UMC Bets $4.6B on Silicon Photonics, Dual-Track Expansion Plan
On July 29, 2026, the semiconductor foundry giant UMC announced that its board of directors had approved a phased expansion plan worth a total of 146.86 billion New Taiwan dollars (approximately $4.6 billion). UMC's chairman, Mr. Hung, pointed out that the rise of generative AI has fundamentally...
MLCC Price Increase: Samsung Electro-Mechanics and Taiyo Follow in Raising Prices
The global stacked ceramic capacitor (MLCC) market is experiencing a new round of price increase wave. South Korean Samsung Electro-Mechanics and Japanese Taiyo Yuden have successively announced price hikes for MLCC products.Leaders in Japan and South Korea successively raise pricesSamsung Electro-M...
Microchip Acquires Israeli Edge AI Chip Company Hailo
In July 2026, U.S. semiconductor giant Microchip Technology announced that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Israeli edge‑AI chip company Hailo. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the current fiscal quarter ending September 30, 2026, subject to customary closing conditi...
Qualcomm Chip Prices, Up Double-Digit Percentage
On July 24, 2026, Qualcomm, the world's leading smartphone chip supplier, formally notified customers that chip prices will increase by double-digit percentages effective September 1. In its notification, Qualcomm stated that it can no longer absorb continuously rising supplier costs, noting tha...
NVIDIA Invests $1.5 Billion in Amkor for Advanced Packaging Capacity Expansion
On July 23, 2026, NVIDIA, the global leader in AI chips, signed a multi‑year strategic agreement worth $1.5 billion with Amkor Technology, a major U.S.‑based outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) provider. Under the deal, NVIDIA will provide funding in the form of prepayments to support ...
AMD and Anthropic Reach Multimillion‑Dollar AI Server Procurement Agreement
On July 22, 2026, AMD and Anthropic jointly announced a strategic partnership, with the total value of the transaction reaching hundreds of billions of dollars. Under the agreement, Anthropic will deploy up to 2 gigawatts of AMD Instinct MI450 series GPUs within AMD Helios rack‑scale solutions, with...
ABB Acquires Advantics to Strengthen Silicon Carbide Power Conversion Portfolio
In July 2026, ABB, a leader in electrification and automation technologies, officially announced its acquisition of Advantics, a French specialist in silicon carbide (SiC) power conversion solutions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the deal is expected to close in the four...
