Geopolitics
Trade restrictions, export controls, and semiconductor geopolitics.
Pentagon Offers Wolfspeed $1.5B Loan for Chip Production
The U.S. Department of War is offering advanced chip materials firm Wolfspeed up to $1.5 billion in long-term financing to strengthen domestic production of advanced power semiconductors and develop chips for defense and national security applications. The company says it plans to use the financing to upgrade its GaN epitaxy capabilities for next-generation communications infrastructure […]
Andy Patrizio · Oct 15, 2026 · 2 min
Huawei-Qualcomm Patent Deal Extends Chip Rivals’ Ties Across AI and 5G
Huawei and Qualcomm have signed a multi-year patent licensing agreement spanning 5G, AI, computing and networking, creating a new intellectual property link between two major players in the global semiconductor and communications markets. The agreement gives each company access to patents held by the other and includes Qualcomm’s purchase of selected Huawei U.S. patents. Those […]
James Maguire · Oct 6, 2026 · 2 min
China Challenges US Chip Restrictions as Alibaba Unveils Ambitious AI Roadmap
China’s push to develop its own AI chips has gained momentum with announcements from Alibaba and Huawei, strengthening President Xi Jinping’s position as he meets with President Donald Trump for a multi-day state visit to Washington. The new technology releases demonstrate China’s determination to reduce its reliance on U.S. semiconductor technology, and to overcome U.S. […]
James Maguire · Sep 24, 2026 · 2 min
Alibaba Unveils China’s ‘Most Powerful’ AI Chip Ahead of U.S.-China Summit
Alibaba Group introduced its most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chip to date on Tuesday, as well as ambitious plans to train a massive next-generation AI model. The blitz reflects China’s accelerating push toward technological self-reliance, coming just days ahead of a closely watched summit between Chinese and U.S. leaders. Speaking at Alibaba Cloud’s annual flagship […]
Jon Swartz · Sep 22, 2026 · 3 min
NVIDIA Shares Rise as CEO Jensen Huang Confirms Chip Sales Will Double by 2027
NVIDIA Corp. CEO Jensen Huang confirmed Thursday that the semiconductor giant expects chip sales to roughly double in 2027 from 2026. Speaking at a technology conference in Scotland, Huang reiterated the aggressive growth trajectory previously outlined to investors during the company’s August earnings call, where management characterized its 70% fiscal 2028 revenue projections as a […]
Jon Swartz · Sep 18, 2026 · 2 min
SK hynix in Exploratory Talks With Intel for First U.S. Chip Manufacturing Presence: Report
South Korean memory chipmaker SK hynix is in preliminary talks with Intel Corp. that could result in the company manufacturing semiconductors in the United States for the first time. According to Reuters, citing sources familiar with the discussions, the companies are exploring multiple structures for potential partnership. One scenario involves SK hynix leasing space at […]
Jon Swartz · Sep 16, 2026 · 3 min
Trump Weighs Expanded Semiconductor Tariffs to Drive Reshoring, Raising Alarm Over U.S. AI Growth: Report
The Trump administration is weighing a sweeping expansion of semiconductor tariffs that could extend to laptops, gaming hardware, and data center servers. The preliminary proposal, as reported by POLITICO, aims to pressure tech giants into shifting manufacturing to U.S. soil, but it has sparked intense opposition from industry groups warning of severe economic fallout for […]
Jon Swartz · Aug 27, 2026 · 2 min
AI-Driven Chip Shortage Triggers Washington Lobbying War as Apple Seeks Chinese Supplier Relief
An explosion in artificial intelligence (AI) development has ignited a severe global memory chip crunch, igniting an aggressive lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill as non-AI sectors scramble to secure critical components and protect failing supply pipelines. Driven by data centers vacuuming up massive volumes of high-bandwidth memory and dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) to train advanced […]
Jon Swartz · Aug 10, 2026 · 2 min
China’s Chip Ambitions Rise as CXMT Launches $10 Billion IPO
Chinese memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies Inc. is launching a blockbuster initial public offering (IPO) on Shanghai’s tech-focused STAR Board to raise nearly $10 billion, one of the largest in Asian history and a crucial test of investor appetite for China’s burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. The Hefei-based DRAM (dynamic random-access memory) champion has […]
Jon Swartz · Jul 15, 2026 · 2 min
Micron Bets $250 Billion on AI Boom with Expanded U.S. Manufacturing
Micron Technology Inc. on Thursday announced an expanded $250 billion U.S. investment strategy through 2035, placing itself squarely at the forefront of the domestic semiconductor manufacturing boom. Driven by skyrocketing artificial intelligence (AI) demand and a federal push to secure critical supply chains, the memory chip giant increased its previous capital expenditure commitment by $50 […]
Jon Swartz · Jul 9, 2026 · 2 min
South Korean Government Proposes Massive Investment in Memory Manufacturing
The government of the Republic of Korea has unveiled a plan to invest at least $880 billion in memory capacity to ease the global shortage brought on by AI investment. South Korea is home to two of the three dominant DRAM makers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The third is Micron Technology, headquartered in Boise, […]
Andy Patrizio · Jun 30, 2026 · 2 min
Apple Seeks White House Approval to Buy Chips From Blacklisted Chinese Maker Amid AI Supply Crunch
Apple Inc. is lobbying the Trump administration for federal permission to purchase memory chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies Inc. (CXMT), a prominent Chinese semiconductor firm currently blacklisted by the U.S. government, according to a report by The Financial Times. The tech giant approached the Commerce Department more than a month ago and has engaged White […]
Jon Swartz · Jun 28, 2026 · 2 min
Trump Announces Blockbuster Apple-Intel Chip Deal as ‘RAMmageddon’ Hits Tech Industry
President Donald Trump announced early Thursday that Apple Inc. has agreed to partner with Intel Corp. to design and manufacture its semiconductor chips domestically – a potentially big win for the White House’s aggressive campaign to reshore critical technology manufacturing to the U.S. through targeted tariffs and state-backed investments. Writing on Truth Social, Trump criticized […]
Jon Swartz · Jun 18, 2026 · 3 min
Every AI Story Eventually Becomes a Semiconductor Story
When I started covering technology, semiconductors were one of those industries that most people acknowledged as important but rarely paid much attention to. Chips were the engines underneath the hood. They powered servers, PCs, networking equipment and eventually smartphones, but they generally weren’t the story. The story was the software, the applications, the platforms and […]
Alan Shimel · Jun 2, 2026 · 5 min
NVIDIA Plays a Delicate Balancing Game
NVIDIA’s recent announcement that it plans to invest roughly $150 billion annually in Taiwan and establish a major headquarters presence there generated headlines around the world. Given Taiwan’s role in the semiconductor industry, the move was hardly surprising. TSMC manufactures NVIDIA’s most advanced chips, and the broader ecosystem of suppliers, packaging specialists and manufacturing partners […]
Alan Shimel · Jun 1, 2026 · 5 min
America’s Bet on Intel: Why This Investment Is Existential for National Security and Tech Leadership
Insights on America’s bet on Intel and why this investment is existential for National Security and leadership in the Tech Industry.
Daniel Newman · May 28, 2026 · 4 min
U.S. Geopolitics Will Speed Up Semiconductor Supply Chain Deglobalization
The deglobalization of the semiconductor supply chain is underway, and recent global events will accelerate the trend.
Richard Gordon · May 28, 2026 · 3 min
Escape Velocity — When Does China’s AI Stack Break Free?
When does China’s AI stack reach escape velocity? A vector-by-vector reading of Futurum’s 1H 2026 silicon model against Jensen Huang’s Dwarkesh interview.
Erik Bethke · May 28, 2026 · 19 min
CHIPs Act Update: US Secures Domestic Production of Advanced Chips
New US-based TSMC, Samsung, and Intel factories to put US on track to hit goal of producing 20% of world’s leading-edge chips by 2030.
Olivier Blanchard · May 28, 2026 · 10 min
Can Intel Foundry’s Advanced Packaging Bring the Terafab Vision to the Stars?
Intel joins Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI in the Terafab project, committing its process and packaging to a consolidated Texas semiconductor campus.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 6 min