Semiconductor News 20251002

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1. OpenAI to Work with TSMC/Samsung/SK Hynix to Build AI Chip Supply Chain OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made a “secret visit” to Taiwan to contact TSMC for an extremely ambitious internal AI chip project. He also headed to Korea, where he reportedly met with Samsung and SK Hynix to explore full cooperation in building AI infrastructure and procuring 900,000 DRAMs per month for HBM. This indicates that OpenAI is strengthening its collaboration with major semiconductor manufacturers to meet the overwhelming demand in the AI field.
2. Taiwan Rejects “50-50” Chip Production Sharing Proposal by the U.S. The Taiwanese government has rejected a proposal promoted by the U.S. government that 50% of chip production for the U.S. market be done in the United States. This proposal is said to put significant pressure on TSMC, and combined with the unresolved semiconductor tariff dispute, has contributed to the stagnation of trade negotiations between Taiwan and the United States. The Taiwanese side has refused to discuss the sharing of semiconductor manufacturing between the two nations.
3. Japan’s Rapidus Secures Major US Customer for 2nm Process, Accelerating Competition Japan’s Rapidus has secured a “major” US company as a customer for its 2nm process, increasing competition with TSMC and Intel. IBM and Tenstorrent are reportedly leading the pack as potential customers, indicating that the company has taken a major step toward reviving Japan’s semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.
4. DDR4 Price Surge Continues, Forcing IPC Firms to Migrate to DDR5 Memory chip prices are soaring as suppliers curb inventories, and DRAM and NAND prices are expected to rise after the Chinese holiday. In particular, DRAM mainstream quotes rose 5.4% amid seller caution; the DDR4 price spike has been a major pressure on IPC (Industrial PC) companies to migrate to the newer DDR5 standard.
5. Qualcomm Wins Major Victory in Licensing Case with Arm Qualcomm has won a major victory in a U.S. court over a contested licensing agreement with Arm. The court dismissed Arm’s lawsuit and confirmed Qualcomm’s ability to use Nuvia’s acquired Oryon cores. This is an important legal ruling for Qualcomm’s custom chip development strategy.
6. Nvidia Struggles in Chinese Market; Huawei Moves to Fill AI Chip Shortage Nvidia is struggling in the Chinese market due to the impact of US sanctions. In the meantime, China’s Huawei is filling the AI chip void with its Ascend chips, promoting its own evolution of AI semiconductors in China to compete with Nvidia.
7. Samsung Advances Next-Generation Exynos Production as 2nm Yield Re aches 50% Samsung is advancing production of its Exynos 2600 mobile application processor and has reportedly reached 50% yield on its key 2nm process. This represents a significant manufacturing technology advance to catch up with TSMC and Intel in the foundry race.
8. Intel Reaffirms $28 Billion Ohio Plant Plan but Delays Intel has reiterated its commitment to its $28 billion semiconductor manufacturing plant project in Ohio, USA, despite delays. The project is reportedly delayed until 2030, and pressure is mounting from U.S. Senators, but Intel reassures us that its ambitious plans are on track.
9. TSMC’s 2nm Process and Its Importance in AMD and Intel’s Next-Generation CPU Strategies TSMC’s 2nm process is expected to be a “game changer” for AMD and Intel in positioning their next-generation CPU lineups. This advanced process is seen as a strategic differentiator for both companies in future high-performance computing.
10. Xbox Game Pass Subscription Cancellation Page Confused After Major Price Hike Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price jumped to $29.99 and new Essential, Premium, and Ultimate plans were detailed. Shortly after this price spike, the Game Pass subscription cancellation page was reportedly in chaos as users accessed it, suggesting that the Game Pass price had been raised by 50%.

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