Semiconductor industry news, chip shortage updates, manufacturing developments, TSMC and Intel announcements, and analysis of the global chip market.
The Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.40% on Friday, July 17, 2026, as a selloff in semiconductor shares broadened. The S&P 500 fell 1.01% and the Dow declined 0.77%. Intuitive Surgical posted the biggest loss among U.S. stocks.
Two South Korean semiconductor projects account for 54% of the $1.20tn total investment in the world's largest industrial construction projects. The Yongin Semiconductor Industrial Cluster ($408bn) and the Yongin Semiconductor National High-Tech Industrial Complex ($247.09bn) top the list. Fifteen semiconductor projects globally represent $1.07tn (89%) of the total value.
TSMC CEO C.C. Wei announced that the A14 (1.4nm-class) process has reached close to 90% device performance and 90% 256Mb SRAM yield, showing rapid progress. The process is expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2028, with strong interest from AI/HPC and smartphone customers.
The PHLX Semiconductor Index closed in a bear market on Friday, finishing more than 20% below its June peak. Meanwhile, Apple touched a record intraday high of $334.98, reclaiming its title as the world's most valuable company at about $4.9 trillion.
Etched, a San Jose-based AI chip startup, is negotiating a funding round that would quadruple its valuation to about $20 billion, led by existing investor Jane Street. The company is also raising capital at a $10 billion valuation in a separate round led by Sequoia Capital. The deals have not closed and terms could change.
U.S. stock futures fell on Friday, with Nasdaq 100 futures down 2.2% and S&P 500 futures down 1%, as a selloff in semiconductor stocks deepened. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) fell into a bear market, dropping 4.8% and bringing its drawdown from a late June record high to over 20%.
Semiconductor stocks pared losses on Friday as investors bought the dip, with AMD, Broadcom, Intel, and Marvell turning positive in afternoon trading. However, Applied Materials and Lam Research each declined more than 3%.
Chinese chip start-up Biren Technology introduced next-generation 'supernode' solutions using near-packaged optics to link up to 1,024 processor cards across a cluster. The technology integrates optical fibres closer to chips for higher data speeds, aiming to scale AI computing power.
Powertech Technology Inc. plans to form a joint venture in Singapore with Broadcom Inc. to develop advanced panel level IC assembly technology. The Taiwan-based firm's board approved a US$400 million investment in the project, pending regulatory approvals.
JPMorgan strategist Fabio Bassi said the chip selloff is just a temporary wobble and not the end of the AI-led market boom. Chip makers including Intel, Micron and Sandisk are selling off premarket and on track for double-digit weekly losses, while large tech names in Asia have also cratered.