Financial
• The Global Electronics Association has issued a statement voicing their disappointment on the introduction of a 50% tariff on imported copper foil and other essential materials essential to the electronics industry, into the US. The tariffs are expected to hit the US printed circuit board manufacturers fabricators especially hard by raising the cost of material that makes up around 60% of a PCB’s initial value, and which then gets etched away during production. With no scalable domestic supply, manufacturers will face increasing costs and are urging the US administration to exempt electronics-grade copper.
• A new report by TrendForce states that AI demands stand out while consumer electronics face stiff tariff headwinds. Starting on 01 August, the US government is set to impose steep retaliatory tariffs, including up to 30% on imports from Mexico, 15% on the EU, and 15-36% on key technology hubs in Asia such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia. This is casting uncertainty over the traditional peak season in Q3, with MLCC order momentum clouded.
• A new report from the IoT market research firm, Berg Insight, says that global IoT connectivity revenues increased 12% to reach €14,2 billion in 2024. The monthly ARPU dropped 5% to €0,33. IoT connectivity revenues account for 1 – 4% of service revenues for the largest mobile operator groups. By 2029, the company forecasts that there will be 6,4 billion IoT devices connected to cellular networks worldwide, generating annual connectivity revenues of €22,4 billion. The world’s top ten mobile operators currently account for 86% of the total 3,8 billion connections.
• Starting in Q2, shipments of new Blackwell-based platforms such as the NVIDIA GB200 rack and HGX B200 have gradually ramped up, while next-generation B300 and GB300 series products have entered the sampling and validation phase. TrendForce has predicted that Blackwell GPUs will account for over 80% of NVIDIA’s high-end GPU shipments in 2025.
• The DDR4 market is forecast to remain in a persistent state of undersupply resulting in a strong price growth through the second half of 2025. Fixed server orders are preventing supply to the PC and consumer markets, forcing OEMs to accelerate their transition to DDR5 memory.
• Silicon Labs released its second quarter results with revenue of $193 million. Industrial & Commercial revenue for the quarter was $110 million, up 25% YoY, and Home & Life revenue for the quarter was $83 million, up 45% YoY. Matt Johnson, president and chief executive officer at Silicon Labs, stated, “The Silicon Labs team delivered strong sequential and year-over-year revenue growth of 9% and 33%, respectively, while also driving improved profitability. Moving forward, we believe we are uniquely positioned to outperform the market underpinned by our industry-leading solutions, share gains, and consistent execution.”
Companies
• Mouser Electronics has announced it has received its eleventh Global High Service Distributor of the Year Award from TE Connectivity, a world leader in connectivity and sensors. The prestigious distribution award recognises Mouser’s 2024 performance based on sales growth, market share growth, customer growth and business plan performance. Mouser is an authorised distributor of TE’s products with over 600 000 TE Connectivity parts available to order, including over 75 000 in stock and ready to ship.
• Avnet Abacus has received the Outstanding EMEA Distributor Performance Award 2024 from Amphenol Industrial Operations. This prestigious award recognises Avnet Abacus’ exceptional logistical excellence and its strong, transparent collaboration with the manufacturer. Amphenol Industrial Operations specifically rewarded Avnet Abacus for its successful management of complex business procedures and for keeping its EMEA point-of-sale figures above the average network performance.
• KIOXIA announced that its KIOXIA LC9 Series 245,76 TB enterprise SSD, utilising a 32-die stack KIOXIA BiCS FLASH generation 8 QLC 3D flash memory, has received the FMS ‘Best of Show’ award in the ‘SSD Technology’ category. This milestone was made possible with advancements in KIOXIA’s high-precision wafer processing, material design, and wire bonding technologies.
• Datacentrix has officially opened its new office environment in Westville, Durban. This relocation marks an upgraded, modernised workspace for the company, designed to drive greater convenience, efficiency and collaboration, reinforcing its long-standing presence in KwaZulu-Natal. Centrally located for improved accessibility, the new office will better serve Datacentrix’s KwaZulu-Natal clients and partners.
• Teraco has reaffirmed its commitment to green energy to run its data centres, with a 2035 timeline to stop using fossil fuels completely. Currently, its four data centres use a combined 185 MW. At present, the company utilises 6 MW of rooftop solar power and is set to purchase 120 MW from a solar plant in the Free State, set to become operational in 2026. They have also signed a PPA with NOA for wind energy and are on track to source 50% of its power requirements from renewable energy by 2027.
Technologies
• As shipments of GB200/GB300 racks expand through 2025 caused by the ongoing adoption of AI technologies, the adoption rate of liquid cooling solutions for high-end AI chips is steadily increasing. Compared to traditional air-cooling systems, liquid cooling requires more complex infrastructure, including cabinet- and facility-level coolant piping, cooling towers, and CPUs. As a result, new data centres are increasingly designed from the outset to be “liquid cooling ready” to enhance thermal efficiency and scalability.
• According to IoT analyst, Berg Insight, the generative AI market grew substantially in 2024, experiencing triple-digit growth rates in all three major segments spanning GenAI hardware, foundation models, and development platforms. The market for foundation models reached an estimated $4,1 billion, excluding end user models like ChatGPT and Gemini. It is reported that GPU-based hardware systems alone generated revenues of $132 billion in 2024.
• JAPAN UNIX has issued an advisory regarding End-of-Support for the company’s UNIX-41R/G/S series desktop soldering robots. Both maintenance and spares for the UNIX-41 series will be discontinued in September 2025. The company is advising that clients upgrade to the UNIX-DF series, its latest platform, to prevent production risks.
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