Samsung Foundry delays 1.4nm mass production to 2029, sticking with 2nm for three years. TSMC plans 1.6nm A16 mass production in H2 2026, while Samsung delays High-NA EUV adoption. Neutral. This is a roadmap adjustment with no immediate impact on spot prices.
Samsung Display plans to expand OLED production capacity in Asan (Plant 2) starting 2027, targeting completion in early 2028, driven by foldable demand and Apple's rumored entry. Concurrently, rising memory costs are expected to keep mobile manufacturing expenses elevated in 2H26.
PC Partner Group reported a 18.4% drop in GPU shipments and a 10.7% rise in ASP for H1 2026, warning of substantial cost increases in H2. Entry-level GPUs face severe shortages due to graphics memory constraints, while KTC and AOC also cite rising panel and component costs for price hikes.
Yole Group forecasts the xEV power device market to reach $14.5 billion by 2031, recovering from a 2024-2025 slowdown. The report projects xEV production will account for 70% of global light vehicle production by 2031. Bullish: The 14% CAGR indicates strong future demand for power electronics.
Phison CEO Pua Khein-Seng predicts NAND Flash supply tightness will persist for years due to AI demand, with 2027 capacity constraints expected to be more severe than 2026, leaving room for further price gains. Bullish: Supply shortage and price increase potential.
Samsung Electronics' sales to China and the US surpassed the US in the first half of 2026, driven by an AI-driven memory upcycle. Despite strong ties with Nvidia in HBM, Nvidia is not among the top five customers. Bullish signal indicating robust demand for AI memory.
Samsung and SK Hynix are waging a hiring war for HBM4 talent, exacerbating South Korea's semiconductor design talent shortage by poaching key engineers from fabless companies, despite tighter restrictions complicating movement between the giants.
SK hynix lacks replacement units for defective SSDs and offers refunds based on original purchase prices, which is insufficient given current market prices have doubled. This highlights the severity of the storage shortage and the specific terms of SK hynix's warranty policy. Bullish: SSD spot prices continue to rise as supply shortages intensify.
Ukrainian intelligence discovered an Nvidia Jetson Orin NX 16GB (TE980M-A1) in a Russian missile, bypassing sanctions. Impact: Neutral for component pricing; highlights secondary market loopholes in export controls.
Researchers from TSMC and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University engineered a 0.42-nanometer aluminum-oxide interface for monolayer MoS₂ transistors, enabling strong gate control. This breakthrough addresses interface defects in 2D semiconductors but has no immediate impact on current trading prices or supply chains.
Samsung's HBM4 yield reportedly hit 80%, and it is considering shifting NRD-K Line 2 to foundry use for 2nm HBM base dies to meet future NVIDIA demand. This indicates capacity expansion and supply increase, which will likely exert downward pressure on HBM spot prices.
NoMIS Power demonstrated a 6.5 kV SiC MOSFET with >8 kV blocking voltage and 90 mΩ Rds(on), currently in sampling. Mass production is scheduled for Q4 2026, extending their roadmap to 10 kV+ devices.
Delta Electronics and Lite-On Technology are increasing capital expenditure to 9% of revenue to meet the surging demand for power and cooling solutions in AI data centers. Chipmakers like Nvidia and AMD are refreshing platforms annually, driving up power density and thermal requirements. This capacity expansion is necessary to avoid missing design cycles amid intense competition.
YMTC overtook Micron and Kioxia in Q2 NAND unit shipments to capture 14% market share, ranking third globally. Record industry revenue surged fivefold due to AI workload migration to inference, driving enterprise SSD demand and supply tightness. This bullish demand environment supports NAND price increases despite YMTC's current revenue mix disadvantage.
Yole forecasts the xEV power-device market to reach $14.5 billion by 2031, with SiC MOSFETs growing at a 21.5% CAGR. Driven by 800V architectures and Chinese BEV demand, SiC and GaN adoption is accelerating, though SiC manufacturers face overcapacity risks.
Samsung plans to convert its NRD-K Line 2 R&D facility into a foundry line for 2nm HBM base dies by late 2028 to secure capacity for NVIDIA's next-gen HBM5 demand. This shift leverages the GAA-based 2nm process to address the critical shortage of high-bandwidth memory. The move signals a bullish supply outlook for HBM5 as Samsung targets mass production in the second half of 2028.
ZJ InnoLight subsidiary invested approximately 2.32 billion RMB to acquire a 1.04% stake in PCB giant Avary Holding. This strategic move integrates optical transceiver supply chains with high-end PCB manufacturing, specifically targeting AI server and 800G/1.6T optical module markets. Watch: Avary Holding announced an 11 billion RMB investment to build a high-end PCB base, indicating capacity expansion driven by AI demand.
Cissoid has discontinued products based on its second-generation HADES gate driver chipset, including IPMs and ICMs, due to the discontinuation of X-FAB's Xi10 process. The company is accelerating the release of a third-generation redesign on a new fab, expected as early as next year. Bearish: The EOL of the 2nd gen products will trigger immediate supply shortages and price increases.
NXP broke ground on a new assembly and test factory in Malaysia, adding 500,000 square feet to expand its operations. The facility, ramping up in Q1 2028, aims to double output and support future growth from joint ventures in Singapore and Germany. Bearish for prices due to increased supply capacity.
South Korea's government established a 5 trillion KRW fund to support chip companies beyond Samsung and SK Hynix. This move aims to strengthen the nation's competitiveness amid the global AI infrastructure race. Bullish: The policy support signals increased investment and capacity expansion in the local semiconductor ecosystem.
Whose chips are really inside the hottest new products? We open them up and show you, one part at a time.
| Analog | $0.68 | −5.9% |
|---|---|---|
| Connector | $0.75 | +0.2% |
| CPU | $386.74 | −21.3% |
| DDR4 | $88.40 | −0.2% |
| DDR52026-W13 | $14.89 | −11.2% |
| GPU | $478.20 | +8.2% |
| MCU | $0.68 | −61.7%Unusual |
| MLCC | $0.01 | +54.0%Unusual |
| MOSFET | $0.12 | −82.8%Unusual |
| PMIC2026-W13 | $0.44 | −12.5% |
| SSD/HDD | $288.43 | n/a |