Chip Industry Week In Review - Semiconductor Engineering

This week’s semiconductor industry highlights include advancements in AI ecosystems, breakthroughs in manufacturing technologies, and growing emphasis on workforce development. At Computex, the AI eco... Read original →

Nikon’s 1.5-micron digital lithography system signals a strategic pivot away from EUV dependency for power electronics and advanced packaging—sufficient for most SiC/GaN devices and interposers. This pressures ASML’s pricing in mature nodes and forces equipment makers in Taiwan, China and mainland China to recalibrate domestic lithography roadmaps. JEDEC’s new SiC reliability guidelines raise compliance barriers, favoring Infineon’s scale while squeezing smaller rivals. Meanwhile, Marvell’s 102.4Tbps switch underscores data centers’ shift from raw compute to energy efficiency, accelerating demand for standardized chiplet and 3D electrical design automation. Over the next 18 months, AI-driven design orchestration and industrial AI deployment software will emerge as the least geopolitically contested yet most sticky battlegrounds. Workforce localization—exemplified by SEMI and IIT Delhi—will become critical insurance against export control volatility.