HERTFORDSHIRE, UK – Refined tin use in 2020 decreased 1.6% to 361,900 tonnes, with a preliminary estimate of 7.2% expansion during 2021, attributed to recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a recent survey by the International Tin Association. These data reflect unexpected boosts to tin use such as working from home. This, however, could be overly optimistic based on use sectors being constrained by supply chain issues in the second half of 2021, says ITA.

SINGAPORE – Following five quarters of double-digit growth, the global PC market saw annual growth of 5% in the third quarter, with shipments of desktops and notebooks, including workstations settling at 84.1 million units, according to Canalys.

WASHINGTON – Global semiconductor industry sales were $47.2 billion in August, an increase of 29.7% year-over-year and 3.3% sequentially, says the Semiconductor Industry Association.

WASHINGTON – The US Defense Department is allocating another round of funding to a research effort for lead-free electronics in high-performance defense areas.