The industry everything else quietly runs on. I cover it from the fab up, process nodes and lithography and the foundry wars, plus the export controls now deciding who even gets to build what. This is the manufacturing and geopolitics side of silicon, kept deliberately apart from the chip-and-platform coverage.
Viettel has become the first company in Qualcomm's 6G Early Access Program, signaling a significant partnership. While focused on 6G, the real impact lies…
As of July 2026, Samsung and SK hynix reconsider hybrid bonding for HBM4 due to JEDEC's potential increase in stack height limits. This change…
Memory chip prices pushed every Samsung foldable up $100 at Unpacked. The odd part is that Samsung sells the memory too, which makes this…
ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), founded in 2016, rapidly increased its DRAM wafer production, targeting around 240,000 monthly by 2025. With strong political backing and…
Huawei's LogicFolding uses 1.5µm hybrid bonding to hit 238M transistors/mm² on 7nm DUV — redefining what packaging can do without EUV.
Broadcom's $30 billion agreement with Apple, announced on July 7, 2026, ensures the production of custom silicon products through 2031. This commitment enhances Apple's…
MediaTek still sells more phone chips than anyone. By 2026 that's the least interesting thing about it: 3nm flagships, satellite NTN, and co-designing Google's…
Huawei says folding chips in 3D routes around US sanctions. One month later IBM showed a validated 0.7nm nanostack, going further on better tools.…
KIOXIA's BiCS8 tops out at 218 layers, dead last among NAND makers. It also powers the 245.76TB LC9, the densest SSD on the planet.…
ASML from the Netherlands is the sole producer of advanced lithography machines essential for semiconductor manufacturing. xLight, led by Pat Gelsinger, aims to provide…
Zhaoxin, a joint venture with VIA Technologies, holds a unique position as China's lone x86 chipmaker without U.S. sanctions. Despite being behind in technology,…
Hygon, a Chinese server chip manufacturer, evolved from a 2017 AMD EPYC architecture, leveraging a 2016 licensing deal. Despite U.S. sanctions halting new IP…
The Morefine M700S mini PC, powered by the Loongson 3A6000 processor, marks a significant achievement for Chinese silicon. Loongson's commitment to a self-designed ISA…
Huawei's Mate 60 Pro unexpectedly launched in 2023 featuring the Kirin 9000S chip, surprisingly circumventing US sanctions. HiSilicon, Huawei's silicon arm, encompasses its mobile,…
Qualcomm's acquisition of SAM Seamless Network for $150 million highlights the importance of its network-native platform, securing 500 million devices across various ISPs. Maintaining…