Semiconductor News 20250709

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1. U.S. Tariffs Affect Semiconductor Supply Chain and AI Server Shipments; Trump Announces New Tariffs The U.S. is considering restrictions on AI chip exports to Malaysia and Thailand with China in mind, arguing that tariffs will affect chip supply. Trump has announced that he will soon announce additional tariffs on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, increasing uncertainty in the global trade environment.
2. Samsung Electronics Q2 Profit Plunges 56% on HBM Chip Delays, Tariff Issues Samsung Electronics’ second quarter operating profit fell 56% year over year due to supply delays and trade pressure on HBM chips for Nvidia. This reduced the performance incentive rate for the company’s foundry division, and the recovery in the second half of the year is also facing tariff issues.
3. DDR4 Memory Prices for Consumers Expected to Skyrocket by Over 40% in Q3 2025 TrendForce forecasts that consumer DDR4 memory prices are expected to surge by over 40% quarter-over-quarter in the third quarter of 2025. In conjunction with this, Adata is experiencing its highest sales in 15 years due to the surge in DDR4 demand, and the market’s price trends are attracting a lot of attention.
4. Apple Enhances Vision Pro Realism and Apple Intelligence with Seven In-House Chipsets and Acquisition of AI Startup Apple is developing seven in-house chipsets, including A19, M5, and 2nd generation C2 5G modem, and is secretly Apple is developing seven chipsets of its own, including the A19, M5, and 2nd generation C2 5G modem, and has secretly acquired an AI startup to improve the realism of Vision Pro and enhance Apple Intelligence.
5. Intel Shifts Strategy to 14A by Scaling Back 18A Process, Begins Massive Headcount Reductions in the U.S. and Israel Intel has decided to reorganize its chip strategy and focus on 14A by scaling back the 18A process. At the same time, Intel has begun a massive headcount reduction in the U.S. and Israel, primarily in foundries, the automotive division, and marketing.
6. AI Hack Discovered in ChatGPT and Gemini, Can Display Banned Content and Bypass Safety Rules Researchers found that ChatGPT and Gemini can be tricked with unintelligible prompts to display banned content, bypass filters, and break safety rules The findings are the first of their kind in the field of AI. This finding raises serious concerns about the ethics and control of AI and highlights new challenges in AI development.
7. China’s Semiconductor Industry, CXMT Aims to Expand DRAM Capacity with IPO Filing, but Another Fab Collapse Poses Challenges China’s CXMT has begun IPO counseling to become the first memory chip company on the A-share market, aiming to expand its DRAM capacity. Meanwhile, another fab’s apparent collapse is reportedly causing a setback to China’s semiconductor industry dream.
8. Chip Prices to Rise More Th an Expected Amid Workplace Lawsuits at TSMC’s Arizona Plant, Putting Pressure on Expansion Plans Workplace lawsuits at TSMC’s Arizona plant are putting additional pressure on expansion plans, but strong demand and a stronger Taiwanese currency are expected to push TSMC’s chip prices above initial estimates However, with strong demand and the appreciation of the Taiwanese currency, TSMC chip prices are expected to rise more than initially forecast.
9. NVIDIA Launches DGX Spark AI Mini Supercomputer ; RTX 5060 Ti at Lowest Price Ever NVIDIA is launching the DGX Spark, a “mini supercomputer” offering powerful AI power, this month. The company’s RTX 5060 Ti graphics card is also the cheapest ever at $349 for the 8GB version and $429 for the 16GB version.
10. Nintendo Switch 2 Price May Rise Due to Tariffs and Supply Shortages; VRR Support When Docked a Challenge U.S. tariff threats and supply shortages reportedly could increase the price of the Nintendo Switch 2. It is also reported that VRR (variable refresh rate) support during docking, while technically possible, will face many challenges.

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