Semiconductor News 20260413

In today’s semiconductor news, we report on a situation in which strategic moves at the national level for technological supremacy in each country and the wave of industry restructuring toward the next generation are vividly intertwined. While the U.S. is further tightening its technology restrictions on China through the MATCH Act and other measures, China is rapidly moving forward with the domestic production of manufacturing infrastructure, including the shipment of a cumulative total of 1,000 units of CMP equipment and the breakthrough of advanced processes for vacuum pumps. Meanwhile, in Japan, Rapidus has begun prototype assembly of advanced semiconductors, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) has invested ¥90 billion in subsidies to Fujitsu and other companies to encourage customer development, thereby initiating strong support for the establishment of a domestic ecosystem. In addition, there is a growing movement toward a paradigm shift in the market, including innovations in “turbo quant” technology that will accelerate the popularization of AI and the search for collaboration among Japanese companies in power semiconductors.

Main News

1. U.S . Tightens Technology Restrictions on China, Proposes MATCH Act, etc.
   The United States is further strengthening its technology restrictions on China through the MATCH Act and the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) proposed testing ban. This is expected to further restrict access of Chinese telecommunications equipment and advanced semiconductor-related technologies to the U.S. market. As the competition for technological supremacy between the U.S. and China intensifies and the export control framework expands, the fragmentation of the global supply chain is determined, and there is concern that this will have a major ripple effect on the entire global semiconductor industry.
2. Rapidus Begins Prot otype Assembly of Advanced Semiconductors, Aims for 10x Efficiency
   Rapidus, a Japanese manufacturer of next-generation semiconductors, has reportedly begun prototype assembly processes for packaging advanced semiconductors. The company has set an extremely ambitious goal of increasing production efficiency tenfold compared to conventional manufacturing processes. This groundbreaking back-end process technology will enable manufacturing with shorter delivery times, a major step toward attracting global customers. It is attracting attention as a practical milestone toward the revival of semiconductor manufacturing in Japan.
3. METI Subsidizes Fujitsu and Others by 90 Billion Yen to Help Rapidus Find Customers
   The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has decided to provide subsidies totaling 90 billion yen to Fujitsu, IBM and other related companies in order to create demand for cutting-edge semiconductors manufactured by Rapidus. By providing strong financial support for the joint development of system design and utilization technologies for advanced semiconductors, a robust development ecosystem will be established in Japan. The government is prepared to provide comprehensive support to secure anchor tenants and ensure the business start-up for the operation of the Rapidus mass production line.
4. Samsung Electronics Profit to Top the World within One to Two Years, Semiconductor Tycoon Confident
   A leading industry figure has reportedly expressed extremely strong confidence in South Korea’s Samsung Electronics that the company will become the world’s top company in terms of operating profit within one to two years. The company’s semiconductor division is expected to achieve a historic improvement in its performance, using a surge in demand for generative AI and a full-fledged recovery in DRAM and other memory prices as strong tailwinds. Expectations are high that the company’s development of next-generation memory and strengthening of competitiveness in its advanced foundry business will be successful, and that it will once again seize global market supremacy.
5. DRAM Price Increase Slows to 30-50 Percent in Q2
   DRAM memory prices are expected to slow somewhat in the second quarter to a 30 to 50 percent increase from the extraordinary 70 percent spike recorded in the first quarter. The extreme supply crunch caused by AI demand may be beginning to calm the market, suggesting that the memory market’s frenzied price-rise cycle, which had previously been overheated, is gradually entering a phase of adjustment toward a more normal supply-demand balance.
6. Memory Innovation with Google’s TurboQuant is a Turning Point for AI Popularization
   The dramatic reduction in memory consumption with TurboQuant, a data compression algorithm technology, has been touted as a pivotal turning point for the popularization of AI. It reduces the extreme reliance on expensive high-bandwidth memory, which has been a major bottleneck for AI model inference in the past, and enables AI execution on cheaper, more common hardware. It has the potential to fundamentally change the structure of the future AI chip market.
7. Supply-Demand Balance for Semiconductors for Industrial Equipment to Normalize from April to June
   Mr. Tozawa, president of semiconductor trading company Core Staff, has announced that the supply-demand balance for semiconductors for industrial equipment, which has been seriously disrupted for a long time, is expected to normalize from April to June of this year. The company states that inventory adjustments on the customer side, which were caused by panic over-ordering after the Corona disaster, have finally reached the final stage, and the market is now ready for an appropriate supply structure. This is expected to stabilize the production schedules of industrial equipment manufacturers that support Japan’s manufacturing industry.
8. ROHM to Review Strategy Amid EV Stagnation, Seeks Alliances with Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric
   ROHM, Japan’s leading power semiconductor company, is under pressure to drastically review its growth strategy in the face of stagnant growth in the global electric vehicle (EV) market. With the company’s goal of becoming the “world’s No. 10 semiconductor manufacturer,” now a distant goal, ROHM is sending an autumn wave to its domestic peers such as Toshiba and Mitsubishi Electric to seek business integration and industry reorganization in order to survive. In the intensifying global competition, moves toward a powerful Japanese rally in the field of power semiconductors, which requires massive investment, are becoming even more active.
9. China’s Zhongke仪 breaks through advanced processes in semiconductor vacuum pumps
   Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturer Zhongke仪 has reportedly broken through in the field of vacuum pumps, the core equipment in semiconductor production lines, to meet advanced processes that had previously relied on overseas production. In response, China’s Kaiyuan Securities has assigned an investment rating of “hold” to the company. While U.S. export restrictions are becoming stricter by the day, this is a clear indication that steady progress is being made in China in the solid domestic production of semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure and the improvement of core technologies.
10. China’s Hwatsing Ships 1000th CMP System, Targeting Advanced Chip Manufacturing
    Hwatsing, a Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturer, has achieved a major milestone by shipping a cumulative total of 1000 chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) systems, which planarize silicon wafers at the nano-level. The company intends to use this important milestone as an opportunity to strongly expand its technology and market share in the field of advanced chip manufacturing. Domestic equipment manufacturers are rapidly increasing their presence in China’s unique supply chain.

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