Sources at Taiwan-based IC design firms said inventory adjustments for ICs could continue into the first half of 2023 due to weaker-than-expected demand for high-end consumer electronics, Digitimes reported.

So far, disappointing chip orders for high-end notebooks and smartphones in the second half of 2022 have prompted many fabless chipmakers to be conservative about their sales prospects for the rest of 2022, the sources said.

Fabless companies are also concerned about whether branded manufacturers' sales strategies, such as price promotions and greater use of commodity ICs rather than high-priced ICs, will adversely affect their ability to maintain profit growth in the second half of the year, the sources said.

Some downstream device assemblers believe that customer inventory corrections could end within a quarter or two, allowing them to achieve a seasonal pickup in sales later in the year. However, many IC design companies have indicated they will be more cautious given that customer orders show no signs of picking up, according to industry sources.

source：aijiwei