➀ The Dimensity 9400 becomes the first SoC to surpass 3 million points in AnTuTu benchmarks; ➁ It achieves a score of 3,007,853 on the Vivo X200 Pro, making it 47 percent faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3; ➂ The GPU score sees a significant boost, with the SoC featuring ARM's newest Immortalis-G925 MP12 GPU; ➃ MediaTek's new chip is expected to be mass produced on TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, enhancing its efficiency.

➀ TSMC has developed the 1.6nm (A16) technology, expected to be in production by 2026; ➁ TSMC's A16TM technology will adopt leading nanosheet transistors and innovative backside power rail solutions; ➂ TSMC's 1.6nm technology aims to improve chip density by up to 1.1 times compared to Apple's N2P process; ➃ TSMC is collaborating with Synopsys and ANSYS to advance chip design for AI and multi-mode chips.

➀ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman proposes a $7 trillion plan to build 36 semiconductor factories and data centers; ➁ TSMC executives call the plan 'absurd' and nickname Altman 'podcasting bro'; ➂ OpenAI is exploring a $1 trillion scale investment; ➃ Altman seeks to establish data centers in the US to please the government; ➄ OpenAI is in talks to negotiate $65 billion in financing to support its operations.

➀ Global spending on 300mm fab equipment is expected to reach $400 billion from 2025 to 2027; ➁ The Biden-Harris Administration launched the National Semiconductor Technology Center’s Workforce Center of Excellence with $250 million investment; ➂ TSMC extended partnerships with EDA companies for AI-driven tools and advanced packaging technologies; ➃ Qualcomm is considering making an offer for Intel; ➄ The U.S. government awarded $123 million to Polar Semiconductor for sensor and power semiconductors; ➅ JEDEC published two new CXL standards and MIPI Alliance announced MIPI A-PHY v2.0; ➆ SK hynix started mass producing the first 12-layer, 36GB HBM3E; ➇ Google DeepMind released details on its AI method for designing chip layouts, AlphaChip.

➀ TSMC executives reportedly dismissed OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as a 'podcasting bro'(cn: 嘴炮达人 or 满嘴跑火车); ➁ Altman's proposed investment plans in AI were considered 'absurd' by TSMC; ➂ The scale of the investment would be in trillions of dollars, raising concerns among TSMC execs.

➀ Apple's iPhone 18 in 2026 will use TSMC's 2nm chips; ➁ Some iPhone 18 models might have 3nm chips; ➂ iPhone 17 models will use 3nm chips in 2025.

➀ Intel's decision to outsource chip manufacturing and the delay in its 7nm CPU technology are discussed; ➁ The reasons behind Intel's stagnation in 14nm process technology are analyzed, including the obsession with transistor density and the pursuit of GAA FET manufacturing processes; ➂ The challenges faced by Intel's design department, including excessive ambition and rigid thinking, are highlighted; ➃ The impact of TSMC's involvement and the internal issues within Intel are explored; ➄ The history of Intel's chip manufacturing process is reviewed, highlighting key milestones and setbacks; ➅ The role of the Technology Manufacturing Group (TMG) in Intel's history and its recent restructuring is discussed; ➆ Intel's struggle with the Tick-Tock model and its impact on product development is analyzed; ➇ The internal conflicts and management issues within Intel are examined; ➈ The future prospects for Intel and its potential strategies for recovery are considered.

➀ ByteDance is developing two AI GPUs to be produced on TSMC's 5nm process node; ➁ Expected to enter mass production in 2026; ➂ The move is to reduce reliance on NVIDIA and comply with US export regulations.

➀ ByteDance is developing two AI GPUs with TSMC for mass production by 2026; ➁ The move aims to reduce reliance on Nvidia; ➂ ByteDance has spent over $2 billion on Nvidia GPUs.

➀ Samsung, SK hynix, and TSMC are set to overtake Intel in revenue in Q3 due to strong performance in data centers and AI. ➁ Intel's revenue projection is between $12.5 billion and $13.5 billion, lower than the expected earnings of TSMC and Nvidia. ➂ Nvidia's sales projection is around $32.5 billion, making it the likely leader in semiconductor sales.

➀ Intel has made a strong move after poor Q3 results, repositioning its foundry unit as an independent operation. This is aimed at attracting US rivals like AMD, Nvidia, and Qualcomm. The US Department of Commerce is encouraging this shift, with half of the world's top ten fabless companies based in the US. ➁ Intel's foundry unit is seen as a viable option for US hyperscalers looking for proprietary SOCs. ➂ With Intel's promise of the world's best foundry process next year, there's potential for significant growth.

➀ Intel reportedly lost the PlayStation 6 chip design contract to AMD in 2022; ➁ The contract, valued at around $30 billion, will benefit AMD and TSMC; ➂ Intel's decision to quibble over profit margins may have cost them the deal.

➀ Saxony, Germany, a leading European semiconductor hub, is deepening its ties with Taiwan, as TSMC expands its European footprint. ➁ The strategic partnership aims to position Saxony as a global semiconductor powerhouse, centered in Dresden's 'Silicon Saxony'. ➃ The collaboration extends to electric vehicles (EVs) and robotics.

➀ Taiwan’s foundries and OSATs reported August revenue; ➁ TSMC showed strong YoY growth at 33% with US$7.8 billion in revenue; ➂ TSMC's dominance in advanced technology for AI and smartphone applications contributed to the growth.

➀ Intel's M1 moment with TSMC's manufacturing; ➁ The new Lunar Lake 'Moon Lake' Core Ultra 200V processor series; ➂ Intel's aggressive change in design and architecture; ➃ Performance and efficiency improvements in CPU, GPU, and NPU; ➄ The launch of over 80 models from more than 20 OEM manufacturers; ➅ The challenge to ARM processors and the x86 camp

➀ Intel's ability to catch up with TSMC in process technology is questioned; ➁ Malcolm Penn, CEO of Future Horizons, suggests it could take 10 years to catch up; ➂ Intel's process capability is about a year behind TSMC; ➃ TSMC has been running its 3nm process for a year, while Intel's best process in volume production is Intel 4 at Leixlip.

➀ TSMC's August revenue reached $7.8 billion, a 33% increase year-on-year and a 2.4% decrease month-on-month; ➁ The revenue for January-August 2024 was $55 billion; ➂ The demand for leading-edge processes, especially iPhone chips before the iPhone 16 launch, boosted the revenue, with Apple accounting for a quarter of TSMC's total revenue; ➃ TSMC expects Q3 revenue between $22.4 billion and $23.2 billion.

➀ Intel faces a delay in receiving the CHIPS Act funds promised by the White House in March 2024; ➁ The U.S. government requires Intel to meet certain expectations and pass due diligence checks before releasing the funds; ➂ Intel's recent struggles include a $1.6 billion loss and plans to lay off 15% of its workforce.

➀ TSMC, Vanguard, and Wim Semiconductor join the alliance for wafer processing; ➁ Synopsys as the only EDA company in the alliance; ➂ C SUN, GPTC, and Scientech provide semiconductor manufacturing equipment; ➃ AUTHENX, MediaTek, and Motech focus on chip design; ➄ MPI, WinWay, and FitTech offer probe cards and wafer testing equipment; ➅ BizLink, LUXNET, Artilux, and eLaser produce optoelectronic devices; ➆ APAC Opto, Centera, FOXCONN, and PCL manufacture optical modules; ➇ Quanta Computer is the only system manufacturer.

➀ TSMC's presence in Taiwan's semiconductor industry is a key indicator of the real estate market's performance; ➁ Over the past five years, the ten places with the largest real estate price increases in Taiwan are all related to TSMC; ➂ Seven of them are near the Hsinchu Science Park, Southern Taiwan Science Park, and Central Taiwan Science Park; ➃ The price of houses in Zhubei City, Hsinchu County, which has a TSMC wafer factory, has increased by 118% in five years, propelling the city from a 'third-tier' to a 'new first-tier' city; ➄ The real estate prices in Taipei and New Taipei have lagged far behind, much lower than the island's average; ➅ TSMC's stock price has increased by over 500% since 2019, with a market value close to 90 billion USD, nearly equal to the combined market value of Tencent, Alibaba, Meituan, NetEase, JD.com, and Baidu; ➆ TSMC's revenue last year was 69 billion USD, almost 10% of Taiwan's GDP; ➇ Bloomberg predicts that with the introduction of a large number of EUV photolithography machines, TSMC's electricity consumption will reach 12.5% of Taiwan's total by 2025.