Today's Semiconductors Pulse
SMIC clears final hurdle for $5.97B takeover of SMNC
China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) secured regulatory approval to acquire the remaining 49 % of its Beijing‑based unit SMNC, valuing the stake at 40.6 billion yuan (≈$5.97 bn). The transaction will be funded by issuing 547.2 million A‑shares at ¥74.20 ($10.91) each, with a 12‑month lock‑up for sellers, making SMNC a wholly‑owned subsidiary.
IBM Updates Linux Patches For Introducing ARM64 KVM Virtualization On S390
IBM has posted a second iteration of Linux kernel patches that add ARM64 KVM virtualization support to its s390 (IBM Z) mainframe platform. The new series, still flagged as a Request For Comments, refines the initial April release by using symlinks for ARM headers and moving code into s390‑specific directories. While the patches are not yet merged into the mainline kernel, they represent a concrete step toward running AArch64 workloads natively on IBM Z hardware. The effort is part of IBM’s broader dual‑architecture strategy with Arm.
NVIDIA Adds 12GB GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU Option
NVIDIA announced a 12 GB version of its GeForce RTX 5070 laptop GPU, built on 24 Gb GDDR7 memory chips. The new configuration joins the existing 8 GB model, giving notebook makers a higher‑capacity option without redesigning the core GPU. By leveraging higher‑density memory,...
Alumina Nanowires Improve Thermal Management in Advanced Packaging (Georgia Tech Et Al.)
Georgia Tech researchers demonstrated that epoxy composites reinforced with ultralong Al₂O₃ nanowires dramatically improve thermal interface material (TIM) performance for 2.5D/3D semiconductor packaging. At a 28 wt% filler loading, a vertically aligned nanowire architecture achieved 0.78 W/(m·K) out‑of‑plane conductivity—72 % higher than conventional...
Advantest Shares Slide 6.9% After AI‑Chip Tester Outlook Miss
Advantest Corp., the leading supplier of test equipment for AI accelerators, saw its shares tumble up to 6.9% after issuing a weaker‑than‑expected outlook and citing continued capacity constraints. The move comes despite a 50%+ rally this year and recent record...
Nvidia's $5 T Market‑Cap Surge Drives S&P 500 and Nasdaq to Record Highs
Nvidia’s share price jumped to $216, restoring a $5 trillion market cap and propelling the S&P 500 to a fresh 7,174 record and the Nasdaq to 24,887. The rally came amid AI‑driven optimism, a looming Fed decision and heightened Middle‑East tensions.
Cadence Q1 2026 Revenue Surges to $1.47B, Hexagon Deal Drags EPS
Cadence Design Systems reported $1.474 billion revenue for Q1 2026, a 19% year‑over‑year rise, while flagging that the recent Hexagon acquisition will dilute earnings per share by $0.28 and compress margins by 5%‑10% in the short term. The company raised its...
Advancing the Chiplet Ecosystem
Arm unveiled its Chiplet System Architecture (CSA), a set of partitioning and connectivity standards designed to unify the emerging chiplet ecosystem. Chiplets enable modular SoC designs that can mix CPUs, GPUs, NPUs, memory and I/O, delivering higher performance with lower...
Demand Surge Fuels Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSM) Rally
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM) posted a 25% revenue jump in Q1 2026, with March sales up 45% year‑over‑year, as AI compute demand accelerates. The stock surged 18.81% in the past month and 135.98% over the last 52 weeks, closing...
Altair Semiconductor Spins Off From Sony to Focus on 5G IoT and eRedCap Strategy
Altair Semiconductor has completed a spin‑off from Sony Semiconductor Solutions, backed by $50 million in new funding led by Pitango Group. The independent company will double‑down on low‑power cellular IoT chipsets and a 5G eRedCap roadmap, highlighted by the upcoming ALT1550...
Infineon Provides MEMS Technology for Valeo’s Ground Projection Module Based on Laser Beam Scanning Presented at 2026 Auto Beijing
Infineon and Valeo unveiled a short‑distance ground projection module at Auto Beijing 2026, integrating Infineon’s 2D MEMS mirror and controller into Valeo’s high‑definition, bi‑color projector. The system delivers superior brightness, contrast and resolution for daytime visibility and is positioned for...
ACM Research Ships First PECVD SiCN System for Advanced Semiconductor Applications
ACM Research announced the shipment of its first plasma‑enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) silicon carbonitride (SiCN) system to a leading semiconductor maker. The equipment, part of the Saturn Series, features a world‑first three‑station deposition architecture that splits film growth across...
Sandisk Open-Sources Accelerated SSD Pre-Conditioning Algorithm
SanDisk has open‑sourced its accelerated SSD pre‑conditioning algorithm, SPRandom, as an extension to the FIO testing tool. The method reduces the traditional conditioning window—from up to 250 hours for 256 TB drives—to roughly 6½ hours, a drop of more than 95 percent. SPRandom writes...
Cerebras Files S‑1, Targeting AI Chip IPO to Challenge Nvidia
Cerebras Systems filed an S‑1 registration with the SEC, signaling an imminent IPO that could make it the first pure‑play AI‑accelerator chip company to go public in 2026. The filing highlights a $20 billion OpenAI contract, a $24.6 billion backlog, and a...
Nvidia's N1X Laptop CPU Promises 20‑Core Power, Sparks ARM Compatibility Debate
Nvidia unveiled details of its upcoming N1X laptop APU, a 20‑core processor with 6,144 CUDA cores and a 65‑120W TDP, positioning it as a potential game‑changer for high‑performance gaming notebooks. The chip’s ARM‑based design and reported software bugs create friction...
Eli Lilly and NVIDIA Deploy 1,016‑GPU LillyPod Supercomputer to Speed AI Drug Discovery
Eli Lilly has launched LillyPod, a dedicated AI supercomputer built with 1,016 NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra GPUs, to accelerate drug discovery. The Indianapolis facility works alongside Lilly’s wet lab in San Francisco, promising faster analysis of legacy data and new molecular designs...
Liquid Instruments Lands $50M to Scale AI-Driven Test and Measurement Platform
Liquid Instruments announced a $50 million Series C round, bringing its total funding above $100 million. The capital, co‑led by Keysight Technologies and Australia’s National Reconstruction Fund, will accelerate development of its AI‑driven, software‑defined test platform. The company’s flagship Moku device uses FPGA...
User Experience and Control in Agentic Systems. Innovation in Verification
This month’s discussion pivots from merely linking tools, agents and orchestration toward foundational principles for building effective agentic systems. Speakers such as Paul Cunningham, GM of Verification at Cadence, emphasized the importance of user experience and seamless human‑in‑the‑loop integration. The...
Tenstorrent Unveils Next-Gen Servers for Fast Tokens, No Disaggregation Needed
Tenstorrent introduced its Galaxy Blackhole AI server, a 6U rack housing 32 Blackhole chips that deliver 23 PFLOPS of FP8 performance and handle both pre‑fill and decode without disaggregation. The system can run in Regular or Blitz mode, with Blitz achieving...
Sapphire NITRO+ PhantomLink X870EA and Radeon RX 9070 XT Review
Sapphire has launched the NITRO+ PhantomLink ecosystem, pairing its custom AM5 motherboard X870EA with the Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU. The centerpiece is a proprietary PhantomLink connector that routes power directly from the motherboard to the graphics card, removing traditional external power...
Nokia, Blaize, and Datacomm Diangraha Unite to Deliver Hybrid AI Inference Across Indonesia and Southeast Asia
Blaize, Nokia and Indonesia’s PT Datacomm Diangraha announced a three‑way strategic partnership to deliver hybrid AI inference infrastructure across Indonesia and the broader APAC region. The collaboration combines Nokia’s networking and telco‑grade GPU capabilities with Blaize’s programmable, energy‑efficient edge AI compute, and...
Indium Corporation Joins India’s IDSPS Industry Consortium Partnership
Indium Corporation announced its participation in India’s Design, Semiconductor, Packaging and Systems (IDSPS) consortium, a government‑backed initiative to boost semiconductor R&D, workforce development and supply‑chain capacity. The program brings together roughly 50 leading faculty members from institutions such as the...
Tech's Hyperscalers Face Wall Street for First Time Since U.S. Iran War Sent Oil Prices Soaring
Tech hyperscalers—including Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft—are set to report earnings amid heightened geopolitical tension after the U.S. and Israel’s attacks on Iran. The conflict has driven oil prices up roughly 50%, disrupted helium production, and intensified an existing memory...
Onsemi and Geely Expand Collaboration to Support Next-Gen 900V EV Architectures
onsemi and Geely have deepened a global partnership to embed onsemi’s EliteSiC silicon‑carbide technology into Geely’s SEA‑S‑based Super Electric Power (SEP) system. The collaboration targets 900 V vehicle architectures, promising faster acceleration, longer range and dramatically reduced charging times. By leveraging...
Technology Shorts April 2026
Researchers unveiled four emerging technologies that could reshape data transport and power supply. Chip‑level photonics uses metasurface chips to turn infrared into steerable visible beams, potentially removing external lasers and easing the data‑in‑out bottleneck. Northwestern’s dirt‑powered microbial fuel cell harvests...
Omdia Lifts 2026 Semiconductor Outlook as AI-Driven Memory Constraints Intensify
Omdia has lifted its 2026 semiconductor revenue outlook to a 62.7% increase, driven by surging AI‑related demand and persistent memory shortages. The firm expects DRAM revenue to nearly double and NAND to grow to almost four times its 2025 level,...
Vendor Slaps Extra 'Memory Fee' On Each Tech Purchase Amid Global Chip Crunch — the More You Buy, the More...
Ubiquiti announced a new “Memory Surcharge” of up to 5.8% on products sold through its official online store, effective April 24 2026. The fee is a direct response to persistent global memory and storage shortages that have driven component costs higher. Prices...
OpenAI Teams with Qualcomm and MediaTek on AI‑Centric Smartphone, Targeting 2028 Launch
OpenAI announced a partnership with chipmakers Qualcomm and MediaTek to develop custom processors for an AI‑focused smartphone, with Luxshare as the exclusive system integrator. The move, hinted at by CEO Sam Altman, could create a new device category and taps...
Tesla Beats Estimates and Unveils 'Terafab' Chip Strategy to Accelerate Autonomy
Tesla posted an adjusted $0.41 earnings per share, surpassing forecasts, and hinted at a new internal semiconductor venture called Terafab. Analysts see the move as a bid to tighten feedback loops for its autonomous‑driving stack, potentially reshaping the market for...
Semiconductor Valuations Hit Record Highs, Prompting Shorts
On Friday and Monday we @SeabreezeLP shorted $INTC, $MU and $AMD. Go to @thestreetpro for an explanation why.... @dougkass Global Markets Investor on X: "⚠️Semiconductor valuations have RARELY been this stretched: The Semiconductor Index, $SOX, now trades at a P/E ratio of...
Intel Lifts Margins by Selling Lower-Grade Chips as AI Demand Tightens CPU Supply
Intel reported first‑quarter revenue of $13.6 billion, surpassing the $12.36 billion forecast, and a non‑GAAP gross margin of 41%, well above its 34.5% guidance. The margin lift stems from a new sales approach that packages lower‑yield, edge‑die CPUs as discounted SKUs instead...
ROHM Launches NFC Wireless Power Chipset for Compact Wearables
ROHM introduced the ML7670 receiver and ML7671 transmitter, an NFC‑based wireless power chipset that delivers up to 250 mW to compact wearables such as smart rings and bands. The solution operates in the 13.56 MHz NFC band, enabling a much smaller antenna...
What the DRAM Crunch Teaches Us About System Design
Rising DRAM prices—now three to four times last year’s levels—and tightening supply are reshaping AI system design. High‑capacity memory for data‑center workloads faces long lead times, while 1‑2 GB modules remain relatively stable. Companies are turning to edge AI accelerators that...
NVIDIA's New Hub Expands R&D for Next‑Gen AI Chips
Strategic Hub: The space is reportedly intended to house expanded engineering and R&D teams focused on NVIDIA’s next-gen chip architectures and global AI software development.
ASML as the Last Polite Monopolist
TSMC has publicly challenged ASML’s €350 million (≈$381 million) price for its upcoming High‑NA EUV lithography tools, highlighting a rare clash between the world’s sole EUV supplier and its dominant fab customer. The article argues that while equipment catalogs are open, the...
Broadcom Hits $2 Trillion Market Cap as Google Reveals New AI Chips
Broadcom’s market value topped $2 trillion after Google unveiled its eighth‑generation Tensor Processing Units, which now come as two distinct chips—a training‑focused TPU 8t and an inference‑focused TPU 8i. The dual‑chip approach promises roughly 80 % better performance per dollar for inference, potentially doubling...
Banana Pi BPI-SM10 Brings RISC-V AI Platform With 60 TOPS Performance
Banana Pi unveiled the BPI‑SM10 development board, a RISC‑V platform powered by the 8‑core SpacemiT K3 processor. The board integrates a dedicated AI accelerator capable of 60 TOPS and supports up to 32 GB of LPDDR5‑6400 memory while consuming 18‑35 W. It offers extensive...
Beijing Intellectual Property Court Upholds Validity of Innoscience’s GaN Patents
China’s Beijing Intellectual Property Court upheld the validity of Innoscience’s two core gallium‑nitride (GaN) invention patents, rejecting invalidation attempts by Germany’s Infineon Technologies. The rulings follow favorable decisions by the China National Intellectual Property Administration in November 2025 that affirmed all...
Aeluma Appoints Willy Rachmady as VP of Strategic Partnerships and Ecosystem
Aeluma Inc. has appointed Willy Rachmady, Ph.D., as vice president of strategic partnerships and ecosystem. Reporting to CEO Jonathan Klamkin, Rachmady will oversee foundry alliances, customer engineering, and technology commercialization across silicon photonics and compound‑semiconductor platforms. He arrives with more...
VIAVI Invests in PCIe 7.0 Protocol Analysis Testing Platform
VIAVI Solutions announced a new PCIe 7.0 protocol analysis platform built around its Xgig family of analyzers, exercisers and high‑performance interposers. The chassis will debut at the PCI‑SIG Developers Conference on May 6‑7, 2026 in Santa Clara. PCIe 7.0 operates at 128 GT/s, delivering twice...
Intel Core 5 320 Beats Apple A18 Pro By
The MacBook Neo Killer is ready Intel Core 5 320, a new low-mid range processor, outperforms the Apple A18 Pro by over 20% and is also ahead of the A19 Pro It is incredible what Intel has achieved with just 2 Performance...
Tenstorrent Secures Over $1B to Scale AI Infrastructure
Tenstorrent, started by Jim Keller, has raised more than $1 billion and it has over 1,000 employees to come up with scalable AI infrastructure. https://t.co/XdoiRmKl9Z
ST Redefines Entry-Level MCU Performance and Value
STMicroelectronics introduced the STM32C5, a new entry‑level microcontroller built on its 40 nm process, promising noticeably faster execution than typical low‑cost MCUs. The chip targets a wide range of consumer and industrial devices, from smart thermostats to EV chargers, while keeping...
Tenstorrent's Galaxy Blackhole Delivers 350 T/S/U LLM Inference
.@tenstorrent is launching Galaxy Blackhole servers and clusters for fast LLM inference (DeepSeek-671B at up to 350 t/s/u), among other applications - no disaggregation needed, according to @jimkxa: https://t.co/G2yu85tXs2
Semiconductor Works From 500°C to Absolute Zero
Scientists create electronic devices that function reliably at extreme temperatures from 500 degrees Celcuis to absolute zero — advanced semiconductor material unlocks new possibilities in space tech and quantum computing https://t.co/K4Bwe3kNBI
Seoul Viosys Gearing Up for $60B AI Data Center Optical Communications Market
Seoul Viosys is leveraging its proprietary “No‑wire, No‑package” patents and recent VCSEL acquisition to enter the fast‑growing AI‑driven data‑center optical market, estimated at $60 billion. The company has completed a 100 G (25 G×4) transceiver design and is shifting from component supply to...
Semiconductor ETFs Lead SIX Swiss Exchange Gains, Up 9.3% Week of April 20‑24
VanEck's Semiconductor UCITS ETF posted a 9.25% gain, the best weekly performance on the SIX Swiss Exchange for April 20‑24, 2026. BlackRock’s semiconductor and Taiwan ETFs followed, highlighting a sector‑driven rally that could reshape short‑term Swiss ETF allocations.
Carbon‑Nanotube Method Cuts Laser Lift‑Off Energy by One‑Third for Ultra‑Thin Polyimide Films
A team from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shenzhen Han’s Semiconductor Equipment Technology, and Guangdong University of Technology reported a carbon‑nanotube‑enabled laser lift‑off process that reduces the required energy from 180 mJ/cm² to 120 mJ/cm². The advance could lessen...
Aeluma Secures $4 Million in U.S. Government Contracts for Quantum‑Grade Materials and Lasers
Aeluma announced it has been awarded more than $4 million in U.S. government contracts to accelerate wafer‑scale production of quantum dot lasers and AlGaAs nonlinear photonic materials. The funding backs its heterogeneous integration platform and deepens ties with manufacturing partners Tower...
Rethinking Foundry Dominance: Three Critical Misconceptions in the $402B Semiconductor Manufacturing Landscape
The Yole Group report estimates the global semiconductor foundry market at $402 billion in 2026, with 2025 revenue at $386 billion and a projected 6.7% CAGR through 2031. While TSMC is often quoted as holding about 72% of the open‑foundry market, its...
212. America's Semiconductor Policy and the AI Race with China
In this episode, host Chad Bowne and guest Dan Kim—former chief economist of the U.S. Commerce Department’s CHIPS Program and veteran of Qualcomm and SK Hynix—explore America’s aggressive semiconductor policy amid the AI race with China. They trace the historical...