Semiconductor News 20260228

Main News

1. Rapidus Raises a Total of 267.6 Billion Yen from Public and Private Sectors for 2nm Mass Production
   Rapidus, a Japanese manufacturer of next-generation semiconductors, has successfully raised approximately $1.7 billion in funding to advance its mass production plan for the 2-nanometer generation by 2027. 100 billion yen from the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA) and 167.6 billion yen from 32 private companies, bringing the total investment from the public and private sectors to 267.6 billion yen. With strong government support and an influx of private-sector funds, moves toward establishing a domestic manufacturing base for cutting-edge logic semiconductors are in full swing.
2. SoftBank G to invest an additional 4.6 trillion yen in OpenAI
   SoftBank Group has announced that it will invest an additional 4.6 trillion yen in OpenAI, a pioneer in generative AI in the US. The two companies are already pursuing a strategic alliance, and this massive investment will further solidify their collaboration in building AI infrastructure and developing next-generation models. As the battle for global AI supremacy intensifies, the two companies are rushing to form an ecosystem that will play a central role in the AI revolution, backed by their overwhelming financial strength.
3. TSMC to Add 10 New Factories for Advanced Processes in Taiwan in 2026
   TSMC may add 10 new factories for advanced processes in Taiwan during 2026, Taiwan media reported. In order to meet the strong demand for AI semiconductors, TSMC is rapidly expanding its manufacturing capacity. While aggressively pursuing overseas expansion, the strategy is to further solidify Taiwan’s position as a core base for the development and mass production of cutting-edge technologies, and is expected to have a significant ripple effect throughout the supply chain.
4. ASML Raises EUV Light Source Output to 1000 W, Boosting Production Efficiency by 50 Percent
   ASML, a leading semiconductor manufacturing equipment company, has developed new technology to increase the light source output of its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment to 1000 W. This higher output is expected to increase the throughput of wafers by about 50 percent compared to conventional equipment. This is an important technological breakthrough that will directly lead to improved yields and lower per-chip manufacturing costs in the manufacture of advanced processes that are approaching the limits of miniaturization.
5. SambaNova Raises $350 Million to Develop AI Chip to Compete with Nvidia
   AI semiconductor startup SambaNova Systems has raised $350 million to fund the development of a new AI inference chip targeting Nvidia’s next-generation B200 chip. The company’s new chip, which it claims will deliver five times the inference speed of previous chips, continues to challenge Nvidia’s dominant share of the AI infrastructure market, as startups seek to enter the market with faster, more power-efficient proprietary architectures.
6. Japan Supports Expansion of India’s Semiconductor Industry from Equipment Supply to Human Resource Development
   As India rushes to attract semiconductor manufacturing bases and foster the industry on a national scale, Japan is emerging as an important partner to drive this expansion. Japanese companies are supporting India not only in the supply of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and materials, where they have strengths, but also in a wide range of other areas, from the training of engineers to the creation of an ecosystem. As the geopolitical supply chain is being restructured, the collaboration between the two countries is attracting attention as an important move toward the creation of a new global semiconductor manufacturing hub.
7. Apple Secures DRAM at Double Price, Galaxy S26 Shares Procurement with Mic ron
   As global memory prices continue to soar, Apple has reportedly doubled the price of its DRAM supply contract with Samsung, prioritizing stable procurement. Meanwhile, Samsung’s next smartphone, the Galaxy S26, will share DRAM supply with Micron on a 50/50 basis as a cost measure. memory shortages, driven by AI demand, are directly affecting the component procurement strategies and cost structures of major smartphone companies. S26 is a 50/50 split with Micron for the supply of DRAMs.
8. Large-scale price fluctuations for PCs and smartphones imminent in March against a backdrop of severe memory shortages
   Large-scale price fluctuations are imminent in the electronics market for March against a backdrop of tight global memory supplies due to surging AI demand In addition to major PC makers such as Lenovo and Acer, Samsung and major Chinese In addition to major PC makers such as Lenovo and Acer, Samsung and major Chinese cell phone makers are also busy responding to the situation, and are increasingly shifting prices to end products and securing components. Soaring memory costs are putting pressure on profit margins in the electronics industry as a whole, and have become a factor in price increases for consumer products.
9. Cost Pressure and Exploding AI Demand Lead Chinese Power Semiconductor Makers to Raise Prices Simultaneously
   Several Chinese power semiconductor manufacturers have announced simultaneous increases in product prices. Behind this rush of price hikes is a situation of tight production capacity due to a combination of sustained increases in raw material costs and strong downstream demand, such as for electric vehicles and AI infrastructure. As the price shift progresses, related companies are expected to increase their earnings, and the upward pressure on costs that is spreading throughout the supply chain and the industry’s earnings improvement are proceeding simultaneously.
10. Intel Foundry Head Replaced, Naga Chandrasekaran to Take Over
    Intel has replaced the head of its own contract manufacturing division, Intel Foundry, after only two years and appointed Naga Chandrasekaran as the new head. With delays in the launch of miniaturization processes and the restructuring of its manufacturing business becoming an issue, Intel is hurrying to strengthen the competitiveness of its foundry business by revamping its management team. In order to survive the fierce competition with other companies in the miniaturization market, we urgently need to rebuild our structure and restore the trust of our customers.

News List