Qualcomm's acquisition of Ventana Micro Systems signals a clear push to deepen its commitment to RISC-V and accelerate the maturation of the surrounding ecosystem.
Samsung Electronics chairman Jay Y. Lee reportedly met Tesla CEO Elon Musk on December 11, 2025, local time at Samsung's semiconductor plant in Texas, underscoring a deepening partnership as the South Korean chipmaker prepares to launch advanced chip production in the US and stabilize manufacturing yields for Tesla's next-generation processors.
SK Hynix has reportedly placed a new order for thermal compression (TC) bonders with Singapore-based ASMPT as it accelerates preparations for HBM4, underscoring both the strategic importance of advanced packaging equipment and rising complexity in the TC bonder supply chain amid a patent dispute between South Korean rivals Hanmi Semiconductor and Hanwha Semitech. The move reflects SK Hynix's broader push to diversify critical equipment suppliers while aligning with Nvidia's next-generation AI roadmap.
Latest media reports state that SK Hynix has completed the final verification phase for customer samples of its 12-layer sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) prior to mass production. The Korea Herald reported that SK Hynix has effectively entered the mass production process for its 12-layer HBM4 products and is supplying customers with more than 20,000–30,000 paid HBM4 samples. After establishing a global 12-layer HBM4 mass production system in September 2025, SK Hynix finalized a 2026 HBM4 supply contract with Nvidia and has begun production, according to Deal Site and other South Korean media. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics is approximately three to four months behind schedule.
Taiwan-Asia Semiconductor Corporation (TASC) is advancing its layout in compound semiconductors and non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Itochu Taiwan. The agreement seeks to facilitate collaboration in these two sectors through the pooling of resources and semiconductor supply chains.
The traditional hard disk drive (HDD) market experienced a rare sharp price surge in recent years. In contract price negotiations for the fourth quarter of 2025, HDD product prices were finalized with a quarter-over-quarter increase of approximately 4%, marking the highest growth rate in the past eight quarters.
Samsung Electronics is reportedly in talks with Advanced Micro Devices about producing next-generation chips using its second-generation 2nm process, as the South Korean technology group seeks to secure major customers and revive its loss-making foundry business, according to industry sources and reports from South Korea's Seoul Economic Daily and G-enews.
Following the Trump administration's recent easing of export restrictions on Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China, several Chinese technology firms, such as Alibaba and ByteDance, have reportedly expressed significant interest in placing large-scale orders. Nvidia is now evaluating whether to increase production capacity of the H200 chips to meet this potential surge in demand, according to Reuters, citing unnamed sources.
Analysts believe that the performance outlook for 2026 from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Broadcom offers a glimpse into the expected performance of South Korea's two semiconductor leaders, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of December 8 to December 14, 2025.
As India intensifies its efforts to become a global semiconductor hub, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has expressed support for the country's strategy of pursuing incremental progress, focusing initially on legacy node fabrication for automotive and industrial applications.
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