Semiconductor News 20260214

Main News

1. U.S. and Taiwan to Reduce Tariffs and Enhance Technology Collaboration in New Trade Agreement
   The United States and Taiwan have signed a new trade agreement that will reduce mutual tariffs from 20 percent to 15 percent. Under the agreement, Taiwan is expected to purchase about 13 trillion yen worth of U.S. energy and agricultural products. The agreement also aims to protect Taiwan-made chips from the risk of additional tariffs under the “Section 232 (Trade Expansion Act)” and to strengthen the supply chain in the tech sector.
2. OpenAI Deploys New Model on Cerebras Chips to Break Dependence on Nvidia
   OpenAI announced that it has deployed its new AI model, GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark, on Cerebras Systems chips instead of Nvidia GPUs. This is the first large-scale production run by an AI giant outside of Nvidia. It is seen as a strategic step to reduce dependence on Nvidia’s dominant market share, reduce compute costs, and diversify hardware procurement.
3. Applied Materials to Pay $250 Million Fine for Violating Regulations with China
   Applied Materials, a leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer, will pay a $252 million fine to the US Department of Commerce for allegedly shipping equipment to Chinese companies (including SMIC) in violation of US export regulations. The two companies agreed to pay a fine of $252 million to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The company’s methods, such as going through a South Korean subsidiary, have been called into question, and the incident symbolizes the tightening of supply chain monitoring by the U.S. authorities and the increase in geopolitical risks.
4. Kioxia “Sold Out” of NAND Demand for 2026, Achieving Record Sales
   Kioxia’s financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025 recorded record sales of 543.6 billion yen. Furthermore, the company confirmed that its production quota for NAND flash memory for 2026 has already been filled with customer reservations; demand for SSDs for AI data centers is exploding, and the memory market “super cycle” is tightening supply and demand to the limit.
5. Global Semiconductor Sales on Track to Reach $1 Trillion for First Time in 2026
   Global semiconductor sales are expected to rebound sharply in 2025, up 26% from the previous year, and are expected to hit the $1 trillion mark in 2026 for the first time ever, according to a report Demand for AI, data centers and automotive applications is driving the market . In addition, TSMC and memory manufacturers are stepping up capital expenditures to offset the impact of China’s export restrictions, and the industry as a whole is on an expansionary path.
6. SK Hynix Begins Ordering HBM Packaging Equipment at Cheongju Plant
   SK Hynix has begun ordering equipment for HBM (broadband memory) packaging lines at its plant in Cheongju, South Korea, to meet growing AI-driven demand and maintain its leadership in the HBM market, In order to maintain its leadership position in the HBM market, the company is rushing to expand its production capacity. Meanwhile, HBM-related technologies attracted the most attention at SEMICON Korea, despite the absence of booths from the major memory manufacturers.
7. Intel Withdraws Wafer Contract with Tower and May Shift Manufacturing to Japan
   Intel has reportedly withdrawn from the contract it had with Israel’s Tower Semiconductor for 300mm wafer manufacturing. The report also suggests that the manufacturing base may be shifted to Japan, possibly due to Intel’s reorganization of its foundry strategy and supply chain in light of geopolitical risks.
8. Samsung Aims for 50% Market Share with Exynos 2700 to Turn Around Non-Memory Division
   Samsung’s System LSI (non-memory) division is aiming for a 50% market share with its own SoC, the Exynos 2700, in the upcoming flagship Galaxy S27. As a result, the division is expected to return to profitability in the fourth quarter of 2026. The strategy is to significantly increase the adoption rate of the product in its own products in order to regain its position in the mobile processor market.
9. AMD’s Growing Server Market Share Puts Pressure on Intel; Supply Constraints in China Also a Factor
   AMD is growing its share of the server and PC markets, putting strong pressure on Intel, a competitor. AMD’s product portfolio continues to perform well, especially in the Chinese market, where supply constraints have tightened chip prices, and the rise of RISC-V and increased competition from Arm are accelerating the shift in power structure within the x86 market.
10. Growing Interest in Post-HBM Technologies “HBF” and Edge Memory
    Analysts at Citi Group warn that the next technology tipping point in the AI memory market after the current HBM (high bandwidth memory) should focus on “High Bandwidth Fabric” (HBF) and edge memory advances As AI models evolve, not only memory bandwidth, but overall system connectivity and processing power at the edge devices are becoming the next competitive axes.

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