The explosive demand for AI chips has created a rare production bottleneck for TSMC's advanced 3nm process, with capacity fully booked through 2027. Deutsche Bank analysts suggest that the crunch may provide a strategic opening for Samsung Electronics to capture orders from major technology firms.
Apple is losing the preferential access it held for more than a decade at TSMC as surging demand for AI chips shifts the balance of power toward Nvidia and other high-performance computing customers. The change highlights how AI workloads are reshaping capacity allocation at the world's largest contract chipmaker, reducing Apple's ability to secure priority production at the most advanced nodes.
ASM International said it posted stronger-than-expected preliminary results for the fourth quarter of 2025, buoyed by a rebound in demand from China and robust orders from advanced logic and foundry customers. The company also raised its outlook for the first quarter of 2026, signaling growing confidence in the semiconductor capital-spending cycle.
