🔬Semicon Briefing
June 23, 2026 · 03:48 Uhr
1ams-OSRAM sells sensor division to Infineon for €570 million
kapitalmarktexperten.de / finanztrends.de ams-OSRAM is divesting its non-optical sensor business (automotive, industrial, medical) for €570 million in cash to Infineon – the transaction is still subject to approval by the German Federal Cartel Office, which has been reviewing since March 2026. The deal strengthens Infineon's sensor portfolio (expected ~€230 million revenue p.a.) and enables ams-OSRAM to significantly reduce debt while clearly focusing on optics and photonics.
2EU Chips Act 2.0: €30 billion for AI foundries, Samsung & SK Hynix in focus
techtimes.com / @Simne1core The new EU Chips Act 2.0 draft shifts from supply-side subsidies to demand stimulation and allocates around €30 billion for advanced AI chip foundries – as Europe lacks its own capacity, the EU may become dependent on Samsung and SK Hynix. Simultaneously, the planned Intel mega-fab in Magdeburg was scrapped and STMicro's Crolles expansion halted, revealing Europe's industrial policy dilemma.
3Infineon opens new chip fab in Germany as EU sovereignty project
Bloomberg / it-boltwise.de Infineon is opening a new power chip fab in Germany that has received around €1 billion in EU Chips Act funding and is considered a core element of the European semiconductor sovereignty strategy. The facility is a rare concrete outcome of the EU Chips Act and stands in stark contrast to the failed mega-projects by Intel and STMicro.
4ASML denies: No EUV equipment illegally reached China
r/worldnews / @CapitalFlowApp ASML has officially rejected US allegations that an advanced EUV machine reached China – according to reports, the US Commerce Department presented no evidence. The public confrontation between a NATO ally and the US over export compliance is escalating and could burden future ASML licensing and transatlantic chip diplomacy.
5SK Hynix overtakes Samsung as South Korea's most valuable company
r/hardware / r/DRAM_ETF SK Hynix has surpassed Samsung Electronics for the first time as South Korea's most valuable listed company, driven by enormous HBM gains in the AI boom. The shift marks a strategic turning point: Samsung's diversification (appliances, consumer electronics) becomes a weakness, while SK Hynix' focus on advanced memory becomes a strength.
6Micron & Anthropic: Strategic agreement for AI memory architecture
@jasonschips / @TheChipGuyJason Micron and Anthropic have announced a strategic cooperation covering joint design of memory and storage architectures, supply planning, and capacity commitments for AI infrastructure. The deal underscores the trend that AI labs are increasingly entering direct hardware partnerships to secure supply reliability for HBM and DRAM.
Situation Report
The semiconductor industry is in a phase of simultaneous geopolitical escalation and industrial policy realignment: The public US-ASML dispute over an allegedly smuggled EUV machine – denied by ASML – reveals how fragile the Western export control regime is and how much Washington pressures even allies. In parallel, China is tightening its own export controls against US companies on rare earths and tungsten, while Huawei with the Ascend-910C ecosystem largely domesticates AI chip supply. In Europe, Chips Act 2.0 reveals a strategic dilemma: following the failure of Intel's Magdeburg fab and STMicro's withdrawal, the EU may become dependent on those very Korean competitors it aimed to catch up with. The power shift from Samsung to SK Hynix in the HBM segment, along with new direct hardware partnerships between AI labs (Anthropic/Micron) and foundries, signal that consolidation along AI infrastructure alliances is continuing.
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