CONNECT WITH US
Apr 14
Samsung 2nm yields reportedly remain below mass production threshold

Samsung Electronics is nearing a technical milestone for its 2nm process, but yields are reportedly still below the level required for stable mass production, raising questions about its ability to secure major foundry customers for the next-generation node.

AI workloads are scaling faster than traditional CPU architectures were ever designed to handle, exposing clear limits in performance per watt. SiFive's latest funding round highlights a shift in industry thinking, with RISC-V moving from niche alternative to a credible option for next-gen computing.

SK Hynix is reportedly considering reducing its planned 2026 shipments of high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) to Nvidia by about 20-30%, amid delays in ramping up Nvidia's next-generation Vera Rubin platform, according to ZDNet Korea.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEM) is reportedly planning to invest KRW1.8 trillion (US$1.22 billion) in Vietnam to expand ABF substrate production capacity. As AI drives a surge in demand for semiconductor substrates, the move aims to alleviate supply bottlenecks and further strengthen its competitive position. According to Korean media Herald Business and Bloomberg, SEM plans to inject around KRW1.8 trillion into its Vietnam manufacturing subsidiary to expand production of high-value-added ABF substrates. Data from Vietnam's Foreign Investment Agency shows that SEM has obtained an investment registration certificate, with the project targeting the production of ABF substrates for robotics, autonomous vehicles, and AI applications. The project is known as "SEM Vietnam Phase 2."
Riding the artificial intelligence (AI) boom and strong demand for advanced semiconductor processes, the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) posted record-high revenue of NT$2.97 trillion (approx. US$94.13 billion) for 2025, up 34.26% from 2024. The figure fell just shy of the industry's original projection of NT$3 trillion, yet the park maintained its leading position among Taiwan's three major science parks.
Taiwan has emerged as the world's most consequential node in the AI supply chain — and the world is taking notice. Backed by TSMC's NT$53 trillion (US$1.67 trillion) market capitalization and a surge in AI-driven investment, the island's semiconductor industry now anchors global supply chains, capital flows, and financial stability in ways few anticipated. But as that concentration deepens, so do the questions: can Taiwan's tech-heavy economy absorb geopolitical shocks, monetary shifts, and energy risks without dragging global markets with it?

China's imports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment from Southeast Asia surged in 2025, surpassing direct shipments from the US, according to a Nikkei Asia analysis, as Washington moves to tighten export controls on advanced chipmaking tools.

China Northern Rare Earth, the leading player in China's rare earth industry, has raised its rare earth ore (REO) prices for the second quarter of 2026 by more than 44%. Amid geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions, this significant price increase has drawn strong attention across the sector.

Broadcom and Meta have unveiled a sweeping multi-year, multi-generation partnership aimed at scaling Meta's AI infrastructure, signaling a deeper shift toward custom silicon and vertically integrated AI systems. The collaboration centers on Meta's Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) chips, with Broadcom providing the underlying technologies and co-design expertise through its XPU platform.

Surging demand for high-end PCBs driven by AI servers and switches is intensifying supply imbalances for upstream materials. Industry sources said the rising cost of copper-clad laminate (CCL) is accelerating down the supply chain, prompting PCB manufacturers to adjust quotes for customers.

Japan dominates the global market for semiconductor equipment and materials — a strategic chokepoint that its neighbors and partners have long sought to learn from, not just rely on. Taiwan, home to the world's most advanced chip fabrication ecosystem, has spent years building closer ties with Tokyo in materials science. Now, that partnership is entering a more ambitious phase.
Nvidia has introduced a new open family of AI models called Ising, designed to address two of the most persistent engineering bottlenecks in quantum computing: processor calibration and error correction.