Samsung Electronics is reportedly planning to introduce a vertical 4F Square structure for its in-development 9nm DRAM products, while continuing development of the existing 6F Square structured 9nm DRAM. Industry insiders said Samsung aims to widen the gap with competitors through this multi-pronged approach.

Business exchanges between Chinese and Taiwanese makers have shown significant increases amid concerns over US tariffs, trade restrictions, and global supply chain restructuring, with China and Hong Kong together remaining the biggest market for Taiwan's exports.

TSMC has continued to accelerate its development of sub-2nm processes despite market expectations that clients would turn cautious with their 2nm orders, given the quote for the process is as steep as US$30,000, since demand has remained robust. After mass production begins in the second half of 2025, monthly capacity is expected to hit 40,000 units and will soar further to 200,000 units by 2028.

President Donald Trump said he considered attempting to break up Nvidia to increase competition in artificial intelligence (AI) chips before finding out "it's not easy in that business."

SK Hynix addressed concerns about the potential impacts of tightening US export controls on its fabrication operations in China, adding no change in the company's validated end user (VEU) status and highlighting strategic plans to meet demand while navigating evolving regulations.

In SK Hynix's second-quarter earnings call, the company emphasized strong confidence in the sustained growth of HBM, driven by increasing AI workloads and emerging applications like AI agents. He also outlined the company's technological advances in next-generation DRAM, including the upcoming 1C Nano process and innovative 3D and vertical gate memory architectures.

Nvidia's H20 chip has re-entered the Chinese market but is facing an underwhelming reception, as influential tech leaders increasingly favor local semiconductor alternatives. Zhou Hongyi, co-founder and chairman of 360 Security Technology Inc. (Qihoo 360), said the H20 chip has lost its price-performance advantage in China. He noted that 360 has switched exclusively to domestic chips — specifically Huawei's — reflecting a wider industry shift.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. Chief Executive Officer Lisa Su said that the chips her company gets from supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. cost more when they're produced in TSMC's Arizona facilities.

SK Hynix reported second-quarter 2025 revenue of KRW22.23 trillion (US$16.17 billion), up 35% year-over-year, driven by surging demand for AI and high-performance DRAM. The company plans to boost capex to meet growing demand for HBM and AI memory products.

As the four major cloud service providers (CSPs) actively invest in self-developed application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), market forecasts predict a rapid increase in shipments in 2025. However, the integrated circuit substrate supply chain has indicated concerns over potential upstream material shortages following reports that Japan's leading fiberglass cloth manufacturer Nittobo is facing high-end production capacity constraints. This could potentially hinder future server shipments.

Samsung Electronics is preparing a strategic challenge to SK Hynix's dominance in sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory with an ambitious technological leap that could reshape the HBM4 supply landscape.