This is a weekly industry roundup listing multiple semiconductor developments: HBM shortages threaten AI expansion; TSMC weighs price hikes (under consideration only, not confirmed); advanced packaging ramps; domain-specialized AI models; Infineon and UMC boost fab investments; Intel's quantum move; Lam and imec advance 3D integration; Google expands TPUs; AI-driven earnings; and CPU benchmarking methodology for agentic AI. The source provides only headline-level mentions, with no specific figures, dates or causes, and does not state implementation status of these items.
HBMTSMC, Infineon and 7 totalSemiconductor Engineering
According to Financial News, Samsung expects demand for its 8nm-and-below processes to exceed capacity, with utilization projected to surpass 100% in 2027; per Yonhap News, the number of 2nm projects secured in 2026 is expected to more than double YoY. According to Yonhap News, Samsung secured additional 2nm projects from major cloud service providers and AI/HPC customers in 3Q26, building on wins in the previous quarter. Per Seoul Economic Daily, Samsung plans to begin mass production of its second-generation 2nm mobile chip, the Exynos 2700, in 4Q26, while ramping up 4nm NPUs for a major customer. Per Central News Agency, Taiwanese ASIC firm Faraday said on October 27 that it had secured a U.S. cloud AI chip project using 2nm gate-all-around (GAA) technology, valued at tens of millions of dollars; Samsung will handle wafer fabrication, with Taiwanese foundry UMC and memory manufacturers also participating. Per Yonhap News, Samsung expects HPC to account for over 50% of its foundry revenue in 2027; as background, TSMC's HPC segment contributed 68% of total revenue in 3Q26. With advanced-node demand outpacing capacity expansion, Samsung is considering investments in new fabs in the U.S. and South Korea; per Green Economic Daily, Samsung plans to continue expanding 8nm, 4nm, and 2nm capacity, and the first Taylor foundry fab in the U.S. remains on schedule, with cleanroom operations underway and equipment installation and wafer runs in progress; per The Guru, the company is reportedly preparing to break ground on its second Taylor fab in November, with mass production targeted for 2030. Samsung expects double-digit foundry revenue growth and further earnings improvement in 4Q26. Per Digital Today citing Kiwoom Securities, the combined operating loss of Samsung's foundry and System LSI businesses is projected to shrink from KRW 6.742 trillion in 2025 to KRW 3.921 trillion in 2026, with quarterly losses estimated to have eased to KRW 777 billion in 3Q26.
8nm-and-below processes2nm4nmSamsung, Faraday Technology and 4 totalTrendForceCapacity Change
United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) expects wafer foundry pricing to continue rising in 2027, with CEO Jason Wang projecting approximately 10% year-over-year growth in the company's full-year average selling price (ASP) for 2027. This is a forward-looking projection, not an achieved result; the source does not state the cause. The title additionally mentions AI revenue share heading toward 25% within three years.
wafer foundry average selling price (ASP)UMCDigiTimes AsiaPrice Movement
According to the source title, UMC's utilization will top 90% in 2H26 as AI demand drives its expansion. The article states that United Microelectronics (UMC) saw operating momentum strengthen in the third quarter of 2026, as demand for artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing (HPC), communications, and automotive chips continued to drive the mature and specialty process markets. The source does not provide further capacity change details.
UMC CEO Jason Wang said at the Q3 earnings call that he expects 2027 to 'mark a turning point in our blended ASP trajectory,' with Foundry blended ASP expected to rise about 10% YoY; he also said AI exposure would 'probably see a quarter' of revenue in three years. These are management expectations/forecasts, not achieved results, and the source does not state the cause of the expected ASP turning point.
Foundry blended ASPAI-related revenueUMCTrendForce Official (Market Data)Price Movement
UMC and AP Memory announced a collaboration on silicon capacitor technology, combining deep trench capacitor technology and silicon capacitor designs for advanced packaging power delivery in AI and HPC systems. The source does not state a specific timeline, capacity, or commercial terms. This is an announced collaboration; its actual implementation is not confirmed by the source.
silicon capacitordeep trench capacitorUMC, AP MemoryEE Times AsiaPartnership/M&A
In an interview at SEMICON West 2026, Soitec Chief Product Officer René Jonker discussed the company, which was spun out of CEA-Leti in 1992 around the Smart Cut process. Soitec now runs five main technology platforms: RF-SOI (used in RF switches and low-noise amplifiers in practically every 5G phone and Wi-Fi module), FD-SOI (used in automotive radar, IoT microcontrollers and edge devices, often cutting power by 30 to 50 percent without a node shrink), Power-SOI (high-voltage automotive and industrial circuits), POI (acoustic RF filters for 5G and 6G), and Photonics-SOI, developed a decade ago and now the platform carrying the company. Jonker said Photonics-SOI is 'now seen as the new gold'; as AI cluster connectivity pushes traffic from copper to fiber, it is driving Soitec's business 'with a very impressive growth rate' and underpins the co-packaged optics now coming into AI data centers. The article notes that Soitec trades on Euronext Paris and that an investor who put $100 into its stock in January 2026 was holding more than $600 by early October. On competition, Jonker said direct competition comes mostly from GlobalWafers, which 'has or used to have access to our IP,' while technology-level competition includes FD-SOI customers who could choose FinFET at TSMC, and a trade-off between silicon and indium phosphide for optical waveguides. SmartSiC (lowering the cost of SiC power devices for EV inverters) and RF-GaN on insulator (in development for 6G power amplifiers and aerospace) remain in development, and FD-SOI is moving to smaller geometries.
UMC and AP Memory announced a technology and manufacturing partnership on October 22 to develop next-generation power delivery solutions for AI data centers, combining UMC's deep trench capacitor (DTC) technology and wafer manufacturing capabilities with AP Memory's silicon capacitor design and system integration expertise. The collaboration comes as rising power consumption in AI and high-performance computing (HPC) chips accelerates the shift towards near-chip power delivery and advanced packaging integration. This is an announced partnership covering the development of next-generation power delivery solutions for AI data centers.
deep trench capacitor (DTC)silicon capacitorUMC, AP MemoryDigiTimes AsiaPartnership/M&A
PSMC's third-quarter revenue rose 23% sequentially and 80% annually to NT$21.3 billion, while net profit surged 98% and 338%, respectively, to NT$6.5 billion, with gross margin climbing 20 percentage points to 48%, driven by rising memory prices and tight foundry capacity. According to Liberty Times, PSMC President Martin Chu expects fourth-quarter revenue to grow by double digits sequentially as ASPs continue to rise; in the third quarter, completed memory wafers had ASPs more than 30% below those entering production during the same period, meaning recent price increases have yet to be fully reflected in revenue, with higher-priced wafers expected to contribute more in the fourth quarter. According to TechNews, global DRAM supply remains tight as major manufacturers shift capacity toward HBM and gradually exit specialty DRAM, keeping PSMC's specialty DRAM foundry prices elevated; PSMC is advancing its 1p DRAM collaboration with Micron, with a PDK due by the end of 2026, equipment arriving in 1Q27, and trial production starting in 2Q27. PSMC notes tight MLC NAND supply is driving demand for high-capacity SLC NAND, with the company shifting its SLC foundry platform to 24nm; AI servers require three to five times as much NOR Flash per system as conventional servers, and PSMC is the only NOR Flash foundry outside China. According to PSMC's earnings presentation, wafer input ASPs for its 8-inch and 12-inch logic foundry services rose 8–10% in the third quarter; with capacity constraints persisting, the company plans further price hikes of 10–20% in 2027 and is negotiating long-term agreements (LTAs) to secure pricing and volumes. PSMC has begun shipping 55nm BCD products with customers seeking three-year contracts; fully utilized 2026 foundry capacity is squeezing smartphone PMIC production, prompting major handset makers to seek 2027 capacity; 80% of 2027 MOSFET and IGBT capacity is already covered by LTAs; GaN products have entered small-volume wafer production pending final customer validation. IPD order visibility extends into 2028 with mass production underway on 8-inch and 12-inch wafers; WoW hybrid bonding small-scale trial production is underway with mass production targeted for 1H27. The Micron PWF project remains on schedule, with pilot line construction expected to finish by the end of 2026 and mass production planned for 4Q27.
memoryspecialty DRAMNAND FlashPowerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC), MicronTrendForcePrice Movement
Japan's Fujifilm is expanding its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photoresist production capacity to deepen cooperation with Samsung Electronics. Brian O'Donnellley, president of Fujifilm Electronic Materials USA, said the company is producing EUV photoresists in Pyeongtaek and, although it has not yet entered full-scale mass production, some EUV PR products have passed qualification tests at major customers. Fujifilm has expanded EUV PR production facilities in Shizuoka, Japan (its primary hub for advanced photoresist development and production) and Pyeongtaek, South Korea (near Samsung, selected for its most advanced products); EUV PR production and inspection equipment at both locations began operating in October 2025. The source does not state when full-scale mass production in Pyeongtaek will begin. The company cited artificial intelligence (AI) driving demand for materials used in processes at 2 nanometers and below, and expansion of advanced manufacturing processes increasing demand for ArF and EUV photoresists as the stated reason. Separately, Fujifilm is expanding its CMP slurry production facility near Samsung's Cheonan campus, planning to increase production capacity by approximately 30%, with additional facilities scheduled to begin operating in the first half of 2027; Fujifilm holds the largest global market share in CMP slurries for copper interconnects. The company also operates a facility in Carrollton, Texas near Samsung's Taylor plant and is considering various options to expand its manufacturing presence in South Korea, where it currently has two production facilities.
According to a repost by TrendForce, Samsung may end UMC's exclusive supply of display driver ICs (DDI) for Samsung's Galaxy OLED displays: amid tightening mature-node capacity, Samsung is reportedly eyeing GlobalFoundries as a second DDI supplier, with adoption possible as early as late 2027. The source does not state the cause. This remains a reported rumor with no confirmed contract or production fact.
OLED display DDI (display driver IC)Samsung, UMC and 3 totalTrendForce Official (Market Data)Partnership/M&A
According to ZDNet, SK hynix has unveiled its ultra-lightweight Hynix Transaction Processing Unit (H-TPU) architecture, dedicated to SSD data-plane control and transactions, distributing storage-control tasks across dozens of compact H-TPU clusters. According to Vice President Koo In-jae, who oversees SoC design, H-TPU eliminates complex CPU features such as superscalar and out-of-order execution and adopts a simplified four-stage pipeline, reducing processor area to approximately 4% and power consumption to around 2.5% of a conventional CPU core, activating only required modules. Building on H-TPU, SK hynix plans to introduce hardware automation (HWA), assigning repetitive storage-control tasks such as instruction processing, data address lookups, and temporary buffer copying to dedicated hardware circuits. SK hynix expects the H-TPU-based controller architecture to complement high-bandwidth flash (HBF), an emerging memory technology for AI workloads; AI inference is highly read-intensive with read-to-write ratios reaching approximately 300,000 to 1, and AI compilers and runtimes could inform the HBF SoC of upcoming data-processing needs for prefetching. Separately, according to Yonhap News, Samsung began mass production of its PCIe 6.0-based PM1763 enterprise SSD in July 2026, featuring a newly developed 4nm controller and ninth-generation V-NAND, delivering more than twice the performance and over 1.8 times the power efficiency of its predecessor.
According to ZDNet citing industry sources, Samsung is considering adding GlobalFoundries as a second foundry partner for display driver ICs (DDIs) used in its OLED Galaxy smartphones, potentially ending UMC's exclusive role in manufacturing the chips; GlobalFoundries-produced DDIs could appear in Galaxy smartphones as early as late 2027, with some lower- and mid-range Galaxy A series models possibly the first to adopt the chips. Samsung is reportedly evaluating GlobalFoundries' 22nm or 28nm nodes, which have compatible manufacturing facilities in Singapore and Germany. The stated cause: mature-node demand has outpaced supply since the second half of 2025, and per ZDNet, Samsung requested expedited DDI production for its Galaxy Z Fold8 after demand exceeded expectations following its July unveiling, but UMC was unable to fulfill the request because its 22nm DDI production capacity had already reached its limit; as a result, Samsung cut its planned Galaxy Z Fold8 component production volume for September by 10%, shifting the deferred volume to October. Per Economic Daily News, institutional investors expect UMC's 12-inch capacity utilization to reach 93% by the end of 2026, supported by rising 22/28nm DDI orders from Samsung System LSI and Novatek and demand for Apple Mac-related chips on 55/65nm nodes; per TrendForce, some capacity-constrained 12-inch mature nodes showed signs of 5–10% price increases between Q2 and Q3 2026, with broader price hikes expected in 2027. These items remain reports/evaluations or expectations, not confirmed actions.
display driver IC (DDI)Samsung, UMC and 3 totalTrendForceCapacity Change
Following stronger-than-expected demand for its Galaxy Z Fold8, Samsung Electronics submitted an expedited wafer production request to United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), which was ultimately turned down. As a result, Samsung scaled back its September 2026 component production volume by 10%. The source ties this to persistent capacity tightness at mature process nodes. Samsung is also now evaluating GlobalFoundries (GF) as a secondary foundry partner for its OLED smartphone DDIs, with potential adoption set for late 2027 at the earliest.
OLED smartphone display driver ICs (DDIs)wafers at mature process nodesSamsung Electronics, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) and 3 totalDigiTimes AsiaCapacity Change
Related manufacturers
Samsung Electronics, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), GlobalFoundries (GF)
According to a report by Chosun.biz (published 8 October 2026), AMD CEO Lisa Su is visiting South Korea to secure additional supply of HBM memory for AI accelerators, saying 'We are going to talk about our broader partnership' with Samsung executives; Samsung, meanwhile, reportedly 'hopes to turn its memory supply relationship with AMD into foundry' orders for logic chips. The visit comes a little less than seven months after the two companies signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) this March, effective for three years and covering four areas: supply of next-generation memory products including HBM4 and advanced DDR5; co-development and optimization of memory solutions for AI and high-performance computing systems; exploration of foundry manufacturing opportunities for future AMD platforms; and co-optimization of advanced packaging and related semiconductor technologies. Samsung has become a principal supplier of HBM4 for AMD's Instinct MI400-series accelerators; expanding collaboration beyond memory supply is considerably more complicated, as it involves considerable efforts to design chips for Samsung Foundry's process technologies and risks associated with a product ramp at a new contract chipmaker — AMD's most recent Annual Report states that transitioning production of some products to new manufacturers may cause delayed product introductions, lower yields or poorer performance. AMD has already started shipments of its Instinct MI455 accelerators with 432GB of HBM4 onboard as well as rack-scale Helios AI systems to interested parties; Su said 'Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are key supply-chain partners for AMD,' that 'AI demand is extremely high' so AMD is planning its long-term supply chain with partners, and that 'It is important to plan three to five years ahead with our partners.' The article concludes that AMD is negotiating for more memory supply and whether it will take the risk of adopting Samsung Foundry beyond niche programmable chips 'only time will tell.'
HBM4DDR5HBM memoryAMD, Samsung and 5 totalTom's HardwarePartnership/M&A
SMIC reported Q2 2026 revenue of $3.006 billion, up 20% QoQ, narrowing its market share gap with Samsung Foundry. Growth was driven by advance procurement in PCs and rising demand for AI peripherals and NAND Flash amid shortages. This signals strong bullish momentum for SMIC and the memory sector.
NAND FlashNOR FlashAI Peripheral ICsSMIC, Samsung Foundry and 5 totalEvertiqFinancial/Earnings
Intel and Fortinet announced the fabrication of Fortinet's sixth-generation Security Processor (SP6) on the Intel 4 node, marking the first named external foundry customer for the process. This agreement signals progress for Intel Foundry Services (IFS) in securing external capacity despite delays compared to the planned Intel 3 node. Bullish for Intel Foundry capacity utilization.
Intel and Fortinet announced a partnership to manufacture the SP6 firewall ASIC on Intel 4, marking the node's first external customer. The chiplet-based design departs from the current monolithic SP5 and is scheduled for Q3-Q4 2026 production. Bullish: Confirms Intel 4 node adoption and validates Intel Foundry Services' advanced packaging capabilities.
TSMC plans to raise baseline prices on advanced nodes (7nm and below) by 5-10% and mature nodes by up to 10%, effective early 2027. Additional HPC capacity demand will incur a 10-15% premium, potentially totaling a 25% increase. Bullish for foundry pricing power driven by AI demand and rising tool costs.
Advanced Process NodesMature Process NodesHPC ChipsTSMC, Vanguard International Semiconductor and 3 totalTom's HardwarePrice Movement