Semicon Briefing

On July 1, 2026, ams-OSRAM sold its non-optical analog & mixed-signal sensor business to Infineon for €570 million – the deal is now closed, debt reduction is underway. ams-OSRAM is now focusing on photonics and microLED, while Jefferies raises its price target to CHF 25.50 and an AI infrastructure deal is being considered.

On September 23, 2026, Infineon agreed to sell its NOR Flash and F-RAM business to Taiwanese supplier Winbond in order to focus on core growth areas such as SiC, automotive, and AI power. The deal completes Infineon's strategic retreat from commodity memory and sharpens its profile as a specialist in power semiconductors.

China's chip equipment imports rose 16% in August 2026 to $4.76 billion – the first year-on-year increase since end of 2025 – with front-end up 24% and packaging up 34%, while US supplies fell 8% and Singapore workarounds recorded +52%. This demonstrates that US export restrictions slow but do not stop Chinese fab upgrades, and China's procurement rerouting is functioning systematically.

At the Washington summit between Trump and Xi, no relaxation of US chip export controls was agreed, according to reports – Jefferies confirmed: no chip relief in the communiqué. For chip equipment suppliers like ASML and fabless designers, the geopolitical dividing line thus remains in place for now, further increasing China's self-development pressure.

The EU Commission is preparing Chips Act 2.0, which for the first time introduces so-called 'demand accelerators' – mechanisms intended to link chip manufacturers with European buyers because subsidies alone cannot fill fabs. ASML EVP Heemskerk underscored the urgency: Europe currently purchases zero ASML machines, despite the company being based there.

Microchip Technology closed its acquisition of Hailo on September 21, 2026, the Israeli AI edge chip startup – a deal that accelerates consolidation in the embedded AI segment. Analog Devices completed two additional acquisitions in the same period (Empower Semiconductor for $1.5 billion, Alif for $1.35 billion), indicating a broad industry wave of AI-at-the-edge consolidation.