A surge in demand for various chips is causing select shortages and extended lead times for many types of 300mm semiconductor equipment, photomask tools, wafers, and other products.

Applied Materials gave a bullish forecast for the current quarter boosted by orders from chipmakers rushing to add capacity to meet a flood of demand for their products.

Taiwan imposed power cuts on Monday evening following a spike in demand amid a heatwave and drought and failure at a power plant, in the second such outage in a week, although far fewer homes were affected.

Infineon Technologies has concluded a supply contract with Japan-based Showa Denko for an extensive range of silicon carbide material (SiC) including epitaxy. The German semiconductor manufacturer has thus secured more base material for the growing demand for SiC-based products.

While more and more chips are needed in the US, fewer and fewer are manufactured here.

Nintendo will ramp up output of the Switch to about 30 million units this fiscal year, Nikkei has learned, marking an all-time high for the flagship gaming device in a bid to capitalize on continuing stay-at-home demand.

LG Electronics' net profit rose 7.6% in the first quarter, driven by solid demand for televisions and home appliances. Market analysts largely view the company's pullout from its smartphone business as improving its business and financial health in the long run despite a near-term revenue setback.

Chipmaking equipment supplier BE Semiconductor said on Friday it planned to boost its operations in the United States and Taiwan as its top customers ramp up investment to meet a surge in chip demand.

ASML sharpened its full-year guidance as demand for its chip-making equipment soared during the global semiconductor shortage.

Micron Technology on Wednesday forecast fiscal third-quarter revenue above Wall Street estimates due to a rise in demand for memory chips thanks to 5G smartphones and artificial intelligence software that is pushing memory chip prices upward.

Qualcomm is struggling to keep up with demand for its processor chips used in smartphones and gadgets, as a chip shortage that first hit the auto industry spreads across the electronics business, industry sources told Reuters.

Globalfoundries will invest US$1.4 billion this year to raise output at three factories in the US, Singapore and Germany, as a global shortage of semiconductors has boosted demand for chips, its chief executive said.

Applied Materials on Thursday forecast second-quarter revenue above market expectations, as demand for its semiconductor manufacturing tools picked up during a global shortage of semiconductors.

South Korea's exports climbed at the fastest pace in more than two years in December, buoyed by a pickup in global demand as vaccines raised hopes for a recovery.

Applied Materials forecast fourth-quarter revenue above analysts' estimates on Thursday as demand rebounds for semiconductor equipment and services from the coronavirus-driven slump, and predicted sustained spending into 2021.

Micron Technology said the outlook for demand is worsening and predicted it's unlikely to meet its revenue forecast for the fiscal first quarter. Shares dropped about 5% on the comments.

The pandemic has created a demand for PCs and laptops

Shift to working from home has helped boost PC sales

Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday it expected higher demand and limited supply for computer chips even though the coronavirus pandemic and the U.S.-China trade war were damaging major markets in Europe and the United States.

Asian chipmakers and other high-tech manufacturers face a nearly $11 billion hit to profits in fiscal 2020 as the novel coronavirus outbreak saps both demand and their supply chains in China, according to research by Goldman Sachs.

Almost 60% of the firms expect demand to be lower than normal over the next few months, nearly half said their global supply chain had already been affected by the business shutdown, and about a third of them will consider moving operations out of the country if this continues.

Samsung Electronics may boost the production capacity of its CMOS image sensor by nearly 20% this year, analysts here said Sunday, as the South Korean tech giant tries to meet soaring demand.

Globalfoundries is firming up plans to go public, its chief executive said, in a move that could give the company more financial firepower to take advantage of an expected surge in demand for computing power in phones, cars, and connected devices in homes and offices.

Apple Inc.'s suppliers are preparing to produce components for up to 75 million new iPhones in 2019's second half, roughly the same number as a year earlier, according to people familiar with the matter.

Caught between a Sino-US trade war, political concerns over Chinese telecoms firm Huawei and slowing consumer demand, chipmakers in Singapore have started slowing production and laying off hundreds of jobs.

The rollout of 5G telecom networks helped semiconductor equipment maker ASML (ASML.AS) beat second-quarter forecasts on Wednesday despite weak demand in the memory chip market.

China continues to stress that the US must remove all the tariffs placed on Chinese goods as a condition for reaching a trade deal.

The latest data on semiconductor sales is pointing to stabilization in the industry, suggesting that months of weakness and tepid demand could be nearing an end, analysts said on Monday.

Tesla returned to growth mode in the second quarter, setting a record for deliveries and beating Wall Street's expectations, relieving some pressure on CEO Elon Musk to prove that demand remains strong for the electric-car maker's vehicles.

Chipmaker Texas Instruments said on Tuesday a slowdown in demand for microchips that started late last year may last a few more quarters. The warning from the company, often seen as a bellwether for a semiconductor industry, dragged its shares 3% lower to US$113.88.

China's chip equipment makers are seeing an uptick in domestic demand thanks to the trade war, giving them an opportunity to finally gain ground on global rivals like Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron.

Automotive chipmaker Renesas Electronics plans to halt production at six plants in Japan for up to two months this year as it braces for a further slowdown in Chinese demand, the company said on Thursday.

Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities, the most widely followed Apple analyst on Wall Street whose calls typically move the stock, says demand for iPhones is falling way short.

Apple has signaled disappointing demand for the new iPhone XR, telling its top smartphone assemblers Foxconn and Pegatron to halt plans for additional production lines dedicated to the relatively cost-effective model that hit shelves in late October, sources say.

Chipmaker Texas Instruments whose chief executive abruptly resigned last week delivered upbeat outlook for the current quarter amid strong demand for its products in automotive and industrial markets.

BlackRock Chief Executive Larry Fink on Monday said the world's largest asset manager has assembled a working group to look at blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, but cautioned he does not see massive investor demand.

South Korea's Hanwha Q Cells' market share grew 2pp last year to 12.9%, becoming the first overseas producer to top Japan's solar panel market, according to a survey conducted by Nikkei, tapping demand for inexpensive residential products. Canadian Solar Japan and China's JinkoSolar also managed to increase their share.

The German designer and maker of semiconductors used in cars, industry and IoT applications said it expects growth of at least 10% next year, followed by 9% growth in the following years. It previously targeted 8% growth.

Samsung Electronics said weakness in the global smartphone market would slow earnings growth, as it reported record quarterly profit on Thursday thanks to strong demand for semiconductors used in servers.

Shares of Apple dropped nearly 2% on Tuesday as investors worries intensified about soft demand for iPhones after a warning from a company that supplies components for smartphones.