Semicon Briefing

Samsung has exceeded 80 percent yield on HBM4 and is entering the so-called 'Golden Yield' phase, which is expected to result in a tripling of Q3 revenue. This puts pressure on Micron and SK Hynix and could significantly reduce Samsung's lag in the HBM hierarchy – while Nvidia simultaneously cuts HBM quantities in Rubin systems.

Both Samsung and TSMC are delaying the introduction of ASML's High-NA EUV machines (0.55 NA) and are instead relying on multi-patterning workarounds – the 165-ton machines are not expected to be deployed until the 1-nm node from 2030 onwards. Intel remains for now the only chipmaker actively using High-NA, giving the struggling company a rare technological advantage.

The Trump administration has reportedly prohibited Apple from sourcing memory chips from Chinese manufacturer CXMT – Commerce Secretary Lutnick publicly confirmed the pressure. The decision forces Apple to switch to more expensive alternatives from Micron or Samsung, burdening margins and further fragmenting chip supply chains along geopolitical boundaries.

Intel's CEO signals a possible return to the memory market and explicitly names stacking memory directly on the CPU as a strategic option – fitting with Intel's capacitorless ZAM design, which is expected to be compatible with the Intel 7 process. Such a move would address AI bandwidth bottlenecks and reposition Intel within the lucrative HBM/memory ecosystem.

Media reports from July 21, 2026 indicate that SK Hynix has reached an agreement to purchase Intel's semiconductor fab facility in Ohio and has initiated the acquisition process. The deal enables SK Hynix to build a US production base for HBM wafers and strategically positions the company for CHIPS Act funding.

Analysts and Reuters document that US export restrictions have effectively driven China's AI chip market entirely into domestic hands – Huawei rose from a sanctioned company to market leader, and China invests annually the equivalent of the CHIPS Act in semiconductor self-sufficiency. Congress is now debating a nationwide ban on semiconductor equipment exports to China (Match Act), which would further accelerate the escalation spiral.