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Qualcomm

NuAxi groups public briefings that mention Qualcomm: product launches, capacity and pricing signals, and supply-chain changes. The page updates continuously.

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Fri, Oct 30

  1. Impact score 55

    Nvidia dominates AI robot chips with 69% market share

    According to DIGITIMES Intelligence, Nvidia is set to dominate the 2026 AI robotics computing IC market with a 69% share, far outpacing Intel (11%), Qualcomm (5%), and AMD (2%). The source states that beyond raw computing power, Nvidia's comprehensive software ecosystem is the critical factor leaving competitors in its wake. The rapid development of AI robotics applications is driving a sharp increase in semiconductor computing requirements. This is an analyst forecast for 2026 market share and has not yet been realized.

    AI robotics computing ICNvidia, Intel and 4 totalDigiTimes Asia
  2. Impact score 30

    SEMICON West 2026: AI Made the Steps Faster. The Time Between Them Is Next.

    Conference report from SEMICON West 2026: SEMI President and CEO Ajit Manocha told the CEO Summit that the semiconductor industry crossed $1 trillion in annual revenue this year, almost four years ahead of earlier projections; a year ago the forecast for 2030 was $1 trillion, now it is $2 trillion, with $3 trillion possible by 2035; the industry has 102 new fabs coming online through 2029 and needs more than 50 beyond that by 2035. Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi named the shortage of engineers as the industry's challenge, and Brooks Automation CEO Dave Jarzynka noted a wafer spends only about 25% of its time in the fab actually being processed. In the design session "Bridging Design and Manufacturing with AI" on Tuesday, October 13 in Room 20 at Moscone North, speakers from TSMC, Intel, Applied Materials, Lam Research, Cadence, Silvaco, PDF Solutions, McKinsey, Cerebras, SanDisk and VerifAIX covered seven themes. Specific figures include: Intel's DTCO decisions dropped from weeks to one or two hours; Applied Materials cut a 3D gate-all-around device simulation from 20.5 days to 19.7 hours on GPUs; McKinsey showed AI-assisted programs reaching tape-out nine months after design starts and cutting debug closure time by 40%; TSMC's agentic place-and-route runs around the clock at 3 to 5x productivity; Rhines showed NAND process steps rising from about 400 to as many as 1,800, wafer lot cycle time stretching from 8 to 10 weeks at 28nm to 16 weeks or more, and mask sets climbing from $1 to 3 million to $20 to 40 million or more; VerifAIX cited first-silicon success at 14% and the best AI pass rate on hardware code generation at 34%; PDF Solutions' Kimon Michaels cited Qualcomm's engineering and manufacturing data growing 600% since 2022, while less than 5% of manufacturing data gets analyzed; Lam's research published in Nature found engineers and algorithms working together, with the handoff in the right place, cut the cost of reaching a process target in half. The session also covered co-optimization (DTCO/STCO) replacing sequential handoffs, trust issues in autonomous design, and digital twins changing development. This is a conference recap and industry background; the source does not state the cause (no single event cause).

    NAND3D gate-all-around deviceCFETTSMC, Intel and 16 totalSemiWiki

Thu, Oct 29

  1. Impact score 45

    Qualcomm to Supply Snapdragon X Chips for Blue Chip Project

    Qualcomm said on Oct. 27 local time that it will supply its Snapdragon X platform for the Blue Chip Project. The Blue Chip Project aims to design and assemble computer hardware for various public-sector applications in the US, with the goal of rebuilding domestic computer manufacturing capabilities. Qualcomm will supply its Snapdragon X series, a system-on-chip (SoC) platform for PCs that serves as the core processor for the Blue Chip product lineup; the platform integrates a CPU for general computing tasks, a GPU for graphics rendering and an NPU for AI workloads. Anduril will develop computers, including laptops, based on Snapdragon X chipsets, intended for government, defense, emergency response and other public-sector applications. Anduril has already completed a prototype of the first Blue Chip laptop; components sourced from US and allied-country suppliers account for more than 90% of total component procurement costs. Official orders will begin next year. PCB assembly will take place at Anduril's Arsenal-1 facility in Ohio. The project will proceed in stages: the first phase focuses on sourcing US-made components and expanding domestic manufacturing, the second aims to minimize dependence on foreign suppliers, and the ultimate goal is a domestic supply chain handling everything from raw materials to final product assembly in the US. The source does not state a cause beyond this context.

    Snapdragon X platformCPUGPUQualcomm, AndurilThe ElecPartnership/M&A
  2. Impact score 30

    Amazon, Apple and Microsoft: New mobile computing platforms take off

    Microsoft and Nvidia publicly released the Surface Laptop Ultra on October 7, built around the application processor originally referred to as the N1X and now renamed the GB10. The chip was co-developed by NVIDIA (which contributed the Grace Blackwell GPU subsystem) and MediaTek (which supplied the multi-core CPU cluster and reportedly also handled full SoC integration duties); it was originally intended for—and may eventually still show up in—Arm-based Windows PCs, but repeated development hurdles reportedly delayed both SoC and system shipment plans, and lingering functional bugs precluded Windows compatibility (explaining the DGX Spark's Linux OS foundation). The machine comes in two versions sharing the same NPU core: 5120-core GPU with 18-core CPU, and 6144-core GPU with 20-core CPU; system memory ranges from 24 GB to 128 GB of LPDDR5x unified memory; SSD options start at 512 GB (PCIe Gen 4) with 1 TB and 2 TB (PCIe Gen 5) configurations; pricing is $2,599 baseline up to $5,899.99 top-end, with delivery promised 'later this year'; an RTX Spark-based developer platform at $5,999.99 and up is also available for pre-order. In the same period, Amazon launched its latest-generation Alexa-branded (no-longer-Fire) tablets in 8-inch, 11-inch and 12-inch 'Pro' flavors, running 'vanilla' Android with a return to the Google Play Store, priced from $299 up to $679.99 (not including cases or the high-end model's optional pen and keyboard accessories). Apple's week began Monday with a new-generation iPad mini (now with the A20 Pro, a slightly larger 8.5-inch display switched from LCD to OLED, priced from $699 and up; the 2024 entry-level 128 GB Wi-Fi-only model was originally $499 but was bumped to $599 in June of this year), Tuesday brought a 14-inch entry-level MacBook Pro now running the M6 SoC (versus last year's M5) plus a 24-inch iMac making a two-generation jump from the M4 to the M6, and today Apple unveiled its first touchscreen-augmented MacBook Pro laptops in both 14-inch and 16-inch displays with ProLED XDR panels and both M5 Pro and Max SoC options, priced from $2,899 to $14,549.

    Nvidia RTX Spark N1X (GB10) application processorApple A20 Pro SoCApple M6 SoCApple, Microsoft and 6 totalEDN
  3. Impact score 96

    ON Semiconductor Falls 5%, NXP Semiconductors Drops 4% as Soft Guidance Revives Auto Chip Worries; Skyworks Ticks Up, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments Dip

    On October 28, 2026, soft guidance from NXP Semiconductors revived auto chip worries and sent auto-exposed chipmakers sliding: ON Semiconductor traded at $75 in afternoon trading, down 5%, the biggest drop in the group; NXP was at $245, down 4%; Qualcomm was at $182, down 1%; and Texas Instruments was at $305, down 1%, while smartphone radio-frequency chip maker Skyworks Solutions moved against the selling at $87, up 1%. The source attributes the declines to NXP's soft guidance: after the close on October 27, NXP reported Q3 2026 results with sales of $3.79 billion, up 19% from a year earlier, ahead of Wall Street consensus of $3.76 billion, and adjusted EPS of $4.20, exceeding consensus of $4.12. However, NXP guided Q4 2026 revenue to $3.75 billion to $3.95 billion, a midpoint of $3.85 billion versus consensus of $3.86 billion, and the midpoint implies revenue growth slowing to 15% from a year earlier. NXP's Q3 automotive business, which makes up more than half of company sales, grew 13%, trailing the company's overall pace. TE Connectivity has also named weaker vehicle production as a constraint on its fiscal 2027, and a new $5 billion addition to NXP's buyback has not offset that read. ON Semiconductor sells power chips including silicon carbide devices used in electric-vehicle inverters and industrial power conversion, so auto demand carries more weight for it, which the source says helps explain why ON fell harder than NXP; ON is still up 38% year to date, Texas Instruments up 79% YTD, Qualcomm up 8% YTD, and NXP up 14% YTD even after the drop. The iShares Semiconductor ETF was at $517, up 1%, and the Invesco QQQ Trust at $722, up 0.1%. The source also notes: ON Semiconductor's management called automotive 'very stable with a good outlook' on August 3; a pending acquisition of Synaptics, revised earlier this month, remains a moving piece; and the Federal Reserve's policy decision is scheduled for today.

    automotive chipspower chips (silicon carbide devices for EV inverters and industrial power conversion)radio-frequency chips for smartphonesON Semiconductor, NXP Semiconductors and 6 totalYahoo Finance — TXNPrice Movement

Tue, Oct 27

  1. Impact score 60

    LB Semicon to Expand Capacity on 10-Year Qualcomm Deal

    According to industry sources on Oct. 26, LB Semicon plans to expand its back-end processing capacity for power management integrated circuits (PMICs) supplied to Qualcomm: it will increase its 200mm wafer-based non-display driver IC (non-DDI) packaging capacity at its Pyeongtaek headquarters plant from 26,000 to 36,000 wafers per month and its 300mm capacity from 3,000 to 5,000 wafers per month, both by 2028, with total investment of approximately 30 billion won. The source-stated cause is meeting Qualcomm's demand and preparing for a potential transition to 300mm processes and higher production volumes; the expansion is also a contractual requirement. LB Semicon provides turnkey services covering bumping, testing and back-end processing for Qualcomm's PMICs used in AI data centers and automobiles. The partnership began in the second half of 2024; after passing Qualcomm's technical review, QMS audit and reliability verification, LB Semicon received mass production approval in August, began mass production in early August and shipped its first products later that month, using copper pillar bump (CPB) and wafer-level packaging (WLP) technologies. The company said it signed a 10-year master supply agreement (MSA) with Qualcomm; per a securities registration statement filed in May, the MSA took effect on Feb. 1 this year, is valid for 10 years with automatic renewals every two years, Qualcomm issues purchase orders (POs), and LB Semicon must continuously maintain reserve capacity equal to 10% of Qualcomm's six-month demand forecasts provided monthly. Once the expansion is completed, annual revenue from the Qualcomm PMIC lines is projected to rise from a current maximum of approximately 30 billion won to around 50 billion won in 2028, equivalent to 10.4% of last year's annual revenue, with revenue expected to increase by approximately 9.5 billion won beginning in the second half of next year. The investment will be funded with 30 billion won allocated to capital expenditures from the 34.26 billion won raised through a rights offering in August, of which 24.8 billion won will go to bumping processes and 5.2 billion won to back-end processes; 15 pieces of equipment, including electroplating, lithography and sputtering systems, will be delivered in stages from the fourth quarter of this year through the fourth quarter of next year. LB Semicon reported consolidated revenue of 279.168 billion won and operating profit of 20.752 billion won in the first half of this year, with DDI products accounting for more than 70% of revenue.

    PMICnon-display driver IC (non-DDI) packaging200mm wafer packaging capacityLB Semicon, QualcommThe ElecCapacity Change

Sat, Oct 24

  1. Impact score 30

    Arm Comments on Jury Decision in Qualcomm Trial

    Arm commented on the jury decision in its trial with Qualcomm. Arm's Ami Badani cited the $2 nominal damages award as validation. Meanwhile, chip design experts pointed to open architectures such as RISC-V as the long-term alternative for AI workload flexibility. The source does not state the legal cause of the verdict.

    Arm, QualcommEE Times

Fri, Oct 23

  1. Impact score 30

    Most Read – xMCUs, NVHBM base dies, Qualcomm layoffs

    This is a roundup of the site's most popular articles from the last week. No. 5: Google and Synaptics have introduced the xMCU – an MCU combining heterogeneous, AI-native compute and acceleration with integrated high-bandwidth custom DRAM scalable to hundreds of megabytes; the Astra SR200 Series targets AI wearables and battery-powered sensing devices, enabling larger AI models and richer multimodal workloads entirely on-device. No. 4: According to the Data Centers Processor Market Monitor, Q3 2026, agentic AI is reviving datacenter CPU demand, with CPU revenues up 35%, ahead of AI ASICs (+23%) and GPUs (+13%); GPU and AI ASIC designers are scaling back their roadmaps, sometimes drastically, in response to the sharp rise in DRAM prices. No. 3: London neocloud startup Nscale has had another setback to its IPO plans as Microsoft pulled out of a deal to be the anchor tenant on Nscale's Loughton, Essex, datacentre; neither party gave any reason for the pull-out, but UK Power Networks has told Nscale it cannot supply enough power for the site until the early to mid 2030s. No. 2: Per the Seoul Economic Daily, Nvidia has asked Samsung, Hynix and Micron to use base dies made on TSMC's 3nm node for its custom HBM called NVHBM; the base die contains the logic layer at the bottom of the HBM stack that handles the memory controller and interface, and the source's report of Nvidia's reason is truncated. No. 1: According to a memo from CEO Cristiano Amon to employees seen by Reuters, Qualcomm is to lay off staff worldwide, with notifications to start next month; the number involved is not known, the company had 52k employees in September 2025, and the memo describes the lay-offs as "a performance-focused reduction after annual reviews".

    xMCUNVHBM base dieHBMGoogle, Synaptics and 10 totalElectronics Weekly
  2. Impact score 20

    Two Dollars and a Test Suite

    An EE Times article notes that while the $2 damages award in the Arm-Qualcomm verdict grabbed headlines, the verdict's bigger implication concerns who controls the compliance tests that custom chips must pass before shipping. The piece discusses the ruling's implication for control of compliance testing; the source does not state the cause beyond this.

    custom chipsArm, QualcommEE Times

Thu, Oct 22

  1. Impact score 58

    Evertiq Expo Warsaw: Top 10 chip companies took two-thirds of a record market

    According to Omdia data presented at Evertiq Expo Warsaw on October 22, 2026, the ten largest semiconductor suppliers grew revenue by more than 30% in 2025 (30.4%, to USD 562.1 billion), almost three times as fast as the rest of the industry, and now account for nearly 68% (67.6%) of a record market worth USD 831 billion that grew 23.3%. Nvidia's revenue rose by USD 52.9 billion to USD 150.3 billion (up 54.3%), its share of total semiconductor revenue rose from about 14.5% to just over 18% (18.1%), its lead over second-placed Samsung Electronics nearly tripled from USD 22.3 billion to USD 64.5 billion, and it accounted for roughly a third of the industry's growth. Samsung grew 14.2% to USD 85.8 billion, its share fell from 11.1% to 10.3%, and its lead over SK hynix shrank from USD 27.8 billion to USD 18.5 billion. SK hynix grew 42.3% to USD 67.2 billion and moved into third place; Micron, the fastest grower in the top ten at 56.3% (up USD 16.4 billion to USD 45.6 billion), climbed from seventh to fifth past Broadcom and Qualcomm; Broadcom grew 28.0% to USD 39.5 billion but stayed sixth; Qualcomm grew 11.6% to USD 38.9 billion yet dropped from fifth to seventh with its share falling from 5.2% to 4.7%; AMD grew 33.4% to USD 32.7 billion and stayed ninth; Apple's USD 34.4 billion is a value Omdia assigns to its in-house semiconductor activity, not external chip sales; Intel was the only top-ten company whose revenue fell, declining 3.7% to USD 48.5 billion and dropping from third to fourth, with its share falling from 7.5% to 5.8%. Between 2023 and 2025 total semiconductor revenue grew about 53%, the top ten grew about 90%, all other suppliers roughly 8% combined, and Nvidia plus the three major memory makers (Samsung, SK hynix, Micron) went from 24% of industry revenue in 2023 to 42% in 2025. According to Omdia, the DRAM market nearly tripled in two years, from just over USD 50 billion in 2023 to more than USD 150 billion in 2025, growing more than 50% in 2025 alone; Lino Jeng, Senior Principal Analyst at Omdia, said AI servers require not only more HBM but also significantly more system memory, particularly DDR5; Ewelina Bednarz of Evertiq explained that as manufacturers shift capacity toward HBM and high-capacity server DRAM, supply of other memory types tightens and prices rise beyond HBM as well, and noted the figures measure revenue, not volume, with price and product mix explaining much of the growth. Omdia's September update shows industry revenue reached USD 752 billion in the first half of 2026, about 90% of the full-year 2025 total; second-quarter revenue alone passed USD 425 billion, up more than 31% from the first quarter; memory made up more than half of the market in the second quarter, and DRAM, NAND and NOR all set quarterly revenue records; excluding memory, revenue rose just over 10% from the previous quarter against a historical second-quarter average of just over 3%. The SIA reported that global semiconductor sales passed USD 1 trillion year to date through August 2026, the first time the industry reached that level, with August sales of USD 159.7 billion, up 144.3% year on year and the 18th consecutive month of growth; SIA expects full-year 2026 sales to exceed USD 1.6 trillion; SIA figures are based on World Semiconductor Trade Statistics data and use a different method from Omdia's, so the two sets of numbers are not directly comparable.

    semiconductor marketmemoryDRAMNvidia, Samsung Electronics and 10 totalEvertiq

Wed, Oct 21

  1. Impact score 55

    Qualcomm Expands V2X Support to Japan's 760MHz Standard

    On Oct. 20 local time, Qualcomm said it is expanding the communication standards supported by its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) platform and will integrate support for the 760MHz ARIB-T109 standard, established by Japan's Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), into its V2X chipsets. The standard is used for ITS Connect, a communication system designed to support vehicle safety; Qualcomm's V2X chips previously supported only the 5.9GHz frequency band. This remains a planned integration, with no implementation completion stated in the source. Qualcomm and Toyota emphasized that cooperation among automakers, technology companies, governments and other stakeholders is essential to integrating and expanding V2X communication standards; Qualcomm executive vice president Nakul Duggal said the company will work with Toyota and other industry stakeholders toward its goal of reducing traffic fatalities.

    V2X chipsetsQualcomm, ToyotaThe Elec
  2. Impact score 60

    Qualcomm plans global performance-based layoffs from November

    Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told employees in a memo on October 19 that the company will conduct global, performance-based layoffs after completing its annual employee evaluations, with notifications expected to begin in November. The move aims to build a stronger performance culture and address the company's continued failure to meet expectations. The layoffs remain planned; notifications have not yet begun.

    QualcommDigiTimes AsiaCapacity Change
  3. Impact score 10

    The Industry Challenge: AI Is Forcing Semiconductor Innovation Beyond the Chip

    Applied Materials held the unveiling of its EPIC Center on October 12, 2026, in Sunnyvale, CA, with President and CEO Gary Dickerson and the founding partners in attendance. The article states that as AI models grow and applications expand, the challenge is no longer simply to make individual chips faster or more efficient, but to build complete computing systems that deliver greater performance, move more data and consume less energy while bringing new technologies to market faster. The event brought together perspectives from SK hynix, TSMC, Micron, Intel, Samsung, Broadcom, NVIDIA and Qualcomm alongside Applied Materials, with the common conclusion that advances in one part of the system increasingly depend on progress in others. AI computing places intense demands on processors, memory, interconnects, advanced packaging and power efficiency; as AI workloads grow, moving data between memory and compute becomes a major constraint on performance and energy consumption, making HBM, closer memory-logic integration and new packaging approaches central to system design. For interconnects, large AI systems distribute workloads across multiple processors, making communication speed, latency and energy use increasingly consequential, and approaches such as advanced chip integration and co-packaged optics require progress in materials, processes, packaging and system architecture together. Thermal management adds further complexity. The article argues that no single company can solve these problems alone, that earlier collaboration can expose constraints sooner and align development priorities, and that Applied Materials' EPIC Center is designed to bring industry partners together to work on materials, processes and equipment relevant to future semiconductor technologies.

    processorsmemoryhigh-bandwidth memory (HBM)Applied Materials, SK hynix and 9 totalSemiWiki

Tue, Oct 20

  1. Impact score 60

    [News] Samsung Reportedly Eyes Over 10% Output Increase for 2nm Exynos 2700 to Revive Non-Memory Business

    According to Chosun Biz, Samsung Electronics reportedly began wafer production for Exynos 2700 earlier this month, with output potentially increasing by more than 10% compared with Exynos 2600, in a bid to revive its non-memory semiconductor business. Exynos 2700 is expected to power the Galaxy S27 series in 2027, primarily in the standard and Plus models, with possible adoption in a new Pro variant; however, the flagship Ultra model is increasingly likely to rely exclusively on Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor, and the final chip configurations remain undecided. Exynos 2700 reportedly adopts Samsung Foundry's second-generation 2nm process, SF2P, which targets 12% higher performance, 25% lower power consumption and an 8% reduction in chip area compared with the first-generation SF2 used for Exynos 2600, and it is reportedly the first chip to enter mass production using SF2P; per The Bell, Samsung has shared production plans with key partners, although initial wafer starts remain limited. The report notes that the extent of the non-memory recovery will depend on Exynos 2700's mass-production yields and adoption across the Galaxy S27 lineup; Samsung Foundry's 4nm lines are reportedly operating at nearly full capacity while it continues seeking additional customers for its 5nm process. Additionally, per TrendForce, mobile DRAM prices are expected to continue rising in 4Q26, albeit at a slower pace, as suppliers shift capacity toward higher-margin server products, making the price competitiveness of Samsung's in-house processors increasingly important.

    Exynos 2700SF2P 2nm processmobile DRAMSamsung Electronics, Samsung Foundry and 4 totalTrendForceCapacity Change
  2. Impact score 0

    Qualcomm to cut jobs globally after performance reviews

    According to Reuters, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said in an internal memo that the company will cut jobs worldwide following its annual employee reviews. Employees will start receiving notifications in November. The source does not state the scale of the layoffs, the affected regions in detail, or a specific cause beyond the link to the annual employee reviews.

    QualcommEvertiq
  3. Impact score 20

    Qualcomm Wins Key Claims Against Arm, but Damages Total Just $2

    Qualcomm won key claims against Arm in their IP dispute, with the total damages awarded amounting to just $2. According to the source, the verdict is the latest chapter in a four-year IP dispute between the two chip giants, safeguarding Qualcomm's custom processors while placing financial pressure on Arm. The source does not state any specific impact on future licensing terms or product supply.

    custom processorsQualcomm, ArmEE Times

Mon, Oct 19

  1. Impact score 0

    Qualcomm Showcases V2X Technology at 2026 Gangneung ITS World Congress

    Qualcomm announced on Oct. 19 that it will showcase traffic safety technologies and solutions based on vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications at the 2026 ITS World Congress in Gangneung, South Korea, held from Oct. 19 to 23 at Gangneung Olympic Park in Gangwon Province. The congress focuses on intelligent transportation system policies, technologies and services, covering connected vehicles, autonomous driving, smart infrastructure and AI. Qualcomm will demonstrate seven technologies during the event and exhibit real-world applications, including scalable V2X, ADAS-based V2X, smart infrastructure, global V2X solutions and products developed by partners using Qualcomm technologies. Qualcomm Korea President Kim Sang-pyo delivered a keynote speech titled 'Accelerating Innovation in Traffic Safety'.

    V2XQualcommThe Elec
  2. Impact score 55

    Samsung targets Exynos 2700 expansion as Huawei advances Kirin chips

    Samsung Electronics is developing the Exynos 2700 for broader use across its Galaxy S27 lineup in 2027 (a plan, not yet implemented), while Huawei has moved its next-generation Kirin chips into testing. According to the source, these competing efforts are raising pressure on Samsung to improve application processor (AP) performance, manufacturing yields and cost competitiveness as it seeks to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm and MediaTek. The source does not state a specific cause beyond this competitive dynamic.

    Exynos 2700application processor (AP)Kirin chipsSamsung Electronics, Huawei and 4 totalDigiTimes AsiaCapacity Change
  3. Impact score 0

    Cellid Joins Qualcomm Program to Develop Snapdragon-based AR Glasses

    Cellid has joined a Qualcomm program and will use Qualcomm's development platform to develop Snapdragon-based AR glasses, using it to build reference designs and shorten AR glasses development cycles.

    Snapdragon-based AR glassesCellid, QualcommEE Times AsiaPartnership/M&A
  4. Impact score 60

    [News] MediaTek’s Google TPU v9 Shipments May Slip to 1Q28; ASIC Race Heats Up as Taiwan Firms Eye Opportunities

    According to Commercial Times, citing institutional investors, Google's TPU v9 project, involving MediaTek, could see its initial tape-out delayed until January 2027 following design revisions, with shipments potentially pushed back to the first quarter of 2028; the November 2026 sampling target remains unchanged, and the production-version tape-out is expected in the second quarter. The report notes that revisions to Google's TPU v9 Core A design, codenamed Humifish... wait, Humufish, have delayed development by approximately three weeks, affecting the Core B and I/O designs handled by MediaTek. According to TrendForce, the chip is expected to adopt Intel's EMIB-T advanced packaging, with substrate yields remaining a key challenge to production scalability and cost competitiveness. Bloomberg, citing sources, reports that ByteDance is nearing an agreement to purchase MediaTek's data center chips, potentially making it MediaTek's second major ASIC customer after Alphabet's Google. Among Taiwanese ASIC design firms: GUC, supported by cloud customers' CPU and ASIC programs, reported record September revenue of NT$7.145 billion, up 97.8% year over year; Alchip posted September revenue of NT$9.979 billion, surging 496% year over year as shipments of 3nm AI accelerators increased. Faraday has obtained Samsung's 2nm process design kit (PDK) to pursue related design opportunities; per Commercial Times, Samsung's 4nm capacity is reportedly fully utilized, prompting some AI ASIC customers to evaluate its 2nm node. Faraday has also completed its design environment setup for Intel's 18A-P and begun offering design services, with plans to pursue more projects in 2027. Commercial Times, citing institutional investors, projects global AI ASIC accelerator shipments to reach 14.1 million units in 2027, up approximately 69% year over year.

    Google TPU v9Core A (codenamed Humufish)Core BMediaTek, Google and 11 totalTrendForce