According to the latest report, Japan’s Ibiden, which supplied HDI for Samsung’s flagship smartphones, is expected to drop out of the supply chain.
Japan’s Ibiden is reportedly excluded from the HDI supply chain of the Galaxy S23 series which is expected to be released early next year. HDI refers to the printed circuit board (PCB) method used as the main substrate of a smartphone.
Ibiden has been supplying HDI for flagship smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S series, but it is expected that it will not supply HDI from the Galaxy S23 series next year.
The main reason for Ibiden’s plan removal is to sell off its factory in Beijing, China, which has been producing HDI. It is known that the company that will buy the Beijing factory from Ibiden will no longer produce HDI there. This is why Samsung Electronics excluded Ibiden from the HDI supply chain from the Galaxy S23 series.
It is known that Samsung Electronics plans to entrust much of the HDI supplies that Ibiden was in charge of to Meiko, another Japanese PCB maker. Meico has had a small amount of HDI for flagship smartphones that it has been supplying to Samsung Electronics, but it is expected that the volume will increase as Ibiden is withdrawn from the supply chain.