Germany-based Infineon recently announced that it has entered a new agreement with Japan-based Resonac, a joint venture of Nihon Electrical Industries and Showa Fertilizers, with an aim to tap the rapid growth of the emerging semiconductor SiC (Silicon Carbide) materials, according to a press release issued by Infineon on January 12. Pursuant to the agreement, Resonac will initially provide Infineon with 6" SiC materials for SiC semiconductors and then transit to 8" SiC ones later. Infineon will provide Resonac with IP (Intellectual Property) related to SiC material technologies. Despite some unfavorable factors in the second half of 2022, shipment value of the Taiwanese semiconductor industry still managed to grow 15.8% year-on-year in 2022 to NT$4.37 trillion (US$144.7 billion; US$1=NT$30.2), according to MIC (Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute), a division of III (Institute for Information Industry), a major government think tank, and one of leading IT research institutes in Taiwan. In 2023, the industry is forecast to witness merely 1.7% growth year-on-year, higher than the global average.