May 22, 2025

New Flash Milestones, Export Pressures, and a Market Beat

Round-up

Highlights

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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

  • BIS post-diffusion crackdown

    • Law-firm briefings flag larger fines and broader “catch-all” end-use tests despite last week’s rule rollback. 2
    • Context: Yesterday’s newsletter covered Nvidia applauding the rollback; today’s alerts show the other shoe dropping. 14

  • Trilateral pushback on US tariff probe

    • Seoul, Tokyo and Taipei filings warn Section 232 levies could undercut US fabs that rely on East-Asian HBM, legacy ICs and SME. 4
    • Officials argue tariffs clash with the CHIPS Act’s on-shoring goals and may lift AI-server costs. 4

  • Ireland’s semiconductor wooing plan

    • New strategy bundles discounted industrial sites and billions in indirect subsidies to land up to three fabs by 2040. 5
    • Aims to add 35,000 jobs and diversify Europe’s advanced-node footprint beyond Germany. 5

  • 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

  • CapEx momentum returns

    • SEMI/TrendForce see Q1 WFE billings +19% YoY; memory spend surges on HBM lines for AI demand. 7
    • Forecast another 12% sequential rise in Q2 as logic-makers lock in 2 nm pilot tools. 7

  • ADI beats the street

    • Automotive/industrial mix lifts margins; management guides “continued cyclical upturn” for Q3. 3

  • Leadership shuffle at Synaptics

    • New CEO Rahul Patel brings Qualcomm/Broadcom connectivity pedigree to expand Edge-AI portfolio. 8

  • 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

  • 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

  • Accelsius two-phase cooling joins DOE project

    • MR250 coolant-distribution racks enter ARPA-E lab tests aimed at sub-5% PUE data centers. 10

  • Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU heads to the server aisle

    • Company targets 12% DC-CPU share by 2029; TSMC confirmed as manufacturing partner. 11

  • 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

  1. SK hynix Develops UFS 4.1 Solution Based on 321-High NAND ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. BIS Rescinds Its AI Diffusion Rule and Issues Compliance Guidance ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. Analog Devices Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2025 Results ↩︎ ↩︎

  4. Korea, Japan, Taiwan highlight potential U.S. chip tariff pitfalls, call for rethinking new levies ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  5. Ireland Reportedly Unveils Multi-Billion Euro Project to Draw TSMC and Samsung for Investment ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  6. Malaysia to offer incentives for its chipmaking industry, state media reports ↩︎ ↩︎

  7. Global Semiconductor CapEx Rises 27% in Q1, with Memory Spending Surging Over 50% ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  8. Synaptics Names Rahul Patel as President and Chief Executive Officer ↩︎ ↩︎

  9. Advantest Ranks Global #1 in Assembly Test Equipment Supplier and Top 10 Customer Service Categories in 2025 Customer Satisfaction Survey ↩︎ ↩︎

  10. Accelsius and iM Data Centers Demo Next-Gen Cooling and Sustainability at Miami Data Center ↩︎ ↩︎

  11. Qualcomm Back to the Data Center Market, with Related Oryon CPU Structure Expected to Unveil Later ↩︎ ↩︎

  12. Tough Trade Negotiations Ahead for Taiwan ↩︎

  13. Canada pitches its pellicle know-how as North-American supply-chain glue ↩︎

  14. Nvidia welcomes rollback of AI diffusion export rule ↩︎

  15. Computex 2025: AI everywhere ↩︎