[SMM Tin Flash: China’s PCB Industry Investment in 2025 Was up About 3% YoY, with AI Computing Power PCBs Becoming the Core Growth Engine]

It was learned from Xidian University that the team led by Professor Hu Huiyong at the university successfully developed a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) chip based on silicon-germanium technology, significantly reducing the manufacturing cost of short-wave infrared detection technology. This breakthrough is expected to enable high-end chips that originally cost thousands of dollars per unit to enter fields such as smartphones and automotive LiDAR at just one percent of the cost.

Nomura Securities economist Jeong Woo Park said that, driven by strong semiconductor exports, South Korea’s trade surplus this year could widen from $77 billion in 2025 to around $200 billion. After South Korea’s export growth in March surged to 48% from 29% in February, affected by robust chip demand, Park wrote in a report: “There is no sign whatsoever that the chip upcycle is peaking, and strong pricing effects and artificial intelligence demand will continue to support double-digit growth.” He also downplayed concerns that the conflict in the Middle East could disrupt supplies of helium and other critical inputs needed for chip manufacturing. He noted that chip companies held three to six months of inventory of key inputs, and that the conflict was unlikely to disrupt exports.

[SMM Tin Morning Brief: The Most-Traded SHFE Tin Contract Saw Small Fluctuations and Pulled Back in the Night Session, While Downstream Enterprises Mostly Adopted a Purchasing-as-Needed Strategy]