but its production capacity still lags behind Korean manufacturers, and competition in the AI storage market will become even more intense in the future.

Mastercard and Borderless launch a pilot project to test a stablecoin cross-border payment verification system

According to Cointelegraph, payment giant Mastercard has announced a pilot project with the stablecoin infrastructure network Borderless to explore the use of the Mastercard Crypto Credential standard framework to provide more reliable identity verification and compliance support for cross-border stablecoin payments.Both parties stated that the pilot will test how to provide "trust signals" that can be used for approval, compliance review, and risk management for transaction participants through a standardized certification mechanism, reducing compliance friction in cross-border stablecoin payments.The Mastercard Crypto Credential framework provides identity confirmation and credibility assurance for blockchain transactions through unified standards and verification mechanisms. Kevin Lehtiniitty, co-founder and CEO of Borderless, stated that compliance has always been a major barrier to the scalable development of stablecoin payments, and Mastercard is attempting to apply the compliance trust model from traditional finance to the digital asset payment space. He pointed out that the Mastercard Crypto Credential will serve as a governance and verification layer in this pilot, but Mastercard will not directly handle or settle funds. This collaboration is the latest move in Mastercard's ongoing strategy in the stablecoin space.Previously, Mastercard had just completed the acquisition of stablecoin infrastructure company BVNK for approximately $1.8 billion, further strengthening its infrastructure layout in the digital asset payment field. In June of this year, Mastercard also announced plans to expand its settlement capabilities to support round-the-clock card payment settlements using stablecoins, including USDC issued by Circle, PYUSD, USDG, USDP issued by Paxos, and RLUSD issued by Ripple.The market believes that as stablecoins gradually enter cross-border payment scenarios, identity authentication, compliance verification, and risk control infrastructure will become important factors driving institutional adoption.
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