Growing demand for AI chips is sending a larger share of South Korea's semiconductor exports to Taiwan, where Korean-made high-bandwidth memory (HBM) moves into advanced packaging processes led by TSMC.
China's immersion DUV lithography programme has brought a little-known state-backed company into focus. Shanghai Aishengna Electronic Technology Group, founded in August 2023 with CNY7 billion (approx. US$1.03 billion) in registered capital, is reportedly coordinating limited production of domestically developed lithography systems.
GlobalFoundries has signed a letter of intent with the US Department of Commerce for a potential US$300 million award to accelerate US development of silicon photonics technologies used in AI and high-performance computing data centres.
Samsung Electronics' foundry business expects its 2nm project wins to more than double year-on-year in 2026, and the company is in talks with Broadcom and other major customers on multiple projects, foundry business EVP Sukchae Kang said on Samsung's earnings call for the second quarter of 2026. This is the clearest sign yet that its advanced-node business is gaining commercial traction after years of trailing TSMC.
Ennoconn Technologies held its 2026 Semiconductor x AI Applications Forum at Google's Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore on July 29 and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Singapore Manufacturers' Federation (SMF) on the same occasion. The event marked a further step in the Taiwanese technology group's expansion into Southeast Asia's semiconductor and artificial intelligence markets.
Italy and the US are set to sign a cooperation agreement tied to the US-led Pax Silica initiative on July 31, as Rome expands efforts to secure critical raw materials and semiconductor supply chains.
Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions (DS) division posted the most profitable quarter in its history in 2Q26, generating operating profit of KRW89.2 trillion (approx. US$61.6 billion) on sales of KRW127.5 trillion (approx. US$88.1 billion) — a 70% operating margin — as the AI-driven memory supercycle intensified.
Taiwan's semiconductor sector is set to become an even larger driver of electricity demand as AI-related expansion lifts output in wafer fabrication, memory, and advanced packaging. Taipower projected that the industry's power use would reach 52 billion kWh in 2026, underscoring how the island's chip ambitions are reshaping its energy system.
TSMC on Wednesday issued its third statement since a magnitude 7 earthquake struck Kumamoto, Japan on July 28, saying that utility systems at its JASM wafer fab are operating normally, equipment inspection and calibration are in progress, and construction at the site of its second Kumamoto fab has resumed.
Intel Foundry has completed a US defense-backed semiconductor prototype program that could have implications for supply chain resilience, national security, and global access to advanced chips. The work, tied to Intel 18A technology, aims to expand trusted domestic manufacturing and could shape how allied governments approach secure chip production.
Corning expects AI infrastructure to become an increasingly powerful growth engine, outlining how its glass technologies will move beyond traditional optical fiber and into silicon photonics (SiPh) and co-packaged optics (CPO) for next-generation AI data centers.
On July 28, ASM International raised its revenue outlook for 2027 and issued third-quarter guidance above market expectations after reporting higher second-quarter revenue and profit, supported by continued investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure and advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
During KLA's June 2026 earnings call, held on July 28, executives detailed the company's financial performance and strategic outlook, highlighting a period of record revenue and accelerating investment across the semiconductor ecosystem. CEO Rick Wallace and CFO Bren Higgins addressed several critical topics, including supply chain constraints and the long-term impact of artificial intelligence on wafer fab equipment (WFE) demand.
