The Vietnamese government is urging Intel to further grow its semiconductor packaging and testing capabilities in the country, seeking to strengthen the nation's role in the global chip supply chain.

Following reports that the US government had granted annual export licenses to South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) has also approved TSMC to export chip manufacturing equipment containing US technology to its wafer fabs in Nanjing and other locations in China over the next year. The approval ensures existing production lines can continue operating normally and meet product delivery schedules.

China's leading DRAM producer, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), has entered the initial public offering phase as it targets a rapid increase in global market share, aiming to surpass the 4% threshold in the near term, according to its IPO prospectus and market estimates. The move comes as the company accelerates capacity expansion and technology upgrades to close the gap with industry leaders Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology in a market dominated by a handful of suppliers.

Samsung Electronics has taken a key step toward building a massive semiconductor manufacturing complex in Yongin after finalizing a land purchase for a national industrial park, moving the long-planned project into its execution phase.

Samsung Electronics has reportedly begun sampling next-generation DDR5 memory, delivering speeds that are approximately 30% faster than current mass-produced offerings. Industry observers believe Samsung aims to leverage higher-speed DRAM to meet customers' growing memory demands in servers, computers, and artificial intelligence (AI) environments, further solidifying its position as the world's leading DRAM supplier.

Samsung Electronics plans to begin mass production of its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory chips in 2026, citing positive feedback from customers as the South Korean tech giant seeks to reclaim its lead in the competitive artificial intelligence hardware market.

Demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) is crowding out production capacity for consumer memory. Despite capacity expansions by major memory makers, including Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix, the supply of HBM for AI servers remains tight, and the demand from large chipmakers is difficult to satisfy immediately. IC distributors report that lead times from memory manufacturers have now extended to 52 weeks. With priority allocation given to large clients, almost no stock is available. Both distributors and customers must now pay upfront and wait in line for delivery.

Market rumors and formal statements indicate two major memory companies, SanDisk and Micron, have approached PSMC about capacity cooperation at PSMC's new 12-inch fab in Tongluo, Taiwan. PSMC's fate for the facility is expected to be finalized soon as participants weigh their options.

South Korea's ruling and opposition parties have reached a preliminary consensus on the Semiconductor Special Act, though its passage may be delayed until 2026, and the law faces criticism for offering comparatively weak support measures against competing countries.

Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has raised concerns that prolonged delays in budget approvals could cause Taiwan to miss the critical 2026 global takeoff for silicon photonics (SiPh) and co-packaged optics (CPO), two cornerstone technologies underpinning next-generation AI servers.

Nvidia is in talks with TSMC to expand production of its H200 artificial intelligence chips as Chinese technology companies move to secure large orders for 2026, according to Reuters. The negotiations signal that Chinese demand continues to strain global supply chains even as the company faces a complex and unresolved regulatory environment in both Washington and Beijing.