chipmakers

Dutch chip equipment maker ASML says it is not selling its chipmaking machines in Europe, warning that the region risks falling behind the US, China and India in semiconductors. The remarks are drawing attention to Europe's limited role in advanced chip manufacturing despite hosting ASML itself, and are fueling debate about industrial policy and investment in the region.

Reports indicate China is considering relaxing restrictions on NVIDIA's AI chips, a potential shift in its stance on foreign semiconductors amid the ongoing US-China technology standoff. Any easing would affect Chinese companies seeking high-end AI hardware and could reshape the competitive landscape for global chipmakers.

An ASML executive has said the Dutch chipmaking equipment giant currently sells none of its machines to customers in Europe, despite being headquartered in the Netherlands. The company's lithography systems are instead bought mainly by chipmakers in Asia and the United States, highlighting how little advanced semiconductor manufacturing capacity exists within Europe itself.

The Trump administration is moving to redirect unallocated CHIPS Act funds while relying on tariff threats rather than subsidies to push chipmaking onshore. TSMC retained its $6.6 billion federal grant, but pressure from tariff threats led it to raise its total US investment pledge from $65 billion to more than $165 billion. Commentators note this shifts reshoring costs onto private capital, though tariffs are seen as a far slower route to building semiconductor capacity than direct subsidies.

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has dismissed warnings from Anthropic that artificial intelligence could pose catastrophic risks, saying there is a '0% chance' AI destroys the world by 2030. His comments put him directly at odds with leading AI lab executives pushing for stronger safety precautions. The remarks are drawing attention given Nvidia's central role in supplying the chips powering the AI boom, and critics may see a commercial interest in his optimism.

Investors are watching Dow Jones futures as comments from Donald Trump on Iran add uncertainty to markets at the start of trading. Attention is also on individual stocks, with Micron, SpaceX and Tesla seen as approaching technical buy points. Traders are weighing geopolitical headlines against stock-specific opportunities, with chipmaker Micron and Tesla among the names drawing interest from growth investors tracking market conditions.

A new report says China is planning to allow ByteDance and Alibaba to purchase Nvidia chips, signalling a possible easing of restrictions on US semiconductor access for major Chinese tech firms. China was once one of Nvidia's largest markets before export controls sharply limited such sales, so any reopening would be a significant development for both the chipmaker and Chinese AI companies.

Market chatter is focused on reports that Nvidia's newest AI chips could be permitted to enter the Chinese market. Traders and analysts are weighing what renewed access for the US chipmaker would mean for China's AI buildout, for rivals like Huawei, and for the company's multibillion-dollar data centre business, which has been constrained by US export controls.

AT&S, the Austrian circuit board maker, is drawing attention for its role in producing substrates — the critical layers that connect advanced AI chips to the rest of a system. With demand for AI hardware surging, substrate supply has become a bottleneck, and companies like AT&S are racing to expand capacity to serve chipmakers and data centre builders.

Nvidia has introduced an open-source tool aimed at improving the security of artificial intelligence systems, according to a report carried by Seeking Alpha. The move positions the chipmaker to address growing concerns about vulnerabilities and abuse in AI deployments, and adds to Nvidia's expanding software ecosystem alongside its dominant AI hardware business. Investors and developers are watching how the tool will be adopted across the industry.

SK hynix is considering producing memory chips in the United States, according to the Korea Herald. The South Korean chipmaker, a leading supplier of HBM and DRAM to companies like Nvidia, has so far concentrated manufacturing in Korea and China. A US move would align with Washington's push to bring advanced semiconductor production onshore through incentives and tariffs, though the company has reportedly not made a final decision.

Qualcomm announced two new smartphone chips, strengthening its push into on-device artificial intelligence as competition among chipmakers intensifies. The announcement came alongside the company's earnings update, but investors were unmoved: Qualcomm shares slipped modestly in after-hours trading despite the new product launches. Attention is on how the company's AI-capable silicon will fare against rivals in the premium smartphone market.

Nvidia has announced a set of AI security tools aimed at preventing breaches involving autonomous AI agents. The announcement, covered by Yahoo Finance Canada, positions the chipmaker to address growing concerns that AI agents acting on users' behalf could be exploited or hijacked by attackers.

AMD and Broadcom are drawing divided views from Wall Street analysts over which company is better positioned to win the next phase of the AI chip market. The two semiconductor firms are racing to supply custom and accelerative computing hardware as demand for AI infrastructure surges, and investors are split on which strategy will pay off.

ASML, the Dutch maker of chipmaking equipment, says it sold 'absolutely nothing' in Europe in 2026, pointing out that demand for its machines comes overwhelmingly from Asia. The company is calling on the European Union to help create demand for advanced chip manufacturing within Europe. The remark has drawn attention to Europe's limited role in the semiconductor supply chain despite hosting the company itself.

Huawei has announced plans for two advanced AI chips targeted for 2027, drawing attention to Nvidia stock as investors weigh potential competition in the AI semiconductor market. Traders are watching how the Chinese chipmaker's roadmap could affect demand for Nvidia's processors, which currently dominate AI computing.

Nvidia has announced a dividend increase for 2026, drawing attention to dividend growth stocks across the market. The move is notable given the chipmaker's reputation for reinvesting profits into growth rather than returning cash to shareholders. Analysts are weighing whether the hike signals broader confidence in steady earnings and renewed investor interest in income-focused technology holdings.

China is broadening its approach to extreme ultraviolet lithography by researching alternative EUV light sources instead of only trying to replicate ASML's lithography platform, according to DigiTimes Asia. The move suggests Beijing is pursuing different technical routes to advanced chipmaking as it works around export controls on Western semiconductor equipment.

A report claims Apple's entire 2027 iPhone lineup could ship without Qualcomm modem chips, as the company continues rolling out its own in-house modem, starting with the iPhone SE and extending across the range. However, Apple reportedly cannot fully break away from Qualcomm yet, since it still relies on the chipmaker for certain components, keeping the two tied together for now.

Industry coverage highlights how the AI chip boom is reshaping the semiconductor sector, accelerating transformation across chipmakers and pushing up demand for specialised materials used in advanced fabrication. Analysts note that surging investment in AI hardware is changing supply chains and creating new opportunities for materials suppliers. Observers are weighing how sustainable this demand growth will be as AI development continues at pace.