Micron Japan launches over $9 billion chip expansion project, betting on the high bandwidth memory demand in AI.
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Apple invests over $30 billion to deepen its partnership with Broadcom and expand its domestic chip manufacturing operations in the United States.
According to ChainCatcher, citing CNBC, Apple announced on Wednesday a multi-year partnership with chipmaker Broadcom, expected to exceed $30 billion. This is Apple's largest commitment to U.S.-made manufacturing to date. Under the agreement, Broadcom will continue to develop and supply customized ASIC chips (increasingly used in AI workloads) and wireless components for cellular networks, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity for multiple generations of Apple products until 2031. The report indicates that the partnership is expected to facilitate the production of more than 15 billion U.S.-made chips and includes a $1.5 billion expansion of Broadcom's Fort Collins, Colorado factory. Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that this move is the largest single project in Apple's $600 billion U.S. investment plan announced in 2025, aimed at responding to the Trump administration's call to promote domestic manufacturing and helping to establish an end-to-end silicon supply chain in the United States.
Chip startup SambaNova raises $1 billion, valuing the company at $11 billion.
Mars Finance reported on July 8th that SambaNova Systems, a chip startup backed by Intel's venture capital arm, has completed a $1 billion Series F funding round, valuing the company at $11 billion. The company is scheduled to officially announce the news on July 8th local time. (Wide Angle Observation)
Omdia: China's semiconductor market will exceed $800 billion by 2026, with the memory chip market surging by 262.9%.
According to Omdia's latest report, "Semiconductor Applications Forecast Tool (AMFT) - China, Q2 2026," the Chinese semiconductor market is projected to grow at a significantly higher year-on-year rate of 92.9%, reaching $812.08 billion. This represents an overall upward revision of $265.6 billion, or 48.6%, compared to the previous report, "AMFT Shipments: China - Q4 2025 Update" (which projected a 31.26% growth rate for the Chinese semiconductor market, reaching $546.5 billion). Omdia's latest Q2 2026 data also shows that the Chinese semiconductor memory market is projected to grow at a significantly higher rate of 262.9%, reaching $449.6 billion. (Cailian Press)
The report shows that the US semiconductor industry is facing a shortage of highly skilled workers, with a projected gap of nearly 160,000 by 2030.
According to Mars Finance, a joint employer survey analysis conducted by McKinsey & Company, SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International), and the National Science Foundation shows that the shortage of highly skilled workers across the United States is worsening, with the projected shortage of up to 157,000 full-time skilled workers by 2030. This could delay the construction of multi-billion dollar new semiconductor factories across the country and constrain future chip production. (Cailian Press)
South Korean think tank: Chip boom offsets manufacturing weakness, South Korean economy still on recovery track
According to Odaily Odaily, a South Korean official think tank stated on Wednesday that the South Korean economy remains on a recovery track, with the booming chip industry offsetting the overall slowdown in manufacturing. The Korea Development Institute (KDI), in its monthly economic assessment report, noted that South Korea's exports continued their "strong" expansion, driven by robust demand related to artificial intelligence. South Korea's monthly exports surpassed the $100 billion mark for the first time in June, reaching $102.25 billion, a year-on-year increase of 70.9%, setting a new record. KDI stated, "Although the growth rate of semiconductor exports has slowed, export value remains strong, supported by continued price increases." Driven by surging demand for memory chips, semiconductor exports nearly tripled to $44.82 billion, marking the first time monthly exports have exceeded $40 billion. However, KDI noted a slight decline in manufacturing output as "the rapid growth momentum in the semiconductor sector has slowed, and other sectors remain sluggish." KDI added that high oil prices and a weakening Korean won against the US dollar could "continue to exert upward pressure on prices, increasing the risk of further interest rate hikes and thus dragging down the recovery in consumption." (Jinshi)
SK Hynix's roadshow presentation slides revealed: The motivation for listing stems from a dual pursuit of valuation reassessment and capital expansion.
According to Odaily Odaily, SK Hynix's US IPO roadshow presentation slides have been leaked. It is reported that Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited, Coatue Management, and Situational Awareness Partners have individually (but not jointly) expressed their intention to subscribe for American Depositary Shares (ADSs) in this offering, with a total value of up to US$7 billion, at the initial public offering price. According to disclosed information, SK Hynix's IPO is driven by a dual motivation: valuation reassessment and capital expansion. It has long faced a valuation discount, currently trading at a forward 12-month price-to-earnings ratio of 6.2, lower than Micron Technology's 7. Measured by forward price-to-sales ratio, its 3.6 is also lower than Micron's 4.6. The fundamental reason for this valuation gap lies in the obstacles faced by US investors in directly investing in Korean stocks. Furthermore, the funds raised will be invested in expanding domestic production capacity in South Korea, including 45.5 trillion won in capital expenditure and 11.9 trillion won in EUV lithography machine procurement. (leinews)