April 21, 2025

Round‑up

Highlights

1. Huawei’s dual‑die “H100 challenger.” The Ascend 910C heads to customers next month, marrying two 910B dies to almost match Nvidia’s flagship despite U.S. curbs ¹.
2. Foundry giant sounds the alarm. TSMC’s annual filing admits it “cannot fully assure” that exported AI silicon stays out of embargoed hands—fuel for tougher export rules ².
3. K‑chips buck the tariff drag. Seoul’s mid‑April customs data show semiconductor exports up 10.7 % even as overall shipments slide 5.2 % ³.

Other developments (last 24 h)

• Beijing warns ASEAN and the EU against “being played” by Washington on trade deals ⁴
• UAE signals optimism on unlocking access to cutting‑edge U.S. AI chips after its record $1.4 tn pledge ⁵
• Nvidia’s Jensen Huang lobbies Tokyo for more data‑center power to sustain AI build‑outs ⁶
• Edge‑AI firm Blaize wins Chungbuk smart‑city contract in Korea ⁷
• InspireSemi seeks fresh capital as it preps its 5 nm Thunderbird accelerator ⁸
• Global markets wobble on fresh tariff talk and Fed uncertainty, sending chip stocks lower ⁹

Did you know?
Semiconductors were the only major South‑Korean export category to post growth (+10.7 %) in the latest customs snapshot, while autos and parts both fell ³.

In‑depth

1. Government & Corporate Policy

• China’s trade warning.
  • Commerce Ministry accuses the U.S. of “abusive tariffs” and vows mirror counter‑measures ⁴.
  • ASEAN governments now weigh dual‑sourcing strategies to avoid collateral damage.
• TSMC’s compliance gap.
  • New risk disclosure concedes limited visibility once wafers leave its docks ².
  • Statement lands as Washington mulls bigger penalties for diversion of advanced nodes.
• UAE chips diplomacy.
  • Abu Dhabi touts “clear progress” on U.S. license access after its $1.4 tn investment pledge ⁵.
  • Officials pitch the Gulf state as a “trusted non‑proliferation partner” for AI silicon.
• Market nerves over tariff policy.
  • Trump’s threats to broaden levies spark a flight to safe‑havens; SOX index slips alongside futures ⁹.
  • Analysts warn further hikes could remove 90 bps from global semiconductor demand this year.

2. Economics, Finance & Business Outlook

• Semis prop up Korean trade.
  • Chips +10.7 % YoY versus total exports ‑5.2 % ³.
  • Memory buyers accelerated pull‑ins ahead of expected U.S. tariffs.
• Huawei’s domestic boom.
  • First volume wave of 910C projected to shift billions of RMB in 2025 bookings ¹.
  • Analyst consensus sees 25 % of Chinese Gen‑AI servers using the part by year‑end.
• InspireSemi funding push.
  • Vancouver‑Austin start‑up opens financing round tied to July silicon of “Thunderbird‑1” accelerator ⁸.
  • Targets HPC and graph‑analytics segments that crave high memory bandwidth.
• Power pain for hyperscalers.
  • Nvidia CEO tells Japanese ministers the nation must add gigawatts of carbon‑free capacity to host the next wave of AI clusters ⁶.
  • Tokyo Electric is exploring special tariffs and on‑site renewables to seal the deal.

3. Technology & R&D

• Ascend 910C: dual‑die strength.
  • 320 TFLOPS FP16, 128 GB HBM per package and expanded AI framework stack ¹.
  • Uses advanced 2.5‑D packaging akin to Nvidia’s CoWoS approach.
• Edge AI for smart cities.
  • Blaize’s ultra‑low‑power accelerator chosen for Chungbuk Digital Innovation Hub ⁷.
  • Project includes real‑time traffic analytics and safety monitoring across 70 intersections.
• TSMC’s traceability hurdle.
  • Bloomberg notes lack of post‑shipment tracking tech for advanced AI parts, spurring calls for secure‑element tags ².
  • Tech‑in‑Asia echoes the warning, suggesting blockchain‑style provenance for chip lots ¹⁰.
• Japan power‑hungry AI build‑out.
  • Huang’s proposal includes sub‑5 MW modular datacenters co‑located with geothermal sources ⁶.
  • Concept mirrors Nvidia’s recent U.S. micro‑grid pilots aimed at lowering Scope‑2 emissions.

Footnotes