Samsung Electronics broke ground recently for a new semiconductor research and development complex in Giheung, Korea, with plans to invest about KRW20 trillion (US$14.95 billion) by 2028.

GlobalFoundries and Qualcomm have announced they are more than doubling their existing strategic global long-term semiconductor manufacturing agreement previously entered into by GF's and Qualcomm's respective subsidiaries. Today's announcement secures wafer supply and commitments to support US-based manufacturing through capacity expansion at GF's most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility in Malta, New York.

Italy is close to clinching a deal initially worth $5 billion with Intel to build an advanced semiconductor packaging and assembly plant in the country, two sources briefed on discussions told Reuters on Thursday.

The British government has delayed for another two months its final judgment on whether to allow the acquisition of Britain's largest semiconductor plant by a Chinese company.

US Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo on Monday stepped up pressure on Congress to approve $52 billion in funding for chipmakers to expand operations, warning that firms would abandon American expansion plans without the legislation.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will offer subsidies worth up to JPY476 billion (US$3.5 billion) for a semiconductor plant being built in Kumamoto Prefecture by TSMC, Sony and Denso, the ministry said on Friday.

Denso, a key supplier to Toyota Motor, may consider spinning off its chip business, the company's chief technology officer said Friday.

Japan's semiconductor material makers are moving to raise prices, as strong demand and the Ukraine war tighten supplies. The upward pressure on costs could translate into higher prices for products such as cars and home appliances.

The chief executive of JSR, one of the world's largest suppliers of a material critical for semiconductor production, has said a lack of industry infrastructure will make it "very difficult" for China to develop cutting-edge chipmaking technology despite a push for self-sufficiency.

TSMC is considering building a semiconductor factory in Singapore to help address a global supply shortage, according to people familiar with the matter.

Lockheed Martin has joined Intel, Nvidia, and eight other big tech companies as part of a plan to securely link defense systems in what Lockheed calls a 21st century concept.

The Biden administration is looking into claims that Yangtze Memory Technologies, a Chinese semiconductor maker, has supplied Huawei with chips, in a potential violation of US export controls.

Silicon Motion Technology is exploring a potential sale amid takeover interest in the semiconductor firm, according to people familiar with the matter.

The goals don't exactly sound ambitious. For example, while TSMC plans to hit 2nm by 2026, Russia wants 28nm local chip manufacturing by 2030.

China's quarterly production of semiconductors shrunk for the first time since early 2019 as consumer electronics demand softened and Covid-triggered lockdowns in regions including Shanghai disrupted output.

Russia is turning to microchip manufactures in China to circumvent western sanctions which have boosted demand for bank cards linked to the Mir payment system, an executive with the domestic payment system said.

Spain plans to invest EUR11 billion euros (US$12.4 billion) to develop microchips and semiconductors in a bid to modernize its tourism-dependent economy.

Chip designer Shanghai Biren Intelligent Technology is seeking to raise fresh funds at a valuation of about CNY17 billion (US$2.7 billion) to fuel its growth, according to people familiar with the matter.

Canada will invest a total of C$240 million (US$189 million) into its semiconductor industry to bolster manufacturing and research of chips that are crucial to national security and technological advancement, a federal minister said on Monday.

Micron Technology, the biggest maker of computer memory chips in the US, said the growing crisis in Ukraine highlights the complexity and vulnerability of the semiconductor supply chain. Some of the gases used in the production of chips comes from the country which the US says Russia is invading.

The semiconductor industry has long struggled with a notorious cycle of booms and nasty downturns. Now though, the industry is confident of beating the patterns of the past to extend what is an extraordinary run for the sector.

This week's announcement that India's Vedanta has tied up with Taiwan's Foxconn Technology to make chips is being lauded as proof that New Delhi is gaining traction with its plans to build a semiconductor industry. That's hardly the case.

Intel chief executive Pat Gelsinger said Intel would be interested in participating if a consortium emerges to own the British semiconductor and software design company Arm.

Intel is close to buying Israeli firm Tower Semiconductor for about US$6 billion, a source familiar with the matter said, as the US company looks to advance its strategy of contract manufacturing chips for other businesses.

Sumco, a key supplier of silicon wafers for the semiconductor industry, said it has already sold out its production capacity through 2026, a sign shortages in the industry may not abate for years.

Heavy investment is needed to increase capacity in the semiconductor industry and there is no immediate danger of oversupply, the CEO of Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML said on Wednesday.

Renesas Electronics expects solid growth in revenue and profits in 2022 following a robust performance last year, amid a global semiconductor shortage.

The European Commission will ease funding rules for innovative semiconductor plants under plans announced on Tuesday as the European Union looks to boost its chip industry and cut its dependence on US and Asian supply.

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage will construct a new 300-milimeter wafer fabrication facility for power semiconductors at its main discrete semiconductor production base, Kaga Toshiba Electronics, in Ishikawa Prefecture. Construction will take place in two phases, allowing the pace of investment to be optimized against market trends, with the production start of Phase 1 scheduled for within fiscal 2024. When Phase 1 reaches full capacity, Toshiba's power semiconductor production capacity will be 2.5 times that of fiscal 2021.

China plans to set up a special organization that facilitates collaboration between domestic companies and overseas semiconductor powerhouses such as Intel to foster development hubs for software, material and manufacturing equipment.

Efforts aimed at reviving US semiconductor manufacturing and strengthening technology supply chains advanced this week with the introduction of a catch-all bill that funds "surge production" of US-made chips while investing in broad-based technology R&D.

Toyota said on Tuesday it expects to miss its annual 9 million vehicle production target because competition for semiconductors meant it didn't have enough to ramp up car output to offset production lost during the pandemic last year.

Intel has announced plans for an initial investment of more than US$20 billion in the construction of two new leading-edge chip factories in Ohio.

Toyota Motor is cutting its February production by around 20% due to chip shortages, the Nikkei newspaper reported Tuesday, though that output target is still up from a year earlier.

Samsung Electronics is expected to announce large-scale merger and acquisition (M&A) deals soon. German chipmaker Infineon Technologies and Dutch semiconductor company NXP Semiconductor have emerged as Samsung's M&A targets as it aims to foster its non-memory business.

Delivery times for chips rose in December, signaling persistent component shortages that have slammed growth for months in industries that span the economy.

The semiconductor industry's struggle to keep up with incoming orders looks set to continue as supply bottlenecks may last until the end of 2022, a member of German chipmaker Infineon's management board told the Handelsblatt newspaper on Wednesday.

Intel and Italy are intensifying talks over investments expected to be worth around 8 billion euros ($9 billion) to build an advanced semiconductor packaging plant, two sources close to the matter told Reuters.

Biden administration officials met last week to consider tightening rules that restrict the sale of equipment to Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC). The meeting ended without an immediate resolution, and that left hawks in Washington dissatisfied.

Magnachip Semiconductor announced that the board of directors has authorized the company to repurchase up to US$75 million of the company's common stock.