As AI inference workloads grow and models expand rapidly, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are advancing high-bandwidth memory (HBM) technologies while integrating processing-in-memory (PIM) capabilities. This approach allows computations to occur within memory itself, reducing data movement and easing power and performance constraints.
Niching Industrial Corp., a supplier of semiconductor packaging and testing materials, said revenue in 2025 is likely to hit a record high, driven by rising cooling demand from AI servers and high-performance computing. Packaging and testing products are expected to grow 26% year over year, while vapor chamber products are forecast to surge up to 150%, with related revenue set to multiply this year.
China has quietly crossed a psychological and potentially strategic threshold in the global semiconductor race. In a tightly controlled laboratory in Shenzhen, Chinese scientists have built a working prototype of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machine, the most complex and geopolitically sensitive tool in modern chipmaking, according to Reuters.
Cyient Ltd's wholly owned subsidiary, Cyient Semiconductors Singapore Pte Ltd, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire over 65% of US-based power semiconductor company Kinetic Technologies for US$93 million. The transaction is expected to close by April 30, 2026.
As more AI GPU, CPU, and ASIC customers ramp up their market push, advanced packaging capacity continues to face tight supply. This has prompted upstream IC packaging substrate makers to adopt a more aggressive investment and capacity expansion stance, supported by improved order visibility.
OpenAI is reportedly in negotiations with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to secure funding and collaborate on AWS's in-house developed application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The move comes as OpenAI faces challenges scaling its existing AI partnerships into broader commercial deployments, prompting questions about the strategic significance of this potential alliance.
In a post-earnings analyst call on December 17, 2025, Micron Technologies outlined plans for capital expenditure in fiscal year 2026, driven by global construction projects and the ramp-up of its India assembly facility in Sanand. The company also noted flat operating expenses through the mid-fiscal year, strong SSD demand, and a phased rollout of HBM4 on the 1-beta process node.
The global memory market is being gripped by its most severe shortage and price surge in years, one driven by structural shifts rather than the familiar boom-and-bust cycles of the past. Industry executives across the supply chain say the disruption could persist until 2027.
Micron Technology is ramping up capital spending to address tightening memory supply, raising fiscal 2026 capex to about US$20 billion as it accelerates investments in high-bandwidth memory and advanced DRAM nodes to meet surging AI-driven demand.
Micron Technology signalled confidence in sustaining elevated gross margins as its memory portfolio shifts further toward high-value products, even as new fab investments begin to introduce start-up costs from late fiscal 2026.
Apple is reportedly in preliminary talks with Indian chip manufacturers to assemble and package components for the iPhone, potentially marking a first step in shifting part of its semiconductor operations to India.
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