Semicon Briefing

As part of the EU Chips Act 2.0 initiative, two significant semiconductor investments in Europe were announced this week, including a GlobalFoundries project in Dresden. Europe is actively seeking to strengthen its semiconductor sovereignty against Asia and the USA.

Italy has approved a €3.7 billion chip factory by Silicon Box to strengthen Europe's semiconductor supply chain. The project is a concrete signal that EU subsidy policy is mobilizing private major investments.

Navitas Semiconductor and Claros officially completed their merger on October 6, 2026; CEO outlines 'Navitas 2.0' strategy. The merger repositions the company in the growing high-performance power semiconductor market.

Analog Devices has acquired Alif Semiconductor to expand its position in the edge AI and physical intelligence market. The acquisition strengthens ADI's portfolio for embedded AI applications in industrial and automotive sectors.

Just six months old, AI chip startup NuvaCore AI – founded by the Nuvia team behind the $1.4 billion Qualcomm exit – is targeting a funding round of over $200 million at a $2.5 billion valuation. This demonstrates how strongly investors are betting on AI-specific chip architecture, even before a product exists.

Tencent has completed what it claims is the largest AI compute deal by a Chinese company – without physical chips being shipped to China, as US export controls cover hardware transfers but not remote usage. This model could become a structured workaround strategy and increase pressure for stricter US regulation.