Intel's fab near Magdeburg, Germany, will not only be the most advanced semiconductor production facility in Europe, but, according to CEO Pat Gelsinger, the most advanced fab in the world when it comes online. The fab will process wafers using post-18A process technologies and will be used to make products both for Intel as well as its Intel Foundry Services customers.

Japanese chipmaker Rapidus says it is working on an alliance with Canadian startup Tenstorrent, which has an edge in AI chip design.

Intel's bold plan to enter the custom chipmaking industry is aimed at countering the dominance of TSMC and boosting supply of leading-edge manufacturing. Instead, the move will likely split the market in three, leaving the US giant stuck in the middle.

Also, Tan said he was considering Intel as a potential new foundry partner, as an alternative to its main supplier, Taiwan-based TSMC.

CEO Pat Gelsinger told employees that Thakur will continue lead Intel's foundry unit through the first quarter of 2023 to ensure 'a smooth transition.'

The US Department of Defense (DoD) is Intel Foundry Services' (IFS's) "No. 1" customer, IFS president Randhir Thakur told EE Times, noting that IFS plans to be part of the DoD state-of-the-art heterogeneous integrated packaging (SHIP) program. That program will necessitate deep knowledge of gate-all-around (GAA) technology facilitating high-transistor-density 3D chips.

US Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo on Monday stepped up pressure on Congress to approve $52 billion in funding for chipmakers to expand operations, warning that firms would abandon American expansion plans without the legislation.

It is unclear if the talks addressed a particular issue, or just represented the heads of the world's top two chipmakers getting together for a chat while Gelsinger was in town.

Samsung Electronics is talking with foundry clients about charging as much as 20% more for making semiconductors this year, joining an industry-wide push to hike prices to cover rising costs of materials and logistics.

"They're interested in us using their foundries," said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang regarding Intel, during a virtual press conference on Wednesday. "We're very interested in exploring it."

Intel is close to buying Israeli firm Tower Semiconductor for about US$6 billion, a source familiar with the matter said, as the US company looks to advance its strategy of contract manufacturing chips for other businesses.

SK Hynix System IC, a subsidiary of SK Hynix, will close down its M8 plant in Cheongju, Korea in February 2022 and relocate all its equipment to its plant in Wuxi, China by May.

SK Hynix, the world's second-largest memory chip maker, said on Friday it will acquire South Korea-based Key Foundry, a chip contract manufacturer, for 576 billion won ($492.41 million).

Total consolidated revenue was a quarterly record of KRW73.98 trillion (US$63.4 billion), a 10% increase from a year earlier, which was the previous high. Operating profit increased 26% from the previous quarter to KRW15.82 trillion, the second-highest ever, as favorable market conditions continued in the memory market while the foundry and display businesses achieved robust sales.

SK Hynix is expected to acquire Key Foundry to strengthen its foundry business.

Intel Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger is committed to buying other chip-makers as the industry consolidates, despite a leading acquisition candidate's plan to go public.

Samsung is increasing foundry prices to support more investment in 5nm EUV process technology.

SK Hynix, the world's second-largest memory chip maker, has requestd talks to acquire South Korea-based Key Foundry, a chip contract manufacturer, a South Korean newspaper reported on Monday.

Qualcomm chief executive officer Steve Mollenkopf said he expects the global chip shortage to ease for certain products using mature technology.

Samsung Foundry will be the first maker of semiconductors to start using gate-all-around field-effect transistor (GAAFET)-like structures with its upcoming 3 nm fabrication process. The node is not quite ready for primetime yet, but at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) engineers from Samsung Foundry shared some of the details about the upcoming 3 nm GAE MBCFET (multi-bridge channel FET) manufacturing technology.

Looking ahead, cutting edge wafer supply might not be the biggest headache for big chip companies. As TSMC chairman Liu sees it, a renaissance is coming. One day chip design will be as easy as writing code.

The European Union is considering building an advanced semiconductor factory in Europe in an attempt to avoid relying on the US and Asia for technology at the heart of some of its major industries.

Qualcomm has decided to outsource production of its next-generation modem chip Snapdragon X65 and its sub-model X62 to the foundry department of Samsung Electronics, according to industry sources.

Samsung Electronics' plans to build semiconductor foundry plants in the US could yield $8.9 billion in the local economy, according to analysis by Impact DataSource, quoted in Samsung Electronics' letter of intent to the Texas authorities.

Samsung Electronics on Thursday commented for the first time on Intel's decision to outsource more of its chipmaking, but declined to talk about any possible partnership with one its key rivals.

The remarks could signal a shift in focus at the Shanghai foundry which has seen its chances of closing the tech gap with bigger rival TSMC hurt by US sanctions

Apple is joining the automotive party because it has to and if Apple is going to develop an automotive-grade C1 processor, it requires foundry partners with automotive-qualified processes.

Samsung Electronics is intensively investing in the expansion of its foundry business in efforts to catch up to Taiwanese semiconductor company TSMC, which continues to dominate the contract-based chip-making business.

Analysts are bullish on the stock, thanks to new orders for Samsung's chip manufacturing operations or foundry, next-generation smartphone launches and a recovery in memory pricing next year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has agreed to build an advanced chip factory in the United States, in a response to the Trump administration's growing concerns about the security of the global electronics supply chain and its competitive tensions with China, according to people briefed on the plans.

Samsung has denied that it's making additional investments to increase chip production in the US. Local media reports had suggested that the company was considering this since South Korea's trade row with Japan is threatening its business.

It will be interesting to see whether Samsung Electronics will be able to win back Apple's orders and expand its foundry and non-memory businesses by strengthening its competitive edge in packaging.

China has the most fab projects in the world, with 30 new facilities or lines in construction or on the drawing board, according to data from SEMI's World Fab Forecast Report.

More than 30 years after it served as the setting for the birth of the semiconductor foundry industry with the founding of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) in 1987, Taiwan shows no sign of relinquishing its stranglehold on the US$62 billion global business.

SK Hynix said Tuesday it will establish a joint venture in China to build a new 200 mm wafer analog foundry production line.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is planning a NT$400 billion (US$13.50 billion) investment to expand its research and development capacity for future technologies, a company spokeswoman said on Friday.

Samsung Electronics will break ground for a new foundry in Hwaseong, south of Seoul, on Friday with an aim to start mass-producing below-7 nanometer chips in the second half next year and make headway in the race for customized computer chips to power smart and robotics devices.

A plan for a billion-dollar fab in Guangzhou, China, aims to pool investments from fabless companies, creating a built-in customer base. It is the latest addition to a growing list of projects as the country tries to build up its semiconductor sector.

It is heard that the American manufacturer already agreed up to production of test chips and is making preparations accordingly. Chinese manufacturer is a company that develops SoC for mobile devices and is discussing internally about entrusting Samsung rather than Taiwanese companies with production of 7-nano chips.