Intel, ahead of TSMC and Samsung, has planted the 2nm flag first.
Intel announced on the 9th (local time) that its Fab 52 plant in Arizona, USA, had entered full operation. This plant utilizes Intel’s ambitiously introduced 18A (18 angstrom) process. One angstrom is 0.1 nanometers (nm), and this advanced manufacturing process allows semiconductors to be manufactured at 1.8nm in line width.
Currently, the most advanced foundry process in mass production is 3nm, which is currently being produced only by TSMC and Samsung Electronics. While both companies are accelerating the development of the 2nm process, aiming for mass production next year, Intel has announced mass production before the end of the year.
Telechips wins KRW 77.2 billion semiconductor development project.
Telechips announced on the 10th that it had signed a system-on-chip (SoC) development contract worth 77.2 billion won. The client name was not disclosed, citing the counterparty’s request for confidentiality. The contract period runs from the 1st of this month to January 2028, approximately two years and three months.
The 77.2 billion won represents 41.4% of Telechips’s sales last year (186.6 billion won). This large-scale contract is interpreted as a win for a semiconductor development project from a global client.
The US has approved the sale of NVIDIA’s AI semiconductors to the UAE, marking the return of a 2 trillion won investment in the US.
Bloomberg reported on the 9th (local time) that the U.S. Department of Commerce has approved the export of Nvidia’s artificial intelligence (AI) chips worth billions of dollars to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A source familiar with the matter said the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security issued the export license to Nvidia under the terms of the AI agreement the U.S. signed with the UAE in May.
This approval is a response to the UAE’s pledge made last May to invest $1.4 trillion (approximately 1,995 trillion won) in the United States over the next ten years. The investment agreement essentially requires the UAE to invest in the United States equal to the value of the US AI semiconductors it intends to import.
TSMC ranked first in the foundry market with a 71% share in the second quarter.
According to market research firm Counterpoint Research on the 10th, TSMC held a 71% share of the global foundry market in the second quarter of this year, expanding its share from 65% in the same period last year. TSMC currently monopolizes supply for major tech companies such as Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Apple.
Counterpoint Research attributed TSMC’s market share gains to expanded 3nm process mass production, high utilization rates of 4nm and 5nm processes driven by demand for AI graphics processing units (GPUs), and the expansion of its advanced packaging technology, CoWoS (Chip on Wafer on Substrate). Samsung Electronics maintained its second-place position with 8%, fueled by a recovery in smartphones and other consumer devices, while China’s SMIC held onto third place (5%).
Qualcomm Acquires Open-Source Hardware Company Arduino
Global semiconductor company Qualcomm announced on the 9th (local time) that it is acquiring Arduino, a leading company in open source hardware and software platforms.
This acquisition is part of Qualcomm’s strategic move to significantly increase developer accessibility in the edge artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) fields, and is part of its blueprint to build a full-stack edge platform that integrates hardware, software, and the cloud.
NVIDIA invests $2.8 billion in Musk’s AI company xAI.
Artificial intelligence (AI) chip company Nvidia is investing $2 billion (KRW 2.8 trillion) in Elon Musk’s AI company xAI, Bloomberg News reported on the 9th (local time). The source said that xAI is raising a larger amount of funding than originally planned, and that this includes an equity investment from Nvidia.
This funding round totals $20 billion, with NVIDIA investing up to $2 billion. This is seen as a strategic move by NVIDIA to accelerate customers’ investments in AI.
AMD and OpenAI Sign Multi-Year 6GW GPU Supply Agreement
AMD has entered into a strategic partnership with OpenAI, supplying GPUs totaling 6 gigawatts (GW). AMD also granted OpenAI an option to purchase a 10% stake in AMD. In a joint press release on the 6th (local time), the two companies announced that the first 1GW “MI450” series GPU deployments will begin in the second half of 2026.
The two companies have already been collaborating through the ‘MI300X’ and ‘MI350X’ series, and this time they have strengthened their strategic partnership.
1 GW is equivalent to the power generation capacity of a single nuclear power plant, and OpenAI plans to introduce next-generation AMD GPUs in addition to the AMD MI450 series. To achieve this, the two companies will develop GPUs optimized for OpenAI based on a shared technology roadmap.
POSCO International Develops World’s Second-Largest Graphite Mine
POSCO International announced on the 10th that it held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Mahenge mine in the Ulanga region of Morogoro, Tanzania on the 9th (local time).
The Mahenge mine is a natural graphite mine with reserves of approximately 6 million tons. BlackRock Mining, an Australian resource development company in which POSCO Holdings holds a 7.45% stake, is leading the development, with POSCO Group participating as a strategic partner. This development project is also part of the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) project, led by major countries including the United States, South Korea, Japan, and the European Union (EU). The MSP is a multilateral agreement aimed at ensuring a stable supply of key minerals.
LS Elec and Honeywell Partner to Develop Power Solutions and BESS for US Data Centers
LS Electric is joining hands with Honeywell, a global industrial automation solutions company, to jointly develop power management solutions and battery energy storage systems (BESS) for North American data centers.
LS Electric announced on the 8th that it signed a ‘strategic cooperation agreement for joint development of power management, distribution and BESS’ with Honeywell at the ‘Data Center World Asia’ event held at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Center in Singapore.
Ferrari’s first electric supercar with over 1,000 horsepower… Korean battery technology is key.
Ferrari unveiled the mass-produced chassis and key components at the ‘Ferrari Eletrica’ technology unveiling event held at the E-Building in its Maranello, Italy headquarters on the 8th (local time), and announced, “The cells that make up the battery module are SK On products.”
Supercars require lightweight construction for speed and agility, but electric vehicles are disadvantaged by the weight of their batteries. To address this, Ferrari adopted an integrated design that integrates the battery structure with the car body. Battery assembly is carried out exclusively at the company’s headquarters in Maranello, emphasizing craftsmanship.
China decides to impose export controls on secondary batteries, cathode materials, and anode materials.
On the 9th, China’s Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs jointly announced a decision to impose export controls on items related to lithium-ion batteries, cathode materials, and artificial graphite anode materials.
Related items include: △Lithium-ion batteries for rechargeable use with a gravimetric energy density of 300 Wh/kg or more, △Equipment for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries for rechargeable use, △High-performance LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cathode materials, △Ternary cathode material precursors, △Lithium manganese cathode materials, △Cathode material manufacturing equipment, △Artificial graphite cathode materials, △Anode materials mixed with artificial graphite and natural graphite, △Assembly process equipment for producing graphite cathode materials, △Graphitization equipment for producing graphite cathode materials, △Coating and reforming equipment for producing graphite cathode materials, △Processes and technologies for producing graphite cathode materials, etc.
Tesla unveils a ‘low-cost’ Model Y with a $5,000 price cut.
Tesla unveiled a new, more affordable version of its Model Y on the 7th (local time). Tesla unveiled the budget version of its best-selling electric vehicle, the Model Y, on its website that day. This move is part of a move to reverse recent sluggish sales and regain market share.
The new Model Y is priced at $39,990, down from $40,000, a $5,000 discount from the existing base model ($44,990).
SoftBank Chairman Son Jeong-ui. / Photo = SoftBank
FigureAI Unveils Third-Generation Humanoid “Figure03”
American robotics company Figure AI unveiled its third humanoid, ‘Figure03’, on the 9th (local time).
Figure 03 is a redesigned model centered around the Figure AI Vision, Language, and Action (VLA) integrated AI system, “Helix.” It represents a step closer to becoming a general-purpose humanoid robot capable of operating in a variety of environments, including home and industrial settings.
First, to implement the Helix learning and inference function, the sensor and hand structure were changed. Compared to the previous generation, the camera system’s frame rate was doubled and its field of view was expanded by 60%. The depth perception range was also expanded, and latency was reduced by a factor of four.
LG Electronics Secures 8 of the Top 10 Automakers as Clients, Expanding SDV Capabilities
According to the automotive industry on the 8th, LG Electronics is supplying key electrical components or vehicle solutions to Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai-Kia Motors, GM, Stellantis, Ford, Honda, and Nissan, which are among the top 10 automakers in terms of global sales last year.
According to market research firm Marklines, eight companies accounted for about 55% of global car sales last year.
LG Electronics is said to have targeted major automakers with its integrated mobility solutions encompassing hardware and software, including in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), telematics, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and ‘LG Alphaware.’
Hyundai’s autonomous Xcient vehicle named one of Time magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2018.”
Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 10th that the Xcient hydrogen electric truck, developed in collaboration with American autonomous driving specialist PlusAI, was selected as one of the ‘Best Inventions of 2025’ by the American weekly news magazine Time.
For the past 20 years, Time has been selecting products that have revolutionized the way we live and move as its best inventions every year.
The Xcient is a vehicle equipped with PlusAI’s autonomous driving software, “SuperDrive,” on Hyundai’s hydrogen vehicle platform. SuperDrive is a Level 4 autonomous driving technology specifically for trucks, capable of driving without driver intervention.
SoftBank acquires Swiss ABB’s robotics business for $6.6 billion.
SoftBank Group (SBG), led by Chairman Masayoshi Son (Japanese name: Masayoshi Son), announced on the 8th that it has signed a contract to acquire the robotics business of Swiss conglomerate Asea Brown Boveri (ABB). The acquisition price is reportedly $5.375 billion (approximately 7.6 trillion won), and the acquisition process is expected to be completed in the second half of next year.
ABB’s robotics division employs 7,000 people and generated $2.3 billion in sales last year, representing 7% of the company’s total revenue.
OLEDs in Tablets and Laptops… Will Samsung Display and LG Display’s Sales Rise Again?
According to market research firm Omdia on the 9th, OLED panels are expected to account for 54.5% of the smartphone panel market this year, up 3.9 percentage points (P) from last year. While the overall smartphone panel market remains similar to last year, OLED panels are projected to increase from 800 million units last year to 847.56 million units this year.
Beyond smartphones, the use of OLED panels is also increasing in laptops and tablets. Counterpoint Research projects that OLED sales will grow 36% and 19% annually in the laptop and tablet markets, respectively, by 2029. Given that the transition to OLED has been slower than that to smartphones, future growth potential is even greater.
Samsung aims to sweep the Chinese LCD market with OLED TVs
According to global research firm Omdia on the 8th, OLED panels accounted for 12.3% of Samsung Electronics’ TV shipments in the first half of 2025. Notably, OLED TVs accounted for 39.4% of sales of premium TVs priced at $1,500 or more.
Samsung Electronics, which had been reluctant to sell OLED TVs due to its rival LG Electronics, is now actively turning to OLED sales, which is a major change.
Samsung’s foldable phone, which folds twice, will be released next month, marking a major step forward in mobile innovation.
Industry interest is at a fever pitch as the launch of Samsung Electronics’ first “trifold phone” approaches. It is expected to be unveiled to the public for the first time at the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Summit in Gyeongju later this month, with full-scale mass production and sales expected to begin next month.
The Trifold phone is a step up from existing foldable phones, featuring a new form factor that folds the screen twice. It features a cover display (approximately 6.5 inches) that can be used like a regular smartphone, and a main display that resembles a tablet when unfolded, measuring around 10 inches. The main display is 2 inches larger than the 8-inch Galaxy Z Fold 7, released in July.
Source: Kipost.net
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