Price Hikes, Big Tech Earnings, Humanoid Robots: The First Wave of Chip News in the Year of the Horse!

                                                                                                               Industry Trends Outlook

China Adds 20 Japanese Enterprises to Export Control List

On February 24, the Ministry of Commerce issued an announcement, adding 20 Japanese entities, including Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines, Ltd., to its export control list.

This move is aimed at safeguarding national security and interests and fulfilling international obligations such as non-proliferation. The announcement took effect on the date of issuance.

(Source:Jiwei.com)

AI Boom Drives Chip Demand; South Korea’s Exports Maintain Strong Momentum

Data from South Korea Customs showed that, adjusted for working-day differences, exports in the first 20 days of February rose 47.3% year on year, higher than the revised 34% increase for the full month of January.

Unadjusted figures showed exports rose 23.5% year on year, imports increased 11.7%, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.95 billion.

Driven by artificial intelligence and data center investment, chip exports surged 134%, maintaining a strong upward trend. Computer peripheral exports rose 129%, and petrochemical product exports increased 11%.

Meanwhile, automobile exports plunged nearly 27%, and auto parts exports fell about 21%, reflecting ongoing industry adjustments under U.S. tariff policies.

(Source: Caixin Global / CLS)

ASML: EUV wafer throughput per hour expected to rise 50% by 2030

On February 23 local time, ASML stated that by increasing power, the EUV light source of its lithography systems can be boosted to 1,000 watts.The company expects the wafer

 throughput per hour of EUV lithography machines to increase by 50% by 2030.

(Source: CLS)

Europe’s largest semiconductor maker optimistic about humanoid robot market

Infineon, Europe’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, believes humanoid robots will become an important future business area.

Jochen Hanebeck, the company’s CEO, expects this new category of machines to drive significant revenue growth and help stabilize the Munich-based company’s currently

 pressured profit margins.

(Source: CLS)

Morgan Stanley: Global Cloud CapEx to Reach $735 Billion in 2026, Up 60% Year-over-Year

According to a latest research report by Morgan Stanley, driven by persistent supply shortages in computing power, accelerating cloud revenue, and expanding data center

 construction, the boom in cloud infrastructure investment is set to rise further.This is a positive signal for suppliers with high exposure to cloud capital expenditures.

Morgan Stanley estimates that global cloud capital expenditure will reach **$735 billion in 2026**, a year-on-year increase of approximately 60%.This represents a substantial

upward revision of 22 percentage points from the 35% growth rate previously expected by the market before last year’s Q4 earnings announcements, with an incremental increase

of around $120 billion.

(Source: MoneyDJ)

Omdia: Global DDIC (Display Driver IC) Market Edged Down 1% YoY in 2025

Omdia stated in a press release on February 19 (UK local time) that the global display driver IC (DDIC) market contracted by 1% year-on-year in 2025, with market performance

expected to stabilize in 2026.

By application:

Demand for LCD TV DDICs dropped 8% YoY in 2025.

DDIC demand for monitors, notebooks, and automotive displays saw solid growth.

DDICs for AMOLED and LCD smartphone panels posted a modest 1% YoY increase.

DDIC demand for tablets remained weak.

(Source: IT Home)

                                                                                                                                         Major chip manufacturers' moves

NVIDIA and Meta Announce Multi-Year Strategic Partnership; Meta to Deploy Millions of NVIDIA Chips

NVIDIA and Meta Platforms have announced a multi-year strategic partnership. Meta is already the second-largest buyer of NVIDIA chips.

Under the agreement, Meta will deploy millions of NVIDIA chips. The partnership spans on-premises, cloud, and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

NVIDIA stated that this collaboration marks the first large-scale deployment of the all-NVIDIA Grace platform, supported by co-design and software optimization investments in the CPU ecosystem libraries.

(Source: CLS)

Micron Begins Mass Production of Data Center SSDs

Micron announced it has started mass production of PCIe 6.0 solid-state drives for servers and data centers. The drives feature a maximum read speed of 28 GB/s and a maximum write speed of 14 GB/s, double that of current PCIe 5.0‑based NVMe SSDs available on the market.

(Source: CLS)

NVIDIA Plans $30 Billion Investment in OpenAI, Replacing $100 Billion Long-Term Pact

On February 21, the UK Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that NVIDIA, the leading AI chipmaker, is close to finalizing a $30 billion investment in OpenAI. This investment will replace the $100 billion long-term cooperation intentions reached between the two companies last year.

(Source: ChipSight)

ADI Reports Latest Results, Revenue Up 30% YoY

ADI announced fiscal 2026 first quarter financial results (ending January 31, 2026) on February 18 local time.

Revenue was $3.16 billion, a 30% year-on-year increase, with growth across all end markets, led by industrial and communications.

Operating cash flow for the past twelve months was $5.1 billion, and free cash flow was $4.6 billion, representing 43% and 39% of revenue, respectively.

Revenue for fiscal 2026 Q2 is expected to be $3.5 billion, plus or minus $100 million.

Vincent Roche, ADI Chairman and CEO:“Our strong first quarter results position us to start the new year with solid momentum and positive trajectory.”

Richard Puccio, CFO:“During the first quarter, our orders continued to grow, supported by broad-based strength in our industrial business and record bookings in data centers.While the macroeconomic and geopolitical environment remains challenging, our Q2 revenue outlook marks a new milestone for ADI, demonstrating our strong execution amid both cyclical and long-term growth trends.”

(Source: ADI Official Website)

Samsung Semiconductor Reportedly Targets 50% Operating Margin, Focusing on High-Margin Products

South Korean media reported, citing industry sources, that Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions (DS) division has set a strategic target of 50% operating margin, with plans to significantly improve the profitability of its product mix.

Analysts believe this means Samsung will allocate more early-stage 1c nm DRAM capacity to general server memory rather than HBM4. HBM4 expansion will be accelerated only after yields stabilize.For NAND products, the process migration will be speeded up.For the foundry business, Samsung will prioritize capacity utilization at 4nm, 5nm, and 8nm nodes.

(Source: TechSugar)

ASE Holdings Sees Rising Capacity Utilization, Aims to Double Advanced Packaging Revenue

ASE Holdings, the global leader in semiconductor testing and packaging, has announced its 2026 capital expenditure will reach another record high as it ramps up capacity.

Funds will be focused on advanced packaging and high-end testing technologies to meet strong AI server chip demand from major cloud service providers.

Despite inflationary pressure on operating costs, the company plans to raise prices for some products by approximately 5% to 20%. The goal is to stabilize overall gross margins and strengthen operational resilience through cost pass‑through and capacity optimization.

At its February earnings conference, the company stated that amid explosive demand for AI chips, it expects advanced packaging revenue to at least double in 2026 versus 2025.

The revenue share of high‑end advanced packaging will also rise significantly, showing a rapidly improving profit structure driven by technology upgrades, which effectively offsets seasonal weakness in traditional products.

(Source: MoneyDJ)

Toyota, Suzuki and Other Japanese Automakers to Adopt China-Made Chips

According to Japanese media reports, Toyota Motor and Suzuki will use SoCs (system-on-chips) developed by Horizon Robotics, a Chinese emerging automotive semiconductor company, in vehicles sold outside China.

Traditionally, mainstream automakers usually source semiconductors from Japanese, U.S. and European manufacturers. Using China-made chips outside China is considered rare.

The reports noted that this move is due to the high cost competitiveness and reliable quality of Chinese chips.

(Source: ESM Market)

                                                                                                                                 Chip Market Trends

Jiejie Microelectronics Issues Price Increase Notice

According to Charging Head Network, Jiangsu Jiejie Microelectronics Co., Ltd. (Jiejie Microelectronics) has issued price adjustment notices for its MOS, optocoupler and thyristor product lines.The company announced a moderate price increase for relevant products starting February 2026, to cope with cost pressures from persistently high upstream raw material prices and ensure the long-term stability of the company and industry supply chain.

(Source: Charging Head Network)

Demand Twice the Capacity; Murata Plans to Raise Prices for High-End MLCCs

According to Bloomberg, major Japanese passive component manufacturer Murata Manufacturing has begun internal discussions to raise prices of high-performance multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) used in AI servers, amid surging demand driven by AI servers.

The report stated that given the “significant impact on the broader market and industry,” Murata aims to complete the evaluation in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 (Q1 2026 calendar year) and make a final decision by the end of March this year.

(Source: ChipSight)

SK Hynix at Goldman Sachs Call: Unable to Meet Demand from All Customers, Memory Prices to Rise Continuously This Year

During a virtual investor meeting held on February 20, SK Hynix shared the latest updates on the memory market with Goldman Sachs.

SK Hynix sent a strong signal at the call: the memory industry has fully entered a seller’s market. Driven by real AI demand and constrained cleanroom capacity, memory prices will keep rising throughout this year.

The company revealed that current DRAM and NAND inventories stand at only about four weeks, and demand cannot be fully met for any customer.

With 2026 HBM capacity sold out, an acute shortage of standard DRAM has significantly strengthened suppliers’ bargaining power, and the industry chain has started long-term contract negotiations to secure future supply.

Amid the combination of explosive AI demand and supply bottlenecks, memory chips have fully entered a seller’s market.SK Hynix clearly stated that demand from all customers cannot be fully satisfied this year, and price increases are inevitable.

(Source: CLS)

Apple Agrees to 100% Price Hike from Kioxia, with Quarterly Re‑Negotiations

According to Japanese industry insiders, amid tight supply and rising prices for memory chips, Apple has agreed to terms from Japanese NAND flash major Kioxia.

Starting in the first quarter of this year (January–March), the unit price Apple pays for NAND flash will double, and prices will be adjusted quarterly based on market conditions thereafter.

(Source: ChipSight)

                                                                                                    Cutting-Edge Chip Technologies

World’s Smallest, Lowest-Power Ferroelectric Transistor Developed

On February 23, Qiu Chenguang, a researcher at the School of Electronics, Peking University, told reporters:“We have scaled the physical gate length of ferroelectric transistors down to the 1-nanometer limit.”

The team has successfully developed the smallest and lowest-power ferroelectric transistor ever created, which is expected to provide key device support for improving computing power and energy efficiency in AI chips.

The research was published online in Science Advances.

(Source: Science and Technology Daily)

                                                                                                            Terminal Chip Trends

Hit by Memory Supply Crunch, Acer: PC Prices to Rise, Shipments to Fall, but Revenue to Grow This Year

Faced with component shortages and price hikes for memory, CPUs and other parts affecting end products, Acer Chairman Jason Chen said on February 23 that supply-demand imbalances in upstream materials have driven up costs and will inevitably be reflected in retail prices.

Although overall PC shipments in the market may decline by about 6%–9% due to higher prices, Acer expects double-digit growth in average selling prices (ASP). As a result, the company’s overall PC revenue is still projected to grow this year.

In January, the company already saw a surge in rush orders, as customers bought early to avoid further price increases. As long as prices keep rising, this rush-order trend will continue.

On memory shortages and price increases, Chen noted that memory makers are accelerating capacity expansion amid high profitability, with SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron all actively increasing output. He therefore expects the tight supply-demand gap to gradually narrow, and will continue monitoring the situation.

Regarding the possibility of sourcing memory from mainland Chinese suppliers, Chen said the company maintains an open attitude. However, in practice, mainland manufacturers prioritize supplying local firms, making it difficult to secure supply from them.

(Source: MoneyDJ)

Wang Xingxing of Unitree: Targets 10,000–20,000 units shipped this year

On February 17, Wang Xingxing, founder of Unitree Technology, said in an interview that the G1 and H2 humanoid robots that performed at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala highlighted the world debut of fully autonomous swarm control technology.They achieved the world’s first rapid coordinated movement of a humanoid robot swarm, with a top free movement speed of up to 4 m/s.

Wang expects global shipments of humanoid robots to reach at least tens of thousands of units this year, and Unitree aims to ship 10,000–20,000 units.He also pointed out that constrained by technical bottlenecks such as embodied intelligence “brain” systems, humanoid robots remain in the early stage of application.

(Source: Sci-Tech Innovation Board Daily)

Honor to launch its first humanoid robot

According to a report from Sci-Tech Innovation Board Daily, Honor will unveil its first humanoid robot during Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, targeting the consumer market.It will become the world’s first smartphone company to enter the humanoid robot business.

(Source: Sci-Tech Innovation Board Daily)

Toyota Recalls 4,374 Lexus LX600 Vehicles in the U.S.

On February 21, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Toyota is recalling select 2025–2026 model year Lexus LX600 vehicles, totaling 4,374 units.

The recall is due to a potential malfunction of the transmission solenoid valve, which may interrupt communication between the transmission Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and the engine ECU, resulting in transmission damage.Dealers will upgrade the transmission ECU software free of charge.

(Source: Jiemian News)

Memory Shortage in Europe Drives Up Prices, Refurbished PC Sales Surge

Amid ongoing memory supply tightness and rising prices, Europe’s refurbished PC market has grown strongly over the past year.

Data from market intelligence firm Context shows that in the fourth quarter of 2025, sales of refurbished PCs in the UK doubled year-on-year, representing a 100% increase compared with the same period in 2024.

This pushed the UK ahead of Germany in refurbished PC sales volume in the second half of 2025, ranking among the top in Europe.

(Source: cnBeta)

Omdia: European smartphone market falls 1% in 2025; Honor enters top 5 for first time

Research firm Omdia said in its report that the European smartphone market reached 134.2 million units in 2025, down 1% year on year.

The top manufacturers by market share in Europe last year were:Samsung (35%), Apple (27%), Xiaomi (16%), Motorola (6%), Honor (3%).

Honor ranked among the top five for the first time, while Apple hit a record high market share.

(Source: Omdia)