Global memory markets are expected to remain tight through 2026 as aggressive spending by cloud service providers (CSPs) on AI infrastructure continues to outstrip supply growth for both DRAM and NAND flash, pushing prices higher, according to industry estimates.
Smartphone distributors in Taiwan have recently said they are no longer able to obtain Asus handsets through local agents and claimed they had received information indicating that Asus's smartphone unit would operate only through December 31, 2025, after which the company would stop launching new smartphone products.
The PCB industry is making large upgrades. The largest beneficiaries of the AI boom are IC substrate makers that are part of the advanced chip packaging supply chain, such as Unimicron and Kinsus, which have gradually emerged from the oversupply bottleneck caused by large-scale post-pandemic capacity expansion. The surge in orders has spread to multiple networking and server PCB manufacturers, including Gold Circuit Electronics (CGE), Allied Circuit Co. (ACCL), and First Hi-tec, driving double-digit year-over-year growth in Taiwan's PCB manufacturing output value in 2025.
ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) returned to profitability in 2025, recording its first full year of net income after a rebound in global DRAM prices and a sharp increase in the value of its chip inventory reversed years of losses. The turnaround followed an extended period of heavy capital spending and came as accelerating demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure tightened global memory supply.
Samsung Electronics' sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory, HBM4, has reportedly posted the fastest operating speeds in a key technology test run by Broadcom. The results strengthen the company's position in the race to supply memory for next-generation artificial intelligence accelerators.
The Vietnamese government is urging Intel to further grow its semiconductor packaging and testing capabilities in the country, seeking to strengthen the nation's role in the global chip supply chain.
China's leading DRAM producer, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), has entered the initial public offering phase as it targets a rapid increase in global market share, aiming to surpass the 4% threshold in the near term, according to its IPO prospectus and market estimates. The move comes as the company accelerates capacity expansion and technology upgrades to close the gap with industry leaders Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology in a market dominated by a handful of suppliers.
Samsung Electronics has reportedly begun sampling next-generation DDR5 memory, delivering speeds that are approximately 30% faster than current mass-produced offerings. Industry observers believe Samsung aims to leverage higher-speed DRAM to meet customers' growing memory demands in servers, computers, and artificial intelligence (AI) environments, further solidifying its position as the world's leading DRAM supplier.
Samsung Electronics plans to begin mass production of its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory chips in 2026, citing positive feedback from customers as the South Korean tech giant seeks to reclaim its lead in the competitive artificial intelligence hardware market.
Demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) is crowding out production capacity for consumer memory. Despite capacity expansions by major memory makers, including Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix, the supply of HBM for AI servers remains tight, and the demand from large chipmakers is difficult to satisfy immediately. IC distributors report that lead times from memory manufacturers have now extended to 52 weeks. With priority allocation given to large clients, almost no stock is available. Both distributors and customers must now pay upfront and wait in line for delivery.
South Korea's ruling and opposition parties have reached a preliminary consensus on the Semiconductor Special Act, though its passage may be delayed until 2026, and the law faces criticism for offering comparatively weak support measures against competing countries.
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