Semiconductor News 20250918

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1. SMIC Begins Testing Domestically Produced Lithography Equipment to Avoid U. S. Sanctions Chinese semiconductor giant SMIC has begun testing domestically produced immersion DUV lithography equipment in an effort to avoid sanctions from the United States. This is a major development in China’s quest to become self-sufficient in semiconductor manufacturing technology and has the potential to lead to an expansion of production up to 5nm process. This is an important move that will have an impact on the international supply chain as the technology competition between the U.S. and China intensifies.
2. Supported by AI Demand, Memory Prices Surge I gnoring Seasonal Fluctuations DRAM and NAND memory prices surged up to 20% in the fourth quarter of 2025, ignoring seasonal fluctuations. DDR4 spot prices are also soaring, and buyers are struggling to cope; some expect NAND shortages to persist through 2026, impacting the entire IT industry.
3. Phase III of China’s Big Fund Launched with Investment in Hybrid Bonding Technology Phase III of the Big Fund established by the Chinese government to foster the semiconductor industry has been launched, focusing on hybrid bonding technology through investment in Piotech Jianke. This is considered an important strategic investment in advanced semiconductor manufacturing, as it aims to strengthen China’s technological independence and competitiveness in the field of advanced packaging.
4. Tesla and Valens Agreements Boost Samsung Foundry in 4nm Race Against TS MC Samsung Foundry is increasing its competitiveness in the 4nm process against TSMC with major agreements with Tesla and Valens. This gives Samsung a key customer in advanced process technology and strengthens its position in the foundry market, where it expects to expand its market share in the coming years on the back of rising demand for chips for AI and high-performance computing.
5. Rapidus Achieves Near 100% AI Inference Accuracy in 2-nanometer Design Basic Circuit Rapidus, an advanced Japanese semiconductor manufacturing company, has achieved a high performance of nearly 100% AI inference accuracy in a 2-nm process design basic circuit. This demonstrates that Japan is making significant progress in the development of next-generation semiconductor technology, and is an important step toward the domestic production of high-performance chips, especially in the field of AI.
6. High-NA EUV Lithography System Surges for DRAM, to be Installed for 2nm and Beyond Process Development High-NA EUV lithography systems, essential for next-generation semiconductor manufacturing, are attracting attention for DRAM manufacturing, and imec has announced that it will install them in existing R&D lines for 2nm and beyond process development. This will enable the formation of finer circuit patterns and promote performance improvement and miniaturization of semiconductors, but high cost has been an issue.
7. Intel’s Gaudi 3 AI Chip Integrated into Dell’s PowerEdge Servers Intel’s latest AI chip, Gaudi 3, will be integrated into Dell’s PowerEdge server lineup. This is an important win for Intel’s reportedly struggling AI chip business and strengthens the company’s AI solution offerings in the data center and enterprise markets through collaboration with leading server manufacturers.
8. NVIDIA CEO Disappointed with Current State of Chinese AI Market; Chinese Government Increases Reliance on Domestically Produced Alternatives NVIDIA’s CEO has expressed disappointment with the current state of AI chips in the Chinese market. This is because the Chinese government is restricting the purchase of NVIDIA AI accelerators by domestic companies and increasing reliance on domestically produced products. The ongoing technology decoupling between the U.S. and China could impact NVIDIA’s China strategy and global market expansion.
9. Korea Promotes Independence in SiC Power Semiconductor Technology, Targeting Growth from EV Demand The Korean government is strongly promoting independence in silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor technology in anticipation of the expanding electric vehicle (EV) market, with Wolfspeed launching a 200mm SiC materials portfolio, Global development is also gaining momentum, and Korea is looking to increase its international competitiveness in this area by hosting the largest SiC-related academic conference for the first time.
10. Apple Considering Building Test Production Line for Foldable iPhone, Targeting Increased Shipments in 2026 Apple is reportedly considering building a test production line for the foldable iPhone, with the goal of increasing iPhone shipments by 10% by 2026. This suggests that Apple is seriously considering entering the next-generation smartphone market and could have a significant impact on the future of smartphone design and market competition.

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