Semicon Briefing

Google is splitting its upcoming Icefish TPU production: TSMC remains set for the 1.4nm compute die, Samsung takes over the 2nm memory I/O component – mass production planned for 2028. The move signals that TSMC capacity bottlenecks are triggering concrete supply chain restructuring at hyperscalers for the first time.

TSMC is joining Applied Materials' EPIC Center, which already includes Samsung, Micron, SK Hynix, and Advantest – the consortium aims to accelerate AI chip technologies and improve energy efficiency from data centers to edge devices. The shared R&D ecosystem of the world's largest chip players significantly increases innovation pressure on all non-members.

Cadence and Intel Foundry have signed a multi-year collaboration to optimize Intel's 14A process for HPC and mobile designs; in parallel, Nvidia is testing Intel's 18A process for future GPU architectures. These developments strengthen Intel Foundry's credibility as a TSMC alternative and increase competitive pressure in the leading-edge segment.

China has restricted tungsten exports, a critical material for chip interconnects, directly hitting the production costs of leading foundries and memory manufacturers. The move is China's latest response to US export controls and underscores the structural raw material dependence of Western semiconductor manufacturing.

Infineon's Smart Power Fab in Dresden is now operational – supported by approximately 1 billion euros in EU Chips Act subsidies and focused on power semiconductors for AI data centers, electric vehicles, and renewable energy. It is the first tangible milestone of the EU Chips Act and coincides with the introduction of Chips Act 2.0, which now focuses on demand management rather than pure capacity subsidies.

A leading US semiconductor scientist assesses it as realistic that Huawei can reach 1.4nm levels through alternative lithography approaches – including nanoimprint and new chip stacking architectures – without needing EUV machines from ASML. Should this be confirmed, Western export controls would lose a significant portion of their strategic effectiveness.