Semicon Briefing

IonQ acquires semiconductor foundry SkyWater Technology and becomes the world's first vertically integrated quantum computing company with its own manufacturing. The deal is expected to close in Q2/Q3 2026 and marks a paradigm shift: quantum hardware meets classical semiconductor manufacturing.

Samsung's new chip chief Han Jin-man publicly responds to TSMC Chairman's mockery and swears to close the technology gap – at any cost. The statement signals a strategic escalation in foundry competition and is likely to significantly increase Samsung's investment willingness in 2nm and beyond.

Chinese chip companies have established a 3.91 billion yuan fund (approximately $577 million) to strategically strengthen domestic 'hard tech' sectors against tightened US export controls. In parallel, Washington closes the loophole for Chinese subsidiaries abroad, prompting Beijing to massively accelerate domestic support.

Taiwan finalizes significantly stricter export controls for AI chips to China and aligns closely with US policy – a geopolitically explosive move that directly affects TSMC's supply relationships and Taiwan's security calculus. The measure significantly increases pressure on buyers on the mainland.

Nvidia and SK Hynix have signed a formal, multi-year co-engineering agreement for joint development of HBM4 memory and successor generations for AI data centers. This solidifies SK Hynix as Nvidia's preferred memory partner and puts additional competitive pressure on Samsung in the lucrative HBM segment.

Infineon raises its AI revenue target to 1.5 billion euros, increasing the forecast by 50% within six months – driven by dominance in power semiconductors for AI data centers. The European chip company positions itself as a quiet Nvidia alternative and additionally benefits from the upcoming completion of the €570 million sensor deal with ams-OSRAM.