Highlights of the day: Intel CPU shortages continue to trouble notebook ODMs in 4Q19

DIGITIMES staff

Intel CPU shortages continued troubling the notebook market in fourth-quater 2019, with notebook makers seeing weaker-than-expected shipments in the period. Their notebook shipments are expecte to slide 10-15% in the first quarter of 2020. ODMs may be seeing stagnant growth in notebook shipments, but the smart speaker maket is promising. Inventec has obtained orders for smart speakers from Google, and Wistron has landed its first oders for smart speakers. In the semiconductor back-end sector, ASE Technology expects flat growth in first-quarter 2020, thanks to SiP orders reportedly from Apple. At CES 2020, Taiwanese startups have demonstrated much progress. And the Korean tech giant Samsung has demonstrated its advantage in 8K TVs at the annual show in Las Vegas.

Notebook ODMs to see shipments drop 10-15% in 1Q20: Notebook ODMs saw weaker-than-expected shipments in fourth-quarter 2020 due to Intel CPU shortages and clients' high inventory levels as a result of their early inventory build-ups to avoid the US tariffs. For the first quarter of 2020, their shipments are expected to slide 10-15% sequentially.

Inventec, Wistron land new orders for smart speakers: Inventec has obtained orders for smart speakers from Google, with shipments set to kick off later in 2020, while Wistron has landed its first orders for smart speakers, according to industry sources.

ASE Technology to see core backend biz post flat sales growth in 1Q20: ASE Technology Holding is expected to see its core IC assembly, testing and material (ATM) business register flat sequential revenue growth in the first quarter of 2020, thanks to robust SiP orders for Apple devices, according to industry sources.

Taiwanese startups show progresses at CES 2020: Taiwanese startups have shown significant progresses in technologies, presentations, and development directions, judging from their showings at CES, according to deputy science and technology minister Hsu Yu-chin.

Samsung likely to spearhead in 8K TV segment: Quite a few of TV vendors are showcasing their latest 8K models at CES 2020, and Samsung Electronics is likely to spearhead in the segment leveraging its ability to integrate AI and smart home applications to optimize viewing experience.