Internet of Things - Company and Research Focus

A 43-year-old Russian engineer is accused of secretly supplying sensitive technical information from ASML, NXP, and TSMC to Russia, allegedly to assist in building a 28 nm-capable fab there. The engineer, identified in court documents only as German A., earned about €40,000 and now faces 18-32 months in prison. Though German A. alone could not steal full designs for a semiconductor.  German A. is accused of supplying Russia with confidential technical materials from ASML, GlobalFoundries, NXP, TSMC, and GlobalFoundries, including semiconductor production manuals and various chipmaking machines. The investigators reportedly found that he obtained 105 internal documents from ASML and 88 files related to TSMC. The materials did not contain complete blueprints for building wafer fabrication equipment or something more significant (e.g., a fab itself or how to design a process technology). Still, they were labeled confidential and could support the setup of a basic semiconductor line capable of producing chips at 28- nm-class process technology, which is good enough for military applications. Investigators believe he shared this data via cloud storage and messaging apps and handed over a USB stick in Moscow, allegedly earning around €40,000 in the process.  Both ASML and NXP experienced breaches involving unauthorized access in the past. In late 2023, it was revealed that a cyber group linked to China had been covertly operating within NXP's systems for an extended period. ASML also battles frequent cyberattacks and insider threats: in early 2022, a former Chinese employee stole confidential data. Although that employee, just like German A., lacked access to complete designs needed to construct a fab tool or equip a fab, a broader network of similar operatives could realistically piece together enough to boost the semiconductor industries of China and Russia.

RiVAI Technologies has launched the Lingyu CPU, China’s 1st domestically designed HPC (High-Performance) RISC-V server processor, reflecting the country's ongoing push for greater self-sufficiency in semiconductor development. The Lingyu CPU adopts a one-core, dual architecture approach, integrating 32 general-purpose computing cores (CPU) alongside 8 specialized intelligent computing cores (LPU). The configuration efficiently handles tasks such as inference for open-source large language models. The architecture aims to balance processing power and energy efficiency, thereby lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO).  The push for RISC-V adoption comes in response to ongoing trade tensions and sanctions that have limited China’s access to advanced foreign-made chips. To accelerate this transition, the Chinese government provides policy support, funding, and incentives for companies working on RISC-V technology. Major domestic tech firms, including Alibaba and Tencent, have already started developing RISC-V-based solutions, while state-backed research institutions are working on software optimization for the architecture. This shift could help China build a more self-sufficient semiconductor industry, reducing its dependence on Western technologies. However, challenges remain, including software compatibility and ecosystem development, which will determine the long-term viability of RISC-V as a mainstream alternative to x86 and Arm processors.

U.S. trading partners threatened to ratchet up a trade war with the United States on Thursday as President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs ignited fears of steep price hikes in the world's largest consumer market. Stocks suffered a global meltdown, as analysts warned the tariffs could upend global supply chains and hurt corporate profits. The Dow fell nearly 4%, its biggest one-day loss in percentage terms since June 2020. The S&P 500 lost nearly 5% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq declined nearly 6%, its worst day in percentage terms since the pandemic era of March 2020. The penalties announced by Trump on Wednesday triggered a plunge in world markets and drew condemnation from other leaders reckoning with the end of a decades-long era of trade liberalization. The U.S. tariffs would amount to the highest trade barriers in more than a century: a 10% baseline tariff on all imports and higher targeted duties on some of the country's biggest trading partners. That could jack up the price of everything from cannabis to running shoes to Apple's iPhone for U.S. shoppers. China vowed retaliation for Trump's 54% tariffs on imports from the world's No. 2 economy, as did the EU, which faces a 20% duty. French President Emmanuel Macron called for EU countries to suspend investment in the US. Other trading partners, including South Korea, Mexico and India, said they would hold off for now as they seek concessions." The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said. Trump has slapped a 24% tariff on Japan and a 25% tariff on South Korea, both home to major U.S. military bases, and htting Taiwan with a 32% tariff as the island faces increased military pressure from China. In Europe, Trump has already upset NATO allies with demands for higher defense spending and potential concessions to Russia in its war in Ukraine. Canada and Mexico, the largest U.S. trading partners, were not hit with targeted tariffs on Wednesday, but they already face 25% tariffs on many goods and now face a separate set of tariffs on auto imports.

Arm Holdings expects its share of the global market for data center central processing units to surge to 50% by EOY 2025, up from about 15% in 2024 with gains driven by the boom in AI, a senior executive said. It struggled to make headway in the lucrative data center market for nearly two decades as switching over from the once-dominant x86 chips made by Intel and AMD means clients have to rewrite software as well as change up parts of hardware. "We've gotten to the point where software is actually being developed for Arm first and foremost,". Amazon has designed in-house Data Center CPUs with Arm tech that accounted for +1/2 of the capacity for chips it added over the last two years. Alphabet's Google and Microsoft have also made Arm-based data center chips, though their efforts are more recent than Amazon's.  Arm's CPUs are often used as a "host" chip inside of an AI computing system and act as a kind of traffic controller for other AI chips. Nvidia, for example, uses an Arm-based chip called Grace in some of its advanced AI systems which contain two of its Blackwell chips. Arm's tech in many cases offers lower power consumption than rival processors made by Intel and AMD. As AI data centers use huge amounts of electricity, Arm's chips have become increasingly popular among cloud computing companies. Awad added that data center chips often use more of Arm's intellectual property (IP) and the company typically receives "a lot higher aggregate royalty rate" than chips for less complex devices. UK-headquartered Arm, which is 90% owned by Japan's SoftBank Group, does not make chips itself but sells the fundamental building blocks and other intellectual property to cloud computing companies and firms like Apple and Nvidia to use to design chips for laptops, smartphones and data center processors. Arm generates revenue by billing companies for a license to use its tech and collects royalty payments for each chip sold.

The Hsinchu and Kaohsiung plants in Taiwan serve as the primary facilities for 2-nm wafer production, with a new report stating that full-scale manufacturing of this technology is expected to commence later this year. Before this phase, TSMC had achieved an impressive 60% yield during the trial production. With both facilities operational, the semiconductor giant could churn out up to 50,000 monthly wafers, with the maximum capacity of 80,000 units. The demand for 2-nm chips is said to be higher than 3nm, and according to fresh estimates, TSMC can generate sales of $30.1 billion for both Q3 and Q4 2025.  Pilot production on 2nm technology at the Hsinchu plant has exceeded exceptations, allowing TSMC to commence operations a quarter ahead of schedule  According to Economic News Daily, both the Hsinchu and Kaohsiung will handle the imminent demand, with Dan Nystedt mentioning on X that each of these plants can bring in sales of ~$30.1 Billion for both Q3 and Q4 2025.   Much of this revenue will be thanks to Apple, which is said to be preparing the A20 for the iPhone 18 launch that is scheduled to happen in H2 of 2026. Qualcomm also intends to keep pace with Apple, as it is rumored to unveil not one, but two SoCs that will be mass produced on TSMC’s 2nm process, of which one of them will likely be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2. Perhaps the only competition TSMC has at this time is Samsung, which was previously reported to have achieved a 30 percent yield on its 2nm GAA process during the trial production run of the company’s Exynos 2600. Historically, TSMC might have been late in gravitating to the newer lithography, but it has always stood tall when maintaining consistent wafer output.

Intel has reportedly canceled its high-end Xe2-based Arc Battlemage "BMG-G31" GPUs which were going to be used in gaming graphics cards, has decided to NOT Compete In The High-End Gaming Segment  Intel has stated its commitment towards the discrete GPU segment, but will continue to make "Strategic Investments" within the platform.  Based on the latest report by reliable insider and leaker, @Jaykihn0, it looks like the company has significantly altered its discrete GPU plans. It is said that the high-end Battlemage BMG-G31 GPU is more or less dead and that has been the case since Q3 of 2024. The BMG-G31 GPU die was supposed to be bigger than the G21 featured on the B580 and B570 graphics cards. It was reportedly going to feature around 24-32 Xe2 cores with a 256-bit memory bus and 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. It is also mentioned that there's currently no update on the Celestial "Xe3" discrete GPU lineup. The Xe3 architecture will be deployed in the next-gen Panther Lake CPUs that are being fabricated on the Intel 18A process node, but that's an integrated solution. Whether we will get a Celestial "Xe3" GPU for discrete use remains to be seen. With the Arc B580 and Arc B570, Intel has provided strong value in a segment where NVIDIA and AMD currently have no new options. Battlemage also proves itself to be an impressive solution for integrated graphics and competes well against AMD's latest RDNA 3.5 offerings. Although we would love to see a high-end Battlemage graphics card, it looks like the company is going to focus its GPU efforts on the integrated sides a bit more but will continue to provide gamers with some decent value-oriented products, such as its recent launches.

TSMC's former co-Chief Operating Officer, Chiang Shang-yi, didn't hold back when talking about Intel's chip manufacturing woes at an event in Taiwan. Chiang advised Intel to move into mature chip manufacturing processes to win, as it was too far behind TSMC to catch up. Chiang added, while Intel was formerly a "King" of the IC industry, it was now a "Nobody."   With Intel's new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, settling into his role, the firm has 2 primary objectives. The 1st is to establish regular production of its 18A chip manufacturing node, and the 2nd is to set up a robust foundry business. Both of these are aimed at competing with TSMC. Should Intel execute with the former, then it will have achieved manufacturing node parity with TSMC, which also plans to place the comparable 2-nm process into HVM in 2025.  While Intel might try at another turnaround attempt, TSMC's Shang-yi believes that Intel would be better suited to focus on more mature manufacturing process nodes, instead of competing with TSMC on the high-end nodes, Intel should merge with a company that does not produce leading-edge chips but instead churns out mature process chips in large volumes.  As for TSMC, he believes that the firm's biggest advantage lies in its 100s of customers. To serve the voluminous customer base, TSMC has established high output and quick manufacturing speeds, which are its key competitive advantage. Shangyi said TSMC's global dominance and success over UMC (another Taiwanese contract manufacturer) was the firm's focus on R&D. While UMC worked with IBM for research purposes, TSMC self-developed the capabilities. He recalled fondly how hard he worked to overcome Intel's dominance and is happy after witnessing TSMC doing so.

In 2024, Intel's Board of Directors (BoD) abruptly ended Pat Gelsinger's turnaround attempt, cutting short what he believed would be a 5-year transformation of the semiconductor giant. "I wasn't done with the +5 years when the board made a directional change," Gelsingertold said, revealing his frustration with a tenure that saw the company's market position dramatically erode. Gelsinger had pitched a +5-year plan to turn around Intel when he joined the chipmaker. However, just 3 years into his tenure, the board gave Gelsinger an ultimatum after it lost the confidence to either announce his retirement or face removal. Gelsinger ultimately chose retirement, bringing his tumultuous tenure, marked by what some analysts called significant strategic missteps, to an end with a bittersweet  acknowledgement that the company had been "his life for the bulk of his working career."  Under Pat Gelsinger’s leadership, Intel's revenue plummeted to $54 billion in 2023, nearly 1/3 below 2021 levels. The company reported its 1st annual net loss since 1986, with its stock crashing 66% from its peak during Gelsinger's early months as CEO.
Failures plagued Gelsinger's strategy. He missed crucial opportunities in the AI market, allowing competitors like Nvidia to dominate. A
diplomatic blunder with TSMC, where he questioned Taiwan's stability, costing Intel a valuable manufacturing partnership. The company's ambitious 18A chip manufacturing process encountered significant obstacles, with early tests revealing poor chip quality and potential customers like Apple and Qualcomm declining to use the technology.  - Enter Lip-Bu Tan, Intel's new CEO, brings a markedly different approach. The consensus is that Gelsinger struggled with bloated management and slow decision-making, and Tan is planning aggressive restructuring. He aims to streamline the company's workforce, targeting what he sees as an inefficient middle management layer. Tan's initial strategy focuses on revitalizing Intel Foundry and pursuing more aggressive AI chip production. He plans to improve manufacturing efficiency and actively court new customers like Microsoft and Amazon. Unlike Gelsinger's broad,
sometimes unfocused approach, Tan intends to make "tough decisions" to position Intel competitively in the rapidly evolving semiconductor landscape. Meanwhile, Gelsinger has found a new home in venture capital, joining Playground Global as a general partner. He's already exploring deep-tech investments and serving as executive chair of portfolio company xLight,

AMD's next-generation Sound Wave APU is reportedly a new Arm-based chip that will feature RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, MALL cache, and compete in the Windows on Arm market against Qualcomm, Intel, and soon NVIDIA in 2026.  In a new video from leaker Moore's Law is Dead, we're hearing AMD's next-gen Sound Wave APU will feature 2 x P-Cores and 4 x E-Cores of Arm-based CPU that won't deliver powerhouse performance, but instead will have fantastic battery life as Windows on Arm laptops do.  AMD is expected to use 4 x GPU cores based on the RDNA 3.5 GPU, but with improved ML (machine learning) performance that could be more of an "RDNA 3.5+" GPU instead. Sound Wave is expected to feature 16MB of MALL cache, a 4th Generation AI engine, a 128-bit LPDDR5X-9600 memory controller and 16GB of RAM expected to be the "standard" for the new Arm-based Sound Wave APU. We first heard about Sound Wave last year, rumored as a Zen 6-based APU... but things are changing, AMD is moving Sound Wave into the Arm-based CPU world, and with the crumbling Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite-powered Windows on Arm laptops... well, AMD can come in and dominate the Arm APU market, too. 

The Surface laptop is better with Intel. Last year, Microsoft switched its Surface devices completely to ARM processors from Qualcomm. But, it doesn't fit what business customers want from these devices, as the Surface Laptop 15 for Business is now available with Intel's Lunar Lake processors. The result is better in many areas. The new Surface Laptop 7 15 for Business, equipped with Intel processors, has advantages over the Snapdragon variant in a number of areas. These include better software compatibility, of course, but surprisingly also improved battery life. In addition, business customers don't seem to want Snapdragon laptops, and in general, the Intel variant is simply the better overall package. This is a pretty harsh slap in the face for Windows on ARM, especially when you consider how hard Microsoft is pushing the ARM models. Although the Lunar Lake processor delivers less multi-core CPU performance, it is on par in single-core scenarios and comes with a faster integrated graphics card as well as Thunderbolt 4. Its IPS screen boasts a high brightness and very accurate color profiles. One disadvantage remains for both models is their high surface temperatures under load, so a second fan would really make sense in this respect. The 15-inch model in particular still has quite a lot of free space in its case, which is why this technically shouldn't be a problem. It should also be mentioned that the Intel version's fan gets louder under high load, which is pretty much the only major disadvantage compared to the ARM model. Finally, there is its price, and the Intel model is around $500 more expensive, going off its MRSP. However, the ARM models are often heavily discounted, and the comparable Snapdragon configuration with 32 GB RAM and a 1-TB SSD currently costs around $1,599.99 from Microsoft itself, i.e. a whopping $1,000 less. Naturally, this difference can hardly be justified.

Gloo, a Boulder, Colorado-based firm that offers technology tools to Christian churches and other faith groups, said on Monday that Pat Gelsinger is joining the firm as its head of technology and executive chairman, where he will help the group develop AI tools such as virtual assistants and chatbots: Gelsinger, the former CEO of both chipmaker Intel and Broadcom-owned VMware. Gelsinger left Intel in 2024 after a clash with its board over his turnaround plans.  Gelsinger's job at Gloo will be his first operational role since leaving Intel. A lifelong Christian who has helmed a group in the San Francisco Bay area working to expand church membership for more than a decade, Gelsinger has previously served on Gloo's board as non-executive chairman since 2018. Founded in 2013, Gloo last year raised $110 million in growth financing for an AI push. It is developing chatbots with a "safe search" option and answers grounded in the Christian Bible. Gelsinger will oversee Gloo's product and engineering efforts. “Technology has the power to connect, uplift, and transform lives — but only when built with purpose,” Gelsinger said.

Qualcomm has accused its longtime partner, Arm Holdings, of unfair business practices, taking the matter to U.S., EU, and South Korean regulators. The allegations claim that Arm limits access to its technologies and changes licensing models in a bid to harm competition, Arm denies the accusations.  Qualcomm has reportedly filed secret complaints against Arm with the EU Commission, the U.S. FTC, and the Korean FTC. Qualcomm argues that Arm's open licensing approach helped build a robust hardware and software ecosystem. This ecosystem is now under threat as Arm moves to restrict access to benefit its IC design business, namely compute subsystems (CSS) reference designs for client and Data Center processors and custom silicon based on CSS for large-scale clients. 

Arm rejected the accusations, stating that it is committed to innovation, competition, and upholding contract terms. Arm called Qualcomm's move an attempt to shift attention from a wider commercial dispute between the two companies and use regulatory pressure for its benefit. Indeed, the antitrust complaints align with Qualcomm's arguments in a recent legal clash with Arm in Delaware. Qualcomm won that trial, as the court ruled that the company did not break the terms of its architecture license agreement (ALA) and technology license agreement (TLA) by acquiring Nuvia and using its IP in its Snapdragon X processors for client PCs. Arm said it would seek a retrial. However, Qualcomm wants to ensure that it will have access to Arm's ISAs and technologies by filing complaints with antitrust regulators.  “Arm remains focused on enhancing innovation, promoting competition, and respecting contractual rights and obligations," Arm said in a statement  "Any allegation of anti-competitive conduct is nothing more than a desperate attempt by Qualcomm to detract from the merits and expand the parties’ ongoing commercial dispute for its own competitive benefit. Arm is confident that it will ultimately prevail in this dispute.”

Microsoft has pulled back on Data Center projects around the world, Bloomberg reports, suggesting that the company is wary of expanding its cloud computing infrastructure too rapidly. Microsoft has halted talks for or delayed development sites of data centers in the U.K., Australia, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, per Bloomberg. A spokesperson told the publication that Microsoft makes its plans years in advance and that the changes demonstrate “the flexibility of [its] strategy.” As recently as February, Microsoft reiterated earlier plans to allocate more than $80 billion of its cash to capital expenditures in 2025, primarily AI data centers. As Bloomberg points out in its piece, it’s hard to know how much of the company’s recent pullback reflects its expectations of diminished demand versus temporary construction challenges, such as shortages of power and building materials. Microsoft previously said that it would shift its Data Center expansion focus for 2025 from new construction to fitting existing facilities with servers and other computing equipment.

Arm Holdings just made a quiet but telling move in the AI chip war by pursuing a potential acquisition of UK-based Alphawave to lock in next-gen tech, then backing out. The tech in question, a high-speed data transfer solution called serializer-deserializer (SerDes), is the unsung hero behind how ICs talk to other essential ICs for training and running AI models at scale. Alphawave shares popped nearly 45% on the news, their best day in +3 years. While the deal fizzled out, the message was clear: Arm is thinking bigger than just licensing IP.

Why does it matter? Because SerDes isn't just another piece of silicon, it's the plumbing for tomorrow's AI infrastructure, and right now, Broadcom, Marvell, and even Nvidia are way ahead. Arm, backed by SoftBank and traditionally a behind-the-scenes IP powerhouse, doesn't currently offer SerDes at the bleeding edge. There's more at play here, as Alphawave has ties to a blacklisted Chinese firm, that may have thrown a wrench into the talks. The strategic takeaway is that  Arm wants in on the $60 Billion custom AI IC market projected by 2028. And SerDes is the toll gate. If they can't buy it, they'll have to build it and fast. Because as demand for HPC (High-Performance Compute) AI chips surges, whoever controls the chip-to-chip highway will end up owning the map. Building it from scratch? Insiders say it takes a specialized team and at least 2 years. Which explains why Arm has quietly started hiring chip designers and floating internal memos about launching its own processors.

Suraj Gajendra, Vice President of Automotive Products and Software Solutions at Arm focuses on Arm's latest innovations in the automotive sector, including the introduction of Kleidi AI, a suite of software libraries for optimizing AI applications on Arm CPUs, and the critical role of chiplets and standardization in enabling scalable compute architectures. Suraj Gajendra's insights reflect a forward-thinking approach to automotive technology, emphasizing the importance of AI, modular hardware, standardization, and collaboration to shape the future of automotive computing. Understanding these principles is essential for anyone involved in the automotive industry. Sharing insights on Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), the importance of cloud-to-car infrastructure, and the need for robust security strategies to ensure safe and resilient automotive solutions. He emphasizes the significance of AI in enhancing vehicle performance and user experience, and introduces Cy AI, which focuses on optimizing automotive applications. He 

advocates for the use of chiplets to create a modular and scalable hardware architecture, and highlighted how chiplets can reduce costs and improve flexibility across different vehicle models. Suraj stresses the importance of standardization in chip design and software development to ensure compatibility and interoperability, encouraging a collaborative approach among industry players to establish common standards.  He explains the evolution of SDVs and their reliance on software for functionality and updates with an emphasis on the importance of safety, security, and data protection in software development. 

China's Huawei is expected to claim triumph over U.S. sanctions at its upcoming annual results, bolstered by its software push, progress in chips and booming smart-driving technology business that has helped it move out of "survival mode". Hauwei is set to confirm that it took in $118 billion in revenues in 2024, just shy of its 2020 peak of 891 billion yuan, before chip stockpiles dwindled and U.S. restrictions cut consumer business revenues in 1/2. In the wake of U.S. sanctions, Huawei moved into exploring areas such as building 5G infrastructure for mines and supplying energy storage systems to Data Centers. Cut off from Google's Android and Oracle, it built its own operating system HarmonyOS, which it says is running on over a billion devices, as well as an internal software management system it calls 'MetaERP' Banned from using U.S. semiconductor technology, it has created its own advanced chips including ones that compete with top artificial intelligence chipmaker Nvidia's products. Hauwei has also become a prominent supplier of advanced autonomous driving technology, working with state-owned automakers to revive themselves as viable electric vehicle makers. Huawei has worked with Dongfeng Motor-backed Seres to sell Aito-branded cars, with sales more than tripling last year. Its best-selling models M7 and M9 are equipped with Huawei's advanced driver assistance systems and sold in Huawei's showrooms nationwide. There are similar projects with Chery, BAIC, JAC Group and SAIC Group. Going forward, the company has said it wants to integrate artificial intelligence into its industrial communications services and to build out its software systems on connected devices, according to state media. Huawei has also signaled it intends to compete more aggressively in overseas markets for its smartphones, having launched its foldable Mate XT smartphone in Malaysia in February in a glitzy event.
Without full access to Android it is unlikely to regain its former position in Western consumer markets, though its data infrastructure presence has grown in areas such as the Middle East, Triolo said.
"Huawei's international presence will be more of a patchwork affair, but in some areas, like an alternative AI stack, it could eventually dominate in key markets."

ASML's CEO, Christophe Fouquet, is concerned with geopolitical pressures and the lack of strong, independent support from EU policymakers for his strategically important company, key concerns are: -- US-led export restrictions to China, banning selling advanced (EUV) and some older (DUV) machines to Chinese companies, driven by US efforts to curb China's AI ambitions. The likelihood of even tighter controls under a 2nd Trump administration adds significant uncertainty and makes long-term planning difficult.
-- Even if ASML were to consider leaving the EU, it would still be subject to US export controls due to its reliance on US-based Cymer technology, highlighting the limitations of its strategic autonomy.
-- Fouquet's frustrated by EU governments, particularly the Dutch government, readily following the US lead on export bans. Believing Europe needs to define its own interests and not be dictated to by others. and recognize ASML's strategic importance.
-- Fouquet emphasizes that the semiconductor industry's success is built on a delicate "chain of trust," deep specialization, and collaboration. He fears that "overboard" government decisions could break this chain, jeopardizing the technological advancements we currently take for granted.

The troubles that Samsung experienced with its 3-nm GAA technology have not been repeated with its 2-nm GAA node. At least, so far, hinting that Samsung Foundry may have finally managed to overcome the SNAFUs, making it lose its edge in this race. The trial production run of its Exynos 2600 on the 2-nm GAA yields has reached 30% and could be near ready to commence full-scale wafer production, depending on whether it can scale those yields to acceptable levels.  No telling how much Samsung’s 2nm GAA yields have improved since its pilot build had touched 30%, but the Exynos 2600 prototype is to be fabbed and enter production in May this year. This head start will give Samsung the necessary breathing room to ensure that it can slowly improve its yields and make mass production viable. Bare minimum, the 2-nm GAA node needs at least a yield of 70% to start accepting customer orders. Exynos 2600's design needs to be completed by Q3 2025 to have a sliver of a chance of finding a place in the upcoming Galaxy S26 series. Even if Samsung can get an edge against TSMC regarding the launch timeline, Samsung has held this advantage before when it announced the 1st-gen 3-nm GAA node back in 2022, nothing is guaranteed when comparing yields, especially when history can repeat itself.

Well, it seems like TSMC has chosen the US as its next place of expansion, as the firm has now revealed that it plans to produce cutting-edge chips in Arizona.  According to TSMC's VP, Peter Cleveland claimed that the company plans to produce its third fab in Arizona to sustain the "US AI leadership" and ensure that America becomes a 2nd home for TSMC, apart from Taiwan. By these statements, the idea of a "technology transfer" certainly looks evident. "We have not started to break ground on our 3rd wafer fab in Phoenix. We would like to start next week. We're going to build those (high-end chips) in Phoenix to sustain the U.S.'s AI leadership." - TSMC. The VP also believes that the US will account for 75% of TSMC's business in the longer run, and the Trump administration has played a key role in catalyzing this process. It seems like Trump's pressure tactics have worked out in restoring the US's chip glory, although this will take years from now on. Based on what we know, TSMC's A16 (1.6nm) will likely arrive on the market by H2 2026, which means the process will be available for production in the US two years after Taiwan. While the delay is undoubtedly there, it does show that the US won't be deprived of advanced nodes and that, in the longer run, the nation could play a massive role in the semiconductor industry's dynamics.

Apple will likely be TSMC’s first customer for the latter’s 2nm process technology to mass-produce the A20 for 2026's iPhone 18 series. TSMC is reportedly accepting orders for its next-gen node. According to one rumor, Qualcomm plans to leverage the 2nm process for two chipset releases in 2026, one of which will likely be the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3. The second chipset release mass-produced on TSMC’s 2nm technology could be a downgraded version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3. The rumor (from Digital Chat Station) mentions that the SM8950, presumably the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3, will arrive in 2026 and be fabricated on improved lithography. As for the SM8945, we guess that this SoC will be a less powerful version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3, utilize the same node, but it could sport a less capable GPU or downclocked CPU cores. The SM8945 could be one of the ‘Snapdragon 8s’ members, which Qualcomm would probably call the Snapdragon 8s Gen 6. TSMC is not the only foundry pursuing the goal of garnering orders from lucrative customers, though its chance of accumulating orders has increased because its trial production run reported about a week ago hit yields of 60%, suggesting that the yields are higher now. Samsung is racing to achieve favorable yields, with its 2nm GAA process, said to have touched 30% yields during a trial run of the Exynos 2600. Given each wafer is estimated to cost $30,000/unit, it is no surprise that Qualcomm has been reported to be exploring a dual-sourcing option where it utilizes technologies from both TSMC’s and Samsung’s foundries to lower production costs.

However, this approach is only viable if Samsung can improve its 2nm yields. Sadly, Digital Chat Station once mentioned that Qualcomm has little choice but to exclusively place Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 3 orders with TSMC. Assuming a change in Qualcomm’s plans, we will update accordingly.

Samsung Foundry has ambitions of taking a big chunk out of TSMC's market share but it's not even close. As of Q4 2024, TSMC's share of the global foundry market hit nearly 70%, more than double that of Samsung's and it's showing no signs of slowing down. Samsung Foundry is having to grapple with yield and quality issues that seem to have led to a loss of confidence in customers. It would have hoped that things get better as chipmakers get their 2nm chips out, but their orders are going in TSMC's lap for now. A new report from a noted analyst highlights that Apple's custom IC for 2026's iPhone 18 will be made on TSMC's 2nm process. It's further claimed that TSMC's 2nm trial yields hover between 60-70%, which is incredible as it goes to show the Taiwanese corporation is ready to hit the ground running.

Apple has typically opted for TSMC to make its chips and it's unlikely that it would have gone Samsung Foundry's way to get its next-generation custom mobile chip made. However, Apple locking in production capacity at TSMC so far out is a vote of confidence that other chipmakers will most certainly take note of.  Samsung needs to turn things around after its 3nm process has failed to win any major orders. Yield issues have consistently plagued the process and burned billions in cash. There has been hope that perhaps NVIDIA and Qualcomm might choose Samsung Foundry to get some of their 2nm chips made. However, if Samsung isn't able to satisfactorily demonstrate that the same issues that made the 3nm a disaster won't reappear with the 2nm, then it may just have to watch again as TSMC rides off into the sunset with the order book.

The recall of every vehicle is the ultimate brand embarrassment. It already seemed clear that the Tesla Cybertruck was a flop commercially when the company started offering incentives and even resorted to a desperate sales pitch on the White House lawn. It's also no news that the EV pick-up truck has design flaws, from frames snapping to the strange light positioning and an inability to handle snow. The car isn't even road legal in many countries. But just when it seemed the Cybertruck's reputation couldn't fall any further, Tesla now suffered the ultimate embarrassment for its brand. It's had to recall every single vehicle.  It's because panels have been flying off on the road since they're merely stuck on with glue. Tesla has agreed to recall all 46,100 Cybertruck pickups currently out there after the US traffic safety administration, NHTSA, raised concerns about the glue used to hold exterior sheet metal. The NHTSA received a complaint from an owner after a panel lining the side of the roof came loose. The adhesive, it seems, can become brittle, particularly in cold conditions, causing a major accident risk.  Sadly, the news is hardly surprising. The design flaw has been pointed out in videos on social media like the X post above for months. The car enthusiast  Tesla says it will replace the original bonding agent with a different structural adhesive that, according to the NHTSA recall report, won't be "prone to environmental embrittlement". That doesn't exactly inspire confidence, though; those panels are still stuck on with glue.

The Cybertruck was long delayed due to engineering problems, and it massively increased in price while being downgraded in specs from the original 2019 concept. There have already been recalls to fix software and hardware, and deliveries are nowhere near the company's initial projections of 500,000 units/year. To cement the vehicle's disgrace, there have been reports of Cybertruck owners trying to sell their vehicles, either out of embarrassment at the car or horror at Musk's support for far-right political groups.  The Cybertruck debacle has also distracted Tesla from the potentially much more bankable Model 2, which it first teased five years ago. The increasing controversy of Musk's role as advisor to Donald Trump could now harm the prospects of the upcoming entry car if it ever reaches production. While Musk's entry into government might make sense for his personal goals, it's not been great for this brand. Tesla shares have lost a third of their value since the start of the year. The company's been dropped from the Vancouver International Auto Show because of security concerns, and even big Tesla bulls like the tech analyst Dan Ives are saying Musk needs to pull back from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) if he's to save Tesla.

“The brand damage started as limited in our view based on our initial survey work… but now has spread globally over the last few weeks into what we would characterise as a brand tornado crisis moment for Musk and Tesla,” Ives wrote in a note to investors. It may be the case that Musk thinks the reputation of the Tesla logo in the car market no longer matters too much as the company aims to move towards tech innovations like its robotaxi and humanoid robots. Surely EVs are kind of 'woke', anyway? 

Instability woes continue to trouble Nvidia's RTX 40 series GPUs after 3 months, as reported by many users across different forums.  Now Nvidia's R570 branch of GPU drivers have come with several instability issues with reports suggesting the impacts were felt by the older RTX 40 GPU architectures, as well. A few hotfixes down the road, Nvidia has pushed fixes for these black screen issues specifically for the RTX 50 series. However, it appears that older GPUs continue to suffer. To voice growing concern, a user at r/hardware has compiled a comprehensive list featuring numerous testimonies from affected RTX 40 and RTX 30 series users. Multiple reports indicate recurring symptoms, with impacted customers still awaiting a response from Nvidia. The community has found several workarounds, with a few common fixes including rolling back drivers, disabling Frame Generation and/or G-Sync, downgrading the DLSS version, and lowering refresh rates, among other related Band-Aid solutions. Even if Nvidia's software division is presumably cooped up with finetuning RTX 50 drivers, complete silence on these concerns is reflecting badly. These issues have been troubling RTX 40 series owners for almost three months, with no definite or official resolution.

Nvidia has addressed several compatibility issues in multiple driver releases across its R570 software, however, most of them are only applicable to the RTX 50 series. Downgrading drivers is a double-edged sword, as you'll be locked out of many newer features. Nvidia is not officially acknowledging these concerns, as the "Known Issues" section under almost every new driver release fails to mention anything related to the RTX 40 series.