Semiconductor News 20250923

Main News

1. Samsung to raise DRAM and NAND prices sharply due to supply shortages caused by AI chip boom

Samsung plans to raise DRAM prices by up to 30% in the fourth quarter of 2025, and NAND prices are also expected to rise by 10% or up to 30%. Behind this price increase is a supply shortage caused by the AI chip boom. This trend is expected to continue, leading to higher commodity DRAM and NAND prices in 2026. accelerating AI demand is driving a surge in the memory market, and Samsung is also making progress in the HBM space, with its 12H HBM3e overcoming an 18-month delay and passing NVIDIA’s tests The company is also making progress in the HBM area, with its 12H HBM3e overcoming an 18-month delay and passing NVIDIA testing.

2. TSMC’s 2nm Process Customers Surge, 15+ Secured by AI Demand

Demand for TSMC’s 2nm process technology (N2 node) has exploded, with more than 15 customers reportedly secured for AI performance as well as Apple. Of these customers, 10 are for HPC (high performance computing). There are also rumors that the price of TSMC’s 2nm process could increase by up to 50%, which could significantly drive up the cost of consumer products.

NVIDIA invests $5 billion in Intel and enters into a strategic alliance.

NVIDIA has announced a strategic partnership to invest $5 billion in Intel to acquire a stake in the company and begin joint development of AI superchips. This major deal has shaken up the semiconductor industry and has caused alarm for TSMC, with Acer founder Stan Shih commenting on the move, saying that TSMC still has a significant lead in the foundry space. The investment has sparked debate as to whether it is a strategic gamble or a conciliatory concession.

4. NVIDIA and OpenAI partner and announce 15 trillion yen AI infrastructure investment

NVIDIA and OpenAI have announced a strategic partnership, revealing plans to invest up to 15 trillion yen ($100 billion) to build a massive AI data center. The partnership includes the integration of NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin AI platform, with the goal of deploying 10 gigawatts (GW) worth of NVIDIA systems. This is a move that reinforces both companies’ massive investments in AI computing infrastructure and their leading roles in the AI field.

5. MediaTek announces Dimensity 9500 to expand its share of the smartphone market

MediaTek has unveiled its new flagship Dimensity 9500 chip with a dual-core NPU architecture. The chip features an all-performance core architecture with ARM’s C1 core and reportedly rivals Apple’s A19 Pro in single-core and multi-core performance. MediaTek aims to increase its share of the smartphone market to 40% with the introduction of this new flagship chip. Qualcomm and MediaTek reportedly paid up to 24% higher prices to TSMC for the Dimensity 9500 and other products.

6. China to Spend $37 Billion to Convert Farmland into Data Centers to Centralize AI Computing Power

China is reportedly converting farmland into data centers as part of its $37 billion “Stargate of China” project to centralize AI computing power. This represents a strategic move by China to invest heavily in AI infrastructure at the national level to strengthen its technological capabilities.

7. court finds Amazon used dark patterns regarding Prime registration and cancellation

The court found that Amazon used a “dark pattern” to trick users into signing up for Prime and make it difficult to cancel prior to its trial with the FTC. This decision has important implications regarding opaque user interface design and the application of consumer protection regulations by major technology companies.

8. half of Taiwanese residents recognize that TSMC has already transformed into a “U.S. foundry

It was reported that half of those surveyed in Taiwan believe that TSMC has already transformed into a “U.S. foundry” as a result of major investments under the Trump administration. This suggests that geopolitical factors and the U.S. policy of strengthening its manufacturing base have had a significant impact on TSMC’s corporate image and positioning. Meanwhile, TSMC’s southern expansion is being explored in Taiwan to meet AI demand.

Driven by demand for AI, the semiconductor market for data centers is expected to reach approximately $493 billion by 2030.

The semiconductor market for data centers will grow significantly on the back of accelerating demand for AI, which Yole forecasts will reach approximately $493 billion by 2030.AI is also driving demand for high-speed interconnects, with major players such as NVIDIA, Google, and AWS driving demand for optical transceiver modules.

10. Sunengine enters the supply chain for advanced packaging technology CPO

Sunengine has entered the advanced packaging supply chain of Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), which is becoming increasingly important in the fields of AI and HPC (High Performance Computing). It is attracting attention as a response to the demand for highly efficient data transfer driven by AI. Advanced packaging has also been shown to be a major focus at SEMI events and other events.

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