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Thursday 2 April 2026

South Korea exports hit record US$86bn, chip demand drives breakout above US$80bn

South Korea's exports climbed to a record US$86.1 billion in March 2026, marking the first time monthly shipments have exceeded the US$80 billion threshold, even as the Middle East conflict disrupted logistics and energy flows. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), the figure was up 48.3% year on year, extending a 10-month run of record monthly exports and lifting the country's trade surplus to US$25.7 billion — its 14th straight month in the black.

Thursday 2 April 2026

Samsung, SK Hynix reportedly ramp hybrid bonding push for next-gen HBM

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are reportedly stepping up efforts to advance hybrid bonding for next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM), as the two memory makers move to secure key packaging technologies for AI-driven demand, according to The Elec.

Thursday 2 April 2026

Notebook shortages persist despite rumors of easing memory prices

Spot prices for memory have plunged by 35%, yet contract prices continue to rise. Notebook supply chain sources say there are no signs of supply easing, with shortages expected to persist through the end of 2026. Rising component costs are also being passed on to end markets, prompting brand vendors to adopt a conservative stance, and a full-year decline in shipments now appears inevitable.

Thursday 2 April 2026

Memory price surge impacts smartphone supply chain; Foxconn's structural shift key to resilience

Rising demand for computing power from generative AI and the semiconductor industry's move toward high-performance computing are reshaping the smartphone supply chain, with global implications for device availability, pricing, and component sourcing as memory prices rise, capacity shifts toward AI workloads, and smartphone production forecasts point to substantial declines ahead.

Thursday 2 April 2026

Interview: How Europe's two-year AI lag is becoming a security liability

While North America and Asia race to deploy "physics-bending" AI hardware, Europe has opted for a "wait-and-see" approach, shielded by thick layers of regulation. In a DIGITIMES Asia interview, CONTEXT World senior analyst Aaron Smith argues this is creating a vulnerability window. As Europe moves cautiously to ensure regulatory compliance, it is inadvertently extending the life of aging, insecure legacy systems. Meanwhile, advanced AI cyberattacks are intensifying, adding pressure to European enterprises.

Thursday 2 April 2026

Kioxia sets cutoff for legacy NAND, phases out SLC and MLC lines by 2026

Japan-based NAND flash maker Kioxia has formally issued an end-of-life (EOL) notice for a wide range of legacy NAND products, underscoring an industry-wide shift toward advanced 3D architectures and tighter capacity allocation.

Wednesday 1 April 2026

South Korean chipmakers stockpile helium, diversify supply beyond Qatar

South Korean semiconductor manufacturers hold enough helium inventory to sustain production through at least June, easing concerns over potential supply disruptions, according to government and industry sources.

Wednesday 1 April 2026

Micron reportedly developing stacked GDDR to address shifting AI memory demand

Micron is reportedly developing vertically stacked graphics DRAM (GDDR) products to address shifting AI memory demand, according to ET News.

Wednesday 1 April 2026

Rising memory costs and AI demand set to shrink PC shipments

A prolonged shortage of memory and storage components—driven largely by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure—is expected to weigh heavily on the global personal computer market in 2026.

Wednesday 1 April 2026

India to account for 10% of Micron's capacity, says official

India is emerging in the global memory supply chain as Micron Technology scales production, with officials linking rising output to surging AI-driven demand and broader ambitions to localize chip manufacturing.

Wednesday 1 April 2026

China memory firms secure two-year wafer deals, tightening DRAM and NAND supply outlook

As AI demand drives high-performance computing and device upgrades, the global memory market is entering an upswing. China-linked players, including GigaDevice, CXMT, and Biwin, are moving to secure upstream wafer supply through contracts lasting up to two years, pointing to stronger demand visibility and firmer pricing expectations.

Wednesday 1 April 2026

Arm, Tesla chip push reshuffles supply chains, lifts AI memory demand

Global technology and semiconductor companies are moving to build independent chip ecosystems to meet rising artificial intelligence (AI) demand, a shift that stands to reshape semiconductor supply chains.

Wednesday 1 April 2026

Commentary: AI efficiency shock rattles memory stocks, tests chip demand narrative

On March 30, US tech stocks fell sharply, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down 4.2%. Memory stocks led the losses: Micron Technology dropped 9.88%, Western Digital fell 8.6%, while SanDisk and Seagate Technology each declined more than 6%.

Tuesday 31 March 2026

Innodisk: AI memory demand outpaces supply; NAND, DRAM price keeps climbing

AI and edge computing demand is accelerating, prompting industrial memory module maker Innodisk to project strong growth through 2026. Chairman and president Randy Chien said NAND Flash prices remain on an upward trajectory, while Google TurboQuant is not a new compression technology. Similar to the DeepSeek effect in 2025, optimization is expected to broaden applications and lift demand. Innodisk expects its edge AI business to grow multiple-fold in 2026.

Tuesday 31 March 2026

Memory chip shortage drives surge in China's used phone chip market

The used mobile phone recycling market in China has recently heated up, with even non-functional old phones being collected at significantly higher prices than before. This surge is driven by a severe global shortage of consumer-grade memory chips.

Tuesday 31 March 2026

Apple business units and Nintendo drive Weblink's optimistic 2H26 outlook

Weblink International, a subsidiary of Acer Group, is benefiting from growth in software subscriptions, Apple business device sales, and rising demand for Nintendo hardware and software, leading to a positive outlook for 2026. President Dave Lin noted that the second half typically outperforms the first, with subsidiary Protrade also seeing improved profits due to rising oil prices.

Tuesday 31 March 2026

Memory shortage persists as AI-era supply-demand imbalance deepens

Global memory chip shortages have shifted industry focus from price competition to securing supply, driven by explosive demand for AI servers. Advanced production capacity is being prioritized for AI memory products, squeezing mature process output and pushing inventory levels below safety thresholds.

Tuesday 31 March 2026

Samsung faces 17,700-worker strike as DS division talks collapse

Samsung Electronics is embroiled in a deepening labor dispute after intensive negotiations between management and workers — which began on March 26, 2026 — broke down without an agreement on employee treatment across its business units. Talks were suspended on March 27, stoking growing concerns over a potential full-scale strike in May involving up to 17,700 employees.

Tuesday 31 March 2026

Samsung, SK Hynix reportedly set for record profits as long-term contracts expand

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are expected to post record first-quarter profits as surging artificial intelligence demand drives memory prices higher, with suppliers pushing to expand multi-year supply agreements to stabilize earnings.

Monday 30 March 2026

Kioxia outlines supply strategy, stresses new 2027 capacity won't disrupt NAND market balance

As generative AI (GenAI) shifts from large-model training to large-scale inference, Japanese NAND giant Kioxia forecasts continued price increases for NAND and SSD products. Despite planned capacity expansions by various NAND manufacturers in 2027, Kioxia expects no risk of oversupply imbalance due to the rapid growth in AI demand.

Monday 30 March 2026

Samsung reportedly shifts Xi'an plant to 236-layer NAND

Samsung Electronics has reportedly begun mass production of 236-layer NAND flash at its Xi'an plant in China, marking a key step in its transition to higher-layer memory as demand from artificial intelligence applications accelerates.

Monday 30 March 2026

Sony raises PlayStation 5 prices amid memory costs spike

Sony Group's gaming subsidiary, Sony Interactive Entertainment, announced on March 27 that it would raise the global retail price of its flagship home console, the PlayStation 5, effective April 2. In Japan, the suggested retail price of the standard model will climb to JPY97,980 (approx. US$613), a steep increase of roughly 23%. A Japan-only version, introduced in 2025 without a disc drive and limited to the Japanese language, will remain unchanged at JPY55,000.

Monday 30 March 2026

AI-driven memory market set to top US$600 billion on rising storage demand

The global semiconductor memory market is expected to surpass US$600 billion by 2026, as artificial intelligence accelerates a shift toward high-performance storage, according to industry executives.

Monday 30 March 2026

Weekly news roundup: AI, supply chains, new entrants intensify global chip race

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of March 23-27, 2026:

Monday 30 March 2026

AI compression won't ease memory crunch, NAND shortage set to persist

AI-driven demand is tightening global memory supply, pushing NAND flash and server DRAM into shortages, price hikes, and capacity constraints. Server memory demand is expected to grow more than 40% in 2026, accounting for over half of total storage usage.

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