Global growth is poised to lose momentum. IMF forecasts show global GDP easing from 3.3% in 2024 to 3.2% in 2025 and 3.1% in 2026. China's growth is expected to slow from 5% to 4.8% and then to 4.2%, while India may dip from 6.6% to 6.2%. Taiwan remains an outlier, supported by strong AI and semiconductor investment and exports, with GDP projected at 7.37% in 2025. Continued strength in AI server exports could also lift its 2026 forecast of 3.54%.
Samsung Electronics is positioning a proprietary thermal management technology for external clients as it seeks to reclaim foundry market share from TSMC. The South Korean company plans to offer its Heat Path Block solution to third-party chip designers after validating the system in its upcoming Exynos 2600 processor, according to local media reports.
Intel has evaluated advanced manufacturing equipment from ACM Research, a US supplier with subsidiaries subject to American trade restrictions, even as Chinese semiconductor toolmakers report surging revenues and technological gains.
China is accelerating its semiconductor capabilities through technical gains at Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.(SMIC) while simultaneously mandating the use of domestic processors across state sectors to circumvent US export controls.
China's dominance of the global polysilicon market is forcing the industry into two divergent paths: domestic consolidation to manage a swelling glut, and US-backed overseas production to diversify supply chains. The trend highlights a deepening geopolitical divide over a material essential to both solar manufacturing and high-purity semiconductor applications.
