June 2, 2025

Round-up

Highlights

1. EDA shock-wave – Synopsys has frozen all sales and support in China after receiving new U.S. export-control orders, derailing dozens of Chinese tape-outs and forcing local design houses to hunt for substitutes¹.
2. Incentive rethink in Texas – The city of Taylor slashed tax breaks and set stricter build-out milestones on Samsung’s delayed $37 billion fab, signaling a tougher era for megaproject subsidies²³.
3. Beijing’s metrology moon-shot – China unveiled a 2030 plan to master 50-plus measurement technologies—from chip-scale standards to quantum sensors—to cut reliance on foreign toolmakers⁴.

Other developments

• TSMC is holding talks with Abu Dhabi on a possible “gigafab,” contingent on U.S. export-license clearance⁵⁶.
• A Japan-U.S. AI-memory consortium led by SoftBank and Intel launched with ¥10 billion (~$69.7 million) seed funding⁷.
• Silicon-photonics test challenges grab headlines as data-center optics scale⁸.
• Advanced-packaging firm Integra picked Kansas for a $2 billion, 2,500-job HQ and plant⁹.
• Chip equities retreated after Washington hinted at broader curbs on China trade¹⁰.

Did You Know? The ¥10 billion SoftBank-Intel memory project equals about $69.7 million—roughly the cost of a single EUV scanner, and just 0.2% of TSMC’s 2025 cap-ex⁷.

In-depth

1. Government & Corporate Policy

• Synopsys complies with new BIS rules

  • Internal memo instructs China staff to halt all orders and technical support immediately¹.
  • China contributed ≈16% of FY-24 revenue; guidance is now “under review”¹.

• Dutch defense minister flags rising espionage

  • Says Chinese intelligence is “intensifying” efforts to steal semiconductor IP¹¹.
  • Comes as ASML reports a 20% jump in attempted intrusions this quarter¹¹.

• China’s 2030 metrology blueprint

  • Targets chip-scale, quantum-sensing and rare-earth standards to close tooling gaps⁴.
  • Plan framed as a response to U.S. export controls and EUV embargoes⁴.

• Taylor renegotiates Samsung package

  • City trims incentives and requires 7M ft² of clean-room space by 2028²³.
  • Local officials cite schedule slips and global memory glut.

2. Economics, Finance & Business Outlook

• Market jitters hit chip stocks

  • PHLX Semiconductor Index fell ≈3% as Nvidia slid 4% on fresh trade-war rhetoric¹⁰.
  • Analysts warn of wider volatility ahead of Q2 earnings season.

• TSMC eyes Gulf expansion

  • Abu Dhabi talks would give the foundry a strategic foothold near cheap energy and emerging AI hubs⁵⁶.
  • Taipei officials say any joint venture still needs Taiwanese government sign-off.

• SoftBank-Intel AI-memory venture

  • Consortium leverages Intel’s chip-stacking IP and University of Tokyo photonics patents⁷.
  • Funding could scale to ¥40 billion ($279 million) if milestones are hit⁷.

• Integra chooses Kansas for packaging super-site

  • One-million-sq-ft campus will seek CHIPS Act incentives and aims for 2028 volume ramp⁹.
  • Project underscores U.S. scramble for advanced back-end capacity.

3. Technology & R&D

• Silicon-photonics testing hurdle

  • New multi-wavelength devices need sub-picosecond timing accuracy, straining legacy ATE gear⁸.
  • Start-ups demo on-wafer photonic built-in self-test as a workaround.

• Photomask Japan spotlights low-power materials

  • Applied Materials showed processes that cut power-device losses by up to 30%, crucial for AI datacenters¹².
  • Sessions also highlighted backside-power and curvilinear masks for <2 nm logic¹².

• IITC 2025 opens in Busan

  • Keynotes focus on backside-power delivery, chiplets and copper-replacing ruthenium interconnects¹³.
  • Early papers report 10% IR-drop cuts with buried-power rails¹³.

• Quantum-grade metrology as strategic tech

  • Beijing’s plan (see Policy section) earmarks chip-scale quantum gravimeters and Δ-Σ reference clocks as national priorities, hinting at next-gen navigation ICs⁴.

Footnotes