Semiconductors 6 August 2025 - 4 February 2026

Memory chip shortage rattles Qualcomm and Arm after weak smartphone chip outlook
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Memory chip shortage rattles Qualcomm and Arm after weak smartphone chip outlook

Qualcomm and Arm Holdings shares fell after both warned a global memory chip shortage is squeezing smartphone production and weakening demand. Qualcomm forecast second-quarter revenue and profit below estimates, citing limited memory supply. Arm projected strong fourth-quarter revenue but warned future royalties could drop if shortages persist. Analysts expect the shortage to last through 2027.
February 5, 2026
Texas Instruments’ $7.5 Billion Silicon Labs Buyout: What the Chip Deal Changes
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Texas Instruments’ $7.5 Billion Silicon Labs Buyout: What the Chip Deal Changes

Texas Instruments will acquire Silicon Laboratories for $231 per share in cash, valuing the deal at about $7.5 billion. The companies expect to close the transaction in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory and shareholder approval. TI plans to shift Silicon Labs’ chip production in-house and projects $450 million in annual cost savings within three years. Silicon Labs’ shares jumped in premarket trading; TI’s stock slipped.
February 4, 2026
Memory chip prices could nearly double this quarter as TrendForce lifts DRAM forecast to 95%
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Memory chip prices could nearly double this quarter as TrendForce lifts DRAM forecast to 95%

TrendForce now expects conventional DRAM contract prices to surge 90%-95% in Q1, up from its previous 55%-60% estimate, citing ongoing AI and data center demand. NAND flash contract prices are forecast to rise 55%-60%, while enterprise SSD prices may increase 53%-58%. PC DRAM prices are projected to jump over 100% quarter-on-quarter as shortages worsen.
February 2, 2026
Samsung and SK Hynix warn AI boom is squeezing memory chips for phones and PCs
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Samsung and SK Hynix warn AI boom is squeezing memory chips for phones and PCs

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix warned Thursday that PC and smartphone makers face tightening DRAM supplies as production shifts to AI-server memory. IDC and Counterpoint forecast global smartphone sales will fall at least 2% in 2026, while IDC expects the PC market to shrink by 4.9% this year. Samsung signaled only modest capacity growth through 2027, focusing on higher-margin AI chips.
January 29, 2026
AI’s Memory Chip Crunch Is Getting Serious — SK Hynix Speeds Up New Fabs as Phone Price Warnings Spread
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AI’s Memory Chip Crunch Is Getting Serious — SK Hynix Speeds Up New Fabs as Phone Price Warnings Spread

SK Hynix will open its Yongin chip fab in February 2027, ahead of schedule, and start wafer production at its new M15X facility next month to boost high-bandwidth memory output for AI. Nothing CEO Carl Pei warned rising memory costs could force 2026 phones to increase prices or lower specs. Retail investors have poured into memory and storage stocks as AI demand drives prices higher.
January 15, 2026
Inside the High-Stakes World of Global Semiconductor Production
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Trillion-Dollar Chip Wars: Inside the High-Stakes World of Global Semiconductor Production

Global semiconductor sales topped $600 billion in 2024, with TSMC holding 55% of the foundry market and Taiwan producing 92% of the world’s most advanced chips. ASML remains the only supplier of EUV lithography machines, each costing over $300 million. The 2021 chip shortage caused $210 billion in lost auto sales. U.S. and EU chip acts earmarked over $95 billion for domestic production.
August 6, 2025