As to whether it makes sense it all depends on how much Abu Dhabi and Mubadala would demand in payment and what assurances of collaboration with Samsung could be obtained.

Marvell Technology plunged the sharpest in almost 13 years, after disclosing an internal investigation of its accounting and reporting weakening demand for personal computer parts.

Skyworks Solutions has announced that it is expanding production capacity in Japan to meet the growing demand for its filter technology.

Bernstein has cut its target price by 25% on the company amid intense 3G competition and weak demand.

Taiwan's economy grew at the slowest pace in three years as exports collapsed amid weaker global demand and rising competition from regional rivals.

Microsoft reported a $3.2 billion quarterly net loss, its biggest ever, as the company wrote down its Nokia phone business and demand fell for its Windows operating system.

"We expect to see continued overall business strength in the second half of 2015 due to increased demand from memory and foundry customers compared with our previous expectations," ASML president and CEO Peter Wennink said.

Hard-disk drive storage provider Seagate on Monday lowered its revenue and margin guidance ahead of the release of its fourth quarter earnings report later this month.

"S6 didn't sell as well as the market had hoped for, partly because of continued outperforming of iPhones combined with the supply constraint," said Greg Roh, a Seoul-based analyst at HMC Investment Securities Co. "Sales sharply missed the market expectation, which implies that overall technology industry demand for smartphones, TVs and PCs is weakening."

China's Huawei Technologies expects total shipments of smartphones in southeast Asia to rise 160% to 8 million units in 2015, boosted by strong demand in Myanmar, it said on Thursday.

Demand for semiconductors continued to weaken in the second quarter with some PC assemblers in Asia suggesting a decline in purchases of some parts of as much as 15-20% from the second quarter of 2014, according to a report from Wall Street analysts at Deutsche Bank.

Chipmaker Qualcomm has put a chunk of spectrum up for sale in Britain which could appeal to mobile operators grappling with the demand for Internet access.

As Apple basks in the unprecedented demand for its latest iPhones, suppliers from Tokyo to Taipei are sharing in the spoils.

Texas Instruments has forecast current-quarter revenue below analysts' expectations, citing weak demand for its chips from communication equipment and consumer electronics markets and a strong dollar.

Chip investors were handed a buying opportunity last week, as the group fell off a cliff on signs that the rising US dollar is crimping demand. But there is nothing fundamentally wrong with their industry.

TSMC fell for a fifth day in Taipei trading, its longest losing streak in two years, after at least four analysts published reports saying a stronger U.S. dollar may weaken smartphone chip demand.

Investors are worried that combination of a global supply glut and weak demand could cause prices to tumble further.

Marvell Technology has forecast lower-than-expected revenue for the current quarter as weak demand for its chips used in third-generation mobile communication offset a rise in sales of its more profitable 4G LTE chips.

Hewlett-Packard reported fiscal first-quarter sales and profit that topped analysts' estimates as the personal-computer maker won new orders for corporate machines and servers to run data centers.

Intel said it will delay opening a new factory in Arizona amid a slump in demand for PC microprocessors, its main source of revenue.

SK Hynix plans to build a new factory in South Korea to meet the growing demand for mobile devices, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Electronics firm Sony is considering the purchase of a Japanese chip plant from Renesas Electronics so that it can enhance production of smartphone image sensors, reports said.

ARM predicts a shift in demand toward lower-priced smartphones will help boost royalty revenues.

Applied Materials is benefiting from an increase in demand from companies such as TSMC that build semiconductors for other chipmakers, as they upgrade plants for new production processes.

Sources close to the situation said the deal that appears to be taking shape looks more like this: Samsung will use Globalfoundries for what is known as "flex capacity." This is a long-standing industry practice under which a chip manufacturer pays to occasionally use another company's factories when demand on their own factory is running higher than they would like, and they need a little help.

STMicroelectronics said chip demand is taking a hit as smartphone manufacturers trim orders, adding to testimony of weakening appetite for high-end handsets.

British microchip designer ARM said Tuesday it has a record order backlog going into the final fiscal quarter as it posted a rise in third-quarter profit on forecast-beating revenue powered by global demand for smartphones.

Broadcom fell after the company forecast lower fourth-quarter revenue than analysts estimated and said it's cutting as many as 1,150 jobs as demand slows for chips that connect mobile phones to the Internet.

Applied Materials has announced new technology systems for manufacturing large size and ultra-high definition (UHD) LCD and OLED displays that meet consumer demand for greater screen performance, clarity, color and brightness.

ASML said it sees first-half sales in 2014 at similar levels to the second half of this year - which would translate into sales of about EUR3.12 billion if the company meets its full-year sales forecast of EUR5.2 billion in 2013.

KLA-Tencor forecast current-quarter revenue below expectations as slumping personal computer sales hurt demand for new chip-manufacturing gear, sending its shares lower.

Texas Instruments gave a third-quarter revenue forecast that was stronger than some analysts expected and said customers seem more confident about placing orders for chips.

Consumer demand for sophisticated mobile devices creates profitable growth opportunities for Applied's semiconductor and display equipment businesses.

A weaker yen and solid domestic demand has brightened the mood at Japanese manufacturers, six months into Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's big effort to jolt the world's third-largest economy out of deflation.

JPMorgan said weak demand for Samsung's flagship phone, the Galaxy S4, from Europe was likely to impact earnings.

German chipmaker Infineon brightened its gloomy outlook for this year, citing orders from carmakers hoping sales of higher-spec models in China will offset flagging demand in Europe.

Altera posted revenue slightly below expectations in the first quarter and the programmable chipmaker said it was beginning to see a recovery from a dip in demand from its communications and industrial customers.

ARM jumped the most in more than four years after reporting sales that beat estimates as demand increased for its graphics and processing technology.

GlobalFoundries, the contract chip manufacturer whose clients include Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Qualcomm, plans to spend US$4.4 billion in 2013 to expand production as demand for smartphones and tablets climbs.