TSMC taps wind power as AI chip demand soars, Taiwan feels energy crunch

The war in Iran, trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan are expected to be on the agenda. But expectations are modest.

Samsung reached a $1 trillion market valuation on Wednesday after shares surged more than 10%, making it only the second Asian company to cross the threshold after TSMC. The milestone follows a first-quarter earnings report showing profits eight times higher than a year earlier, driven overwhelmingly by AI-related chip demand. At the centre of the […]

Insider Brief Sony Semiconductor Solutions and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufaccturing Company announced a plan to form a strategic partnership focused on developing and manufacturing next-generation image sensors, with the companies highlighting future applications in robotics, automotive systems and physical AI. According to a joint press release, the companies signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to create […]

SoftBank-backed UK group says its first in-house semiconductor has drawn strong demand

Samsung crossed the $1 trillion valuation mark after shares surged on AI-driven chip demand, making it only the second Asian company after TSMC to hit the milestone.

AI chipmaker Cerebras Systems is moving toward a long-awaited public offering, planning to sell 28 million shares priced between $115 and $125, which would value the company at up to $26.6 billion — a significant jump from its $23 billion Series H valuation just months ago. The company’s Wafer-Scale Engine 3 chip targets AI inference workloads, claiming […]

Apple has held “exploratory” talks about manufacturing processors for its devices in the US, Bloomberg reports. The move seems to reflect Apple’s need to secure additional chip supplies to meet growing demand for its products, but could also represent a contingency plan to reduce the company’s reliance on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC’s) advanced manufacturing facilities in Taiwan. I doubt this means Apple doesn’t want to work with TSMC, nor does it mean TSMC is cooling on Apple. I suspect company management is far more concerned about what might happen in the event China attacks TSMC’s home nation.  Contingency planning  That concern seems legitimate in the context of unravelling of international relations and a recently-disclosed warning the CIA gave to tech leaders back in 2023. Executives from Apple, AMD, and Qualcomm were all warned that China might attack Taiwan. Such an attack would comprise a huge threat to the entire tech industry. Speaking at the World Econ

AI chip maker Cerebras is heading for a blockbuster IPO that could value it at $26.6 billion or more. It's relationship with OpenAI is deep and rich.