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Tuesday 1 July 2025
GaN's paradox: surging demand, sinking profits
Under pressure from low-cost competition in China, many application sectors are struggling to turn a profit. Recently, the compound semiconductor gallium nitride (GaN) industry has seen reports of major manufacturers experiencing fatigue and reduced willingness to invest, even considering more aggressive strategies. This could trigger sectoral shifts within the "non-China GaN supply chain."
Monday 30 June 2025
Nvidia taps top Chinese AI researchers in bid to expand deep learning team
US semiconductor giant Nvidia has recruited two leading artificial intelligence (AI) specialists from China as part of its ongoing efforts to broaden its research team, according to a report by the South China Morning Post on June 29.
Monday 30 June 2025
SK Hynix’s HBM3E boom fuels record profits
South Korean memory giant SK Hynix expects its operating income to reach nearly KRW9 trillion (US$6.6 billion) in the second quarter of 2025, thanks to the strong growth of high bandwidth memory (HBM).
Monday 30 June 2025
Samsung acquires rights to Intel semiconductor patents in strategic bid to avoid global IP disputes
Samsung Electronics has secured a broad license to a portfolio of semiconductor patents originally developed by Intel, a move industry analysts view as both a defensive strategy against potential litigation and a step toward strengthening its global technological competitiveness.
Monday 30 June 2025
China set to lead global foundry capacity by 2030 amid accelerating domestic expansion
China is poised to overtake Taiwan as the world's top semiconductor foundry hub by 2030, according to Yole Group. With 21% of global capacity in 2024 and rapid domestic expansion underway, China's rise highlights shifting power in a fragmented, strategically charged chip manufacturing landscape.
Monday 30 June 2025
Samsung reportedly promotes advanced 2nm process amid foundry setbacks
Samsung is pushing its second-generation 2nm process, SF2P, promising notable performance and efficiency gains. As its chip business faces mounting pressure, the company is betting on advanced AI and mobile applications to revive its foundry momentum and attract major clients amid stalled 3nm adoption and scaled-back capital investment.
Monday 30 June 2025
South Korea launches AI chip project with Taiwan's CoAsia and local unicorn Rebellions
CoAsia, a Taiwan-based semiconductor company, announced that its subsidiary, CoAsia SEMI, will partner with Rebellions, a South Korean AI chipmaker, to co-develop a next-generation Processing-In-Memory (PIM) server-grade semiconductor as part of a national-level research and development initiative led by South Korea.
Monday 30 June 2025
IBM eyes deeper partnership with Rapidus for sub-1nm chip development
IBM is seeking a long-term partnership with Japan's Rapidus to develop sub-1nm chips, according to Yomiuri Shimbun. Building on their 2nm collaboration, IBM has deployed engineers to Rapidus's Hokkaido site, signaling deeper ties as both companies pursue next-generation semiconductor production and Japan ramps up investment in chip innovation.
Monday 30 June 2025
China's US$50B chip fund switches tack to fight US curbs
China's main chip investment fund is planning to focus on the country's key shortcomings in sectors like lithography and semiconductor design software, adjusting its approach to better overcome US efforts to stop its technological advances.
Monday 30 June 2025
TSMC affiliate VIS may expedite production at US$8 billion Singapore fab
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s smaller affiliate Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp. may accelerate the chip production schedule at its new US$7.8 billion joint venture in Singapore on greater customer demand for hedging against geopolitical risks.
VIS may be able to push production at the new plant, which makes mature chips, to as soon as late 2026 versus the originally announced schedule of the first half of 2027, VIS Chairman Fang Leuh told reporters at a company event on Saturday in Taoyuan, Taiwan. VIS broke ground for the facility in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Monday 30 June 2025
TSMC turns US expansion crisis into opportunity; personnel reshuffle set for 2026
TSMC's US$65 billion Arizona expansion, initially hampered by cost overruns and construction delays, is now showing signs of strategic success as the chipmaker addresses key operational challenges.
Monday 30 June 2025
Intel's CSO reportedly to leave today
Safroadu Yeboah-Amankwah, chief strategy officer (CSO) at Intel, is set to depart the company by June 30, marking one of the latest executive changes following Lip-Bu Tan's appointment as CEO in March, according to two individuals familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. Intel has confirmed Yeboah-Amankwah's departure, expressing gratitude for his contributions.
Monday 30 June 2025
SAS enters semiconductor equipment sector with acquisition
Sino-American Silicon Products Group (SAS) is accelerating its push into integrated semiconductor materials and equipment services through strategic acquisitions. On June 27, 2025, the group announced that its subsidiary, Taiwan Speciality Chemicals Corp. (TSCC), will acquire a 65.22% stake in semiconductor equipment service provider Hong Jie Technology Co., Ltd. in a cash transaction.
Monday 30 June 2025
Weekly news roundup: China's litho pivot, Huawei's lag, Apple's OLED play
Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from June 23 to 29, 2025. Top developments include Huawei's stalled 5nm chip efforts, Renesas scaling back its EV power chip business, and Apple's expanding OLED iPad roadmap. From memory price spikes to supply chain shifts driven by AI and trade policy, this week's stories spotlight the top challenges and strategies shaping the global tech landscape.
Monday 30 June 2025
From subsidies to subtraction: Lip-bu Tan rewrites Intel’s revival playbook
The semiconductor industry rarely sees such a stark contrast in leadership philosophy as the one emerging between Intel's current and former CEOs. Pat Gelsinger, who recently stepped down after failing to engineer Intel's revival, now offers strategic advice to Japan's Rapidus on challenging TSMC. Meanwhile, his successor, Lip-Bu Tan, has wasted no time in his emergency appointment, announcing significant layoffs just three months into his tenure.
Monday 30 June 2025
India roundup: Taiwanese firm on thin ice over Indian investments
Despite rising investments in India, Taiwanese companies remain cautious, treading carefully as if walking on thin ice.
Monday 30 June 2025
ASE COO flags potential setback to US$1 trillion semiconductor goal due to US tariffs and currency pressures
As the US enters a new phase of tariff enforcement—with the buffer period on reciprocal tariffs nearing expiration—concerns are growing that the global semiconductor industry's path to US$1 trillion in annual revenue could be delayed. ASE Technology's COO Tien Wu warned that geopolitical tensions, including tariffs and volatile Asian currencies, may push the target back by three to five years.
Saturday 28 June 2025
Marvell bets big on custom AI chips to challenge Broadcom's lead

While Broadcom remains a dominant force in the AI ASIC market, Marvell Technology is working hard to catch up, much like AMD's continued pursuit of Nvidia. AMD CEO Lisa Su has long argued that the global AI market is growing fast enough to support multiple winners. Marvell appears to be banking on the same theory.

Friday 27 June 2025
As US and Japan expand EUV capabilities, South Korea faces semiconductor setback

As the global race to develop next-generation semiconductor technologies accelerates, the United States and Japan are investing heavily in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment through public-private partnerships. In contrast, South Korea, constrained by limited budgets, is lagging in deploying cutting-edge tools, raising concerns that it may lose ground in the race for semiconductor supremacy.

Friday 27 June 2025
Renesas delays US$20 billion revenue goal, scales back power chip plans after EV setback
Renesas Electronics said on June 26, 2025, it is scaling back its power semiconductor business, postponing a key revenue goal by five years, and removing the executive overseeing the unit, following missteps in the electric vehicle segment.
Friday 27 June 2025
ASML bets on High-NA EUV as Intel, TSMC, Samsung delay mass adoption over cost and risk
ASML, the world's sole provider of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, is pressing ahead with its next-generation High-NA (numerical aperture) EUV systems—even as major chipmakers adopt a wait-and-see approach.
Friday 27 June 2025
TSMC takes all: Google follows major smartphone chipmakers in embracing 2nm
Recent market reports indicate that leading companies such as Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek are highly likely to fully adopt 2nm chips by 2026. Google, having recently shifted its chip production from Samsung Electronics to TSMC, may also join this trend to ensure its hardware manufacturing processes keep pace with other industry leaders and maintain competitive strength.
Friday 27 June 2025
Taiwan chipmakers' caution on India's semiconductor ambitions heightens after Aptos collapse
The bankruptcy of Aptos Technology, a subsidiary of Taiwan Mask Corporation, underscores the cautious approach Taiwanese chipmakers are taking toward India's semiconductor ambitions, following the collapse of a tech transfer deal with Kaynes Semicon and amid broader skepticism about India's readiness to support a competitive chip industry.
Friday 27 June 2025
Samsung slows the node race: yield over speed at 2nm, 4nm
Samsung Foundry is reportedly adjusting its roadmap by postponing development of its 1.4nm (SF1.4) node and reallocating resources to improve yield and service quality across its 2nm and 4nm process technologies. According to industry sources, the company has briefed partners on the shift as it seeks to address mounting operational and market challenges.
Friday 27 June 2025
TSMC expands its lead as global chip foundries enter '2.0' era
As semiconductor manufacturing becomes increasingly intricate, foundries are no longer confined to traditional chip fabrication. Instead, the industry is transitioning into what Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has coined "Foundry 2.0" — an era marked by the integration of wafer production, advanced packaging, photomask services, and even segments of the integrated device manufacturer (IDM) supply chain.