Semiconductors & AI Chips Weekly Briefing

July 31, 2026

Samsung and SK Hynix posted record profits amid a looming AI chip shortage, while Nvidia made massive strategic bets and China reached a DUV milestone.

• Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix reported record-breaking second-quarter earnings driven by surging demand for AI memory, with Samsung's semiconductor division seeing profits grow over 250-fold despite its smartphone unit posting its first-ever operating loss. ^1234567
• Nvidia is significantly expanding its AI footprint through a reported $5 billion investment in startup Safe Superintelligence (SSI) and potential involvement in a $500 billion infrastructure project with OpenAI, though these massive deals have sparked market concerns regarding artificial demand inflation. ^{89101112131415}
• Samsung secured a massive $200 billion AI chip partnership with Broadcom through 2030 and has locked in up to 70% of its memory capacity in long-term deals, warning that a severe global AI chip shortage could persist until 2028. ^{16171819202122}
• TSMC and Intel are advancing their manufacturing capabilities, with TSMC resuming operations at its Japan plant following an earthquake and producing Nvidia's first Arizona-made AI GPUs, while Intel completed its RAMP-C program to enable domestic high-volume production. ^232425262728
• Arm and Kioxia both reported strong financial growth, with Arm's revenue rising 22% on AI demand and Kioxia posting record Q1 revenue alongside plans for a 3-for-1 stock split and a 800 billion yen share buyback. ^293031323334
• Chinese semiconductor firms reportedly achieved a major breakthrough by developing domestic immersion deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography tools, potentially reducing the industry's reliance on ASML equipment amid tightening export controls. ^35363738
• Other notable developments include AMD securing a 500 MW infrastructure deal with Core Scientific, Qualcomm acquiring AI software platform Modular, and an investigation by Taiwanese authorities into an Nvidia employee regarding alleged chip smuggling. ^39404142

Sources

1. Samsung Electronics Stood Out in Communication Despite Record Earnings for Both Samsung and SK Hynix Infomax
2. Profit explosion for Samsung Affärsvärlden
3. Samsung Electronics second-quarter operating profit beats estimates on soaring AI chip demand CNBC
4. Samsung's semiconductor profit for April-June exceeds 250 times - memory supply constraints continue Bloomberg
5. Samsung's smartphone biz posts first ever loss, but profit still soars 1,300 percent on RAM. The Verge
6. Samsung reports record profit as South Korean chip giants benefit from global AI boom AP News
7. SK hynix posted record Q2 2026 results driven by AI memory demand SK hynix
8. Nvidia Just Bet $5 Billion on an AI Startup Most People Have Never Heard Of. Here's Why Inc.
9. NVIDIA's credit risk surges, concerns over massive AI investment deals Bloomberg
10. Nvidia to invest $5 billion in Sutskever's AI startup - sources Bloomberg
11. Nvidia partners with Safe Superintelligence Inc. for compute access Nvidia
12. Nvidia's $750-billion AI bet deepens fears of a circular tech bubble Los Angeles Times
13. Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Will Spend Over $500 Billion on AI in 2026. Nvidia Collects a Huge Share. Yahoo
14. Nvidia’s $40B AI investment strategy raises concerns of artificial demand inflation CryptoBriefing
15. From Chips to Gigawatts: Nvidia May Anchor OpenAI's $500B Infrastructure Leap Republic World
16. Samsung Locks Up AI Chip Supply for the Next Five Years – and the Rest of the Market Will Feel It Yahoo Finance
17. Samsung’s $200 Billion Broadcom Deal Is a Bid to Break TSMC’s AI Foundry Lock Yahoo Finance
18. Samsung Is Signing 5-Year Memory Deals With Data Centers, and Your Next Phone Will Pay for It Android Headlines
19. Gleefully counting its billions, Samsung cries warning of a 'severe' memory supply crisis next year PC Gamer
20. Samsung sees chip shortage extending to 2028, signs long-term supply deals Business Standard
21. Samsung Warns AI Chip Shortage Could Continue Until 2028: Here's Why Times Now
22. Samsung Secures $200 bn Broadcom AI Chip Deal Through 2030 to Challenge TSMC in Foundry Market TelecomLead
23. Intel Emerges as America's Only Leading-Edge Chipmaker as RAMP-C Hands the Department of War Domestic 18A Production Wccftech
24. Intel completes RAMP-C program, accelerating secure enclave Intel
25. NVIDIA GB300 GPUs Enter Production at TSMC’s Arizona Fab OnMSFT
26. TSMC says Japan plant gradually resuming operations after earthquake Reuters
27. TSMC resumes production in Japan Dagens industri
28. TSMC Raises 2026 CapEx Budget to Capture Long-Term AI, HPC Demand The Globe and Mail
29. Kioxia reports record revenue and profit for Q1 2026 KIOXIA
30. KIOXIA to acquire up to 800 billion yen in treasury shares KIOXIA
31. KIOXIA announces a 3-for-1 stock split KIOXIA
32. Arm Q1 revenues up 22% YoY ⋆ Electronics Weekly Electronics Weekly
33. Arm reports record Q1 FYE27 revenue Arm
34. Arm reports first-quarter fiscal year 2027 results Arm
35. Is China's semiconductor manufacturing equipment a game changer? The narrowing technology gap with Europe and the US. Bloomberg
36. China's DUV shock: the secretive Aishengna rattles ASML with US$1B state backing DIGITIMES
37. How China’s DUV Chipmaking Advances Threaten Big Tech Bloomberg
38. China begins making homegrown DUV chipmaking tools, The Information reports Reuters
39. Qualcomm completed its acquisition of Modular Qualcomm
40. Nvidia Gets Drawn Into Supermicro Chip Smuggling Scandal. Should Investors Be Worried? Yahoo Finance
41. AMD partners with Core Scientific for 500 MW AI infrastructure deal Seeking Alpha
42. Nvidia employee arrested for chip smuggling in Taiwan Dagens PS