Semicon Briefing

The US Treasury Department has proposed new regulations further restricting US outbound investments in Chinese semiconductor, AI, and HPC sectors – a tightening of the Biden executive order from 2023. Simultaneously, China expert Rakesh Kumar (Fortune) warns that export controls have effectively forced Beijing to build its own chip ecosystem, which could backfire in the long term.

GlobalFoundries was selected to operate two new semiconductor fabs in New York under a US-Japanese initiative – Japan finances ($21 Bn), GF operates – a new allied financing model. CHIPS Act funds ($955 Mn) are being redirected from conventional fab expansion toward silicon photonics, SiGe, and advanced packaging.

onsemi (ON Semiconductor) has completed the acquisition of Synaptics, a leading provider of human-interface solutions and edge-AI chips – a strategic acquisition for automotive and IoT applications. The deal significantly strengthens onsemi's position in the growing market for AI-capable edge processors.

The US Department of Commerce has signed Notices of Intent for up to $389 Mn in CHIPS funding to four companies for power semiconductors – including vertical GaN technology (Helion: $175 Mn, Commonwealth Fusion: $85 Mn) and ultra-pure quartz. The move marks a strategic expansion of the CHIPS Act beyond logic chips toward energy infrastructure and fusion energy.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted its opinion on Chips Act 2 at its plenary session, calling for a demand-driven strategy rather than pure fab subsidy policy. Background: ASML sold not a single machine in Europe in 2026 – a clear signal that the EU chip strategy has so far addressed only the supply side.

Infineon and NVIDIA are collaborating on GaN-based high-voltage power supply systems for 800-VDC AI data centers, with focus on intermediate-bus converters. The partnership combines Infineon's power expertise with NVIDIA's datacenter roadmap and could redefine the market for efficient AI infrastructure power delivery.