Semiconductor News 20260106

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1. TSMC to Start 2nm Production and Accelerate Construction of 1.4nm Factory
   TSMC has begun production of its 2nm process, intensifying competition with Samsung Electronics. Furthermore, the company is reportedly accelerating construction of a 1.4nm plant in Taiwan with the aim of starting mass production in 2028. At the same time, the company has obtained an import license from the U.S. Department of Commerce for manufacturing equipment for its Nanjing plant, and is poised to continue doing business in the Chinese market. While consolidating its position as a leader in cutting-edge technology, the company is expanding its manufacturing base amid the geopolitical balance between the U.S. and China.
2. Intel Officially Announces 18A Process “Panther Lake”
   At CES 2026, Intel announced the Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) mobile processor based on its state-of-the-art Intel 18A manufacturing process. This product is a touchstone for Intel’s restructuring of its foundry business. Competing PC makers, such as Acer, immediately announced notebook PCs based on this chip, marking an important step toward regaining leadership in the AI PC market.
3. SK Hynix Unveils First 16-Layer HBM4 at CES
   SK Hynix unveiled the world’s first 16-layer stacked HBM4, the next generation memory, at CES 2026. The company is pursuing a “dual strategy” of increasing HBM4 production while ensuring that HBM3E will continue to dominate the market in 2026, clearly demonstrating its commitment to maintaining its dominant market share and technological leadership in the AI memory market in anticipation of supplying Nvidia’s next-generation GPUs.
4. Japan’s Rapidus to Launch Back-end Prototype Line in Hokkaido in Spring 2026
   Japan’s Rapidus will reportedly launch an advanced packaging prototype line in Hokkaido in spring 2026. Advanced packaging technologies such as 2.5D and 3D packaging are key to AI semiconductors, and concrete progress is being made toward building a domestic ecosystem.
5. Nvidia Announces Al pamayo, a New AI Development Platform for Self-Driving and Uber’s Adoption
   Nvidia has announced Alpamayo, a new AI development platform for self-driving, and that Uber Technologies, a leading U.S. car-delivery company, has adopted it. Nvidia is strengthening its position as a platform not only for AI data centers, but also in the mobility sector, driving AI implementation in the real economy.
6. Chinese Memory CXMT Aims for US$4.2 Billion IPO
   Chinese DRAM maker CXMT (Changjiang Memory) is reportedly planning an IPO (initial public offering) to raise approximately US$4.2 billion (over 600 billion yen) YMTC is also preparing to apply for listing. With the soaring price of memory benefiting the industry as a whole, Chinese companies are accelerating capital investment by obtaining huge amounts of money from the capital market to strengthen their self-sufficiency system against U.S. sanctions.
7. Hyundai Motor Company to mass-produce “30,000 robots a year”
   Hyundai Motor Group has announced that it will establish a production system for 30,000 robots a year by 2028.At CES 2026, the company is promoting its technological capabilities as the “K-Humanoid Coalition” and is moving toward commercialization in earnest.LG Electronics Co. LG Electronics and others are also introducing robots for home use, and the Korean industry as a whole is increasingly moving to develop AI-equipped robots into a major export industry for the next generation.
8. TSMC Technology Leak Investigation, Tokyo Electron Officials Indicted
   Investigations into TSMC’s leak of information on its 2nm process technology continue, and Taiwanese prosecutors have indicted three additional individuals, including a Tokyo Electron employee. As the battle for technological supremacy in cutting-edge semiconductors intensifies, the protection of trade secrets and the management of human resources have become serious security risks. The situation calls for renewed efforts to strengthen compliance throughout the supply chain and to take thorough measures to prevent technology leakage.
9. Nexchip to Invest US$5.1 Billion to Build New Mature Process Plant in Hefei, China
   Nexchip Semiconductor of China will invest approximately US$5.1 billion to build a new plant in Hefei to expand manufacturing capacity for mature processes such as 28nm. This is part of the Chinese government’s semiconductor self-sufficiency policy, which is being pursued in parallel with industry restructuring through mergers and acquisitions. Although cutting-edge products are regulated, this move is aimed at expanding global market share by establishing a solid supply network for legacy semiconductors needed for consumer electronics and automobiles.
10. ASUS and Other PC Component Price Hikes, Inflation Spurred by AI Demand
    Reports of a 15-20% price hike by ASUS have prompted retailers to raise prices, including those of competitors’ products, due to a shortage of memory and SSDs caused by increased demand for AI servers, MSI’s new RTX5090 GPU, and other products with advanced features. The rising cost of materials is spreading like a domino to the PC market as a whole, and “AI inflation,” which increases the burden on consumers, is becoming apparent.

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