semiconductor

According to The Bell, Samsung Electronics' foundry division has delayed its contract for application processor foundry production with Qualcomm due to differences in production unit prices, and both parties have failed to narrow the price gap, prolonging negotiations. There have been no significant technical issues, and the currently discussed 2-nanometer process has received a considerable degree of stabilization evaluation.Industry sources indicate that the Qualcomm AP foundry using Samsung's 2-nanometer process may be postponed until next year, and it is unclear whether production can commence within this year. Qualcomm had previously entrusted advanced AP production to Samsung before 2021, and Samsung has been continuously striving to regain this business in recent years, having secured clients such as Tesla and Broadcom.Informed sources state that the contract delay has made it difficult for Samsung to produce APs for Qualcomm this year, and both parties may turn to discuss the next generation of products. After acquiring strategic clients, Samsung is no longer willing to accept low-price orders as it did in the past.

On September 10, Kim Sang-hoon, the head of the packaging division at Samsung Electro-Mechanics, delivered a speech at the KPCA Show International Seminar INSIGHT 2026 held at the Incheon Songdo Conference Center, proposing a multilayer core (MLC) technology direction to address the large-scale and high-multilayer challenges of AI semiconductor packaging substrates.Kim Sang-hoon stated that in the past, the single-layer core (SLC) method, which increased the thickness of a single CCL, led to increased difficulty in processing internal vias and circuits as the core thickened, and the size of the vias became limited. The MLC approach shifts to a combination of CCL and PPG multilayers, or even a mixed structure of two CCLs, which can simultaneously enhance rigidity and wiring freedom, while also allowing for ground or signal wiring to be arranged in the PPG layer. A bonding layer added between the two CCLs can provide more stable support for the substrate, but the process is more complex.Currently, the commonly used bump pitch in mass production is above 90μm, with around 85μm being the turning point for printed fine solder ball processes. The difficulty significantly increases around 80μm, and the 55-45μm range may shift towards metal bumps. Glass cores are another option, offering higher rigidity and lower thermal expansion coefficients, which help reduce warping in large packages, but issues related to fragility and micro-hole plating technology need to be addressed. The substrate must meet signal integrity, power integrity, and mechanical integrity requirements simultaneously, with high-performance packaging substrate layers expected to evolve from about 20 layers at the 90mm level to 120mm and even more than 40 layers.

The Central Science Management Bureau confirmed on the 9th that TSMC's Central Science Phase II 1.4 nanometer factory expansion is fully accelerating. The first P1 factory has completed its steel structure and is expected to begin trial production in April next year, with mass production anticipated in the second half of next year, ahead of the originally scheduled mass production in 2028. TSMC has applied to the Central Science Management Bureau to set up two temporary offices at the site, which are expected to be completed in April next year, with the first batch of over 5,400 operational and outsourced personnel moving in.The advanced process new factory for TSMC's Central Science Phase II park broke ground last October, planning to build four 1.4 nanometer factories, with nearly 2,000 workers working day and night. The P1 factory is currently undergoing floor and exterior wall construction, with the factory building expected to be completed early next year. The P2 factory has begun basic construction and is scheduled to be completed in October next year, with both factories expected to start mass production successively next year. The P3 factory has obtained a construction permit, while the P4 factory is in the process of applying for a construction permit, planning to be built with a six-month gap. P3 is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2028, and P4 is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of the same year. After the P2 factory is completed in the second half of next year, an additional 1,000 operational personnel will be added, with the total number of employees expected to be between 9,000 and 10,000 when all four new factories in Phase II are completed and put into production.

According to DIGITIMES, the IC design and semiconductor industry generally believes that the duration of the current tight supply and demand for mature process chips will be longer. Most industry opinions suggest that the industry will need to actively compete for capacity at least until 2028, and price increases may become the norm in the industry. Some even believe that by 2030, the supply and demand relationship for mature process chips may not be able to stabilize.Industry insiders in IC design admit that the overall market situation for end products is not particularly hot; it is just that the demand related to cloud AI is excessively large and continues to expand.

Market news says that Samsung will integrate Mistral AI into its semiconductor business.

On September 8, South Korean semiconductor concept stocks showed mixed performance, with related asset markets remaining active. According to data from the Gate platform, SK Hynix (000660) is currently priced at $1,332.38, with a 24-hour increase of 0.56%; Samsung Electronics (005930) is currently priced at $200.26, with a 24-hour decrease of 0.18%.According to CoinGlass data, both SK Hynix and Samsung have high trading activity in the contract market. Among them, trading of related stock derivatives on Gate is active: the SKHX contract has a position amount of nearly $158 million, ranking second across the network, with a 24-hour trading volume of nearly $177 million; the Samsung contract has a position amount of $9.51 million, with a 24-hour trading volume of $15.8 million, both ranking second across the network.

According to Bloomberg, Belgian prosecutors stated on September 7 that a Chinese man, who also holds Belgian nationality, was arrested on May 10 at Brussels Airport while attempting to board a flight back to Beijing on suspicion of engaging in espionage activities against a Belgian semiconductor company. The investigation may point to the illegal transfer of specialized intellectual property and trade secrets related to gallium nitride chip production abroad.The investigation is related to the bankruptcy case of Belgan BV, which announced its bankruptcy in July 2024. Prosecutors indicated that there are signs suggesting that the man held a senior research position at the Belgian company while also serving as a director of a Chinese company engaged in similar manufacturing activities. This Chinese company was established a few months after he joined the Belgian company and was funded by a Chinese investment fund. This is the latest in a series of suspected espionage cases in Belgium.

According to South Korea's "Cultural Daily," Samsung Electronics' wafer fab in Taylor, Texas, is expected to enter trial operation around the end of this month, as orders for 2-nanometer chips from Tesla, Broadcom, Arm, and others continue to pour in, with pre-production capacity nearing full load. The plant has accumulated an investment of $37 billion since 2022, with plans to begin trial operation early next month and mass production next year, with an initial monthly capacity of about 50,000 wafers, close to TSMC's approximately 80,000 wafers.The report states that the Taylor plant will produce Tesla's next-generation artificial intelligence chip AI5, Broadcom's new generation communication chips, and Arm's smart device AI chips, among others. Samsung's 2-nanometer yield has increased from about 60% earlier this year to around 80% recently. The company sent personnel for process, equipment, and yield to the plant in June, and began installing equipment in July. At a recent earnings meeting, Samsung projected that this year's 2-nanometer order volume would more than double compared to last year, and stated that NVIDIA's inference chip Grok3 began mass production last month; Samsung also recently raised the foundry price for 4-nanometer chips by up to 15%.The second Taylor plant is scheduled to start construction by the end of this year and begin mass production in 2030. Samsung has requested major partners to complete the relevant production equipment safety certifications in advance, and some partners are considering sending dozens of personnel to the local area. At the same time, Intel issued about $20 billion in new shares last month and expanded investments in 2-nanometer level 18A and 1.4-nanometer level 14A, while Japan's Rapidus completed its 2-nanometer factory in Hokkaido last month and entered the wafer trial production stage.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Micron, and other companies are increasing capital expenditures to expand production, driving the combined orders of the top five semiconductor engineering firms—HanTang, Axiom, FanXuan, Yankee, and ShengHui—to exceed 880 billion yuan, a record high. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company recently stated at a semiconductor exhibition that it is building up to 20 wafer fabs, with the overall capacity expansion scale increasing multiple times compared to the past, but it still cannot meet customer demand. The U.S. tariff policy has driven the demand for manufacturing plants in the United States. Axiom has the largest order amount of 440.73 billion yuan, and Chairman Yao ZuXiang pointed out that the cumulative amount of turnkey projects undertaken in Singapore over the past four years has reached 600 billion yuan, with expectations for new projects to follow. HanTang's order amount is approximately 193.937 billion yuan, setting a new record, benefiting from continued plant construction by major clients like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Micron.FanXuan's order amount reached a new high of 135.1 billion yuan, and Chairman Gao XinMing revealed that order visibility extends at least to 2028, with related projects for clients planned for 2029 and 2030. FanXuan has deployed materials, manpower, and local construction teams to support clients in Taiwan, Arizona in the United States, Japan, and Germany in synchronizing production expansion needs, and is investing in the development of technologies such as CoPoS. ShengHui's order amount exceeds 60 billion yuan, with Taiwan accounting for 68% and semiconductor orders accounting for 63%. In the first half of the year, the after-tax net profit was 2.944 billion yuan, with earnings per share of 23.73 yuan, setting a new high for the same period. Yankee's after-tax net profit in the first half of the year was 2.317 billion yuan, with earnings per share of 17.46 yuan, and the order amount is approximately 51.77 billion yuan, with order visibility reaching the end of 2027.

The supply chain reports that Amazon, a leading North American cloud service provider under AWS, has recently expanded the delivery of AI server cabinets, with strong shipping momentum from partners such as TSMC, World Advanced, Wistron, and Hon Hai. Amazon has recently revised its capital expenditure for this year, increasing the original estimate from $200 billion to $220 billion, primarily for AI infrastructure, including data centers, servers, and network equipment.Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is optimistic that the demand for AI computing power will continue to exceed supply until 2027, and he has even seen strong demand for 2028. AWS's AI business and self-developed chip scale have grown to $25 billion, maintaining triple-digit percentage growth. Annapurna Labs' customized ASIC chips are mostly produced by TSMC using advanced 3-nanometer processes.World Advanced is an important partner for AWS's self-developed AI chips and is optimistic that its quarterly revenue and profits will reach new highs this season, with continued growth expected in the fourth quarter. The demand for 3-nanometer AI accelerators is better than previously assessed, and designs can be finalized before the end of the year. AWS's ASIC AI cabinets are assembled by Wistron, which also supplies switch trays, while Hon Hai is involved in CPU trays. Hon Hai's rotating CEO, Liu Young-way, stated that this year's ASIC project has made new progress, setting a target for ASIC server market share at over 40%.

South Korea plans to integrate five public power companies in October 2027 to accelerate investment and meet the energy demands brought about by the growth of the country's artificial intelligence and chip manufacturing industries.Seoul also plans to streamline public enterprises in the oil, gas, and port sectors.

According to a report by the Economic Daily, with the rising demand for AI and high-performance computing applications, TSMC is expanding its capacity for advanced processes below 3 nanometers at the request of its customers.Industry insiders are optimistic that TSMC's contribution from 3 nanometers in the second half of the year is expected to surpass that of 5 nanometers for the first time, estimating that the single-quarter output value in the third quarter will exceed 400 billion New Taiwan dollars, setting a new record, accounting for more than 30% of revenue, and positively impacting gross margin performance.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan has confirmed that Taiwanese companies will invest an additional 20 billion USD in the United States. Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua stated that in response to order demands, in addition to the main production bases in Taiwan, capacity will also be increased in the United States, primarily focusing on semiconductor manufacturers, supply chains, and AI server manufacturers.U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo previously stated that Taiwan would announce investments of 20 to 30 billion USD in the U.S. next week. The Ministry of Economic Affairs responded that this investment is the 20 billion USD announced by Wang Mei-hua during the opening of the SEMICON TAIWAN 2026 U.S. Pavilion on the 2nd. Wang Mei-hua pointed out that global orders for AI and semiconductors are booming, and the global president of SEMI has raised the forecast for global semiconductor revenue in 2030 from 1 trillion USD to 2 trillion USD.The Ministry of Economic Affairs' review shows that as of May this year, 20 semiconductor and AI server-related companies have announced investments of 35 billion USD in the United States, with an additional 20 billion USD added in the following months. Future cooperation will also extend to industries such as biotechnology and natural gas.

According to Bloomberg, UBS analysts expect that China's semiconductor manufacturing capabilities may struggle to make sufficient progress in the next decade to develop solutions that can truly replace ASML's cutting-edge EUV lithography technology. UBS analysts wrote in their report, "The stage they are currently at seems comparable to ASML's in 2004." Based on patent application activities, especially in the fields of light sources and laser subsystems, China's current technological maturity is roughly equivalent to ASML's level 15 years before it began mass production of EUV equipment.UBS also expects that China is likely to have the capability for mass production of immersion DUV lithography machines within the next two to five years. Although immersion DUV is not as advanced as EUV, it remains an indispensable tool in chip manufacturing. ASML's immersion DUV machines are priced at nearly $90 million, while EUV equipment costs over $200 million each. China is one of ASML's largest markets, but due to export restrictions, ASML is prohibited from selling EUV equipment to China. UBS pointed out that considering the yield and capacity gaps and regulatory restrictions, Chinese lithography equipment is unlikely to be applied overseas. An ASML spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. The report is based on UBS analysts' predictive views, and actual progress will depend on industry dynamics.

Today, South Korean semiconductor concept stocks are under pressure and have retreated, but trading in related asset markets remains active. According to data from the Gate platform, SK Hynix (000660) is currently priced at $1,175.12, with a 24-hour decline of 2.11%; Samsung Electronics (005930) is currently priced at $183.02, with a 24-hour decline of 1.94%.According to CoinGlass data, trading in the SKHYNIX and SAMSUNG contract markets is active, with the open interest of the two underlying contracts increasing by 4.03% and 7.30%, respectively. The trading volume of the contracts increased by 451.63% and 1069.65%, respectively. In Gate's related stock derivatives, the SKHX contract open interest reached $180 million, ranking second in the entire network, with a 24-hour trading volume of $180 million; the SAMSUNG contract open interest reached $8.14 million, ranking second in the entire network, with a 24-hour trading volume of $5.94 million.

Analysis of the AI semiconductor and infrastructure cycle indicates that the demand for AI infrastructure will continue to exceed that of the internet era, as user penetration and per capita token are multiplied and converted into tokens, significantly raising the ceiling. User penetration has surpassed 50%, with growth primarily coming from the still-early per capita token; the median monthly AI spending per employee in U.S. companies is about $12, which could long-term approach around 10% of white-collar salaries, approximately $1,000 per month, leaving nearly two orders of magnitude of space in between. Unlike the flat subscriptions and extremely low marginal hardware consumption of the internet, the high costs of inference make the marginal cost of a single access higher, requiring greater infrastructure intensity.After developers program, the next ARR growth will still mainly come from broad programming: non-programmers use programming infrastructure to complete non-programming tasks across industries, with programming becoming the default execution kernel for agents. Tasks related to broad programming account for about 60% to 70% of ARR. As of June 2026, Codex accounted for 64% of the total output tokens from Codex and ChatGPT among OpenAI's enterprise clients; since February, Codex has seen a much higher weekly growth in verticals such as law, sales recruitment, and marketing compared to engineering. In Anthropic's revenue, narrow development/software accounts for about 40%, while finance and insurance exceed 20%, with law, life sciences, retail, and others also having considerable shares.The demand-side token growth logic remains, with a high overlap between funders and beneficiaries.

According to Nikkei Asia, SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung stated that the global shortage of memory chips is expected to last until the end of 2030, with a low risk of oversupply. He pointed out that in the AI era, memory chips are no longer just "commodities," and there are currently no signs of oversupply or industry downturn; demand from AI customers remains strong.SK Hynix is a major supplier to NVIDIA. The report stated that the company remains open to further expanding its investments in the U.S. after launching its first HBM chip packaging plant in Indiana.

SMIC (Hong Kong Stock 00981, A Share 688981) released its semi-annual report for 2026. The reporting period is from January 1, 2026, to June 30, 2026, and is unaudited. The company achieved operating revenue of 38.635 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 19.4%; total profit of 7.133 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 96.7%; net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company of 4.467 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 94.2%; net profit attributable to the parent company after deducting non-recurring gains and losses of 2.994 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 57.2%.During the same period, the net cash flow generated from operating activities was 20.760 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 252.0%; earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) was 24.511 billion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 40.7%. The gross profit margin was 23.2%, an increase of 1.3 percentage points compared to the same period last year; the net profit margin was 16.7%, an increase of 6.3 percentage points; basic and diluted earnings per share were both 0.56 RMB, a year-on-year increase of 93.1%. The board of directors approved the submission of this report on August 27, 2026, and the company has no profit distribution or capital reserve transfer plan.

According to eight people familiar with the discussions, despite warnings from tech companies that this move could affect the United States' dominance in the field of artificial intelligence, the Trump administration is still considering imposing a new round of comprehensive tariffs on semiconductors.