Samsung, SK Hynix Secure Long-Term U.S. Helium Supply Deals
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have secured long‑term helium supply agreements with Germany's Linde and U.S. Air Products, shifting their procurement to U.S. sources. The contracts were accelerated after Iran’s attacks on Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex raised fears of a helium shortage. Both chipmakers accepted higher prices to guarantee stable deliveries. The deals reduce exposure to Qatar‑dependent supply chains and ensure adequate helium inventories for critical semiconductor processes.
Mobilint, Lotte Innovate to Pilot NPU Deployment in Industrial Sites
Mobilint and Lotte Innovate have signed a memorandum of understanding to pilot neural processing unit (NPU) deployments across Lotte Group’s manufacturing and distribution sites. The collaboration will focus on on‑device and edge AI applications, including humanoid robots that leverage vision‑language‑action...
AMD Embedded+ Platform Used to Develop AI Security System
AMD announced that its Embedded+ platform, which fuses a Ryzen embedded processor with a Versal adaptive SoC, was used by Fujisoft to build an AI‑powered industrial security system. The solution runs on a single board, leveraging the CPU for high‑performance...
SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung Exercises Stock Options, Acquires 2,329 Shares
SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh‑Jung exercised stock options on April 6, acquiring 2,329 common shares at 138,980 won ($106) per share for a total purchase of about 323 million won (~$0.25 million). Based on the closing price, the market value of the newly acquired...
Samsung Electro-Mechanics Supplies Glass Substrate Samples to Apple
Samsung Electro-Mechanics has begun supplying glass substrate samples to Apple, expanding beyond its earlier collaboration with Broadcom. The glass core replaces organic material in flip‑chip BGA substrates, offering superior flatness and lower thermal expansion, which is critical as AI chips...
Genesem Secures Orders From Three Major Indian Semiconductor Packaging Customers
Genesem has secured three major Indian semiconductor packaging contracts, including a 5 billion‑won (~$3.8 million) order from company C and a 15 billion‑won (~$11.3 million) order from company K. The company projects Indian revenue of 20‑25 billion won (~$15‑$19 million) this year, roughly a quarter of...
Samsung Electronics Names KCTech, Wonik IPS Among Top Suppliers at 2026 Partner Day
Samsung Electronics held its 2026 Device Solutions Division Mutual Growth Cooperation Day, honoring 17 top suppliers for achievements in technology, cost efficiency and ESG performance. KCTech received the highest technology innovation award for advancing localized CMP equipment, while Wonik IPS...
AUROS Technology Targets Mass Supply of 1nm-Level Metrology Tools This Year
AUROS Technology is finalizing qualification of its ultra‑precision thin‑film thickness metrology system with a leading domestic chipmaker, aiming to begin mass production this year. The tool measures film thickness at angstrom‑level accuracy, supporting etching, deposition and CMP processes, and could...
DEEPX Expands NPU Partnership With Lotte Innovate After PoC Approval
DEEPX announced on April 2 that its DX‑M1 neural processing unit has cleared Lotte Innovate’s proof‑of‑concept validation, prompting the two firms to move into a mass‑production phase. Lotte Innovate selected the DX‑M1 for its strong computational performance, efficient thermal management and...
Qualcomm Joins Korea's 'Challenge AX' Program to Support AI Startups
Qualcomm announced its participation in South Korea’s Challenge AX program, a government‑backed initiative linking AI startups with large corporations. The company will act as a demand‑side partner alongside LG Electronics, offering joint development of robot control, autonomous mobile robots, and on‑device...
Tungsten Supply Risks Mount as China Controls Exports, Japan Cuts WF6 Output
The semiconductor industry is confronting a new supply bottleneck as China tightens export controls on tungsten, the raw material for tungsten hexafluoride (WF6) gas. Japanese WF6 producers, responsible for roughly 25% of global output, plan to cut production in the...
Mobilint Raises 70 Billion Won in Series C Funding
Mobilint announced a 70 billion won Series C round on April 1, backed by Praxis Capital Partners, POSCO Investment and K Partners. The funding will fuel development of next‑generation neural processing units, expand mass‑production capacity, and support global market entry. Mobilint’s AI chip portfolio...
Qualitas Semiconductor Signs 2nm Edge AI IP License Deal Worth 1.3 Billion Won
Qualitas Semiconductor announced a design‑IP license agreement for its 2‑nanometer gate‑all‑around (GAA) MIPI C/D‑PHY, valued at roughly 1.3 billion won—about 21% of its projected 2024 revenue. The license, granted to a U.S. edge‑AI semiconductor firm, runs through March 30 2025 and carries no...
FuriosaAI to Mass Produce Second-Gen AI Chip, Supply to Samsung SDS Cloud From July
FuriosaAI announced mass production of its second‑generation Renegade AI chip, targeting 20,000 units in 2024 after an initial 4,000‑unit run. The chip upgrades to HBM3E memory, boosting capacity to 72 GB and delivering up to 20 petaflops per rack. Samsung SDS will...
NVIDIA Invests $2 Billion in Marvell to Expand NVLink AI Ecosystem
NVIDIA announced a $2 billion investment in Marvell Technology to broaden its NVLink ecosystem and support custom AI infrastructure. The partnership will deliver NVLink Fusion, a high‑speed interconnect that lets customers build rack‑level heterogeneous AI systems using NVIDIA GPUs, CPUs, DPUs...
SEC Develops Inline X-Ray Inspection Tool for HBM Production
SEC Co. has completed development of the Semi‑Scan‑SW, an automated inline X‑ray inspection system for high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) production. The tool detects internal defects as small as 3‑5 µm across HBM stacking, through‑glass‑via (TGV) and wafer‑level packaging (WLP) processes. SEC will...
DRAM Price Rally Pauses in March, Seen Resuming in Second Quarter
The year‑long rally in DRAM prices paused in March as pre‑negotiated contracts locked the average 8 Gb DDR4 price at $13, ending 11 months of double‑digit growth. First‑quarter DRAM prices still surged 100‑115% versus the prior quarter, reflecting strong demand. TrendForce...
Telechips Advances Network Gateway Chip Business, Seeks Global Customers
Telechips is accelerating its network gateway chip business, launching proof‑of‑concept projects with select global customers as it seeks a profitability turnaround. The company is simultaneously expanding AI‑integrated automotive semiconductor offerings for ADAS and autonomous driving, while upgrading its in‑vehicle infotainment...
SK Hynix Orders Hybrid Bonding Equipment From Applied Materials and Besi
South Korean memory maker SK hynix has ordered a hybrid bonding inline system co‑developed by Applied Materials and BE Semiconductor Industries, valued at roughly 20 billion won. The equipment combines CMP and plasma modules with Besi’s die‑bonder, enabling mass‑production of next‑generation...
Mobilint Seeks to Supply NPU Chips for Shinsegae AI Checkout Systems
South Korean AI chip startup Mobilint has completed silicon proof‑of‑concept validation for its second‑generation NPU, Regulus, developed for Shinsegae Group’s AI‑powered checkout kiosks. The chip, fabricated on TSMC’s 12‑nm process, is slated for mass production in the second quarter and...
Samsung Electronics Adopts Hybrid Bonding Inspection Equipment
Samsung Electronics is rolling out hybrid bonding inspection equipment, partnering with Onto Innovation’s picosecond laser ultrasound system that is already being validated on mass‑production lines. The joint development targets detection of microscopic voids and overlay errors in high‑bandwidth memory (HBM)...
Rebellions Raises 640 Billion Won in Pre-IPO Round as First Korea National Growth Fund Pick
South Korean AI chip designer Rebellions Inc. closed a 640 billion won pre‑IPO funding round, valuing the company at 3.4 trillion won. The round, led by the state‑backed Korea National Growth Fund with 250 billion won, also included contributions from KDB and Mirae...
Samsung Electronics Union Leader's Remarks Spark Controversy Amid Strike Push
Samsung Electronics’ union leader Choi Seung‑ho announced a rally on April 23 and a general strike in May, warning that employees who do not join could face reporting, reassignment or dismissal. The union’s hard‑line stance follows a 2024 strike that caused...
Samsung Electronics Launches Silicon Photonics Foundry Business
Samsung Electronics' foundry division announced its entry into the silicon photonics market, unveiling a roadmap that moves from photonic integrated circuits (PICs) this year to optical engines in 2027 and turnkey co‑packaged optics (CPO) by 2029, with a next‑generation CPO...
LG Chem Targets 2 Trillion Won in Semiconductor and Automotive Electronics Materials Revenue by 2030
LG Chem announced a plan to double its semiconductor and automotive electronics materials revenue to 2 trillion won (about $1.5 billion) by 2030, up from roughly 1 trillion won today. The company created a new advanced R&D unit under its Advanced Materials Research Institute to...
