Foundry

TSMC is reported to be preparing wafer price increases for 2027, driven by rising production costs and strong demand for its advanced 2-nanometer process technology. The news has prompted discussion that some clients may explore Samsung's foundry services as an alternative supplier for next-generation chips.

Japanese chip venture Rapidus has formed a partnership with 17 companies to build a customer base for its planned 2-nanometer semiconductors. The alliance, reported by The Next Web, is aimed at securing orders as Rapidus races to mass-produce advanced chips and challenge leaders like TSMC and Samsung in the cutting-edge foundry market.

Taiwanese IC design companies say they expect to pass along price increases from upstream foundries and semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) providers to their customers through 2027, according to DigiTimes Asia. The move means rising costs in chip manufacturing and packaging will be borne downstream by device makers and end buyers rather than absorbed by designers.

TSMC is in early-stage talks with Elon Musk about a potential role in his planned Texas Terafab semiconductor foundry, according to a Times of Oman report. The discussions are still preliminary, and no agreement has been announced. The prospect of the world's largest chipmaker working with Musk's manufacturing project is drawing wide attention in the semiconductor industry.

Digital Foundry has published a technical feature explaining how Gears of War: E-Day addresses the Xbox Series S's memory constraints by streaming assets directly from the console's SSD. The piece details how the Coalition leans on fast storage to reduce RAM pressure, and gamers and developers are sharing the analysis as an example of clever engineering for the less powerful console.

Rapidus, the Japanese government-backed chipmaker backed by roughly $15 billion in public funding, is searching for customers as it works to begin mass production of advanced 2-nanometer chips. The company is racing to catch up with leaders like TSMC and Samsung, and securing committed clients is seen as essential to proving its ambitious foundry strategy can succeed.

Robotics company Figure says it has trained its humanoid robots to jump into molten steel, a stunt highlighting the durability and control of its machines in extreme industrial environments. The demonstration, reported by Industrial Equipment News, is drawing attention to how far humanoid robots have progressed in handling conditions too dangerous for humans, including foundry and steel mill settings.

AMD chief executive Lisa Su has called on rival chipmakers to share manufacturing capacity in Taiwan as demand for semiconductors surges. The appeal highlights growing strain on Taiwan's foundries, which produce chips for AMD and many of its competitors, and underscores how tight supply has become across the industry amid booming AI and computing demand.

Japanese chipmaker Rapidus has announced partnerships with 17 companies aimed at securing customers for its planned 2-nanometer chip production. The move is part of Rapidus's effort to build a customer base ahead of its targeted start of advanced semiconductor manufacturing, positioning the startup as a challenger to leading foundries in the race for next-generation chip technology.

A comparison of Nvidia and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing asks which is the better technology stock to buy heading into 2026. Both companies sit at the center of the AI chip boom, with Nvidia designing leading processors and TSMC manufacturing them. Investors are weighing Nvidia's rapid growth against TSMC's broader foundry business, valuation levels, and exposure to surging demand for artificial intelligence hardware.

SpaceX is reportedly in talks with TSMC to build Terafab, a new semiconductor foundry, according to a Yahoo Finance report. If confirmed, the deal would mark a major move by Elon Musk's space company into chip manufacturing, a sector currently dominated by TSMC. Details on timing, investment size and location have not been disclosed.