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Apr 24
Intel flags price increases and supply shortages as CPU demand strengthens
Intel signaled that industry-wide supply shortages and selective price increases are helping offset weaker PC demand, even as the company works to expand supply capacity across its product lines. Management said constrained output continues to limit revenue upside in parts of the business, while rising prices and improving server CPU demand are supporting overall resilience. The company also pointed to ongoing efforts to increase supply availability, though demand in several segments continues to outpace output.

Samsung Electronics and Kingston Technology have reportedly notified distributors of price increases of more than 10% across their solid-state drive (SSD) product lines, according to IT Home, citing supply chain sources.

ASML is moving to eliminate a wide range of management roles as part of a broader effort to simplify its organization and improve execution, according to internal documents viewed by Business Insider.

Samsung Electronics has reportedly produced a working die for sub-10nm DRAM, marking a potential breakthrough below the 10-nanometer threshold, according to The Elec. SK Hynix, meanwhile, is preparing to sample its next-generation high-bandwidth memory product as memory makers accelerate their product roadmaps.
2026 has become a major year for IPO fundraising among leading AI players. At the end of 2025, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang spent US$20 billion to acquire the IP and talent of AI chip startup Groq. In April 2026, The Information reported that OpenAI will purchase more than US$20 billion worth of chips from AI chip startup Cerebras. These two amounts are nearly identical; Nvidia for acquisition, OpenAI for procurement. Although seemingly isolated events, they are symmetrical moves.
The AI era has officially shifted from training to inference and agent-centric computing, prompting Nvidia's strategic acquisition of Groq to integrate LPUs into its own platform. This move not only eliminates a strong competitor but also sparks a fierce battle between Samsung Electronics and TSMC over LPU foundry orders.
Silicon photonics (SiPh) products continue to see strong demand, with optical communication epitaxy manufacturer LandMark Optoelectronics reporting output still far below customer needs. The company plans to increase capital expenditure (capex) to NT$1.315 billion (US$41.7 million) in 2026 to prepare early for second-half 2027 demand, and aims to introduce semiconductor-grade equipment for processes involving substrates larger than 6 inches, targeting a new expansion phase starting in 2028.

As competition in intelligent electric vehicles shifts from incremental feature upgrades to full system-level redesign, China's Horizon Robotics is mounting an ambitious strategic push — one that places it in more direct competition with Tesla.

In recent weeks, chip companies ranging from major players to small and medium-sized firms have issued price increase notices or begun renegotiating product prices with select customers. These moves aim to pass on steadily rising manufacturing costs across the supply chain as outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) costs surge faster than even foundry price increases.
IP provider M31 has announced that its eUSB2V2 interface IP has completed tapeout on TSMC's N2P 2nm process. M31 CEO Scott Chang emphasized that 2nm interface IP must align closely with the manufacturing platform to boost design efficiency and accelerate time-to-market.
The global notebook market is undergoing a structural shift in competitive dynamics in 2026, moving from product specifications and pricing battles to group-level integrated capabilities as the core of competition. Memory supply chain control has emerged as a key indicator of brand competitiveness, directly impacting shipment volumes and operational performance.
STMicroelectronics reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of US$3.10 billion, up 23% year over year, with results coming in above the midpoint of its guidance as growth in personal electronics and computing helped offset continued softness in automotive and industrial markets.