Semicon Briefing

The closing of the non-optical sensor business sale from ams-OSRAM to Infineon for €570 million, announced in February, is imminent – the antitrust authority still needs to give the green light. ams-OSRAM will focus on AI photonics in the future and will halve its interest costs by 2028, while Infineon expands its sensor portfolio base for around €230 million in annual revenue.

The EU Commission has introduced a reorientation with the Chips Act 2.0: instead of pure subsidy fabs, demand accelerators and public procurement guarantees are to secure European chip demand, flanked by plans for a European 2nm foundry. Industry associations warn that European demand is structurally concentrated at mature nodes (28/22nm) and a cutting-edge fab could miss reality.

ASML and Tata Electronics concluded a strategic partnership on May 16, 2026, to develop India's semiconductor ecosystem – a first step to expand ASML's lithography reach beyond the classic hubs of Taiwan, South Korea, and the USA to new geographies. For ASML, this opens a long-term growth channel, while India underscores its claim as a global chip location.

Analog Devices has officially completed the approximately $1.5 billion acquisition of Empower Semiconductor while simultaneously reporting record Q2 results and raising its full-year guidance. The deal strengthens ADI's position in AI data center and communications infrastructure, where power supply is increasingly becoming a bottleneck factor.

The US Department of Commerce (BIS) has clarified that export restrictions on AI chips also apply to subsidiaries of Chinese companies based outside China – a direct attack on the previous workaround via third countries. In parallel, China certifies nine domestic chips for state procurement and actively displaces Nvidia from government projects, structurally cementing the decoupling of both tech ecosystems.

TSMC has publicly not ruled out price increases due to rising costs – this meets with massive criticism in the community, which points to TSMC's 50% net margin. Combined with China's tungsten supply halt and capacity constraints, real price pressure is emerging that is likely to propagate to end consumers (smartphones, AI hardware).