The memory industry is entering a super cycle as prices keep soaring, with industry sources saying third-quarter 2026 contract price gains show no sign of slowing amid tight supply from upstream vendors. Overall increases could reach 30% to 40%, after second-quarter 2026 contract prices already climbed 40%. As market prices continue to stack higher in the second half, profits at the top three memory manufacturers are set to expand sharply, driving a surge in full-year memory business earnings.
SK Hynix's semiconductor production base in Cheongju, South Korea, has seen a string of accidents since 2026, prompting questions over whether its safety management system has gaps. The incidents have drawn scrutiny because many occurred after the M15X fab began operation, as the company ramped up production to meet surging high-bandwidth memory (HBM) demand.
Taiwan's semiconductor packaging and testing (OSAT) industry delivered strong year-over-year revenue growth in May 2026, with 21 of 24 tracked companies posting positive year-over-year gains, according to monthly revenue filings compiled for the period. The results underscore continued downstream demand driven by AI-related chip shipments and a broader recovery in consumer electronics.
Japan is preparing a sweeping public-private investment strategy totaling more than JPY370 trillion (US$2.3 trillion) by fiscal 2040, spanning 17 strategic sectors including AI, semiconductors, aerospace, and energy-related industries.
Demand for high-end fiberglass cloth is surging on the AI boom, and orders from copper-clad laminate (CCL) customers are leaving the world's two largest suppliers, Nittobo and Taiwan Glass, short of capacity. In particular, low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and low Dk2 products remain the tightest, with supply-demand gaps now expected to last through 2027.
Demand in the passive component market has rebounded alongside the rapid buildout of AI data centers. While Japanese suppliers continue to lead in technology, their capacity expansion has struggled to keep pace with AI-related demand, driving order spillover to Taiwan-based manufacturers.
SK Hynix briefly overtook Samsung Electronics on June 22 to claim the top spot by common-share market capitalization on South Korea's KOSPI exchange, a milestone that reflects how high-bandwidth memory (HBM) has redefined the value of Korea's semiconductor industry.
Founded in 2014, Oppstar is one of the few Malaysian companies operating at the front end of the semiconductor value chain as an IC design house. The company was established by three founders with extensive experience in the IC design industry: Meng Thai Ng, Hun Wah Cheah, and Chun Chiat Tan. Headquartered in Bayan Lepas, Penang, Oppstar opened an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2022. From its inception, the company positioned itself as a one-stop IC design service provider, initially focusing on 16nm design nodes.
