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Dec 31
China's CXMT eyes US$4.2B Shanghai IPO to fuel memory chip expansion

China's leading domestic DRAM maker, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), is seeking to raise CNY29.5 billion (approx. US$4.2 billion) through an IPO in Shanghai, as it looks to upgrade production lines and expand development of advanced memory technologies.

The 28-nanometer process has become the most popular node among mature processes. It boasts the highest utilization rates and the strongest price support. However, market conditions are changing. Demand for many chips using the 28nm process has weakened, and some chips are beginning to migrate to more advanced process nodes.
Veteran semiconductor equipment distributor Spirox has successfully entered the advanced packaging supply chain in the second half of 2025 with its self-developed advanced optical inspection equipment. Chairman Peter Chin said the product passed foundry customer validation and secured the first order for a non-destructive through-silicon via (TSV) inspection system, slated for shipment and revenue contribution in the first half of 2026. This milestone marks the group's transition into a new business phase.

Samsung Electronics is reportedly developing a new mobile chip packaging method aimed at improving thermal efficiency in its Exynos processors, as the company works to strengthen the competitiveness of its proprietary mobile silicon. The South Korea-based company is exploring a side-by-side packaging technology, internally dubbed SbS, that places the application processor and memory chips adjacent to one another rather than stacking them vertically.

As frontier AI models reach practical usability, competition is shifting from incremental improvements in model performance to a broader battle over distribution, application integration, and cost-effective deployment, according to DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin. Developers are now racing to secure access to end users via devices and platforms, marking a new phase in AI competition that is expected to last for the next several years.

Samsung Electronics is reportedly on track to post sharply higher operating profit in the fourth quarter of 2025 as demand tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure lifts memory chip prices. The reports, compiled by South Korean outlets including Korea Economic Daily and EBN and citing industry sources, said Samsung's preliminary fourth-quarter operating profit is expected to exceed KRW20 trillion, a level that would mark the first time a South Korean company has crossed that threshold in a single quarter.

L&T Semiconductor Technologies is expected to outline a partner-led expansion into cellular IoT modules at CES, positioning India as a future manufacturing base and sourcing option in a market long dominated by imported solutions.

Chinese chip designer GigaDevice Semiconductor is pressing ahead with plans to list its shares in Hong Kong, seeking to raise as much as HK$4.68 billion (approx. US$601.4 million) in what would be one of the latest semiconductor offerings amid a renewed IPO push by Chinese technology firms.

According to South Korean media reports and industry sources, TSMC is moving to pull forward the production schedule at its second Arizona facility, a shift that could reshape supply planning for major chip designers and weaken the long-running narrative that Samsung Electronics stands as the default alternative when TSMC capacity tightens.

The South Korean printed circuit board (PCB) industry is struggling as soaring gold and copper prices, up 50% and 30% respectively since early 2025, increase production costs. Despite high factory utilization due to the AI boom in semiconductors, many companies cannot raise product prices, worsening profitability.
Taiwan-based tech products distributor Weblink International is riding a surge in memory prices and robust demand for AI servers, positioning the company for strong growth in 2026. President Dave Lin said both segments continue to face supply constraints, but remain among Weblink's most promising growth drivers.

Taiwan's leading semiconductor assembly and test providers are launching record capital spending programs to expand advanced packaging capacity, as shortages at TSMC push chip designers to seek alternative supply chains through 2026.