February 9, 2026

Global Annual Semiconductor Sales Increase 25.6% in 2025 Global chip sales surged to a record $791.7B in 2025, up 25.6% year over year, SIA said. Q4 sales jumped 37.1%, December edged up 2.7%, and SIA projects AI-, IoT- and 6G-driven demand to push 2026 sales toward $1T worldwide growth stayed broad. Semiconductor Industry Association

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VIEWPOINT 2026: Minoru Inoue, Branch Manager of Semiconductor Materials Sales Branch, Sekisui Chemical 2025, aside from the slowdown in demand for power semiconductors due to the EV recession, the market conditions were generally the same as or better than the previous year. The temporary market stagnation caused by the advance demand in anticipation of tariff increases largely subsided in the first half ... Sekisui Chemical

Impact of Cleaning Technology on Discrete Packaging - The Difference in Wire Bonding Yield Lead frame packages are commonly used in semiconductor package fabrication, where interconnections between the integrated circuits (IC) and the metal leads are typically established through die attach and wire bonding processes. Technical Paper

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Chip Industry Week in Review Intel hired ex-Qualcomm GPU lead Eric Demers to push high-performance GPUs and challenge Nvidia and AMD. Meanwhile, deals and partnerships involving TI, Siemens and Infineon, plus AI funding rounds, signal a surge in chip innovation and efficiency. Semiconductor Engineering

Samsung to begin mass production of HBM4 chips later this month Samsung starts mass-producing HBM4 this month, becoming the first to ship sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory. Cleared by Nvidia, the chips will power next-gen GPUs, including the Vera Rubin AI accelerator, sharpening Samsung's tech lead. Yonhap News Agency

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Technical Papers Alpha Particle Emissions: An Overlooked Risk for Soft Errors in Advanced Packaging Revolutionizing IC Packaging with High-Density RDL Technology EOTPR Fine pitch probing for die-to-die interconnect failure analysis in chiplet devices Die-on-Tab for Compound Semiconductors: Enabling Advanced RF Power Systems Package Assembly Design Kits: The Future of Advanced Package Design Novel Molded FCBGA Package Platform For Highly Reliable Automotive Applications Eliminating Interfacial Delamination in High-Power Automotive Devices MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

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Nvidia's doubts about OpenAI are a warning Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is reconsidering his $100 billion OpenAI investment, citing concerns over the company's business discipline. Meanwhile, Microsoft struggles to turn OpenAI's advanced AI models into practical products, risking its lead as execution, not models, drives the AI race. Taipei Times

Memory Chip Prices Are Exploding: Inside the 90% Surge Reshaping the Semiconductor Supply Chain The global memory chip market is surging, with DRAM and NAND prices spiking up to 90% due to AI-driven demand, HBM production bottlenecks, and supply constraints. Major manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron profit while electronics makers face rising component costs. Web Pro News

Sponsor IMAPS Device Packaging Conference Explore the latest emerging technologies and applications that are driving advancements in semiconductor packaging. March 2-5 in Phoenix, AZ. IMAPS

OpenAI executives were on a tear this week trying to quell critics Ahead of the Super Bowl, OpenAI leaders pushed back on scrutiny over Nvidia ties, Elon Musk lawsuits, research focus and Anthropic's ads. CEO Sam Altman stressed collaboration and core research, calling rivals' claims misleading as pressure mounts. CNBC

Nvidia shares rise 8% as Jensen Huang says $660 billion capex buildout is sustainable Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang defended the tech industry's soaring AI infrastructure spending, calling it sustainable as demand and cash flows rise. Hyperscalers may spend $660 billion this year, driving strong Nvidia chip sales and fueling AI-driven revenue growth. CNBC

Sponsor Corner fill inspection A memory manufacturer adopted Nordson's AOI system with deep learning to inspect IC corner fill, ensuring accurate detection, measurement, and improved reliability in semiconductor assembly. Nordson Test & Inspection

MediaTek plans to double data center spending MediaTek plans to double investment in data center technologies, focusing on AI-powered ASICs, advanced packaging, and high-speed interconnects. The company aims to make data centers its second-largest revenue source, targeting 20% growth next year. Taipei Times

Wistron upbeat on AI server demand Wistron Corp projects strong AI server growth in 2026, fueled by GPU- and ASIC-based demand from clients like Nvidia, Dell, and AMD. Its Texas plant will boost North American delivery, while networking shipments surge, though notebook sales face supply pressures. Taipei Times

Sponsor Dedicated Tool for Process Development Advanced plating capability at Uyemura Tech Center: Process Development, UBM, pilot production. ENIG, ENEPIG, EPIG/EPAG, RAIG immersion gold; all substrates. On-site analysis. Uyemura

Inside FAMES: How Europe Depends on RTO Collaboration Europe's FAMES pilot line boosts chip sovereignty via a distributed RTO network, uniting FD-SOI, embedded memory, RF, 3D integration and on-chip power. Open access speeds adoption of low-power, high-performance chips for AI, 5G/6G and automotive. EE Times

Sponsor Sintering Bonding Process During the sintering process, the chip is bonded very well to the substrate by means of silver paste. The silver particles are connected to one another by diffusion processes. Tresky Automation