“Come out, Nvidia” AI chip newcomer Cerebras… Debuts with a 68% surge on first day of listing
Cerebras, a U.S. AI semiconductor startup, surged 68% on its first day of trading, once again demonstrating the enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI) investment. Analysts suggest that a new competitive landscape is beginning in earnest in the AI semiconductor market, which has been dominated by Nvidia.
On the 14th (local time), Cerebras’s stock price closed at $311.07, surging 68.2% from its initial public offering price of $185 on its first day of trading on the US Nasdaq. Early in the session, the stock rose to $350, and trading was temporarily suspended due to volatility.
Cerebras raised $5.55 billion through this initial public offering (IPO).
V-One Tech Develops and Secures Order for Automated Visual Inspection Equipment for Semiconductor Core Component SiC Rings
V-One Tech announced on the 12th that it had won a project from TCK to develop a SiC (Silicon Carbide) ring appearance inspection equipment.
Based on V-One Tech’s inspection and artificial intelligence (AI) technology, we have jointly developed this technology in cooperation with TCK, a SiC ring component company, and plan to expand its application when constructing a new factory in the future.
SiC rings are a core material used in equipment for processing semiconductor wafers, and product quality depends on the presence of surface defects.
Megazone Cloud Demonstrates Domestic AI Semiconductor at Saudi Aramco
Megazone Cloud announced on the 15th that it has been selected as the lead contractor for a server-type project under the ‘2026 AI-Semiconductor Overseas Demonstration Support Project’ organized by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Information & Communication Technology Promotion Agency (NIPA).
In this project, Megazone Cloud serves as the lead manager, with Furiosa AI, NC AI, Upstage, and Yuracle participating. They have formed the ‘Korea Full Stack AI (KRFSAI)’ consortium to oversee the design, construction, and operation of an overseas server demonstration environment based on domestically produced AI semiconductors.
The subject of the demonstration is Aramco Digital, the digital arm of Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer. The consortium plans to deploy FuriosaAI’s domestic NPU ‘RNGD’ server in Aramco Digital’s infrastructure environment and implement a service that automatically generates industrial 3D digital twin assets by parsing plant engineering 2D drawings with AI.
AMD’s Server CPU Market Share in Q1 Reaches 46.2%… All-Time High
According to market research firm Mercure Research, AMD’s server x86 processor revenue share in the first quarter of this year was recorded at 46.2%. This is an increase of 6.8 percentage points (p) compared to the same period last year and 4.9 percentage points compared to the previous quarter.
AMD is recently reaping the full benefits of the expansion of the AI data center market. AMD’s data center division revenue for the first quarter was $5.8 billion, a 57% increase year-over-year. Increased sales of the server CPU ‘EPYC’ and AI accelerator product families drove the performance.
Industry analysts suggest that the demand for high-performance CPUs, as well as GPUs, is growing due to the spread of AI inference and agentic AI.
U.S. Approves Sales of NVIDIA H200 to 10 Chinese Companies… Zero Actual Deliveries
Reports have emerged that the U.S. government approved the purchase of Nvidia’s high-performance AI chip H200 by about 10 Chinese companies, but so far, not a single actual delivery has taken place.
According to the South China Morning Post on the 14th (local time), Reuters reported via sources that about 10 major Chinese big tech companies, including Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and JD.com, were included in the approval list.
However, actual transactions are not taking place. It is reported that not a single delivery has been made to date.
China’s Longson Surpasses 1 Million Desktop Processor Shipments… Challenging Intel
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 13th that Chinese-made central processing units (CPUs) have moved beyond the simple testing and distribution stage and entered the full-scale commercialization stage.
“The 3A6000 processor is a desktop personal computer (PC) chip that we developed in-house,” said Longson. “This chip has performance similar to Intel desktop CPUs released in 2020.”
Longson is a company that was launched as a research project under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2001 and spun off in 2010.
Hanmi Semiconductor Pushes to Establish U.S. Subsidiary… “Targeting Local Big Tech”
Hanmi Semiconductor announced on the 15th that it will establish a U.S. subsidiary, ‘Hanmi USA,’ at the end of this year and make a full-scale entry into the U.S. semiconductor market.
The new entity will be established in San Jose, California, to actively respond to local market demand. Hanmi Semiconductor plans to use the San Jose facility as an integrated operational hub to provide rapid technical support.
Xpeng ‘G7’. /Photo=Xpeng
Stellantis and Dongfeng to Produce Peugeot and Jeep in China… Investing 1.7 Trillion Won
European automaker Stellantis announced on the 14th (local time) that it will invest 1 billion euros (approximately 1.75 trillion won) with China’s Dongfeng Motor to produce new Peugeot and Jeep models in China.
Stellantis announced in a press release on this day that it “signed a strategic cooperation agreement to expand its 34-year partnership through the joint production of Peugeot and Jeep models in China.”
Under this agreement, DPCA, the joint venture between the two companies, explained that it will produce two new Peugeot electric vehicle models based on concept cars at its Wuhan plant starting in 2027 for the Chinese domestic market and export.
Motrex EV and SoluM Sign MOU for Middle East and Africa EV Charging Business
Motrex EV announced on the 15th that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with SoluM for the discovery of business opportunities and sales cooperation in the Middle East and Africa region.
This MOU was pursued to allow the two companies to jointly explore the possibility of entering the electric vehicle charging infrastructure market in the Middle East and Africa.
The two companies plan to combine Motrex EV’s capabilities in charger products and operational solutions with SoluM’s capabilities in developing and supplying EV charging power modules, as well as its local network and business development expertise, to identify business opportunities and establish a cooperation framework for EV charger infrastructure.
Xpeng Discusses Acquiring Volkswagen Factory
According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 14th (local time), Elvis Cheng, Head of Northeastern Europe at Xpeng, said at the FT ‘Future of the Car’ summit, “We are discussing with Volkswagen whether there is a possibility of securing a foothold in Europe.”
Volkswagen acquired a 5% stake in Xpeng for $700 million in 2023. Along with this investment, the two companies also agreed to jointly develop electric vehicles for the Chinese market.
Volkswagen has recently stated that it needs to reduce excess production capacity in Europe in response to slowing demand and intensifying competition. On the other hand, Xpeng needs to secure local production capacity to expand sales in Europe.
Honda Posts First Annual Loss in 69 Years Since Listing… Aftermath of Cancelled EV Development
According to AFP on the 14th, Honda announced that it recorded an operating loss of 414.3 billion yen (approx. 3.9135 trillion won) and a net loss of 423.9 billion yen (approx. 4.042 trillion won) in the 2025 fiscal year (April 2025 to March 2026).
Honda stated that it was “due to large accounting losses in the electric vehicle business.” Honda announced last March that it would abandon the development of some key electric vehicle models in the U.S. and expand the development of hybrid vehicles.
This resulted in impairment losses and other expenses of 2.5 trillion yen (approximately 23.62 trillion won).
Ford Makes Bold Move to Energy Storage Business Amid Surge in AI-Driven Power Demand
According to Bloomberg on the 14th (local time), Ford announced that it will invest $2 billion (approximately 2.9 trillion won) to enter the energy storage business. This includes a plan to convert a factory located in Kentucky from electric vehicle battery production into a large-scale energy storage cell production facility.
According to BloombergNEF, demand for batteries for the U.S. power grid is expected to more than double by 2030, exceeding 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh).
Ford CEO Jim Farley stated at the online annual shareholders’ meeting today that demand for energy storage batteries scheduled for production by the end of next year is already strong.
Cenotech Signs 4.7 Billion Won Supply Contract for Secondary Battery Additives
Cenotech, a company specializing in advanced ceramic materials, announced on the 14th that it has signed a supply contract worth 4.7 billion won for additives for secondary battery cathode materials with domestic and international cathode material manufacturers.
Cenotech has designated this year as the inaugural year for expanding its secondary battery additive business and is embarking on a full-scale market offensive. The company plans to gradually increase the proportion of sales from secondary battery materials, develop customized materials for customers, and diversify its product portfolio.
Kakao Mobility Pushes for U.S. ADR Listing Within the Year
Kakao Mobility has selected Bank of America (BoA) Merrill Lynch, UBS, and Morgan Stanley as advisors for its ADR listing. Deloitte Anjin is also conducting a re-audit of Kakao Mobility to present its financial performance to local investors in accordance with U.S. stock market standards.
In 2021, Kakao Mobility began actively pursuing a listing on the stock market after completing the selection of a domestic lead underwriter. At one point, there were even predictions that its corporate value would reach 20 trillion won. However, the listing schedule was repeatedly postponed due to a series of setbacks, including controversies over the Kakao Group’s overall infringement on local businesses and an investigation by the Fair Trade Commission.
Wiro Robotics, a maker of humanoid robots, raises 95 billion won in investment
Wiro Robotics, a startup that develops robots, announced on the 15th that it has received Series B investment worth 95 billion won.
Founded in 2021, this company develops the humanoid robot ‘Alex’ and physical artificial intelligence (AI) used in robots and other applications. It has also developed and commercialized ‘WIM,’ a wearable robot that assists with walking. Offered as a subscription service, WIM is a robot developed to suit individual walking habits and physical conditions; cumulative sales have exceeded 3,000 units, and it has been exported to Europe, China, Turkey, Japan, and other regions.
KNR System Registers Design Patent for ‘Super Humanoid’ Capable of Lifting 600kg
KNR System (199430), a company specializing in robots, announced on the 11th that it has completed the registration of a design patent for a ‘super humanoid’ robot for heavy-duty work and has unveiled the actual appearance for the first time.
The company explained that this design registration signifies securing exclusive rights not only to the originality of the super-humanoid’s appearance but also to a hardware design structure optimized for heavy-duty handling.
The super humanoid currently under development by KNR System is a large, heavy-duty bipedal robot that supports both manned and unmanned boarding methods.
Etipos Receives ‘Highest Grade’ in Technology Evaluation for 5G-V2X Communication Modem Semiconductor IP Technology
Etipos, a company specializing in V2X (vehicle-to-infrastructure communication) semiconductors, announced on the 13th that it had obtained the highest rating, ‘TI-1’, in the Technology Credit Buff (TCB) evaluation by NICE Information Service on the 12th.
In this evaluation, Etipos was recognized for the distinctiveness of its SDM (Software Defined Modem)-based 5G-V2X communication modem semiconductor IP (intellectual property) technology and its growth potential in the global market.
NICE TCB is a system that comprehensively evaluates a company’s management capabilities, technological capabilities, marketability, and business viability, classifying them into a total of 10 grades from TI-1 to TI-10.
Kolon Industries Clarifies Rumors of Materials Business Sale… “No Plans to Adjust mPPO”
Kolon Industries stated in a disclosure response on the 11th, “We are reviewing various strategic measures, ranging from improving operational efficiency to restructuring and selling off business units, to strengthen the competitiveness of related businesses such as display coating solutions and semiconductor packaging materials, but there are currently no specific details confirmed.”
“He added, ‘Modified polyphenylene oxide (mPPO) and similar products are our core businesses, and we are not currently reviewing plans regarding portfolio adjustments.’”
OLED Market ‘Shake’ from Memory Shortage… Smartphone Panel Shipments Down 12%
According to UBI Research on the 12th, smartphone panel shipments by major OLED panel manufacturers in the first quarter of this year totaled 190 million units, a 12% decrease compared to the same period last year. This figure represents a 20% drop compared to the previous quarter.
UBI Research analyzed that panel demand decreased as smartphone manufacturers adjusted production volumes, feeling the burden of recent memory price increases, in addition to the impact of the seasonal off-season following the year-end peak season.
Youngwoo DSP Signs 3.4 Billion Won Supply Contract with Samsung Display
Youngwoo DSP, a company specializing in display equipment, announced on the 12th that it has signed a supply contract for display inspection equipment worth 3.42 billion won with Samsung Display.
According to the company, the contract period is until September 30.
Youngwoo DSP recorded consolidated sales of 80.5 billion won and an operating profit of 5.9 billion won last year, achieving a turnaround to profitability for the first time in three years.
Source: Kipost.net
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