Round-up
Highlights
- SK hynix pushes flash density to 321 layers. The new UFS 4.1 device is 7% more power-efficient than the 238-layer part it replaces and sets a fresh industry record for mobile NAND density. 1
- US BIS hints at “aggressive” chip-control enforcement. Law-firm analyses of BIS guidance warn that, even after last week’s AI-diffusion-rule repeal, exporters should brace for bigger penalties and tighter red-flag checks. 2
- Analog Devices trounces Q2 estimates. ADI’s revenue jumped 22% YoY to $2.64 billion on resilient auto- and industrial demand, calming nerves after the sector’s January-February softness. 3
Other developments
- Korea, Japan and Taiwan jointly urge the US to rethink prospective Section 232 chip tariffs 4
- Ireland unveils multi-billion-euro incentives to lure TSMC and Samsung fabs 5
- Malaysia confirms July incentive package for domestic chipmakers 6
- TrendForce: Global semi CapEx up 27% YoY in Q1, memory spend +57% 7
- Synaptics hires former Qualcomm exec Rahul Patel as CEO 8
- Advantest again tops the TechInsights customer-satisfaction survey 9
- Accelsius picked for ARPA-E COOLERCHIPS hybrid-cooling demo 10
- Qualcomm talks Oryon CPU roadmap and data-center re-entry at Computex follow-ups 11
- Investors say “no hedge exists” for a China-Taiwan conflict, yank $11 bn from Taipei stocks YTD 12
- Canada pitches its pellicle know-how as North-American supply-chain glue 13
Did you know? Stacking 321 NAND layers would reach roughly 60 µm in vertical cell height—still thinner than a human hair, yet 35% taller than the previous 238-layer generation launched only twelve months ago. 1
In-depth
1. Government & Corporate Policy
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BIS post-diffusion crackdown
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Trilateral pushback on US tariff probe
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Ireland’s semiconductor wooing plan
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Malaysia’s July incentive preview
- Trade minister hints at targeted perks for OSAT players to cement the country’s 13% share of global packaging. 6
2. Economics, Finance & Business Outlook
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CapEx momentum returns
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ADI beats the street
- Automotive/industrial mix lifts margins; management guides “continued cyclical upturn” for Q3. 3
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Leadership shuffle at Synaptics
- New CEO Rahul Patel brings Qualcomm/Broadcom connectivity pedigree to expand Edge-AI portfolio. 8
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Customer-satisfaction crown for Advantest
- Sixth straight year as TechInsights’ #1 assembly/test-equipment supplier; only firm with five-star rating. 9
3. Technology & R&D
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SK hynix 321-layer UFS 4.1
- Sequential reads hit 4.3 GB/s; chip is thinner than 1 mm, targeting AI-heavy flagship phones. 1
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Accelsius two-phase cooling joins DOE project
- MR250 coolant-distribution racks enter ARPA-E lab tests aimed at sub-5% PUE data centers. 10
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Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU heads to the server aisle
- Company targets 12% DC-CPU share by 2029; TSMC confirmed as manufacturing partner. 11
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Computex wrap-up: AI everywhere
- Bloomberg highlights Taiwan’s centrality as vendors—from ASUS to startup MSquare—demo chiplets and HBM-rich boards built for local inference. 15
Footnotes
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SK hynix Develops UFS 4.1 Solution Based on 321-High NAND ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
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BIS Rescinds Its AI Diffusion Rule and Issues Compliance Guidance ↩︎ ↩︎
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Analog Devices Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2025 Results ↩︎ ↩︎
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Korea, Japan, Taiwan highlight potential U.S. chip tariff pitfalls, call for rethinking new levies ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
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Ireland Reportedly Unveils Multi-Billion Euro Project to Draw TSMC and Samsung for Investment ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
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Malaysia to offer incentives for its chipmaking industry, state media reports ↩︎ ↩︎
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Global Semiconductor CapEx Rises 27% in Q1, with Memory Spending Surging Over 50% ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
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Synaptics Names Rahul Patel as President and Chief Executive Officer ↩︎ ↩︎
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Advantest Ranks Global #1 in Assembly Test Equipment Supplier and Top 10 Customer Service Categories in 2025 Customer Satisfaction Survey ↩︎ ↩︎
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Accelsius and iM Data Centers Demo Next-Gen Cooling and Sustainability at Miami Data Center ↩︎ ↩︎
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Qualcomm Back to the Data Center Market, with Related Oryon CPU Structure Expected to Unveil Later ↩︎ ↩︎
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Canada pitches its pellicle know-how as North-American supply-chain glue ↩︎