Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong has returned to South Korea after a week-long business trip to the US. Lee reportedly met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in Austin, Texas, with senior executives of Samsung's foundry division also present. It is also rumored that Lee met with AMD CEO Lisa Su to discuss HBM supply and foundry orders using advanced 2-nanometer process technology. These efforts are considered tactics to help Samsung regain leadership in AI semiconductors.

Samsung Electronics is close to finalizing negotiations with Nvidia to supply more than 30% of its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) for 2026, aiming to regain market share after setbacks with HBM3E.

Samsung Electronics has reportedly stabilized the performance of its 12-layer high-bandwidth memory, a development that could allow the company to expand shipments to Google's artificial intelligence accelerators as competition intensifies in the market for advanced memory used in AI chips, according to South Korean media.

Escalating US-China tech rivalry and the politicization of the supply chain are accelerating a structural transformation in the global semiconductor equipment sector. While the US and its allies use stringent export controls to reshape the advanced node industry order, China's semiconductor industry is aggressively pursuing self-sufficiency across equipment, materials, and processes to mitigate reliance on foreign suppliers.

Acer chairman and CEO Jason Chen has pointed out that soaring memory prices have triggered ripple effects across the market, driving up costs and retail prices, which in turn impact demand.

Apple is facing renewed cost pressure as its long-term DRAM supply contracts with South Korean memory makers approach expiry in January 2026, heightening concerns that higher component costs could spill over into its next generation of devices.

The smartphone industry is facing considerable cost challenges in 2026 amid ongoing memory supply shortages and rising prices. This situation is expected to lead to a 1.6% decrease in annual shipments, a shift from the earlier forecast of 2.8% growth made in September, according to DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin.

The notebook market is expected to encounter an unusual shift in seasonal demand for a second consecutive year, with 2026 poised to replicate the disruption seen in 2025. While geopolitical tensions drove the initial reversal in 2025, industry insiders attribute the 2026 distortion mainly to rising memory prices, which are prompting enterprise buyers to accelerate purchases.

Qualcomm's acquisition of Ventana Micro Systems signals a clear push to deepen its commitment to RISC-V and accelerate the maturation of the surrounding ecosystem.