Semicon Briefing

According to May 2026 reports, Apple is seriously considering Intel and Samsung as chipmakers for less critical processors – a potential end to decades-long TSMC exclusivity. The move puts pressure on TSMC and signals that customers are actively building alternatives amid persistent capacity constraints.

Alibaba presented the new AI processor Zhenwu M890 along with a 128-chip server architecture and semiconductor roadmap through 2028 – a direct response to US export controls. According to analysts, China's chip exports have tripled in two years to $31 billion/month, showing that sanctions have accelerated domestic development rather than slowed it.

TSMC's Arizona fab achieved $514 million in profit in Q1 2026 – more than the entire year 2025 – and plans to introduce the A16 process as the most advanced chip ever manufactured on US soil. The early profit proof strengthens the case for additional CHIPS Act investments and gives Washington strategic momentum.

Skyworks Solutions has signed a merger agreement to acquire a Qorvo subsidiary, reshaping forces in the RF semiconductor market. The consolidation aims for synergies in mobile and IoT segments and puts competitors like Qorvo itself and Qualcomm under pressure.

The European semiconductor consortium ESMC – comprising TSMC, Bosch, Infineon and NXP – is concretizing its Dresden fab plans with an investment volume exceeding €10 billion, supported by EU Chips Act subsidies and a €288 million German state aid package. The project is the centerpiece of Europe's strategy to reduce dependence on Asian chip manufacturing.

Through the ASML-Tata MoU, India becomes the world's fourth country to gain access to ASML lithography machines for its $11 billion chip project in Dholera/Gujarat – a geopolitical milestone that went viral on the r/indiadiscussion subreddit (2,156 points). This solidifies India's position as an emerging semiconductor nation and diversifies ASML's customer base away from the previous three core nations.