【Monthly Semiconductor Industry News】Mar. 2026

Global Semiconductor Sales Hit $TheSemiconductorIndustryAssociation(SIA)reportedglobalsemiconductor\; sales\; reached$99.5 billion in March 2026, an 11.5% increase from February 2026 ($89.2billion)anda79.2$55.5 billion). This marks the 13th consecutive month of growth, driven by surging AI cloud computing demand for memory, logic chips, and advanced packaging materials. Q1 2026 total sales hit $298.5 billion, up 25% from Q4 2025.

TSMC 2nm and 5/4nm Capacity Tight Through 2026
TSMC’s 2nm capacity was fully booked for 2026 by orders from global tech giants, with orders reportedly booked until 2028. TSMC raised 2026 capital expenditure guidance to $52–56 billion, with 70–80% allocated to 2nm/1.4nm R&D and fab construction. TSMC’s 5/4nm and below fabs are expected to run at full capacity through year-end.

TSMC Fully Raises 5/4nm Foundry Prices
TSMC fully raised 2026 foundry prices for 5/4nm and below processes, with order visibility extending into 2027, leaving open the possibility of consecutive annual price hikes. Samsung followed suit, notifying customers of price adjustments in Q4 2025.

Samsung Gaining Ground as TSMC Capacity Constrains AI Supply
A surge in global AI demand strained TSMC’s production capacity, opening a rare window of opportunity for Samsung Electronics to gain ground in the advanced chip race. Industry executives and analysts warned supply constraints are likely to persist through 2026 despite aggressive expansion plans.

Broadcom Flags TSMC Capacity, Eyes Samsung Foundry Gains
Broadcom flagged TSMC’s capacity constraints, turning attention to whether Samsung’s foundry division would benefit from customer diversification. With big tech customers heavily reliant on a single foundry, Samsung was emerging as an alternative supplier.

ASML Delivers High-NA EUV Tool to imec for Sub-2nm Pilot Line
ASML delivered an EXE:5200 High-NA EUV lithography system to Belgian chip research lab imec, valued at approximately $400 million, to support the NanoIC sub-2nm pilot line project at imec’s headquarters in Leuven. The tool is expected to be fully qualified by Q4 2026, with a joint ASML–imec High-NA EUV lab in Veldhoven remaining operational to ensure continued R&D activities.

Nvidia Unveils Groq 3 and Vera CPU at GTC 2026
Nvidia kicked off its GTC 2026 conference in San Jose, unveiling the Groq 3 processor and the Vera CPU, signaling the company’s expansion into domains long dominated by Intel and AMD in the AI data center market. The Vera CPU will be sold as a standalone product rather than merely as a component for AI computers.

AMD Expands Ryzen AI Portfolio with 400 Series Processors
AMD expanded its Ryzen AI portfolio with the introduction of the Ryzen AI 400 Series and Ryzen AI Pro 400 Series desktop processors for consumers and businesses, which AMD called the “world’s first” for next-gen AI PC applications with support for Copilot+ PC experiences. The Ryzen AI 400 processors were expected to debut in laptops from Dell, HP, Lenovo and other OEMs by March.

AMD’s MI355X Targets Asia’s AI Infrastructure Boom
AMD’s MI355X chip targets Asia’s AI infrastructure boom, positioning itself as an open-source alternative to Nvidia. The chip aims to capture demand driven by Korea’s AI competition and sovereign compute initiatives.

Samsung’s 5/4nm Orders See Significant Increase
Samsung Foundry’s 5/4nm and below orders saw significant increase alongside TSMC, with Samsung also notifying customers of price adjustments in Q4 2025. The tightening advanced node capacity across both major foundries reflects sustained AI-driven demand.

U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Passes CHIPS Security Act (H.R. 3447)
On March 26, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously passed the CHIPS Security Act (H.R. 3447/S. 1705), marking a key step in moving U.S. advanced technology chip export controls from “license management” to “technology monitoring”. The new requirement shifts advanced process chips subject to export controls from “customs interception” to “end-to-end tracking”.

U.S. Further Tightens AI Chip Export Controls on China
On March 8, the U.S. further tightened export controls on advanced AI chips and computing equipment to China, imposing special restrictions on the country beyond global licensing rules. Multiple high-performance AI chips were brought under strict licensing management, while higher-performance products remained subject to full embargo. Review procedures, though adjusted to case-by-case review, maintained a “controlled opening” structure with high tariffs and strict logistics oversight.

China Launches Trade Barriers Investigation Against U.S.
On March 27, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced a trade barriers investigation into U.S. practices and measures severely disrupting global production and supply chains, including restricting or prohibiting Chinese products from entering the U.S. market, restricting or prohibiting high-tech product exports to China, and limiting or prohibiting two-way investment in key sectors.

Global Foundry Revenue Expected to Grow 24.8% in 2026
TrendForce forecast 2026 global foundry revenue growth of 24.8%, driven by AI-related main chips and peripheral IC demand. TSMC’s revenue was projected to grow 32%, the largest among foundries. Growth drivers included AI GPUs from Nvidia and AMD, plus custom AI chips from North American CSPs and AI startups including Meta, OpenAI, and Groq entering mass production and shipment.

**Global Semiconductor Market Forecasts Exceed $1.3Trillionfor2026\ast \ast Gartnerprojectedglobalsemiconductorrevenuetoexceed$1.3 trillion in 2026, exhibiting the highest growth in the last two decades. BNP Paribas Equity Research forecast growth to nearly $917billionin2026(up18$1 trillion by 2027 — ahead of prior expectations of 2030. IDC forecast global semiconductor revenue reaching $1.29 trillion in 2026, up 52.8% year-over-year.

Memory Prices Expected to Surge in 2026
Gartner forecast DRAM prices would increase by 125% in 2026, with the storage crisis extending into 2027. IDC projected 2026 DRAM revenue at $418.6billion(up177$174.1 billion (up 138.5%). Gartner analysts noted memory price inflation is deep but not permanent.

SMIC Guides Revenue Growth Above Industry Average
SMIC provided 2026 guidance, projecting revenue growth above the comparable industry average, with capital expenditures roughly flat compared to 2025, assuming no major changes in the external environment.

Hua Hong Semiconductor M&A Application Accepted by Shanghai Stock Exchange
On March 30, Hua Hong Semiconductor received an acceptance notice from the Shanghai Stock Exchange regarding its application for issuing shares to purchase assets and raise matching funds.

China M&A Activity: Kaiwei Te Proposes Acquisition of Jingyi Semiconductor
On March 27, Kaiwei Te announced plans to acquire 100% equity of Jingyi Semiconductor through a combination of share issuance and cash payment, while also raising matching funds. The transaction constitutes a significant asset reorganization.