Volvo Cars is extending its partnership with Nvidia to develop automated driving for its future cars, aiming for the cars to handle everything from highways and city traffic to parking, and to gradually introduce eyes-off and mind-off driving. The technology will be built on Nvidia's Hyperion sensor and compute architecture, together with the Halos operating system and the Alpamayo driving software stack, while Volvo contributes its vehicle safety systems and engineering expertise. The first car to use the technology will be a next-generation Volvo model, part of what the company calls its largest-ever product push. The two companies have worked together since 2017, and Volvo's flagship SUV, the EX90, already runs on Nvidia's DRIVE Orin and DRIVE Xavier platforms.
Announced October 14, 2026, per Siemens, the company advanced its collaboration with NVIDIA by integrating NVIDIA's cuLitho library with Siemens Calibre manufacturing software, aiming to make sophisticated photomask optimization practical at full-chip scale. According to Siemens, the integration delivers up to 12 times faster full-chip optical proximity correction (OPC) workloads; Siemens also cites simulation speedups ranging from at least 10 times to 17 times for selected workloads. These measurements concern particular computational tasks and do not establish an equivalent acceleration across the complete chip manufacturing process or guarantee identical improvements for every customer configuration. The stated problem addressed is that designed patterns do not automatically print accurately onto silicon: at extremely small dimensions, diffraction and other physical effects distort the projected image, and computational lithography predicts those effects and adjusts photomask geometries. Siemens identifies the transition to High-NA EUV lithography as a particular challenge. Siemens also says acceleration can reduce lengthy turnaround times from weeks to days, with potential reductions in energy requirements and computing infrastructure footprint; its significance will depend on maintaining accuracy while expanding the amount of useful optimization manufacturers can complete.
advanced AI semiconductorsphotomask optimizationfull-chip optical proximity correctionSiemens, NVIDIASemiWikiPartnership/M&A
Renesas Electronics recently released a 650-V, 20-mΩ d-mode GaN FET built on Gen 4+ technology in an 8×8 mm dual-side-cooled (DSC) PQFN package, part number TP65H020G4PLSGBD, which is sampling now to AI data center OEMs and ODMs with mass production planned for mid-2027. According to Renesas, Gen 4+ offers lower RDS(on) (and smaller size), lower gate capacitance (CGS, CGD) and output capacitance (Coss) than Gen 4, due to incremental improvements in cell design and better specific on-resistance; Gen 6 won't sample until 2027. The device is d-mode, pairing the GaN transistor with an LV silicon MOSFET. The package supports top-side, bottom-side, or dual-side cooling, currently supports 20-mΩ devices, and with future 10- to 15-mΩ devices a single cold plate may suffice. Versus TOLT, the DSC PQFN offers approximately a 57% to 60% reduction in package area in the x-y axis, is about 1 mm tall versus 2.35 mm for TOLT (2.3 mm in the table), has 9% to 10% lower thermal impedance (0.36 °C/W versus 0.4 °C/W), and cuts PCB area of a four-switch power stage by roughly 15% to 25%. In air-cooled tests on a 6-kW, 800-to-48 V IBC demo board running at 650 kHz to 1 MHz, the DSC showed a 0.14% improvement in full-load efficiency, roughly 10+ W of additional power in a 6-kW converter; liquid cooling was not used because samples had just arrived, with liquid-cooled testing as the next step. The DSC 8×8 (with 650-V GaN) is applied on the primary side, with two 3-kW blocks in series each seeing roughly 400 V of the 800-V bus. The primary applications for the DSC package technology are intermediate bus converters taking 800 V DC on the primary side down to 48 V, 12 V, and 6 V. For 800-to-6 V conversion with output currents beyond 3,000 A, Renesas is working with EPC toward a DSC option for LV GaN. Renesas showcased the device as part of its 800-V power solutions at the OCP Global Summit, held October 12–15 in San Jose, California.
650-V 20-mΩ d-mode GaN FET (Gen 4+)Renesas ElectronicsPower Electronics News
Security researcher Quentin Kaiser disclosed two bugs in Broadcom's proprietary Wi-Fi implementation, dubbed "WPSplinter," dating back to at least 2010. The bugs lie in Broadcom's handling of Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS): specially crafted WPS messages can corrupt the router's memory, allowing an attacker within Wi-Fi range to run their own code on the device without needing the password. According to Kaiser, Broadcom knew about the vulnerability in 2018 and released a partial fix without public disclosure, subsequently recommending manufacturers switch to the open-source hostapd software. Kaiser demonstrated working exploits against routers supplied by Belgian providers Proximus and Orange — on an ASKEY TCG3000 gateway he ran code and extracted the Wi-Fi password — and also found the flaw in Netgear and Technicolor routers supplied by VOO. He estimates around 850,000 Proximus gateways, 500,000 at VOO and 210,000 at Orange Belgium could be affected, roughly 1.56 million routers in Belgium alone (rough estimates, he admits), with worldwide numbers potentially considerably higher. Routers running older eCos-based chips (BCM3380, BCM3383, BCM33834) may never get a fix — Kaiser calls the flaw a "forever day" — while routers using Linux-based BCM3390, BCM65xx, and BCM68xx chips are also at risk unless manufacturers switch to hostapd. Kaiser first reported the vulnerabilities to Broadcom on July 18 with a second report on July 27 and a 90-day disclosure window; Broadcom responded on July 28 saying a patch was available, then declined to assign a CVE identifier; CERT/CC closed its case on August 4. By October 15, the day before his presentation, Kaiser said none of the affected devices he had identified had received a patch. He has not reported evidence of attacks in the wild. The source does not state any price or supply impact.
According to a leak (attributed to well-known leaker Jaykihn), Intel is preparing to launch its Xeon E-series based on "Nova Lake" silicon in two versions: big P-Core only or efficiency E-Core only SKUs, with no hybrid SKUs containing both P-Cores and E-Cores, as those will be reserved for the regular "Nova Lake-S" desktop processors. The P-Core only lineup reportedly will include five configurations with 4, 6, 8, 12, and 16 P-Cores, while the E-Core lineup will be slightly smaller with four SKUs featuring 4, 8, 16, and 32 E-Cores; at the top of the range, buyers can choose between a 16 P-Core design or a 32 E-Core configuration. The new Xeon E designs will be powered by the W980 chipset platform, supporting native DDR5 memory with ECC, up to 48 PCIe lanes (including 12 PCIe 5.0 lanes and 12 PCIe 4.0 lanes from the chipset), and Intel vPro technology; DMI 5.0 x4 sets the DMI chipset bus bandwidth at 128 Gbps per direction; the CPU offers two 40 Gbps USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 ports; the processor-attached PCIe 5.0 x16 PEG slot can be segmented into x8/x8 or other combinations using lane switches; and both CPU-attached M.2 NVMe slots can be configured as Gen 5. This is leaked, planned product roadmap information; the source does not state the cause, and no price or supply figures are provided.
Flex completed the acquisition of EPC Power on October 19, 2026, adding it to the Cloud and Power Infrastructure segment to expand capabilities in power, cooling, and compute to address growing demand for higher-density AI infrastructure and next-generation 800V data center power architectures. EPC Power has over 15 GW deployed and supports grid stabilization and backup power. Flex plans to separate the Cloud and Power Infrastructure segment into Axiom Solutions International, Inc. in the first calendar quarter of 2027.
power conversion solutionsgrid-forming technology800V data center power architecturesFlex, EPC PowerEvertiqPartnership/M&A
TDK InvenSense is developing low-cost magnetic sensor technology for humanoid robot joints. TDK Vice President Jung Do-hyung said at THE ELEC's 'Semiconductors Powering Humanoids' conference, held at COEX in Seoul on Oct. 16, that the company is working with robotics manufacturers to develop humanoid joint measurement solutions using magnetic sensors. The solution uses a simple configuration of one magnet and one sensor to measure joint angles and could potentially replace encoders in certain joints, including fingers, using TMR sensors and Hall sensors: TMR sensors measure changes in electrical resistance caused by magnetic fields and offer higher measurement accuracy than Hall sensors, which measure voltages generated in response to magnetic fields; Hall sensors can also detect three-dimensional positions in ball-shaped joints. The stated background is that sensor costs increase as the number of joints grows, with fingers presenting particular challenges as multiple joints are concentrated in confined spaces. Jung said that for applications requiring only angle measurement, accuracy is likely lower than encoders, but the sensors are smaller, consume less power and are considerably cheaper; the company is also developing magnetic encoders for joints requiring precise position control and is applying magnetic sensor technology previously used in smartphones and automobiles to robotic joints.
Lenovo launched the Yoga Pro 9n laptop in South Korea on Oct. 19, powered by Nvidia RTX Spark. The laptop features an SoC combining an Arm-based CPU with an RTX GPU based on Blackwell architecture, supporting up to 128GB of unified memory. Prices start at 6.749 million won for the 64GB LPDDR5X model, with a preorder price of 6.24 million won. It includes Lenovo X Power cooling, TDP up to 80 W, two fans, four copper heat pipes, and operating noise as low as 22 dB. The 15‑inch OLED display offers up to 1,100 nits peak brightness, 165 Hz VRR, and 100% coverage of sRGB and DCI‑P3. The touchpad uses ForcePad for haptic feedback, and the laptop supports the second‑generation Yoga Pen with Wacom AES 3.0. The aluminum chassis has a Comfort Edge design, measures 16.7 mm thick, weighs about 1.65 kg, includes a 92.5 Wh battery, and supports USB4. Additional features are a Dolby Atmos‑certified four‑speaker system, three microphones with 3D noise cancellation, a specialized keyboard coating, concave keycaps, and 1.5 mm key travel.
According to industry sources on Oct. 19, Samsung Display is developing a 7-inch-class OLED prototype that does not use a fine metal mask (FMM) and is preparing to produce an engineering sample (ES) using its proprietary Micro Patterned OLED (MPO) technology. The project has been running since March and, rather than targeting a specific customer, is being developed to near-mass-production standards based on hypothetical customer requirements; the initial target is the end of 2026, although development could extend into the first quarter of 2027 depending on the sample's readiness. MPO development had effectively been on hold until early 2026: in September 2025, Samsung Display installed a 5.5-generation quarter-size vertical deposition system from AKT, an Applied Materials affiliate, at its A2 production line in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, to evaluate FMM-free technology, but the technology reportedly did not align with its existing development roadmaps for small, medium and larger OLED panels and its commercialization direction remained unclear. Development gained momentum after Samsung Display obtained a smartwatch OLED panel using Visionox's FMM-free ViP technology in March and analyzed it — the analysis produced different findings from the company's initial belief that ViP offered substantially lower yields and device performance than conventional FMM, showing device characteristics comparable to FMM despite being a first-generation product; an industry source said Visionox is still struggling to secure adequate yields, but Samsung Display internally considered yield improvement an area of strength where it could make substantial progress. MPO forms red, green and blue (RGB) pixels without an FMM through microscopic isolation structures and photolithography, and is reportedly being developed to remove the isolation structures after manufacturing, unlike Visionox's ViP and LG Display's FliPP, which retain them; industry observers believe these differences in process sequence and final structure could allow MPO to avoid patents covering ViP, FliPP and Applied Materials' FMM-free technologies. The process is considered particularly advantageous for high-resolution OLED displays, making it easier to achieve tighter pixel spacing while reducing organic-layer damage and fine-process control complexity as pixels shrink, reducing material consumption and manufacturing steps, with eliminating the etching step potentially simplifying manufacturing and reducing costs. An industry source said MPO is being developed in a direction better suited to high-resolution OLED displays than medium- and large-sized panels, and that once a 7-inch-class sample is available it will be possible to assess how effectively MPO's technical advantages can be realized at an actual product size.
FADU announced on Oct. 19 that it posted record third-quarter revenue of 143.6 billion won and operating profit of 36.3 billion won, up 96% and 124% respectively from the previous quarter; revenue surged 460% year-on-year and operating profit turned positive. As of October, the company secured approximately 456.3 billion won in new orders based on regulatory disclosures, more than four times its 2025 full-year revenue of 92.4 billion won, driven by rising demand for memory used in AI infrastructure among global technology giants and major cloud service providers. FADU has completed development of its next-generation PCI Express Gen6 solid-state drive (SSD) controller and plans to begin full-scale sales by year-end, while developing a Gen7 controller targeting delivery of samples to customers in 2028. At the 2026 Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit on Oct. 15, FADU unveiled its File Semantic SSD (FS-SSD) technology for data centers. The company is also expanding its product portfolio beyond power management integrated circuits (PMICs) and power loss protection ICs (PLP ICs) into data signal recovery and high-speed signal solutions.
Shindo Eng Lab, a display bonding equipment maker, unveiled a chip packaging architecture at SEMICON West 2026 in San Francisco on Oct. 15 local time that vertically stacks a graphics processing unit (GPU) and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) with a glass-ceramic interposer approximately 200 micrometers (μm) thick between them. In the proposed structure, the GPU sits above and the HBM below the interposer, and the two chips are connected through vertical conductive vias in the interposer; liquid cooling modules are attached above the GPU and below the HBM to dissipate heat in opposite directions, and power is delivered from a printed circuit board (PCB) at the bottom through metal pillars to the interposer, which distributes it to both chips. According to the source, current AI semiconductor packages use a 2.5D architecture that places GPUs and HBM side by side on a silicon interposer; vertical stacking shortens the distance between chips but creates challenges including concentrated heat and warpage caused by thermal expansion and contraction, and Shindo claims its glass-ceramic interposer, which allows thermal expansion characteristics to be adjusted, combined with cooling on both sides can mitigate these problems. The technology used to form the vertical conductive vias is Through Glass-Ceramic Via (TGCV), which the company unveiled in September; the process uses photolithography to form hole patterns simultaneously in a glass-ceramic substrate before filling them with copper, and Shindo initially introduced TGCV as a potential replacement for organic cores in flip-chip ball grid array (FC-BGA) substrates. Shindo has primarily supplied lamination and vacuum bonding equipment used to attach display panels to cover windows and has no previous experience in the semiconductor substrate business. The company has filed a patent application for the proposed architecture and is holding technical discussions with approximately 10 companies, having provided samples to some of them; it has not disclosed whether it intends to manufacture and sell interposers directly or supply equipment. A Shindo official said the ultimate goal is to implement a 3D architecture that vertically integrates GPUs and HBM using TGCV as the underlying technology, and the company plans to present the structure to outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) companies and discuss potential applications. The architecture remains a proposal; no mass production or commercialization is reported.
GPUHBM玻璃陶瓷中介层（glass-ceramic interposer）Shindo Eng LabThe Elec
SK hynix announced on Oct. 19 that it will contribute 2 trillion won together with commercial banks to support South Korean semiconductor materials, components and equipment suppliers. SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung attended a signing ceremony for an Export Supply Chain Strengthening Guarantee agreement at the company's Yongin Cluster exhibition center in Gyeonggi Province, along with Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Kim Jung-kwan, the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-SURE), representatives of four major commercial banks — KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Woori Bank and Hana Bank — and key suppliers. The agreement aims to expand borrowing limits for domestic suppliers, provide preferential interest rates and reduce guarantee fees; SK hynix and the participating banks contribute funding while K-SURE provides guarantees. Selected suppliers received the first guarantee certificates, with beneficiaries' names not disclosed. According to SK hynix, suppliers have faced difficulties commercializing newly developed technologies and products because they lack opportunities to test them in actual semiconductor manufacturing environments. Participants also toured the first Yongin fab construction site and the Trinity Fab facility, an advanced semiconductor facility jointly developed by the central government, local authorities and SK hynix within the first Yongin fab; the 870 billion won project aims to strengthen the technological independence of domestic suppliers and accelerate localization.
semiconductor materialssemiconductor componentssemiconductor equipmentSK hynix, Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-SURE) and 6 totalThe Elec
Related manufacturers
SK hynix, Korea Trade Insurance Corporation (K-SURE), KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Woori Bank, Hana Bank
Infineon presented its semiconductor solutions for humanoid robotic hands at SEDEX 2026 held on Oct. 16, 2026 at COEX in Seoul, highlighting microcontrollers (MCUs), power semiconductors and tactile sensors, and demonstrated a board with an MCU, gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors and power/position sensors capable of driving motors up to 1.2 kW, measuring about 66 mm.
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'.
LG will begin business review meetings across all its affiliates on Oct. 19, chaired by Chairman and CEO Koo Kwang-mo and attended by subsidiary CEOs and business division heads, to review the company's 2026 business performance and plans for 2027. The reviews will start with electronics affiliates including LG Electronics, LG Display and LG Innotek, followed by chemical and battery businesses such as LG Energy Solution and LG Chem, and telecommunications and services affiliates including LG Uplus and LG CNS, continuing for approximately one month. The meetings will address specific business partnerships with global technology companies including Nvidia and Microsoft, along with follow-up implementation plans. LG strengthened its cooperation with Nvidia in 2026 in AI factories, physical AI and mobility, and has agreed to expand its collaboration with Microsoft across AI infrastructure. LG has also selected key quarterly discussion topics throughout 2026: AX execution in March, Winning R&D in June and refining investment strategies in September; at the September CEO meeting, Koo urged executives to act with speed and persistent execution to win in AI's future battlegrounds. The initiative is part of LG's "One LG" strategy to consolidate group capabilities, aiming to maximize synergies and achieve results in critical future AI markets beyond short-term collaboration.
LG, LG Electronics and 10 totalThe ElecPartnership/M&A
Related manufacturers
LG, LG Electronics, LG Display, LG Innotek, LG Energy Solution, LG Chem, LG Uplus, LG CNS, Nvidia, Microsoft
LS Electric signed a contract worth approximately 170 billion won to supply switchgear for AI data centers of a major US technology company; it also announced on Oct. 19 a long-term agreement worth $125.23 million to supply power distribution solutions for North American data centers. The contract covers 2027‑2028, with 2027 deliveries set and 2028 volume to be negotiated. The products are 38‑kilovolt high‑voltage switchgear systems. The source does not state the cause.
Technology Industries of Finland (TIF) published its recommendations on the EU Chips Act 2.0 (a Commission proposal still to survive the legislative process, with funding not yet settled), arguing the Act must start with demand. Market context figures cited: global chip sales reached $701bn in 2025, will pass $1trn this year and, by the European Commission's reckoning, reach $1.6trn by 2030; Europe makes less than a tenth of the world's chips and covers about a fifth of its own consumption. Proposal points cited: for the first time the Act tackles demand as well as supply (Grand Challenges, industry-led Demand Accelerators, innovation procurement); first-of-a-kind status now spans the whole value chain; permitting is capped at 12 months; quantum chips and photonics get dedicated support. Funding: the Regulation itself contains almost no new money, to be settled separately in the EU budget for 2028 to 2034 and the European Competitiveness Fund; the Commission's impact assessment models an example investment of €40bn, and industry has suggested a ring-fenced EU semiconductor budget of €30bn to €60bn. The proposal's strategic-project priority list includes advanced manufacturing, AI chips, memory and leading-edge design but leaves out quantum and photonic chip manufacturing. The article also notes Finland's industry-led strategy 'Chips from the North' aims to triple the sector's revenue to between €5bn and €6bn by 2035, and sets out seven recommendations (act at speed; secure EU funding of critical mass from every window of the Competitiveness Fund; keep and extend the first-of-a-kind definition to quantum-chip manufacturing; use strategic projects for demand-led critical capacity anchoring an advanced fab; give industry a structured role; build resilience via trusted partnerships; keep security-of-supply obligations narrow). The source does not state the cause — this is an opinion/analysis piece, not a price movement or discrete event.
semiconductorsMEMS and sensorsphotonicsEvertiqPolicy/Regulation
Huawei is betting on the Tau Scaling Law and LogicFolding to boost chip performance, bringing the technology to its Kirin 9050 Pro. But a Huawei scientist says EDA tools remain the biggest hurdle. Beyond this stated hurdle, the source does not state any other cause.
Kirin 9050 ProHuaweiTrendForce Official (Market Data)
TrendForce's latest report '2027 Infrared Sensing and Optical Communication Market Trend' shows that rapidly growing demand for data transmission in expanding data-center networks is increasing interest in vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)-based near-packaged optics (NPO). This technology is favored for its low power usage, easier maintenance, and a mature supply chain. Six leading opto component makers, including Lumentum, Furukawa Electric, Coherent, Broadcom, ams OSRAM, and HiSilicon, are investing heavily in R&D in this area.
VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser)near-packaged optics (NPO)Lumentum, Furukawa Electric and 6 totalSemiconductor Today
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has predicted a surge in Chinese memory chip production by 2028, raising questions over Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix's pricing power during an AI-driven dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) shortage. His remarks suggest that China's expanding capacity could offer major technology buyers alternative sources of supply and potentially ease memory costs. This is a prediction, not an implemented capacity change; the source does not state the cause.
DRAMSamsung Electronics, SK HynixDigiTimes AsiaCapacity Change