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Thursday 18 December 2025

Doosan Group named preferred partner in SK Siltron sale talks

South Korea's Doosan Group has been selected as the preferred negotiation partner for the acquisition of semiconductor wafer maker SK Siltron, valued at approximately KRW4 trillion (approx. US$2.72 billion) to KRW5 trillion, according to reports from The Korea Economic Daily, The Elec, and other media outlets.

Thursday 18 December 2025

Intel completes high-NA EUV validation for 14A, advances 2D transistor tech

Intel has completed acceptance testing of the industry's first commercial high-NA EUV lithography system with a numerical aperture of 0.55, the ASML Twinscan EXE:5200B, laying the foundation for mass production of its 14A process node. This milestone marks the transition of high-NA EUV technology from research and development verification to high-volume manufacturing (HVM), enabling wafer throughput of 175 per hour and reinforcing Intel's efforts to reclaim leadership in advanced semiconductor processes.

Thursday 18 December 2025

Rapidus launches AI design tools to support 2nm semiconductor development

On December 17, Rapidus announced a new suite of AI-based semiconductor design tools under its Rapidus AI-Assisted Design Solution (Raads), aimed at supporting the company's Rapid and Unified Manufacturing Service (RUMS) concept. The technology will be rebranded as Rapidus AI-Agentic Design Solution, with multiple tools scheduled for release starting in 2026. Customers will receive the tools alongside a process design kit (PDK) and reference flows.

Thursday 18 December 2025

China's EUV prototype forces a rethink of the AI chip order

China has quietly crossed a psychological and potentially strategic threshold in the global semiconductor race. In a tightly controlled laboratory in Shenzhen, Chinese scientists have built a working prototype of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machine, the most complex and geopolitically sensitive tool in modern chipmaking, according to Reuters.

Thursday 18 December 2025

Cyient Semiconductors to acquire majority stake in Kinetic Technologies for US$93 million

Cyient Ltd's wholly owned subsidiary, Cyient Semiconductors Singapore Pte Ltd, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire over 65% of US-based power semiconductor company Kinetic Technologies for US$93 million. The transaction is expected to close by April 30, 2026.

Thursday 18 December 2025

Advanced packaging drives ABF substrate expansion as Taiwanese companies exit post-pandemic capacity cuts

As more AI GPU, CPU, and ASIC customers ramp up their market push, advanced packaging capacity continues to face tight supply. This has prompted upstream IC packaging substrate makers to adopt a more aggressive investment and capacity expansion stance, supported by improved order visibility.

Thursday 18 December 2025

Apple reportedly explores chip assembly in India, signaling supply chain diversification

Apple is reportedly in preliminary talks with Indian chip manufacturers to assemble and package components for the iPhone, potentially marking a first step in shifting part of its semiconductor operations to India.

Thursday 18 December 2025

Taiwan targets four research priorities to maintain semiconductor leadership

Taiwan has long dominated advanced semiconductor manufacturing, with TSMC's global R&D headquarters in Hsinchu alone employing over 10,000 researchers. The government continues to foster collaboration between academia and industry to advance both technology and talent development. Against this backdrop, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) is launching a new initiative in 2025 to sustain Taiwan's leading position in next-generation chip manufacturing over the next five to ten years.

Wednesday 17 December 2025

UMC backs Unimicron expansion to reinforce IC substrate supply as AI demand rises

United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) announced on December 17 that it will participate in the capital increase of its affiliate, IC substrate manufacturer Unimicron Technology, as part of a strategic investment plan.

Wednesday 17 December 2025

Rapidus unveils glass interposer to challenge TSMC

Rapidus, Japan's state-backed chipmaker, has developed a prototype glass interposer for artificial intelligence chips. The company says the technology could lower production costs and strengthen its challenge to industry leader TSMC as Japan pushes to rebuild its advanced semiconductor base.

Wednesday 17 December 2025

Samsung Foundry reportedly wins Intel 8nm order after Nvidia

Samsung Electronics' foundry division is reported to have secured an 8nm manufacturing order from Intel, adding another blue-chip customer to its mature advanced-node portfolio after Nvidia. Analysts say the win strengthens Samsung Foundry's order momentum at nodes where yields and cost structures have largely stabilized.

Wednesday 17 December 2025

Advantest, Tokyo Seimitsu to co-develop die-level probers for AI and HPC

Semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest and Tokyo Seimitsu have announced a joint plan to co-develop a next-generation die-level prober for high-performance computing components.

Wednesday 17 December 2025

Moore's Law of Economy: Former TSMC exec warns semiconductor talent gap could widen 15-fold

Burn-Jeng Lin, one of TSMC's six R&D pioneers and current dean of National Tsing Hua University's College of Semiconductor Research, introduced the concept of a "Moore's Law of Economy" on December 16, 2025. He emphasized that innovation can still overcome the physical limits of chip size reduction, but warned that global semiconductor talent shortages may expand 15-fold as countries race to build complete supply chains.

Wednesday 17 December 2025

MSScorps eyes rebound as angstrom-era and silicon photonics demand surges

MSScorps signaled a business recovery on Wednesday following a midyear lull, citing surging demand for angstrom-era semiconductor manufacturing and silicon photonics as key drivers for growth heading into 2026. The Taiwan-based materials analysis firm reported record November 2025 sales after overcoming third-quarter delays caused by strategic adjustments at major foundry and equipment clients.

Wednesday 17 December 2025

Topco partners with Taiwan academia to advance semiconductor materials R&D

In a strategic move to bolster Taiwan's semiconductor talent pipeline and advanced research capabilities, Topco Scientific Co. (TSC) announced on December 16, 2025, a deep industry-academia collaboration with the College of Semiconductor Research at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU).

Wednesday 17 December 2025

Taiwan's WIN Semiconductors bets on optical and microwave tech for the space age

The rapid push by companies such as SpaceX and Amazon to develop space-based AI data centers is creating new applications for optical communications, a technology long viewed as central to the future of high-speed data transmission.

Wednesday 17 December 2025

Tokyo Ohka ramps up South Korea investment for advanced chip materials

Tokyo Ohka Kogyo plans to accelerate investment in South Korea and expand production of materials critical to generative AI semiconductors, positioning itself to meet rising demand for advanced lithography and packaging technologies.

Tuesday 16 December 2025

'Father of Immersion Lithography' warns: Intel's TSMC talent grab invites process tech scrutiny

Intel's recruitment of Wei-jen Lo, formerly TSMC's Senior Vice President of Strategy Development, signals an aggressive push by the US IDM to regain process leadership. However, industry veteran Burn J. Lin argues that while high-level talent acquisition is significant, it does not guarantee the ability to replicate TSMC's manufacturing success.

Tuesday 16 December 2025

Intel deepens policy alignment with executive reshuffle following US government investment

Intel has announced several key executive appointments, including Robin Colwell, former deputy director of the US National Economic Council under US President Donald Trump, as senior vice president of Government Affairs. This appointment follows the US government's August investment in acquiring a 10% stake in Intel, signaling a closer partnership to advance US semiconductor policy, according to Bloomberg, Reuters, and CRN Magazine.

Tuesday 16 December 2025

China's chip resilience: Naura M&A, ACM's HBM push defy US export controls

Escalating US-China tech rivalry and the politicization of the supply chain are accelerating a structural transformation in the global semiconductor equipment sector. While the US and its allies use stringent export controls to reshape the advanced node industry order, China's semiconductor industry is aggressively pursuing self-sufficiency across equipment, materials, and processes to mitigate reliance on foreign suppliers.

Tuesday 16 December 2025

SenseTime's Seko 2.0 ties AI video breakthrough to Cambricon chips, signaling China's multimodal push

SenseTime has released Seko 2.0, which it describes as the industry's first multi-episode video generation agent, marking a step beyond short AI clips toward longer, more coherent video content.

Monday 15 December 2025

Samsung chair, Musk reportedly meet at Texas fab as chip output looms

Samsung Electronics chairman Jay Y. Lee reportedly met Tesla CEO Elon Musk on December 11, 2025, local time at Samsung's semiconductor plant in Texas, underscoring a deepening partnership as the South Korean chipmaker prepares to launch advanced chip production in the US and stabilize manufacturing yields for Tesla's next-generation processors.

Monday 15 December 2025

Samsung courts AMD for 2nm chips as foundry recovery hinges on new orders

Samsung Electronics is reportedly in talks with Advanced Micro Devices about producing next-generation chips using its second-generation 2nm process, as the South Korean technology group seeks to secure major customers and revive its loss-making foundry business, according to industry sources and reports from South Korea's Seoul Economic Daily and G-enews.

Monday 15 December 2025

TSMC, Broadcom AI outlook signals strong growth for Samsung, SK Hynix in 2026

Analysts believe that the performance outlook for 2026 from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Broadcom offers a glimpse into the expected performance of South Korea's two semiconductor leaders, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

Monday 15 December 2025

Weekly news roundup: TSMC pauses Japan fab plans, Tesla Powerwall demand rises in Taiwan, Huawei flags AI oversupply risks

These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of December 8 to December 14, 2025.

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