Semicon Briefing

Analog Devices (ADI) officially completed its acquisition of Empower Semiconductor on July 7, 2026 – a strategic acquisition in the power management ICs sector for AI infrastructure. The deal solidifies ADI's position in the booming market for energy-efficient chips in data centers and AI accelerators.

Infineon took over the non-optical analog/mixed-signal sensor business from ams OSRAM on July 1, 2026 for €570 million – around 230 employees are transitioning, the division is expected to generate ~€230 million in annual revenue. ams OSRAM will focus on Digital Photonics going forward, while Infineon strategically expands its automotive and industrial sensing.

Apple signed a $30 billion deal with Broadcom that secures production of 15 billion US-manufactured chips – Apple's largest commitment to American manufacturing to date. The deal protects Apple from China import tariffs and strategically positions the company for potential further escalation in the US-China trade war.

On July 9, 2026, Micron announced a further investment offensive to strengthen US semiconductor manufacturing, with the stock rising nearly 5% as a result. The announcement comes amid the broader chip selloff and signals that leading manufacturers are sticking with domestic capacity expansion despite market volatility.

According to Politico, China hawks in the US government are calling the decision to rescind Biden's AI chip diffusion rules in May 2025 a 'massive mistake' – internal conflict over export controls is escalating. In parallel, China is pursuing new countermeasures against US firms, further increasing uncertainty for global chip supply chains.

Element Solutions Inc. (ESI) is being acquired by Solstice Advanced Materials in a cash-and-stock transaction for approximately $14.5 billion – creating a new heavyweight provider of specialty chemicals for semiconductor manufacturing. The deal is industry-relevant as process chemicals are among the critical, often overlooked bottlenecks in global chip production.