Molex Completes Acquisition of Smiths Interconnect
Molex announced the completion of its acquisition of Smiths Interconnect, the UK‑based subsidiary of Smiths Group, marking the largest deal in Molex’s history. The purchase adds a portfolio of ruggedized connectors, RF components, optical transceivers and semiconductor‑test expertise, extending Molex’s reach into aerospace, defense, medical and AI‑driven data‑center markets. The combined entity now operates over 90 plants in 22 countries and employs more than 55,000 staff. The move builds on Molex’s recent AirBorn acquisition, further consolidating its high‑reliability interconnect platform.
SEMI Forecasts Chip Equipment Investments to Reach Beyond $150B in 2027
SEMI projects worldwide 300mm fab equipment spending to rise 18% to $133 billion in 2026 and surpass $150 billion in 2027, reaching $172 billion by 2029. The surge is driven by exploding AI chip demand for data‑center and edge workloads and by regional...
Taiwan Advances WBG Strategy Through Integrated Power Device and System-Level Innovation
Taiwan is shifting its wide‑bandgap (WBG) strategy from pure device innovation to integrated packaging, testing, and system deployment. NIKO‑SEM, a fabless power‑semiconductor designer, has broadened its portfolio from silicon MOSFETs to silicon‑carbide (SiC) and gallium‑nitride (GaN) power modules. The island...
TLVR Power Module Supplies 320 A for AI Processors
Infineon unveiled the TDM24745T quad‑phase power module, featuring a trans‑inductor voltage regulator (TLVR) architecture that delivers up to 320 A peak current in a 9×10×5 mm footprint. The module integrates four power stages, proprietary magnetics, and decoupling capacitors, achieving a current density...
MOSFET Ensures Automotive Thermal Reliability
Diodes has introduced the DMTH10H1M7SPGWQ, a 100‑V MOSFET that joins its existing 40‑80 V lineup for automotive applications. The device offers a low 1.5 mΩ on‑resistance, making it ideal for 48‑V BLDC motor drives in power‑steering and braking systems. Packaged in a...
Isolated DC/DC Modules Raise Power Density
Texas Instruments introduced two isolated DC/DC modules—UCC34141-Q1 and UCC33420—built on its IsoShield multichip packaging. The architecture co‑packs a planar transformer with the power stage, delivering up to three times the power density of traditional discrete solutions and shrinking board area...
Tower Semiconductor Announces Plans to Expand 300mm Capacity in Japan
Tower Semiconductor announced it will acquire full ownership of its 300mm Fab 7 in Uozu, Japan, while Nuvoton will take complete control of the 200mm Fab 5. The restructuring includes long‑term supply agreements to avoid any disruption for existing customers...
Lapse in Key Digital Trade Measure Undermines Economic Growth, Innovation
The World Trade Organization failed to extend the two‑year “Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions” at its Yaoundé ministerial, allowing the measure to lapse. The moratorium has shielded digital goods, software services and semiconductor‑related data flows from tariffs for...
SEMI Projects Double-Digit Growth in Global 300mm Fab Equipment Spending for 2026 and 2027
SEMI projects global 300mm fab equipment spending to rise 18% to $133 billion in 2026 and 14% to $151 billion in 2027. The surge is fueled by exploding AI chip demand for data centers and edge devices and by regional pushes for...
Intel to Repurchase 49% Equity Interest in Ireland Fab Joint Venture
Intel announced a definitive agreement to repurchase Apollo’s 49% equity stake in the Fab 34 joint venture for $14.2 billion. The buy‑back will be financed with cash on hand and roughly $6.5 billion of new debt, aiming to restore full ownership of the...
EPC Space Adds EPC7C010 and EPC7C011 Half-Bridge Buck Platforms for High-Rel and Rad-Hard Applications
EPC Space announced two new half‑bridge buck evaluation boards, the EPC7C010 (100 V/20 A) and EPC7C011 (200 V/10 A), built around radiation‑hardened eGaN HEMTs and isolated gate drivers. Both platforms are optimized for 350 kHz operation but can run from 50 kHz to 1.5 MHz, delivering peak...
Powering AI at Scale: How HVDC and GaN Are Transforming Hyperscale Data Centers
AI workloads are pushing XPU power consumption from roughly 1‑1.5 kW today to over 5 kW by 2030. To handle the surge, hyperscale data centers are replacing traditional AC‑DC‑AC distribution with high‑voltage direct current (HVDC) architectures, using ±400 V or 800 V DC links....
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...
Silvaco Expands Partnership with APEC on Silicon Carbide Power Device Development
Silvaco Group announced an expanded strategic partnership with Taiwan's Advanced Power Electronics Corp (APEC) to deepen the use of its Victory Device, Gateway, and SmartSpice simulation tools. The collaboration gives APEC broader access to Silvaco's TCAD and EDA solutions, aiming...
Apple Expands U.S. Chip Supply Chain with New Partner Investments
Apple announced a $400 million investment with U.S. suppliers Bosch, Cirrus Logic, TDK and Qnity Electronics to broaden domestic chip production, extending its broader $600 billion manufacturing plan. TDK will start U.S. sensor component fabrication for smartphone cameras, while Bosch will produce...
Kioxia to Phase Out Older NAND Flash Products
Japanese memory maker Kioxia announced it will discontinue a range of older NAND flash products built on 32 nm, 24 nm and 15 nm process nodes, including floating‑gate and BiCS FLASH gen.3 devices. The phase‑out covers SLC, MLC and TLC variants in wafer, BGA, TSOP,...
Aehr Gains Initial Order From New Silicon Photonics Transceiver Customer
Semiconductor test equipment maker Aehr Test Systems announced an initial order from a major, unnamed networking supplier developing silicon‑photonic transceivers for hyperscale AI and cloud data centers. The order includes several FOX‑XP wafer‑level burn‑in systems capable of testing nine wafers...
Secure at First Silicon: Reducing Cost and Risk
Side‑channel leakage often surfaces only after first silicon, forcing expensive redesigns. The Inspector Pre‑Silicon framework embeds side‑channel analysis into RTL and gate‑level verification, generating test vectors and statistical metrics to identify leakage early. By providing actionable, module‑level insights throughout the...
Advanced Nodes to Dominate 2026 SoC Shipments
Advanced nodes (5nm and below) accounted for over 50% of smartphone SoC shipments in 2025 and are projected to reach nearly 60% in 2026, according to Counterpoint Research. Samsung debuted its 2nm Exynos 2600 in the Galaxy S26, while Apple,...
Arrow Electronics Launches Omnichannel Platform for Components Business
Arrow Electronics has unified its global components business under a redesigned, omnichannel arrow.com platform, retiring the legacy MyArrow portal. The new site merges product selection, purchasing, services, and account management into a single digital workflow. It also embeds direct access...
Arm’s First-Ever Silicon Products Targeted at AI Data Centers
Arm Holdings has launched the Arm AGI CPU, its first production silicon product aimed at AI data‑center workloads. The chip packs up to 136 Neoverse V3 cores, a 300‑watt TDP and can deliver more than twice the rack performance of...
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...
The $2 Billion Nvidia Deal With Marvell Is About A Lot More Than NVLink Fusion
Nvidia is investing another $2 billion in Marvell, extending a series of multi‑billion‑dollar bets aimed at shaping the AI datacenter supply chain. The partnership will have Marvell produce custom XPUs and NVLink Fusion‑compatible networking, leveraging its recent acquisition of XConn’s high‑bandwidth PCIe...
New ZEISS Crossbeam 750 FIB-SEM for High-Accuracy Sample Preparation Workflows
ZEISS introduced the Crossbeam 750 FIB‑SEM, a focused ion beam‑scanning electron microscope optimized for high‑accuracy sample preparation. The system features Gemini 4 electron optics and a high‑dynamic‑range Mill + SEM that provides a live, high‑resolution SEM view during any milling condition, enabling real‑time endpoint...
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...
Metallium Announces Off-Take Agreement with Indium Corp for Critical & Precious Metals Including Gallium and Germanium
Metallium Ltd's US arm, Flash Metals USA, has signed a long‑term off‑take agreement with Indium Corp to purchase recovered gallium, germanium, copper, tin, gold and indium from Metallium's recycling operations. The contract runs for an initial ten years with automatic...
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...
Causal Inference for AMS Design (U. Of Florida)
University of Florida researchers released a technical paper introducing a causal‑inference framework for analog‑mixed‑signal (AMS) circuit design. The method builds a directed‑acyclic graph from SPICE simulation data and estimates average treatment effects (ATE) to rank design parameters. Tested on three...
Latest Issue of Semiconductor Today Now Available
Semiconductor Today’s March 2026 issue spotlights rapid advances in compound semiconductors, noting a projected market size of roughly $5.2 bn by 2031 growing at a 14% CAGR. The publication highlights the ALP‑4‑SiC project for quantum photonic circuits, new growth methods for...
Phase-Shift Control ICs Squeeze More Efficiency From Resonant Converters
STMicroelectronics has launched two phase‑shift control ICs, the STNRG599A and STNRG599B, targeting resonant‑converter power supplies and lighting drivers. The devices operate up to 750 kHz, provide zero‑voltage switching, and improve no‑load efficiency while offering built‑in safety features such as X‑capacitor discharge...
Fujitsu Plans Dedicated 1.4nm AI Chip Manufactured Entirely in Japan by Rapidus — AI Chip to Be Designed and Manufactured...
Fujitsu announced plans to develop a dedicated AI inference NPU using Rapidus' 1.4 nm process, with an estimated development cost of ¥58 billion (about $363 million). The project, funded roughly two‑thirds by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, will be designed...
Kioxia Discontinues 2D NAND Products, Last Shipments to Be Made in 2028 — 1980s Planar NAND Memory Reaches End of...
Kioxia announced it will cease production of all 2D (planar) NAND flash and its third‑generation BiCS 3D NAND, with final shipments scheduled for December 31 2028. The phase‑out covers legacy 32nm, 24nm and 15nm planar nodes as well as early 64‑layer BiCS3...
Quantum Diamonds Expands to Asia
QuantumDiamonds GmbH announced Peter Lemmens as Managing Director Asia, coinciding with the launch of a new regional hub in Taiwan. The hire leverages Lemmens' 25‑year semiconductor leadership and deep Taiwan network to accelerate adoption of the company’s quantum‑diamond microscopy (QDM)...
Light Bends Perovskite Crystal Lattice, Opening Way to New Devices
Researchers at UC Davis have demonstrated that halide perovskite crystals undergo rapid, reversible lattice distortions when illuminated, a phenomenon termed photostriction. Using laser excitation and X‑ray probing, they showed the effect can be tuned by adjusting the crystal composition, light wavelength,...
Apple M5 Max MacBooks Are Getting Surprisingly Close to Real Gaming PCs
Apple’s latest M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are closing the performance gap with dedicated gaming PCs. Benchmarks by YouTuber Andrew Tsai show the M5 Pro delivering roughly 60 fps in upscaled 1440p on titles like Cyberpunk 2077, while the 40‑core M5 Max sustains similar frame rates...
AOI Receives New Order for 800G Data-Center Transceivers From Major Hyperscale Customer
Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (AOI) secured a volume order exceeding $53 million from a major hyperscale customer for 800‑gigabit single‑mode data‑center transceivers. The order supports AI‑driven GPU clusters and will be shipped between Q2 and mid‑Q3 2026 after product qualification. AOI’s CEO highlighted...
Nanya Raises $2.5 Bln, Signs DRAM Supply Deals with Kioxia and SanDisk
Nanya Technology raised roughly $2.5 billion via share sales and private placements to expand its DRAM production capacity. Kioxia invested T$15.6 billion for a 2 % equity stake and a long‑term DRAM supply agreement, while SanDisk committed T$31 billion and signed a multi‑year supply...
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...
Three-in-One Diode Integrates Sensing, Memory and Processing for Smart Cameras
Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have created a single semiconductor diode that simultaneously senses light, stores data and performs processing. By inserting an aluminum‑gallium‑nitride layer into a GaN p‑n junction, the device can switch among...
Photonic Chip Packaging Can Withstand Extreme Environments
NIST researchers have introduced hydroxide catalysis bonding (HCB) as a new packaging method for photonic integrated circuits, replacing traditional polymer adhesives with a glass‑like inorganic bond. The HCB‑packaged chips survived cryogenic temperatures, intense ionizing radiation, high‑vacuum conditions, and rapid thermal...
Researchers Demonstrate Laser Chips Performing Clock and Quantum Operations
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara and UMass Amherst have built a chip‑scale, visible‑light Brillouin laser that can be frequency‑stabilized to the narrow strontium optical‑clock transition and used to drive a trapped‑ion qubit. The integrated laser, paired with an on‑chip coil...
Rogue Valley Microdevices Launches MEMS Design Services
Rogue Valley Microdevices (RVM) announced the launch of MEMS Design Services, a foundry‑flexible offering that supports customers from concept through production‑ready design. The service provides three engagement models—Design only, Design with technology transfer, and full Design‑and‑Fabricate within RVM’s own fab—allowing...
New £10.4M Project to Grow Next-Generation Semiconductor Materials
The UK’s EXPRESS programme, a five‑year, £10.4 million EPSRC‑funded initiative led by the Universities of Warwick and Southampton, will develop next‑generation transistor and optoelectronic devices using transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs). Researchers will combine electrochemical deposition with bespoke precursor chemistry to grow...
Accelerator-Equipped MCU Brings Greater Access to AI in Cars
STMicroelectronics introduced the Stellar P3E, an automotive microcontroller that embeds a Neural‑ART accelerator for on‑chip AI inference. The MCU consolidates multiple ECUs, features six Cortex‑R52+ cores up to 500 MHz, and includes high‑density xMemory. By offloading machine‑learning tasks to the NPU, the...
High-Voltage Power Diodes Offer Higher Current Capacities, Faster Recovery Times
Dean Technology has launched two new high‑voltage diode families, the FH and SH series, expanding its medium‑power portfolio. The FH series delivers a reverse‑recovery time as low as 40 ns, a substantial improvement over the legacy 2CL line’s 100 ns, while supporting...
The Silicon Desert
The Silicon Desert map visualizes Arizona’s rapidly expanding technology ecosystem, covering semiconductor, hardware, software, AI, IoT, and life‑science sectors. It lists more than 50 participants, from early‑stage startups to Fortune 100 multinationals such as Intel, IBM, and Boeing. The Arizona Technology...