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Feb 26
Nvidia's strong quarter and outsized guidance soothe fears of an AI investment bubble
On February 25, Nvidia's blowout fourth-quarter results and bullish fiscal-2027 guidancehelped dispel recent market worries that the AI spending boom may be an unsustainable bubble, as the company reported record sales and signaled continued rapid demand for data‑center compute.

NAND prices continue to climb, and supply remains tight. NAND controller supplier Phison Electronics has notified customers that it will revise payment terms. The company said rising NAND prices have sharply increased its funding requirements. To secure a more stable supply, it will discuss prepayment arrangements with customers on a case-by-case basis.

Fitipower, a Taiwanese driver IC and semiconductor supplier, offered a cautiously optimistic outlook for 2026 during its February 25 investor briefing. Chairman Young Lin said the company expects full-year performance to surpass 2025, with growth increasingly coming from non-display IC applications, including AI SoCs and edge computing solutions.
Nearly all smartphone brands are facing pressure from severe memory supply constraints. Major Chinese smartphone brands have indicated that their procurement volumes this year will decline significantly, with some dropping by as much as 15–20%. For smartphone chip suppliers, this is expected to translate into considerable revenue pressure.
Micron Technology has inaugurated its first semiconductor assembly and test facility in Sanand, expanding its global manufacturing footprint while supporting India's efforts to strengthen its role in the semiconductor value chain.

In the high-stakes world of global semiconductors, where microscopic precision meets massive geopolitical shifts, Dr. Tien Wu stands as a rare figure: a leader who balances the exacting standards of a $22 billion tech giant with a deeply humanistic philosophy.

Taiwan's innovation engine ran hot in 2025. The Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) announced on February 26, 2026, that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) topped Taiwan-based invention patent applicants for the 10th consecutive year, filing 1,485 applications.

Yageo CEO David Wang said that although seasonal factors reduced working days from the previous quarter, capacity utilization is expected to rise by 3-5pp sequentially, supported by sustained AI demand and strong order intake. Revenue, gross margin, and operating margin in the first quarter of 2026 are all projected to increase slightly from the fourth quarter of 2025.

As AI-driven demand continues to lift global semiconductor output, TSMC is accelerating the localization of electroplating additives used in advanced packaging to secure a stable supply. Through four measures — production line guidance, equipment optimization, quality inspection, and sample validation — the company has supported Japanese suppliers in establishing production in Taiwan, cutting production cycles from 60 days to 20 days and improving logistics efficiency by 90%.
Samsung Electronics on February 26 unveiled its flagship Galaxy S26 series, but industry attention has quickly shifted to what sits inside: mobile DRAM. According to market sources, roughly 50% of the initial shipments will use memory supplied by Micron, with the remainder provided by Samsung's Device Solutions (DS) division.

Taiwan's IC design landscape is undergoing a massive structural shift. Early 2026 revenue data reveals a dual-track performance: while established consumer giants navigate a high-base stabilization phase, specialized leaders in Intellectual Property (IP) and AI-optimized storage are capturing explosive value from the ongoing AI infrastructure wave.

Japan is planting its flag in India's semiconductor sector — and doing so fast. The market is projected to reach US$110 billion by 2030, and Japanese firms are racing to claim a piece of it.