Semiconductor News 20260428

In today’s semiconductor news, we report on how the frenetic growth in demand for AI infrastructure is causing dramatic changes in companies’ production systems and strategies: TSMC is significantly expanding its 3nm production capacity, while refusing to introduce expensive next-generation EUV equipment and furthermore, its “A13” and “A12” process roadmaps and is seeking a balance between cost and the limits of miniaturization. There is also an active pursuit of efficiency to the limit, with Intel reusing discarded chips to meet demand and Meta adopting AWS’s proprietary CPUs. At the same time, economic security issues and labor risks are emerging that are shaking the supply chain, such as a fine to Tokyo Electron due to TSMC’s confidentiality leak incident and the risk of reduced DRAM production due to Samsung’s strike.

Main News

1. TSMC’s Rejection of ASML’s Expensive High-NA EUV Equipment
   It is explained that TSMC has indicated that it will not introduce ASML’s extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment (High-NA EUV) for the time being because it is extremely expensive. The enormous cost burden of next-generation process miniaturization and the difficulty of technology conversion are influencing the business strategies of the world’s leading equipment manufacturers and the future forecast of the lithography equipment market, making cost containment of advanced chip manufacturing a major issue for the industry.
2. Tokyo Electron Fined in TSMC Trade Secret Theft Case
   A former official has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and Tokyo Electron has been fined between $4.6 million and $5 million in a leak case involving TSMC’s trade secrets. The leakage of information to a Chinese chip tool-related startup was allegedly involved. The case demonstrates the seriousness of economic security risks and industrial espionage in the context of the competition for technological supremacy between nations, and calls into question the information management system of the entire supply chain.
3. TSMC Announces Next Generation Processes A13 and A12
   TSMC, the world’s largest foundry, has announced new next generation miniaturization processes, A13 and A12, which are advanced versions of A14. These new processes are scheduled to begin mass production in 2029. They push the physical limits of semiconductor technology and provide the industry with a clear technology roadmap for long-term manufacturing dominance of chips for future AI infrastructure and high-performance computing.
4. Intel to Reuse and Sell Discarded Chips in Response to Surging CPU Demand
   Intel is reusing out-of-spec chip dies that would normally be discarded and supplying them to the market as usable CPUs in response to surging global demand for CPUs. In the face of tight demand, including a 27% increase in the average selling price of CPUs for servers in the first quarter of 2026, the company is flexibly responding to customer requests by maximizing the use of existing production capacity, and is developing a robust strategy to improve overall yields and increase profits.
5. Samsung Strike Expected to Reduce DRAM Production by up to 4%
   A labor union strike scheduled for May at South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to reduce the company’s DRAM production by up to 4%.The production decline comes as the AI boom continues to cause a supply shortage of high-capacity memory, further straining the supply-demand balance in the market and causing price volatility. The production decline will further tighten the supply-demand balance in the market and cause price volatility. It is also cautioned that it will take several weeks of risk before availability fully recovers, creating a ripple effect on the industry’s overall supply chain.
6. TSMC’s 3nm Monthly Production Capacity Expands to 180,000 Wafers on AI Demand
   In response to rapidly growing AI demand, TSMC’s 3nm process monthly production capacity is expected to reach 180,000 wafers by 2026, a significant increase of over 40% year over year, according to a report. To drive the hardware side of the global AI infrastructure buildup, huge capital investments and expansions to production lines for the most advanced processes are being made at a rapid pace, solidifying its dominant market share.
7. Meta Signs Agreement with AWS for Graviton CPUs
   Meta, the technology giant, has signed an agreement with Amazon Web Services to use its proprietary Graviton CPUs in anticipation of the full-scale rise of inferential and agent-based AI. The migration from general-purpose processors to specialized architectures is accelerating in the data center market as custom silicon is being deployed across cloud vendors to optimize AI computation and reduce power consumption.
8. Denso Considers Withdrawing Takeover Proposal for ROHM as Support St alls
   Automotive parts giant Denso is reportedly considering withdrawing its takeover proposal for power semiconductor giant ROHM as the necessary support and endorsement for the proposal has stalled. With the vision of a huge merger and acquisition in the domestic power semiconductor industry, which had been expected to help decarbonize the industry, now looking uncertain, domestic manufacturers will continue to face tough conditions as they individually take on intensifying global development and capital investment competition.
9. Omdia Raises Semiconductor Sales Growth Forecast for 2026
   Market research firm Omdia has further raised its global semiconductor sales growth forecast for 2026 on the back of strong semiconductor market growth driven by special AI demand. On the other hand, OLED shipments for smartphones are expected to decline by 7% this year, highlighting a clear demand polarization in the semiconductor market: booming AI infrastructure and data center-related demand and sluggish consumer device markets, including smartphones.
10. Google to Open AI Campus in South Korea to Collaborate with Local Semiconductor Giants
    Google has reportedly opened the world’s first AI campus in South Korea to drive technological innovation with Deep Mind. CEO Demis Hassabis highly praises South Korea’s semiconductor and robotics technology as the core of the next generation of general-purpose artificial intelligence, and through top talks with local memory giants such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the company will deepen hardware and software collaboration to create an AI ecosystem The company is also working on the development of a new AI ecosystem.

News List