Top 10 Semiconductor News
1. Global Chip Sales Double In First Half, WSTS Lifts Forecast Global semiconductor sales reached $702.0 billion in the first half of 2026, up 102% year over year, according to WSTS data published by the SIA on August 6. Second-quarter sales came to about $403.3 billion, and June alone hit a record $134.5 billion, up 123.6% from a year earlier. WSTS raised its full-year 2026 forecast to $1.655 trillion, up 108%, with memory revenue up 305% in the first half. (Source: EET-China (SIA/WSTS data) — https://www.eet-china.com/mp/a515791.html)
2. NVIDIA Revenue Doubles To $96.2 Billion On AI Demand NVIDIA reported revenue of $96.2 billion for the quarter ended July 26, up 106% from a year earlier, with Data Center revenue of $89.0 billion, up 117%. GAAP diluted EPS was $2.46 and gross margin was 75.0%. The company guided third-quarter revenue to $108 billion, plus or minus 2%, excluding any China data center compute revenue, and said its Vera Rubin platform is now in full production. (Source: NVIDIA Investor Relations — https://investor.nvidia.com/news/press-release-details/2026/NVIDIA-Announces-Financial-Results-for-Second-Quarter-Fiscal-2027)
3. Sony And TSMC To Establish Image Sensor Joint Venture Sony Semiconductor Solutions and TSMC signed a definitive agreement on August 11 to establish a joint venture, Advanced Vision Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, in Koshi City, Kumamoto, Japan. Sony plans to contribute about 465 billion yen and TSMC about 282 billion yen, in phases. The JV, in which Sony will be the sole controlling shareholder, will manufacture image sensors for smartphones using advanced process technology, with volume production expected to start in 2029. (Source: TSMC Press Release — https://pr.tsmc.com/system/files/newspdf/attachment/5fa986d6c7617a2b7036936ec7c16ca98e53cf24/0811_Sony%20Semiconductor%20Solutions%20and%20TSMC%20Agreed%20to%20Establish%20Joint%20Venture%20for%20Next-Generation%20Image%20Sensors_%28E%29_Final_wmn.pdf)
4. HBM, DRAM Prices Surge As Samsung And SK Hynix Sign Long-Term Deals Memory prices kept climbing as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix signed a series of long-term agreements with global technology customers. The average export price per HBM unit rose 9.5% month over month to $76.13, topping $70 for the first time, while the average July export price of commodity DRAM jumped 24.3% to $22.90. Samsung is reviewing converting foundry lines at Pyeongtaek to memory production, while SK hynix is exploring a plant in Japan. (Source: Seoul Economic Daily — https://en.sedaily.com/finance/2026/09/01/memory-prices-surge-as-long-term-deals-tighten-dram-supply)
5. Lam Research To Invest Over $3 Billion In Lab Network Lam Research announced on August 13 that it will invest more than $3 billion over five years to expand its global R&D lab network, aiming to increase experiment capacity by more than 50%. The network spans the United States, Asia and Europe and supports more than one million experiments annually. On August 26 the company broke ground on a new 120,000-square-foot lab in Tualatin, Oregon, its biggest investment in the state to date, due to open in 2028. (Source: Lam Research (InvestorWeek) — https://pr.invweek.com/article/Lam-Research-Breaks-Ground-on-New-Oregon-Lab-to-Accelerate-AI-Era-Semiconductor-Research-andamp-Development-Locally-Globally/6a8f4c755b3d9368bc02316a)
6. Synopsys Posts $2.48 Billion Fiscal Third Quarter Synopsys reported third-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue of $2.477 billion on August 26, with GAAP diluted EPS of $2.84. The EDA leader said results reflected broad-based strength with outperformance in Design Automation. The report followed a July showcase of agentic AI chip design workflows developed with AMD and Microsoft, as EDA vendors race to automate engineering amid record spending on AI silicon. (Source: Synopsys Newsroom — https://news.synopsys.com/index.php?s=20295&%3BasPDF=1&l=10)
7. Intel Raises $20 Billion In Upsized Stock Offering Intel announced a proposed $15 billion common stock offering on August 10, then upsized and priced the deal at $20 billion the same day, with closing expected on August 12. Proceeds are intended for general corporate purposes, including capital expenditures and working capital. The equity raise comes as Intel continues to fund a multibillion-dollar expansion of its U.S. manufacturing network and its foundry roadmap. (Source: Intel Newsroom — https://newsroom.intel.com/)
8. Japan's Export Controls Extend To Advanced Packaging Equipment Japan's third round of semiconductor equipment export controls took effect on August 1, extending restrictions from front-end wafer fabrication tools to advanced packaging equipment. The revised METI list covers roughly 20 categories across the back-end chain, including die bonders, wafer thinning and grinding systems, laser dicing, TSV, plating and hybrid bonding tools. Exports of listed items now require case-by-case licenses, with industry estimates putting review periods at three to six months. (Source: CCPIT Jiangsu (trade bulletin) — https://www.ccpitjs.org/art/2026/8/13/art_105_81388.html)
9. Taiwan OSATs Plan $14.6 Billion AI Packaging Expansion Taiwan's largest outsourced semiconductor assembly and test providers are preparing a fresh round of capacity expansion worth about $14.6 billion, DIGITIMES reported on August 28. The spending plans reflect how the AI investment cycle is spreading from leading-edge wafer fabrication into packaging and testing as demand for AI accelerators strains advanced packaging capacity. Separately, OSATs have warned clients that traditional packaging capacity could face a shortfall exceeding 20% by 2027. (Source: DIGITIMES — https://www.digitimes.com/topic/bits+chips/ic_manufacturing)
10. Chinese SiC Substrate Maker SICC Shifts To 8-Inch Wafers Chinese silicon carbide substrate maker SICC reported stronger first-half 2026 revenue and margins, with eight-inch SiC wafers now accounting for more than 50% of core revenue. The results highlight how the industry's migration from six-inch to eight-inch substrates is reshaping the economics of SiC power devices, which are used in electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and AI data center power systems. (Source: DIGITIMES — https://www.digitimes.com/topic/semiconductors/passive_pcb_other_ic_components/?datePublish=2026%2F03%2F25&pages=PD&q=semiconductor&seq=207)
Top 10 Technology News
1. OpenAI, Google, And Anthropic Ship August AI Model Wave AI labs kept up a rapid release cadence in August. OpenAI made GPT-5.6 Luna the default model for free and Go users on August 6 and added a reasoning-effort slider to Sol for Plus and Pro subscribers. Google DeepMind published the Gemini 3.7 Flash model card on August 13, describing a multimodal model with a one-million-token context window and adjustable thinking. Anthropic made Claude Sonnet 5 available across its plans at $2 per million input tokens. (Source: AI Tech Model — https://aitechmodel.com/what-is-new-with-agi-and-artificial-intelligence-in-august-2026-latest-model-cards-and-company-releases-and-key-takeaways/)
2. Hyperscaler Capex To Reach $811 Billion In 2026, Jefferies Says Combined capital spending by Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta and Oracle will reach an estimated $811 billion in calendar 2026 and $1.1 trillion in 2027, Jefferies analysts wrote in a late-August report. North American data center leases signed but not yet commenced hit 25.5 gigawatts in the second quarter, up 346% year over year, while the global lease commitment book reached 36.2 gigawatts. The brokerage concluded that capacity, not demand, remains the binding constraint on AI infrastructure. (Source: The Economic Times — https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/us-stocks/wall-street-guide/next-market-winners-jefferies-sees-potential-in-hyperscalers-race-for-ai-capacity-via-data-centers/articleshow/133545549.cms)
3. World Robot Conference Spotlights Humanoid Robot Surge The 2026 World Robot Conference opened in Beijing on August 19, drawing 373 companies and more than 3,000 exhibits, including 311 debut products. Days earlier, Unitree Robotics unveiled 'Superman,' a full-size humanoid robot that jumps two meters from a standstill and runs at up to 45.6 km/h. More than 2,000 robots also took part in the World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing after the conference, reflecting the industry's shift from stage demos toward factory and service applications. (Source: China Daily Hong Kong — https://www.chinadailyhk.com/article/639535)
4. IBM Demonstrates Verified Quantum Advantage With 70 Logical Qubits IBM and collaborators including the University of Chicago, Algorithmiq and Qedma demonstrated computation on 70 logical qubits on a Quantum Heron R3 superconducting system. The team executed 2,415 logical two-qubit gates and 468 logical T gates in roughly 15 minutes on a task beyond practical classical simulation, using 'spacetime codes' that embed error detection so results can be statistically verified. IBM announced the result in late July, with details circulating widely in early August. (Source: 至顶科技/网易 — https://dy.163.com/article/L3DU3T6S05118UGF.html)
5. Apple Introduces M6 And M5 Ultra Chips, Refreshes Mac Lineup Apple introduced the M6 and M5 Ultra chips on August 25, which it described as delivering a big leap in performance and AI compute. The company simultaneously unveiled a new Mac Studio powered by M5 Max and M5 Ultra, its high-end desktop workstation. A more powerful Mac mini featuring the all-new M6 and M5 Pro chips completed the lineup refresh. (Source: Apple Newsroom — https://apple.com/cn/pr/)
6. BYD Unveils Second-Generation Blade Battery With Megawatt Charging BYD unveiled its second-generation Blade Battery and inaugurated its 10,000th flash-charging station in Shenzhen on August 28. The new battery charges from 10% to 70% in five minutes at room temperature, with energy density more than 5% higher than the previous generation. Built on a 1,000-volt architecture supporting one-megawatt charging, it adds roughly 400 kilometers of range in five minutes. BYD targets 20,000 flash-charging stations by the end of 2026. (Source: 新浪科技（今日头条）— https://www.toutiao.com/a7679273128534622739)
7. SpaceX Logs 100th Falcon Launch Of 2026 SpaceX logged its 100th Falcon launch of 2026 on August 22, a Falcon 9 mission carrying 27 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Ninety-nine of this year's 100 Falcon flights have used Falcon 9, and 76 of them were dedicated Starlink missions; the constellation now exceeds 11,000 operational satellites. Earlier in the month, on August 16, SpaceX set a company record by flying two orbital launches just 38 minutes apart. (Source: SpaceToday (Space.com) — https://www.spacetoday.net/getarticle.php3?id=493475)
8. China's MIIT Accelerates 6G Development Toward 2030 Launch China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it will accelerate work on core 6G technologies during the 2026-2030 plan period, continuing technology trials and standards development to prepare for commercial deployment around 2030. The ministry has launched a 6G innovation pilot program and aims to establish proprietary technical solutions and new terminal products by 2029. China says it has completed first-stage 6G trials and built up more than 300 key technology reserves. (Source: European Commission Digital Strategy — https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/miscellaneous/china-ministry-industry-and-information-technology-accelerate-6g-research-under-its-2026-2030-plan)
9. FDA Approves First RAS Inhibitor For Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer The U.S. FDA approved daraxonrasib, brand name Rasonque, developed by Revolution Medicines, for metastatic pancreatic cancer on August 26, making it the first RAS inhibitor approved for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The decision headlined a burst of first-in-class approvals in the final week of August, which also included the first wearable device that continuously monitors both glucose and ketones, and the first oral drug indicated for dermatomyositis. (Source: IntelliTrials — http://www.intellitrials.com/2026/09/clinical-trial-news-july-august-2026.html)
10. Meta Agrees To Up To $16.68 Billion Teen Safety Settlement Meta agreed to pay up to $16.68 billion and change default settings for teenagers on Facebook and Instagram to settle a lawsuit brought by a bipartisan coalition of U.S. state attorneys general over claims the platforms were designed to hook minors. Under the proposed consent judgment announced August 26, users under 18 would face a default two-hour daily time cap and a midnight-to-6 a.m. usage block unless a parent lifts it. Meta denied wrongdoing; about $12.7 billion would fund state programs over ten years. (Source: TechStartups — https://techstartups.com/2026/08/26/top-tech-news-today-august-26-2026-amazon-anthropic-google-microsoft-waymo-more/)
