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.
PowerCube Semi Supplies Gallium Oxide Sensors to HL Mando
PowerCube Semi has begun mass‑producing gallium‑oxide (Ga₂O₃) sensors for HL Mando, supplying the components since December 2023 under a 2023 development agreement. The sensors power HL Mando’s electric spark detection device, HAECHIE, which was unveiled at CES 2025 and can interrupt current to prevent electrical fires. Ga₂O₃’s wide bandgap allows stable operation up to 10 kV, out‑performing silicon‑carbide and gallium‑nitride in high‑voltage applications. PowerCube, which posted about $7.7 million revenue in 2025, plans to use IPO proceeds to build Ga₂O₃ epitaxy and packaging lines.
Dylan James Scientific Signed as K-Space European Representative
k‑Space has appointed Dylan James Scientific as its new European sales and service representative for thin‑film semiconductor metrology tools. The partnership follows the retirement of long‑time distributor RTA and includes on‑site technical training for DJS engineers. k‑Space’s tools are deployed...
Benchmarking Nvidia's RTX Neural Texture Compression Tech that Can Reduce VRAM Usage by over 80%
Nvidia’s RTX Neural Texture Compression (NTC) uses Tensor‑core AI inference to compress textures, delivering up to an 85% reduction in VRAM usage. The technology supports three DirectX 12 modes—Inference on Load, Sample, and Feedback—each balancing memory savings against runtime cost. Benchmarks...
Armenia Pushes Semiconductor Ambitions as Part of High-Tech Growth Strategy
Armenia announced draft state programmes to build a semiconductor ecosystem by the early 2030s, aiming to boost R&D, engineering capacity and talent pipelines. The plan follows a 2025 cooperation agreement with the United States that includes support for chips, robotics...
CoreWeave Lands $21 B AI‑cloud Deal with Meta, Boosting GPU Hardware Demand
Meta announced a $21 billion multi‑year agreement with CoreWeave to lease AI‑focused cloud capacity through 2032, expanding an earlier $14.2 billion contract. The deal, which includes early access to NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin chips, reshapes CoreWeave’s revenue mix and signals a surge in high‑performance...
Samsung's Next SoC Continues, as Alleged Exynos 2700 Performance Data Surfaces
Samsung’s upcoming Exynos 2700 SoC, built on a 2 nm process, surfaced in a leaked Geekbench test showing a 10‑core CPU with a peak clock of roughly 2.88 GHz and an Xclipse 970 GPU. Rumors suggest a 12% overall performance gain over the Exynos 2600,...
TSMC Q1 2026 Revenue Jumps 35% to $35.7B on AI Chip Demand
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co reported first‑quarter 2026 revenue of $35.7 billion, a 35% year‑over‑year increase that topped analyst estimates. The surge, driven by AI‑related chip orders, sparked a 2.3% rise in the stock and reinforced TSMC’s role as a bellwether for...
RAM Crisis Persists; TurboQuant Won’t Rescue It
Where are we now with the RAM crisis? It's still bleak, despite some positive glimmers of late — and I wouldn't rely on TurboQuant to save the day. https://t.co/OKQYnluz0o
Specs Inc. Partners with Qualcomm for Next-Generation Smart Glasses
Specs Inc., the Snap subsidiary, announced a multi‑year strategic partnership with Qualcomm to power its next‑generation, standalone see‑through smart glasses using Snapdragon XR system‑on‑chip technology. The collaboration promises edge‑AI processing, low‑power computing and a predictable roadmap for developers, with a...
Japan Approves Additional 631.5 Billion Yen for Chipmaker Rapidus
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry approved an additional 631.5 billion yen (about $4.2 bn) for chipmaker Rapidus, bringing total government R&D support to 2.354 trillion yen (~$15.7 bn). The funding is aimed at accelerating Rapidus’s development of 2‑nanometre logic semiconductors, with mass...
Governor Hochul Announces NY Creates Begins Installation of the First Major Tool for High NA EUV Lithography Center at Albany...
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the start of installation of Tokyo Electron’s 300 mm wafer coater/developer, the LITHIUS Pro DICE, at NY Creates’ Albany NanoTech Complex. The tool is the first major piece for the upcoming High NA EUV Lithography Center, North America’s only publicly owned...
Japan Bets $16 Billion to Propel Rapidus in Global AI Chip Race
Japan approved an additional $4 billion in subsidies for Rapidus Corp., raising total government support to $16.3 billion through March 2027. The funding is earmarked to accelerate Rapidus’s AI chip production for early client Fujitsu and follows a positive review of its Hokkaido...
Intel Arc Pro B70 in Its First Teardown: Early Disassembly Reveals How Intel Has Packaged Big Battlemage for Workstation Use
Intel’s Arc Pro B70 has been dissected in its first public teardown, revealing a purpose‑built workstation design rather than a repurposed gaming card. The reference model uses a blower‑style cooler with a large vapor‑chamber heatsink, directing airflow out the rear for optimal...
Snap Is Partnering with Qualcomm for Its New Smart Glasses – Bringing AI Glasses One Step Closer to Reality
Snap has sealed a multi‑year strategic partnership between its Specs Inc. subsidiary and Qualcomm Technologies, committing future smart‑glasses to the Snapdragon XR platform. The first generation of Specs, a standalone AR wearable, is slated for launch in late 2026 and...
TSMC Grows More Than Expected in the First Quarter of 2026 – AI Demand Keeps the Company on Track Despite...
TSMC reported first‑quarter 2026 revenue of NT$1.1341 trillion (≈ $35 billion), a 35.1% year‑over‑year increase and well above the LSEG SmartEstimate of NT$1.125 trillion. March alone generated NT$415.19 billion (≈ $13 billion), up 30.7% from February, underscoring a rapid sales acceleration. Reuters attributes the surge to sustained...
MILLIBEAM Unveils GaN Power‑Amplifier Portfolio Targeting 5G N79 and C‑Band Radar
MILLIBEAM announced a new GaN power‑amplifier line‑up—pre‑driver H4W1A1 and final‑stage H4E1N1—that together provide 57 dB gain and 20 W saturated output across the 4.4‑5.5 GHz band. The portfolio is built for 5G NR band N79 and C‑band phased‑array radar, promising higher efficiency and...
Micron Sells Out 2026 HBM Capacity, Locks in Pricing Power and 47% Margin
Micron announced that its entire 2026 high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) production is sold out under binding contracts, securing premium pricing and lifting non‑GAAP operating margin to 47%. The move underpins a broader shift from cyclical memory supply to AI‑infrastructure leadership, boosting...
TSMC Posts Record Q1 Revenue Surge of 35%‑45% on AI Demand, Beats Forecasts
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced first‑quarter revenue of T$1.134 trillion (US$35.7 bn), a 35% year‑on‑year increase and a 45% surge in March alone, outpacing analysts’ estimates. The growth reflects booming AI‑related chip orders from hyperscalers and device makers, reinforcing TSMC’s role as...
Taiwan Accelerates Silicon Photonics and Nanomaterial R&D for AI Chip Power
Taiwan announced a coordinated national effort to fast‑track silicon‑photonic (SiPh) and advanced nanomaterial development, targeting faster, more energy‑efficient AI chips. The move aims to sustain the island’s global semiconductor leadership amid surging AI workloads.
Support For AMD GFX11.7 "RDNA 4m" Pending For RADV & RadeonSI Drivers
AMD’s upcoming RDNA 4m graphics IP, labeled GFX 11.7 (GFX1170), has moved from LLVM shader compiler patches to open‑source driver support. Six Mesa patches—adding roughly 3,000 lines of code—are under review to enable the RADV Vulkan and RadeonSI OpenGL drivers. The changes...
AI Demand Is so High, AWS Customers Are Trying to Buy Out Its Entire Capacity
Amazon Web Services’ AI chip business is experiencing unprecedented demand, with customers attempting to purchase all of the 2026 Graviton capacity. AWS added 3.9 GW of power in 2025 and plans to double its total power capacity by 2027, yet it...
Hong Kong Stocks Climb as Chip Makers Surge and CITIC Securities Gains Over 10%
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.61% to 25,910 points on April 10, led by a 1.07% gain in the Hang Seng Tech Index. Chip maker TianShu ZhiXin surged more than 11%, while brokerage CITIC Securities surged over 10% after...
Thailand: Tripartite Collaboration Strengthens Semiconductor Ambitions
Thailand has signed a Memorandum of Understanding linking a leading semiconductor firm, the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and Mahanakorn University of Technology. The agreement, witnessed by senior officials from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and...
ASE To Build $3B IC Test Facility
Taiwan's Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) broke ground on a new IC test facility in Kaohsiung, investing NT$108.3 billion (about US$3.41 billion). The plant, part of a broader high‑tech testing cluster with WinWay Technology and Horng Terng Automation, will begin operations in April 2027....
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM): The Best Under-The-Radar AI Stock in Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Portfolio?
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) dominates roughly 70% of the global foundry market and leads advanced‑node production at 7 nm and below. Its $5.51 billion stake in billionaire Ken Fisher’s portfolio highlights the chipmaker’s appeal as an AI‑related play, even though it designs...
US Lawmakers Seek to Block China’s DUV Lithography Access
Bipartisan U.S. lawmakers introduced the MATCH Act to block Chinese chipmakers from acquiring deep‑ultraviolet (DUV) immersion lithography systems, related parts, and servicing. The bill coordinates export controls with allies, targeting firms such as SMIC, CXMT, Huawei, Hua Hong and YMTC,...
Sony Leaks Three PS6 Models Powered by AMD Canis and Orion Chips
A YouTube leaker claims Sony will unveil three PlayStation 6 variants – a budget S model, a handheld and a flagship console – each built on AMD’s upcoming Canis or Orion APUs. Estimated retail prices range from $350 for the entry‑level...
Intel Secures Google Cloud and AI Infrastructure Deal
Intel and Google have sealed a multi‑year deal to power Google Cloud’s next‑generation AI and general‑purpose workloads with Intel’s upcoming Xeon CPUs and co‑designed infrastructure processing units (IPUs). The partnership extends Google’s deployment of Xeon‑based C4 and N4 instances while...
Tech Bills of the Week: Boosting Export Controls; AI-Focused Workforce Development; and More
Congress introduced a suite of technology‑focused bills aimed at tightening export controls, modernizing workforce training, and bolstering critical research. The MATCH Act would align U.S. and allied semiconductor export rules to block adversaries, while a bipartisan measure extends the statute...
South Korea Moves to Curb the Meteoritic Rise of DRAM and PC Hardware Prices
South Korea is rolling out policies to soften the surge in DRAM and PC hardware prices driven by the AI boom. The government aims to expand recycling programs that will refurbish roughly 22,000 computers in 2025 for distribution to vulnerable...
5 IT Funding Deals to Watch: April 6 – 10, 2026
Nvidia deployed $2 billion into Marvell and took a seat on SiFive’s cap table, cementing its strategy to own every layer of the AI hardware stack. SiFive closed a $400 million Series G, valuing the RISC‑V chip designer at $3.65 billion and accelerating data‑center...
AI Chip Export Drive Stalls Inside Commerce Department
The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is struggling to keep pace with President Trump’s push to expand U.S. AI‑chip exports. Turnover has hit roughly 20% of rulemaking and licensing staff, and tighter, hands‑on license reviews have stretched...
AI Chips Could Get Faster with 30-Nanometer Embedded Memory that Cuts Data Shuttling
Researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo have demonstrated a 30‑nanometer logic‑embedded memory stack using aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN) and ultra‑thin platinum electrodes. By heat‑treating the lower electrode, they preserved crystal alignment, allowing the memory to retain high performance even...
IPhone 18 Pro Gets Samsung Isocell Camera Sensors
iPhone, made by Samsung iPhone 18 Pro series will apparently have Samsung Isocell camera sensors for the first time. Another component alongside the display and memory that will be made by Samsung
Tech Investing Is Essentially a Bet on TSMC
TSMC controls ~72% of the global chip foundry market. That means most of the world’s advanced chips run through one company. Apple. Nvidia. AMD. AI. When you invest in tech… you’re indirectly betting on TSMC.
Intel Foundry Achieves Breakthrough with World’s Thinnest GaN Chiplet Technology
Intel Foundry unveiled the world’s thinnest gallium‑nitride (GaN) chiplet, featuring a 19 µm silicon base harvested from a 300 mm GaN‑on‑silicon wafer. The chiplet integrates GaN power transistors with silicon digital logic on a single die, eliminating the need for separate companion...
Amazon’s Secret AI Chip Push Drives AWS Profit Surge
Amazon’s cloud unit, AWS, posted a 24% revenue surge in Q4, driven by rapid adoption of its custom Trainium and Graviton AI chips that grew at triple‑digit rates. The chips helped AWS generate 50% of Amazon’s operating profit, positioning the...
Google's TurboQuant Cuts LLM Memory Needs Sixfold, Shaking AI Hardware Stocks
Alphabet's Google announced TurboQuant, a lossless compression method that can shrink large language models to one‑sixth of their original memory footprint. The breakthrough threatens memory‑intensive chip makers while opening new opportunities for mobile and edge AI processors.
RoboSense Q1 2026 LiDAR Shipments Jump 204% as Robotics Segment Explodes 1,459% YoY
RoboSense announced that it shipped 330,300 LiDAR units in the first quarter of 2026, a 204.1% year‑on‑year increase. The robotics segment alone grew 1,458.8% YoY to 185,500 units, surpassing the automotive ADAS segment for the first time, underscoring rapid hardware...
Google Just Tapped Intel for a Massive AI Infrastructure Play
Intel announced an expanded partnership with Google to embed its latest Xeon 6 CPUs into the search and cloud giant’s data‑center infrastructure. The deal aims to balance general‑purpose processors with AI accelerators, improving efficiency for large‑scale inference workloads. Intel is simultaneously...
Apple Boosts TSMC SoIC Capacity for AI Servers
Morgan Stanly on Apple custom ASIC for cloud/hybrid compute (chip code-named Balta): "Apple is materially ramping SoIC capacity at TSMC, pointing to a major push in Apple silicon for AI servers. TSMC (covered by Charlie Chan) is expanding its SoIC (System...
Semiconductor Market Poised to Reach $2 T by 2030
As insane as it sounds (and again driven by ASP) it may hit $2T by 2030.
BrainChip Unveils Radar Reference Platform to Bridge the ‘Identification Gap’ in Edge AI
BrainChip Holdings launched a Radar Reference Platform that couples a FMCW radar module with its Akida neuromorphic processor to deliver real‑time object classification at the edge. The solution adds a deep‑learning layer that extracts micro‑Doppler signatures, allowing it to differentiate...
Transistor and Memory Costs Are Rising Astronomically
When I say the cost to make transistors ($ per billion) has gone up.. I mean its gone UP.... Memory is even more insane, cost per gb is 🤯
Figure and Hark Deploy Full NVIDIA B200 Data Center
Figure and Hark just took an entire data center of NVIDIA B200s - every rack in the building Figure will be using these to predict physics and Hark will train next generation multi-modal models https://t.co/01qVoTXLlx
Memory Insights and Skippable Tim
Whole video pod of @T_h_e_Circuit and the points I made earlier in the week on memory, we discuss in the chapter timelines you can skip to.
Nvidia's RISC Push Signals Real Momentum for SiFive
$NVDA leaning further into RISC is what I would call real signal. Also, @GavinSBaker leading the round reflects well. SiFive is cooking. Definitely one to keep an eye on. 🚀
Semiconductor Weekly: Intel
Latest: Intel teams up; GPU rowhammer attack; faster verification; Samsung’s new packaging site; China poaches Taiwan talent; thinnest GaN chiplet; AFM-IR; new edge design; BMW hydrogen; TSMC, Samsung $; silent data corruption.. https://t.co/Q1qG4B7mAP #semiconductor #GaN #edge
RAM Shortage Improves, but Temper Expectations.
We're seeing more positive signs that the RAM crisis is easing somewhat, but be careful not to raise your expectations too high. https://t.co/zRE6BX3OHI
AI Chip War Sparks Investor Risks in US-China Trade
AI Chips Are A Looming Battlefield In U.S.-China Trade. What Investors Should Know. https://t.co/FcrSZnqDwz $TSMC $AMSL $INTC $MU $NVDA $TSLA