Semiconductor News 20250717

Main News

1. NVIDIA H20 Export Lifting and Increased U.S.-China Competition The U.S. has lifted its ban on NVIDIA’s H20 AI chip exports to China in an effort to counter Huawei’s rising influence. As a result, AMD and NVIDIA AI chip sales are now tied to rare earth trade with China, and Chinese companies are developing their own AI chips in parallel.
2. Intel’s Strategy to Compete with TSMC and Advances in Process Technology Intel held its next major event in Phoenix, Arizona, for the first time, sharpening its competitive stance against TSMC. The company’s 18A process is currently at 55% yield, and development of the Nova Lake-AX CPU to compete with AMD’s Halo APU is underway.
3. ASML ‘s Strong Performance and Geopolitical Risks ASML reported strong results for the second quarter of 2025, with total sales of €7.7 billion and net income of €2.3 billion. However, it warned that geopolitical risks could stall growth in 2026, a concern for the semiconductor equipment sector as a whole.
4. Samsung ‘s Supply Chain Strategy and Internal Challenges Samsung is working with S&S Tech to produce EUV masks locally in order to reduce its dependence on Japanese Hoya. While the company seeks partnerships in the U.S., China, and Japan, a former employee has accused the company of discriminating against foundry workers, potentially costing the company business. The company is also sending more personnel to its Texas plant in the U.S., hinting at larger orders in the future.
5. Reinvigorating Japan’s Semiconductor Industry and Strengthening the Supply Chain Japan is aiming to revive its semiconductor industry, drawing on the lessons learned in its recovery from its former decline. Fujifilm has announced a plan to focus on semiconductor back-end process materials and aim for a nine-fold increase in sales by FY2030, while Canon and Nikon have begun taking orders for advanced equipment and have opened co-creation centers in central Tokyo, strengthening the supply chain.
6. AI Demand Drives Semiconductor Supply Chain Surging AI and ASIC server shipments are giving momentum to Taiwan’s PCB supply chain, and Semco is also focusing on the automotive and industrial MLCC markets on the back of the AI boom, with AI being a key driver of semiconductor demand.
7. Securing Rare Earth Supply Chains and U.S. Policy Apple has adopted U.S. rare earths in a $500 million supply chain restructuring, and the U.S. government is also trying to curb China’s dominance of rare earths through price guarantees to MP Materials. This is related to U.S. policies that tie AI chip sales to rare earth trade.
8. Hybrid Bonding Technology Trends and Cost Challenges LG has entered the hybrid bonding equipment market and is challenging Samsung and Hanwha. Meanwhile, Hanmi Semiconductor has determined that hybrid bonders are expensive for HBM4 and HBM5 production, and the economics of this advanced technology are being debated.
9. Huawei Ascend’s Overseas Expansion and Washington’s Vigilance Huawei’s Ascend chips are expanding into Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian markets, and the U.S. government is alarmed by this. This is a sign that the technology competition between the U.S. and China is expanding into global markets.
10. Malaysia’s Booming OSAT Market and AI Chip Export Controls OSAT (back-end semiconductor services) is booming in Penang, Malaysia, with ASE, Tongfu, and Inari leading the advanced packaging market. The country has also announced a swift crackdown on AI chip exports to protect its data center boom.

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