AI data center demand for LPDDR5X DRAM has continued to expand through 2026 and is expected to remain strong into 2027, tightening supply for PCs and smartphones and keeping device prices under pressure.

Samsung Electronics is reportedly seeking 2027 prices for its next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM) that are more than three times the price of its current HBM3E product, industry sources said. The increase would come as its main HBM product moves from HBM3E to HBM4. Analysts said the shift should further boost the company's profitability, as it leans on what it calls industry-leading performance.

Samsung Electronics plans to buy DRAM from Taiwan's Winbond Electronics starting in 2027 and is considering using it in about half of its televisions, South Korean publication The Bell reported, citing industry sources. The move comes as major memory makers phase out the LPDDR4 and LPDDR4X chips that TVs still depend on.

Micronex Technology plans to build a semiconductor lead-frame factory in Sanand, Gujarat, seeking to localize a packaging component as India expands its chip assembly and testing industry. The startup's agreement with Kaynes Semicon connects the proposed plant to Gujarat's growing semiconductor ecosystem, while similar supplier partnerships elsewhere point to a wider push for domestic materials and components.

Applied Materials and BE Semiconductor Industries (Besi) are expanding their partnership to address the increasingly complex connections between AI chips, extending joint development beyond hybrid bonding into a broader range of packaging technologies. The agreement brings Besi into Applied's Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization (EPIC) Center as an Innovation Partner, with the companies seeking to accelerate the transition from research to manufacturing.

Across the week, Taiwan-linked semiconductor groups and their partners continued expanding capacity, while AI demand, export controls, and financing structures shaped the industry outlook. ASML's push to raise EUV output comes as Musk and Huang warn China may narrow the lithography gap by 2030. TSMC is also tied to Texas, Singapore, and Tesla projects, while ASE added test capacity. Meanwhile, a US smuggling case and Broadcom's Anthropic financing highlight growing geopolitical and financial risk.

As the number of AI computing transistors integrated within a single CoWoS package rises rapidly, DIGITIMES observes that moving massive volumes of data to compute chips fast enough is becoming increasingly critical to fully utilizing available computing power.

As AI develops rapidly across both cloud and edge environments, major chipmakers are devoting less attention to chip specifications and more to system-level design and ecosystems. For IC design leaders, moving into the system layer has become a key factor for upgrading in the AI era, because simply supplying chips is no longer enough to stay competitive in AI product lines.

Nanya Technology is stepping up investment in new factory capacity to expand packaging and testing as some customers move into trial production for specification-based designs. The company said it has won approval from the National Science and Technology Council's (NSTC) park review committee to set up a 3D wafer packaging and testing plant in Pingtung Science Park, aiming to capture demand for high-performance, high-bandwidth memory solutions driven by fast-growing AI applications.

This excerpt from DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin's podcast looks at TSMC's rumored Texas expansion, Intel's 14A and 18A process debate, and Qualcomm's high bandwidth compute (HBC) push as AI workloads drive demand for hybrid bonding and advanced packaging.