★ Ziguang’s net profit increased by 90% last year, slightly declining in the first quarter
On April 25, Ziguang released 2017 financial statements. The financial report showed that the company achieved operating revenue of 39.071 billion yuan last year, an increase of 41% year-on-year; net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies was 1.575 billion yuan, an increase of 93.35% year-on-year. 2017, Ziguang The company continued to promote its 'cloud service' strategy, adhered to innovation and research and development, and further expanded the cloud computing, mobile Internet, big data, and information security industries. It fully utilized the strategic synergy among its business units to further improve its IT industry layout. However, To consolidate its leading position in the market and maintain its capacity for sustainable development, Ziguang’s R&D investment in the first quarter of 2018 reached 806 million yuan, an increase of 40.57% year-on-year; Ziguang’s net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company from January to March was 249 million yuan. , a year-on-year decrease of 21.32%.
★ National Grand Fund holds 30% stake in Naive Technology Holdings
On April 25, Naiwei Technology stated on the investor interaction platform that Nawei Silicon is the company's commitment to the '8-inch MEMS international foundry construction project'. It is currently advancing production line construction and has not yet put into production operations; The National IC Industry Fund holds a 30% stake in the company. In response to investors' inquiries about the operation of Nawei Technology Holdings subsidiary Nawei Silicone, Naive Technology made the above response. It is reported that Naive Technology mentioned 8-inch MEMS. International OEM line, located in Beijing, is expected to be completed and put into operation in the second half of 2019.
★Shenzhen Huaqiang focuses on establishing a semiconductor group this year
Shenzhen Huaqiang said in an agency study yesterday that the focus of work in 2018 was to establish a semiconductor group, change the current development mode that mainly relied on epitaxial mergers and acquisitions, and build a long-tail demand service platform for electronic components. Prior to this, Shenzhen Huaqiang announced that it was The company plans to acquire 50% equity of Shenzhen Xinfei Electronics Co., Ltd. for 271.2 million yuan. After the acquisition is completed, the company holds a 60% stake in Xinfei Electronics.
★ GOME R&D focuses on the development of mobile operating systems
Gome Communications stated on the investor interaction platform that as of now the company does not have independent chip R&D plans. At present, the company's R&D focuses on the upgrade and development of mobile operating systems, and conducts research and development around proprietary mobile phones and future artificial intelligence, 5G and other technology applications.
★ NavInfo New: AMP chips in the new chip are already on the market
NavInfo announced on the interactive platform on April 25th that the company's subsidiary, JVC, has been stably shipping its IVI chips, and its market share in the subsequent packaging market ranks first in the country, which is far ahead of the market. Chips are already on the market, others are still under research and development, and follow-up will be rolled out as planned.
★ Sanan Optoelectronics' net profit increased by 40% in the first quarter.
Sanan Optoelectronics disclosed a quarterly report yesterday evening. In the first quarter, the company realized revenue of 1.945 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 2.26%; net profit was 968 million yuan, an increase of 40% year-on-year. On the stockholder side, the securities company reduced its holdings in the first quarter, and its shareholding ratio was At the end of the fourth quarter of last year, 1.63% fell to 0.86%.
★ZTE decides to take certain actions related to U.S. government orders
ZTE Corporation announced yesterday that the company’s management has decided to take certain actions related to U.S. government orders that can be taken under U.S. law. The public disclosure of this action depends on the U.S. legal advisor’s recommendations and the company’s communication with relevant US government agencies. As a result of the situation and other factors, the Company's A-shares will remain suspended. In addition, ZTE will hold a general meeting of shareholders at its Shenzhen headquarters on May 11.
★ Lianchuang Optoelectronics: U.S. sanctions on ZTE have a minimal impact on the company
On the issue of the U.S. sanctions against ZTE Corporation, Lianchuang Optoelectronics stated on its interactive platform on the 25th that some of the company’s current communication cable products are sold to ZTE. The sales revenue of this part of the product accounted for 0.3% of the company’s total revenue. At present, it is not yet possible to determine the specific impact of the sales of this part of the product in 2018, but the overall impact on the company is small.
★ Kexin Technology: Currently operating normally without the impact of ZTE's incident
Kexin Technology stated on its investor interaction platform on April 25 that the company’s main customers are the three major domestic telecommunications operators and the China Tower. It is currently operating normally and has not been affected by the ZTE incident.
2. New regulations of IPO of Hong Kong Stock Exchange Allowing dual equity structure companies to be listed on April 30
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange held a press conference to announce that it will allow companies with dual-equity structures to go to Hong Kong for initial public offerings (IPOs). The new listing rules will take effect on April 30.
The changes mainly include three parts. First, IPO new regulations allow companies with dual-equity structures to list; Second, companies such as biotechnology may even list in Hong Kong without profit; Third, companies listed in the United States , can also return to Hong Kong stocks.
Among them, the market value of a company wishing to be listed on the dual equity structure should not be less than HK$40 billion. If the expected market value is less than HK$40 billion, the applicant must record a revenue of HK$1 billion in a fiscal year.
For companies such as biotechnology, the requirements of the new regulation are that the core product of the company to be listed is developed for 12 months, and at least one core product has passed the concept stage into the second or third phase clinical trials. TechWeb
3. The passive component industry enters the business cycle and is expected to last for one to two years
Gathering micro-network messages, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. of Japan clarified the shutdown of laminated ceramic capacitors (MLCC), which caused the market to pay close attention.
In recent years, Guogeyang has actively reduced its capital, and passive components industry has entered the big cycle. Chen Jiayi, director of the research department of French bank BNP Paribas Securities, said that Guoge is the world’s largest chip resistor manufacturer and the third largest MLCC manufacturer. Accounted for up to 34% and 13% respectively, most benefited from passive component rise cycles.
Famba is optimistic that the next two major powers will continue to drive the giant to benefit from the passive component cycle. First, the demand for the Internet of Things, automated vehicles, industrial management and smart phone upgrades, followed by long product delivery time, resulting in the supply and demand gap is still difficult to fill.
In the case of automatic vehicles, the demand for passive components is four to six times higher than that of internal combustion engine cars. It is expected that this wave shortage will be missing until 2019, and passive components will last at least one to two years.
According to Chen Jiayi, in the past year, the prices of passive components have risen greatly, driving the strong commercial volume and gross profit of the plant. It is estimated that the capacity of MLCCs will expand by 1 to 20% this year. However, considering the limited production capacity of three-dimensional structures for equipment and manufacturers, Supply continues to be tense.
Among them, Guoju is a passive component industry leader. With limited supply and competition, the outlook is promising.
Huang Wenqing, deputy general manager of Taixin Investment Co., said that with the MLCC, chip resistor capacity expansion, industrial and automotive demand stability, supporting the giant performance of the country and then on the floor.
4. Mining fever fever, graphics card shipments in April fear greatly reduced
Bitcoin recently returned to above the 9,000 US dollar mark. The industry expects that if it can maintain more than 9,000 US dollars, it will be beneficial to the mining business opportunities in the second half of the year to drive the performance of companies such as Acer, ASRock, MSI and Gigabyte. However, the recent mining boom With the effect of fever reduction, the industry predicts that April shipments of graphics cards will be reduced by 20% to 40%.
According to foreign reports, bitcoin prices rose by nearly 20% over the past week and returned above the 100-day moving average. It was the first time since January 29th that bitcoin prices are now around US$9,300.
Profits from mining and mining booms, Qzone, Gigabyte, MSI, and other graphics and video card makers all posted record highs in March and the first quarter. However, in April, the demand for mining was warmer than expected, and many customers reduced the number of shipments. Industry forecasts, graphics cards The factory's monthly shipments in April were reduced by 20% to 40%. In the past, the price of graphics cards that had soared in the past has also started to reduce prices, and profits have declined. Economic Daily
5. Lack of independent NPU AI chip, may miss a true AI mobile era
In recent months, the AI chip has become a hot word for the mobile phone industry. Major mobile phone manufacturers have also flocked and played the symphony of AI chips. The industry also agreed that the AI chip will become the new upstream manufacturers. Force point.
However, Qualcomm, the traditional mobile chip 'big brother', has been weak in the face of new trends. Not only has it come to an end, but its flagship chip, the Xiaolong 845, has suffered from industry criticism due to the loss of an extremely important independent NPU unit.
Perhaps, Qualcomm has been stuck in the whirlwind of public opinion. The trend has finally appeared on the most important chip products. The author believes that missed the opportunity to advance the layout of the AI industry, failed to keep up with the wave of AI chips, will make Qualcomm very 'heart' ', may even miss a key node and a new era of mobile phone advancement.
Entering a new era, independent NPUs should not be missing
At the moment, the mobile phone industry has encountered multiple problems: The increase has hit the ceiling and presents a downward trend, profits have been posted on the ground, and technological innovation has lagged behind, resulting in insufficient consumer motivation for new products... and in such a chaotic situation, the mobile phone industry must be reinstalled. Departure, to start a new era to achieve its own progress and transformation.
At present, if mobile phone products are to achieve qualitative breakthroughs and enhancements, they cannot stick to the traditional inherent product concepts. Instead, they must use advanced technologies such as AI for deep empowerment. At the same time, they must be consistent with the trend of the times. It is no longer an era of high profits by saving R&D resources and costs, but a new era of consumer demand and value orientation.
Undoubtedly, Qualcomm made many contributions to the popularity of smartphones. In particular, the midrange chip represented by the Qualcomm Xiaolong 625 chip has become an important driving force for the popularity of thousands of Yuan machines. In other words, Qualcomm’s The chip satisfies previous people's demand for mobile phone performance. However, this does not mean that Qualcomm can lay its laurels on its laurels.
As the newest flagship chip of Qualcomm, the lack of independent NPU unit of Xiaolong 845 chip is really puzzled by the industry and consumers. After all, the AI mobile phone has become the current wave of Inspur, and it is indispensable to build an NPU unit specifically for AI calculation. The Qualcomm Xiaolong 845 chip is missing this unit, perhaps based on money to consider.
For example, after a huge fine due to monopoly, Qualcomm wanted to earn more profits by saving R&D resources and costs from the source, so as to stabilize the market value of the company. In addition, after joining the independent NPU unit, the cost would increase, and then reflected in the terminal. On the chip, partners will not buy after rising chip prices.
Lei Jun recently disclosed on the Weibo micro-blog that the cost of the Xiaolong 845 chip plus a 17% import VAT was more than 500 yuan, which was more than three times that of the Xiaolong 660 chip. Such a high cost made it possible to ship even larger mobile phones. Manufacturer millet has to consider, not to mention other mobile phone manufacturers. Qualcomm chose to "compromise" with the cost. Such an approach is obviously impossible to succeed. For example: Millet Mix 2S has always stressed that the camera hardware comes with AI to change the camera It's good, but I never mentioned the AI ability of the Xiaolong 845 chip. I must also know that I can't get on the countertop.
Three traits of true AI flagship mobile phones, establishing authentic standards
As a true AI flagship mobile phone, it is bound to have multiple metrics. If it does not meet these standards, it will not be recognized as a true AI flagship mobile phone. For now, what the industry believes is the true AI flagship mobile phone needs. The traits are divided into three levels: Independent AI processing unit, AI operating system, underlying open AI technical strength, they are the standards for consumers to distinguish true AI flagship mobile phones.
Among them, the independent AI processing unit is a new independent dedicated hardware unit on the basis of the traditional mobile phone chip core CPU, GPU, ISP, DSP, etc. It is usually abbreviated as NPU in English. The meaning of the independent AI processing unit lies in the specific calculation performance. Mass demand. However, some chip manufacturers have confused this concept. For example, although the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip also implements end-to-end AI, it can only use NPE to schedule CPU, GPU, and DSP resources to achieve AI performance. But because These chips are not designed specifically for AI calculations and are therefore inefficient.
In contrast, Huawei's Kirin 970 chip is the world's first AI chip with a built-in independent neural network processing unit (ie NPU). NPU uses HiAI mobile computing architecture, its AI performance is significantly better than CPU, GPU and DSP and other general-purpose computing Unit, while achieving about 50 times energy efficiency and 25 times performance advantage over CPU.
The obvious result is that the Unicorn 970 chip can complete the AI calculation task with less energy consumption. For example: The Glory V10 with the Unicorn 970 chip not only improved the energy efficiency by 50%, but also performed amazingly well in the AI. Such as smart face unlock, AI voice assistant, game optimization, camera, AI accompanied translation, intelligent constant light screen and rotating screen and other application level, Glory V10 brings more human experience. And Apple's A11 is also a band There is a neural network engine chip whose neural network engine is a processing unit dedicated to running AI.
In addition, the true AI flagship mobile phone must have a matching AI operating system. If previous iOS and Android systems mainly use basic functions and various APPs to achieve rich applications, then the AI operating system is just like the two. The system adds a 'smart brain'.
Through the AI operating system, cold mobile phones are like being endowed with souls and lives. They can truly understand the needs of users, and perceive them in advance, predict the behavior of users, make users' decisions easier, and make mobile phone use more intelligent. It is understood that only the Huawei EMUI8.0 can be called the AI operating system in the industry. This system provides the wisdom to accelerate, smart services, the more clever and more features that can make the phone more vibrant.
Of course, AI's flagship mobile phone must also have the underlying open AI technology strength. You know, the true AI flagship phone is not static, but it needs continuous development, tapping its potential, and grafting more resources as a platform, that is, becoming an AI. Mobile Computing Platform. In essence, it is to connect more developers of AI applications, continuously innovating the application experience of true AI flagship mobile phones, and bringing more intelligent user services. It is understood that Huawei released artificial intelligence development platform HiKey970. It is a platform that is very suitable for artificial intelligence application development.
Overall, the decisive factor in deciding whether an AI mobile phone is 'true' lies in the three characteristics of the independent AI processing unit, the AI operating system, and the underlying open AI technology strength. For now, the Glory V10 has been With these three characteristics, and from the future development trend, true AI flagship mobile phones will also appear more and more.
True AI vs. Counterfeit AI: The Opening of a New Era
If the mobile phone market really wants to leap forward and achieve change, it must go to save the money, and then let the real AI mobile phone in power.
Take the G10 Real AI phone as an example. Its face unlock function supports raising the screen and picking up the phone to complete the unlocking. The pseudo AI phone even has a similar function, but it also needs to be processed by the CPU and so on. Slow. In addition, the G10's screen smart rotation function allows the screen to follow the user's eye to achieve intelligent switching between horizontal and vertical screens, keeping the screen and the user's gaze in parallel, suitable for watching videos, browsing web pages and many other scenarios. The pseudo AI phone can not To do this, it can only be a mechanical vertical screen or horizontal screen. The experience is not good.
What we can see is that the moment has entered the critical time node of the true AI mobile phone vs. pseudo AI mobile phone. Although the two winners and women need to say, but still have to make a quick decision. When the true AI mobile phone is heavy on the fake AI mobile phone After the blow, those companies that have devoted their efforts, resources, and manpower to real AI phones will be able to quickly seize market heights. With these companies as leaders, they will lead the entire mobile phone industry into a new era.
Still concentrating on hardware performance but ignoring Qualcomm's achievements at the AI level, although it will perform well in a short period of time, it may be out of touch with the entire era in the future and may lead to a series of consequences. For example, it will lose time. Advantages are then abandoned by the market and consumers. Too much focus on the interests of the business level has lost both the initial heart and the self.
At present, true AI mobile phones are becoming more and more popular because they are more in tune with the needs of consumers. With the characteristics of thousands of people, let real AI phones know more about their own habits; Good continuity, etc. It is foreseeable that as the characteristics of true AI mobile phones are known by consumers, they will rapidly become mainstream and open a new era, and all of us will become beneficiaries.