Semicon Briefing

TSMC's 2-nanometer process is completely booked through 2028, positioning Samsung Foundry as an alternative. This marks a structural capacity crisis for the world-leading foundry and could accelerate Samsung's comeback in the foundry market.

The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs passed the Chip Security Act, which further restricts high-performance computer exports to China – an escalation beyond previous H200 regulations. Potentially all Western semiconductor manufacturers with China business are affected.

Three individuals were indicted for a $170 million scheme to illegally export US AI chips to China – a sign of how strongly market pressure from US export controls is fueling illegal channels. The case underscores growing prosecution intensity in the chip export control regime.

Marvell divests its automotive ethernet business for $2.5 billion, signaling strategic focus on AI data center chips. The market is watching closely how the released capital will be reinvested.

With the new EU Chips Act, industry representatives are calling for a paradigm shift: away from subsidizing individual fabs, toward a competitive European semiconductor ecosystem. Specifically, only capacities should be supported that are economically viable and strategically indispensable for European end users.

Toshiba, Rohm, and Mitsubishi Electric signed a memorandum of understanding for integrating their power semiconductor divisions – a potential counterweight to Infineon and other Western market leaders. The merger would create one of the world's largest power semiconductor conglomerates and reshape the global market.