September 16, 2026 · 03:48 Uhr
Samsung's first 2nm fab in Taylor, Texas is reportedly fully booked by Tesla, Arm, and Broadcom – a decisive vote of confidence for Samsung's foundry comeback. The deal signals that Samsung remains competitive in the race for leading AI chip manufacturing, despite ongoing gaps versus TSMC.
ams-OSRAM divests its non-optical sensor business and receives €570 million from Infineon – clear evidence of strategic refocus on photonics and microLED. Infineon strengthens its sensor portfolio, and ams-OSRAM's stock has already gained 130 percent since the start of the year.
Skyworks Solutions confirms that the planned merger with Qorvo is still expected to close in 2026 and promises significant cost savings. The transaction would create a new US semiconductor company with $22 billion market value and drive further consolidation in the RF chip segment.
ASML is exploring ways to expand production to over 110 EUV machines per year – an increase of roughly 30 percent versus current levels – and is apparently in talks with Tata Electronics as a new customer. This underscores structural demand explosion from AI and signals significant expansion of ASML's customer base beyond India.
Chinese technology companies are openly purchasing AI computing power through offshore partnerships, which Western media describe as loopholes in US export controls, burdening ongoing diplomatic AI talks between the US and China. The debate shows that existing control mechanisms risk becoming ineffective, while Beijing strategically directs investments toward Huawei and domestic providers.
EU-27 ministers meet on September 24 in Brussels to discuss Chips Act 2.0 and new merger rules – a politically significant date for Europe's semiconductor strategy. At its core is the question whether Europe can now structurally improve the demand side and approval speed alongside subsidies to compete in the global fab race.
The semiconductor industry is experiencing a concentration of strategic turning points on multiple levels simultaneously during the week of September 11–16, 2026: Confirmation that Samsung's 2nm fab in Texas is fully booked by Tesla, Arm, and Broadcom stabilizes Samsung's foundry position and increases pressure on TSMC in the race for AI chip capacity. In parallel, ASML is significantly accelerating its production planning, while India with Tata as a potentially new customer enters the EUV circle – a geopolitically significant step toward diversification outside the US-Korea-Taiwan triangle. Escalating reports of circumvention of US chip export controls by Chinese companies via offshore structures fundamentally question the effectiveness of Western technology policy and burden the diplomatic agenda of the US-China AI summit. In Europe, the political clock is ticking: The EU Competitiveness Council must show on September 24 whether Chips Act 2.0 can deliver real levers – demand accelerators, approval acceleration – beyond subsidy rhetoric to sustainably utilize newly emerging fabs in Dresden and elsewhere.
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