Semicon Briefing

Infineon is acquiring the non-optical analog/mixed-signal sensor business from ams OSRAM for €570 million; closing is expected by the German Federal Cartel Office in Q2 2026. In parallel, ams OSRAM is selling its CMOS image division for €40 million to Indie Semiconductor and will focus on AI photonics and AR glasses in the future – a clear European consolidation move in the auto-chip segment.

Reports confirm a preliminary chip manufacturing agreement between Intel and Apple that would significantly boost Intel's foundry strategy – Intel's stock has reportedly gained 175% since the start of the year. The deal would signal that Intel Foundry Services could win a Tier-1 customer for the first time after the difficult relaunch.

ASML has signed a partnership agreement with Tata Electronics to support the construction of India's first major 300mm semiconductor fabrication plant in Dholera, Gujarat. The deal marks a strategic turning point: India is attempting to position itself as the third sovereign chip nation alongside the US and Europe and reduce dependence on Taiwan.

Despite Trump's Beijing visit with tech CEOs like Jensen Huang and Elon Musk, chip export controls were not a central topic of discussion according to US Trade Representative Greer – China is not purchasing Nvidia H200 chips despite approved sales because Beijing prefers domestic alternatives (Huawei). The summit result has thus remained insubstantial for the semiconductor industry, while the trade war continues structurally.

European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) – a joint venture of TSMC, Bosch, Infineon, and NXP – plans to build a new fab in Dresden with over €10 billion total investment, co-financed by the EU Chips Act. In parallel, the EU Commission is preparing a Chips Act II that will enable direct investments in cross-border fab projects starting in late May.

Data I/O ($DAIO) has signed a letter of intent to acquire a leading semiconductor handling and packaging company for approximately $23 million USD, which is expected to nearly double revenue and be immediately accretive to earnings. The deal underscores that niche equipment suppliers are also actively consolidating in the AI infrastructure boom.