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Aug 6
DRAM price surge lifts Samsung and Micron as SK Hynix loses share
Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology are benefiting more strongly from rising conventional DRAM and NAND prices than SK Hynix, whose focus on high-bandwidth memory (HBM) has slowed the expansion of its traditional DRAM business despite its leadership in HBM.
TSMC is expanding Japan's role in its global network as it prepares to add 3nm production in Kumamoto and deepens local capabilities in advanced packaging, chip design and next-generation image sensors.
TSMC-affiliated optical sensing chipmaker VisEra Technologies said at its earnings conference on August 6 that business momentum rebounded significantly in the second quarter of 2026, driven by stable shipments of smartphone CMOS image sensors (CIS).
Power semiconductor group Eris Technology said its July 2026 consolidated revenue reached NT$291 million, up 29.78% year-on-year and setting a new monthly high. The company also reported that cumulative revenue for January through July totaled NT$1.776 billion, an increase of 19.02% from the same period in 2025.

Wah Hong Industrial Co. said that in the first half of 2026, it accelerated development of high-value-added products, new technologies and new application markets while continuing to protect its core businesses. The Taiwan-based materials maker also reported that net profit rose nearly 12% year over year, while earnings per share increased 16.83% during the period.

SK Hynix has approved roughly KRW54 trillion (approx. US$39 billion) in new fab construction across two domestic sites, allocating KRW35.2 trillion to a second Yongin fab and KRW19.1 trillion to a new Cheongju NAND plant, in a move the company frames as securing supply capacity rather than chasing a cycle.

Zhen Ding Tech (ZDT) said July revenue reached its highest level so far in 2026, supported by strong momentum across mobile communications, servers, optical modules and IC substrates. Its mobile communications business maintained double-digit year-on-year growth, while combined revenue from servers, optical modules and IC substrates sustained triple-digit growth, accelerated from the previous month and reached another monthly record. The gains were mainly driven by customers moving high-end AI products into adoption and mass production as planned, lifting ZDT's related shipments.

US President Donald Trump's new import rules on polysilicon, ingots, wafers, and solar products could ripple through global clean energy and semiconductor markets, affecting pricing, sourcing, and investment decisions far beyond the US. South Korean producers welcomed the measure, while analysts said it targets low-cost Chinese supply and could reshape competition.

Memory IC designer AP Memory posted higher revenue and profit in the second quarter and expects to enter a new growth cycle beginning in 2026, driven by continued expansion in IoTRAM demand and a rapid ramp-up of its Stack Silicon Capacitor (S-SiCap) product line for AI advanced packaging.

Samsung sounds out Novatek for Galaxy S28 Ultra DDI
Aug 7, 13:56

Samsung Electronics is considering opening its flagship Galaxy S display driver IC (DDI) supply chain to an outside supplier, a move that could break System LSI's long-standing exclusive hold on the business.

Solidigm, SK Hynix's US NAND and enterprise storage unit, is weighing a pre-IPO funding round of KRW5 trillion to KRW10 trillion, roughly US$3.5 billion to US$7 billion, ahead of a potential Nasdaq listing, a move that could establish a standalone valuation for the business as enterprise storage demand strengthens.

AI chip demand is sustaining a global rise in semiconductor packaging and testing prices, with STATS ChipPAC preparing a broad round of price increases for the second half of 2026. Some customers have recently received notices of varying adjustments from the Singapore-based subsidiary of China's JCET.