This weekly newsletter pulls together summaries of the top ten most-read Insights across Tech Hardware and Semiconductor on Smartkarma.
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1. Taiwan Tech Weekly: TSMC’s Expansion Visualized; Implications of New U.S. Investment; New HBM Memory
- TSMC’s Latest Global Expansion Plans, Visualized; Taiwan Manufacturing Will Continue to Remain One Generation Ahead of Overseas
- TSMC (2330.TT; TSM.US): Invest Further in US up to 100bn; Intel Foundry Service Gets Direct Clients.
- Memory Monitor: Nanya Tech Soared on DRAM Recovery and Custom HBM News
2. Former CEO Claims Intel Is Back & Says Can We Please Stop Talking About Breaking It Up?
- On March 1, ex Intel CEO Craig Barrett posted a rebuttal of his former board members opinion piece on the subject of the company’s future
- He claims that Intel is back, the company must not be broken up, the board should be fired and Mr. Gelsinger should be rehired to finish the job he started
- Meanwhile, Intel has put its Ohio fab on hold until the end of the decade, its German fab on hold for two years, both damning indictments of Mr Gelsinger’s strategy
3. Taiwan Dual-Listings Monitor: TSMC’s Range Declining; ASE Near Parity; ChipMOS Rare Discount
- TSMC: +18.5% Premium; Wait for Lower Premium Before Going Long
- ASE: +0.2% Premium; Near-Parity Premium is Opportunity to Long the Spread
- ChipMOS: -3% Discount; Rare Discount is Opportunity to Long the Spread
4. TSMC To Invest A Further $100 Billion In Arizona
- TSMC plans to invest $100 billion in the US to build three new fabs, two new advanced packaging facilities and establish an R&D centre, all in Arizona
- During the press conference at the White House, Mr Wei received fulsome praise from President Trump and was careful to thank him for his vision and support on multiple occasions
- The announcement lacked key details such as construction timelines and which process technologies would be deployed but it would still appear to have done the trick, at least for now.
5. TSMC Addresses U.S. Expansion Concerns: Strengthens TSMC Position & Positive for Semi Industry Capex
- TSMC just held a press conference this evening in Taiwan regarding its expanded U.S. investment plans. TSMC said it won’t impact Taiwan investments; it is actually accelerating its Taiwan investments.
- Additionally, we see TSMC’s aggressive U.S. expansion significantly weakening Intel’s ability to compete, as it removes one of Intel’s major differentiators–domestic U.S. production.
- Maintain Structural Long rating on TSMC — Expanded U.S. investment fortifies the company’s global leadership. ALSO — Positive news for semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies internationally and in Taiwan. ASML, etc.
6. TSMC (2330.TT; TSM.US): Invest Further in US up to 100bn; Intel Foundry Service Gets Direct Clients.
- On March 4th, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) – ADR (TSM US) announced that the company will further increase its investment up to $100 billion in the US.
- The restructured case of Intel Corp (INTC US) has elicited different opinions, but a few companies may consider trying out Intel Foundry Service.
- Currently, we find these developments acceptable, although we view them as the result of political interference, and time will tell.
7. TSMC (2330.TT; TSM.US): TSMC Held Press Conference Regarding Further Investment of USD$100bn in US.
- TSMC Chairman Dr. CC Wei pointed out that TSMC builds production lines everywhere to meet customers’ demands. TSMC has never gone against this principle.
- On the 3rd of March, U.S. President Trump and TSMC Chairman jointly announced at the White House that TSMC would reinvest at least $100 billion in the U.S.
- Regarding concerns from the public that TSMC might gradually shift its production focus to the U.S., TSMC made it clear that this would not happen.
8. SMIC (981.HK): Speculation About the Deepseek Rumor Does Imply Continued Creative Works in the World
- There is speculation about Deepseek’s wafer manufacturing yield issue at Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) (981 HK) these days.
- The potential concern serves as a signal for a hot topic within the company, carrying two underlying meanings.
- Although NVIDIA Corp (NVDA US) is making waves in AI applications, we must not overlook the potential for continued creative developments in the world, such as Deepseek’s solution.
9. MWC Barcelona Showcased The 6G Showdown: MediaTek Vs. Qualcomm in the Race for Wireless Supremacy
- The Stakes in the 6G Race: 100x Data Speeds & AI-Driven Networks
- Qualcom’s Strategy vs. Mediatek’s Gameplan to Win the 6G Battle — Takeaways from MWC 2025 in Barcelona
- Investment Takeaways: MediaTek vs. Qualcomm — Maintain Structural Long for Mediatek but Qualcomm Could Offer Near-Term Relative Value Play
10. GlobalWafers (6488.TT): An Uncertainty Exists Whether Si Wafer Is Included in US Custom Tax or Not.
- Regarding global silicon wafer market prices, Globalwafers (6488 TT) noted that the Long-Term Agreement (LTA) for 12-inch wafers primarily focuses on advanced process nodes, with prices remaining stable.
- In December 2024, Globalwafers (6488 TT) signed a final agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, expecting to receive a maximum subsidy of USD$406mn.
- Globalwafers (6488 TT) has not received any notifications regarding adjustments to chip policies.
