Semiconductors & AI Chips Weekly Briefing

October 23, 2026

Nvidia expanded its supply chain with Amkor, while TSMC announced a $23 billion Japan expansion and Lam Research and AMD reported record AI earnings.

• Nvidia expanded its AI infrastructure through a $3 billion partnership with Amkor Technology for packaging capacity and the launch of its Vera CPUs and Rubin platforms. The company also reportedly backstopped over $164 billion in data center leases while seeing its market lead in China shrink against Huawei. ^12345678
• Samsung and SK hynix moved to upgrade their Chinese factories for advanced memory production, though SK hynix paused the U.S. initial public offering of its Solidigm unit due to market volatility. Samsung also secured a $2.8 billion investment for chip substrates and entered a manufacturing collaboration with TSMC for next-generation memory. ^{9101112131415}
• TSMC announced plans to invest more than $23 billion in a second Japanese factory to produce 3nm semiconductors and partnered with Microsoft on its Azure Maia 300 AI infrastructure. The company reported a 50% year-on-year revenue increase in its latest quarterly results, reflecting robust demand for AI processors. ¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸
• Lam Research reported record revenue of $8.2 billion and projected that the global wafer fabrication equipment market would surpass $200 billion by 2027. Similarly, AMD achieved record quarterly sales driven by data center demand, and Samsung E&A announced a major share buyback following a significant profit increase. ^192021222324
• Qualcomm implemented global layoffs following annual reviews and remained embroiled in a legal dispute with Arm over Snapdragon royalty rates. In foundry developments, Intel secured Tesla as a customer for its upcoming 14A process, while Google reportedly maintained its use of Intel packaging technology despite low yields. ^25262728
• Elsewhere, Applied Materials opened a $5 billion R&D center for collaborative industry research, and Marvell introduced a photonic memory solution for data centers. Other developments included a $600 million settlement between Netlist and Micron and a 76% revenue increase for Kioxia Holdings. ^2930313233

Sources

1. Charts: Nvidia's China AI chip lead shrinks 80% as Huawei closes in Digitimes
2. Amkor announces additional investments with NVIDIA for AI capacity Amkor
3. NVIDIA Vera CPUs empower local European infrastructure for agentic AI NVIDIA
4. NVIDIA and Google Cloud announce Vera Rubin infrastructure GA NVIDIA
5. Amkor Technology Expands South Korea Capacity, Total NVIDIA Agreements Reach $3 Billion Yahoo Finance
6. NVIDIA expands AI infrastructure manufacturing capacity with supply chain partners NVIDIA
7. Nvidia Backs $164.5 Billion Of AI Data Centers To Keep GPUs Selling Forbes
8. Nvidia Has Put More Than $170 Billion on the Line for Neoclouds The Information
9. SK hynix puts IPO plans for Solidigm on hold amid volatile markets | MarketScreener Germany Marketscreener
10. Samsung Electro-Mechanics gets $2.8 billion chip investment from Tesla, Nvidia, report says | KSL.com KSL
11. Samsung, SK Hynix upgrading China plants to make more advanced chips, people say Reuters
12. Samsung and SK Hynix are upgrading Chinese NAND plants as local rival YMTC closes in TweakTown
13. Korea Weighs Dual-Listing Rules on SK hynix's U.S. Unit Solidigm - Seoul Economic Daily Seoul Economic Daily
14. Samsung to use TSMC tech for Nvidia's next-generation memory chips, says Seoul newspaper - The Business Times The Business Times
15. Samsung collaborates with TSMC for Nvidia’s custom HBM chips Yahoo Finance
16. TSMC plans 3nm semiconductor manufacturing at second Japan factory, investment to exceed $23 billion Economic Times
17. TSMC collaborates with Microsoft on AI infrastructure TSMC
18. What TSMC's Q3 Earnings Reveal About the Seriousness of AI Demand: A Look at the 50% Year-on-Year Revenue Growth and Record-Breaking Results note
19. Samsung E&A Posts 184% Profit Surge, Announcing 780 Billion Won Share Buyback Business Korea
20. Lam Research tops first-quarter targets and issues upbeat guidance, stock falls Yahoo Finance
21. Lam reports record Q3 revenue and earnings driven by AI demand Lam
22. Lam projects more than $200B 2027 WFE as Aether revenue target rises to $2.5B by decade end Seeking Alpha
23. Lam Research 1Q Sales Pop With AI Demand from Asia MarketWatch
24. AMD reports record second quarter revenue and profitability AMD
25. [Breaking] Google Reportedly Sticks With Intel EMIB-T Despite 35% Substrate Yields as HumuFish Schedule Tightens TrendForce
26. Arm's v10 royalty demand equals up to 30% of a $220 Snapdragon chip's price, trial figures suggest Notebookcheck
27. Qualcomm to cut jobs worldwide in performance-focused layoffs, internal memo shows Reuters
28. Intel (INTC) Lands A Major Customer For Its 14A Foundry Process Yahoo Finance
29. Marvell introduces photonic memory solution Marvell
30. [Bottleneck Stock] Kioxia HD (285A) — Revenue up 76% in 3 months, shipment volume up by low single digits. Kitakami K3 operation target is fiscal 2029, investment assumes ... note
31. Applied Materials opens a $5 billion lab where chip rivals now work side by side Startup Fortune
32. Sterne Kessler Client Netlist Negotiates $600 Million Settlement with Micron Technology Morningstar
33. CXMT eyes nearly US$20 billion profit as AI-driven DRAM shortages fuel earnings turnaround Digitimes