Market Insights and Trends

 

2025 Q2 Global Semiconductor Top 20 Ranking

According to the latest data from WSTS, the global semiconductor market reached $180 billion in Q2 2025, showing a 7.8% quarter-over-quarter increase and a substantial 19.6% year-over-year growth. This marks the sixth consecutive quarter with YoY growth exceeding 18%. In the newly released global semiconductor company revenue rankings, NVIDIA maintained its lead with $45 billion in quarterly revenue, followed by memory chip giants Samsung and SK Hynix in second and third place, respectively. Broadcom ranked fourth, while former leader Intel dropped to fifth position.

 

The semiconductor industry demonstrated broad-based growth this quarter, with a weighted average increase of 7%. Memory chip manufacturers stood out particularly, with SK Hynix leading at 26% QoQ growth, followed by Micron and Samsung with 16% and 11% growth, respectively. In the non-memory sector, Microchip, ST, and TI led with growth rates of 11%, 10%, and 9.3%, respectively. Looking ahead to Q3, memory chip makers remain optimistic, with Micron and Kioxia forecasting revenue growth of 20% and 30%, respectively, driven primarily by demand for AI applications.

 

Industry analysis indicates that artificial intelligence remains the strongest growth driver, though performance varies across segments. While some companies continue to see growth in automotive sectors, others face weakness in this area. MediaTek is the only top 20 company expecting a revenue decline next quarter, mainly due to sluggish mobile market demand. Despite heightened global trade uncertainties—particularly the looming possibility of 100% U.S. tariffs on Chinese semiconductor products—WSTS has raised its full-year 2025 growth forecast from 7% to 13% based on strong first-half performance. The tariff threat has already significantly impacted the U.S. smartphone market, with Q2 imports plunging 47%, including an 85% drop in Chinese-made devices.

 

 

TI Implements Historic Price Hike: 60,000 Chip Models Affected with 30%+ Increases for 40% Products 

Texas Instruments' latest price adjustment data reveals that this move affects over 60,000 product models, marking the largest price revision in the company's history. Industrial control and automotive electronic chips account for 70% of the affected products, while consumer electronics make up 20%, with enterprise systems and communication equipment comprising 5% and 4%, respectively. The price adjustments vary significantly, with basic models generally seeing increases of 10-25%, while more than 24,000 product models (over 40% of the total) experience hikes exceeding 30%.  

 

This price adjustment coincides with Texas Instruments' Q2 2025 financial report, which shows quarterly revenue of $4.45 billion (a 16% year-over-year increase), with the Chinese market contributing an exceptional 32% of this growth. CFO Ilan noted that this surge stems from customers stockpiling inventory in anticipation of tariff policies, with Q3 revenue expected to settle at a median level of $4.625 billion. The scale of this price adjustment is 20 times larger than the 3,000 models affected in June, covering nearly all product lines, particularly placing significant cost pressure on the automotive electronics and industrial automation sectors. Market analysts believe this move reflects Texas Instruments' strategic shift from a 2023 price-war approach to a profit-driven strategy, accelerating product iteration through differentiated pricing for old and new models (old models +30% vs. new models +10-15%).

 

 

 

DDR4 Memory Prices Set to Soar 90% in Q3 Amid Unprecedented Supply Crunch

The DDR4 memory market is facing unprecedented supply constraints in the second half of 2025, with prices continuing their steep upward trajectory, according to the latest research from TrendForce. The analyst firm predicts consumer-grade DDR4 contract prices will surge 85%-90% quarter-over-quarter in Q3 - a historic high - as server market demand squeezes already tight supplies for PC and consumer electronics makers.

A rare price inversion has emerged, with July's PC DDR4 8GB module prices surpassing equivalent DDR5 products. This anomaly is forcing PC OEMs to accelerate DDR5 adoption while cutting DDR4 production. TrendForce notes DDR4 has entered a "high-price, low-volume" phase in PCs and will gradually phase out of new models. Meanwhile, cloud service providers are placing urgent DDR4 orders for AI and data processing needs, with all three major DRAM suppliers prioritizing server clients.

The consumer electronics sector faces even worse shortages. Industrial controls, networking equipment, and TVs - all heavily DDR4-dependent - rank lowest in supply priority. July's consumer DDR4 contracts already jumped 60%-85%, prompting TrendForce to significantly raise Q3 forecasts. The mobile DRAM market is equally volatile, with LPDDR4X prices expected to spike 38%-43% as mid-to-low-end smartphone makers panic-buy ahead of planned 2025-26 production cuts by U.S. and Korean suppliers.

In contrast, advanced-node LPDDR5X remains relatively available, powering premium smartphones, laptops and AI servers. With current contract prices lower, suppliers aim to lift LPDDR5X prices by 10%-15% in Q3 to balance margins. Observers expect this memory market turbulence to persist until DDR5 achieves significant server market penetration by 2026, when DDR4 demand pressure should ease.

 

 

Samsung Delays DDR4 Production Phase-Out to 2026

In response to shifting market supply-demand dynamics and slower-than-expected HBM production ramp-up, Samsung Electronics recently decided to postpone the shutdown of its DDR4 1z DRAM production line from the originally planned end of 2025 to December 2026. This strategic adjustment stems from multiple factors: the current surge in DDR4 prices, stable demand from industrial sectors, and delays in the company's capacity expansion for high-value-added HBM products.  

According to industry sources, Samsung has begun notifying customers of this production plan change. While competitors SK Hynix and Micron are accelerating their transition to HBM production, Samsung's decision to retain its mature 1z production line allows it to leverage fully depreciated equipment for cost-effective manufacturing and higher profitability, while also addressing persistent demand for DDR4 in industrial motherboards, communication equipment, and other applications. Delays in customer certification and mass production progress for Samsung's HBM products have further prompted the company to adopt a more flexible capacity allocation strategy.

 

Micron Halts Mobile NAND Development Amid Weak Demand

Micron Technology announced that due to weak performance in the mobile NAND market, it will discontinue future mobile NAND development globally, including terminating UFS5 R&D. However, the company will continue to support its SSD, automotive storage, and mobile DRAM businesses.  

In Q3 FY2025 (March-May), Micron's revenue reached $9.3 billion, a 37% year-on-year increase. DRAM business contributed 76% ($7.071 billion), with HBM revenue growing nearly 50% quarter-on-quarter. NAND business revenue reached $2.155 billion, up 16.2% quarter-on-quarter.  

 

Amid market supply-demand adjustments, DDR4 spot prices have surged due to production cuts by original manufacturers. TrendForce predicts continued DDR4 shortages in the second half of the year, with LPDDR4X contract prices seeing their largest single-quarter increase in a decade. Meanwhile, AI demand is driving a surge in enterprise SSD orders, with Q3 contract prices expected to rise 5%-10%.

 

 

SK Hynix Ends Samsung's 26-Year DRAM Reign with AI-Driven 36.3% Market Share

Samsung Electronics has lost its position as the world's top DRAM manufacturer for the first time since 1999, with its global market share dropping by 8.8 percentage points over the past six months. SK Hynix, capitalizing on growing demand for AI memory chips and an exclusive supply agreement with NVIDIA, achieved a 36.3% market share in the first half of this year, surpassing Samsung for the first time in 33 years. 

SK Hynix's rise was primarily driven by strong performance in the U.S. market, with its American subsidiary reporting first-half sales of 24.7 trillion won (approximately $17.79 billion), a 103% increase from 12.2 trillion won during the same period last year. Since beginning deliveries of HBM3E to NVIDIA in March 2024, SK Hynix has remained the chipmaker's largest supplier, with HBM products accounting for 54% of its DRAM operating profit in the first quarter.  

Samsung has fallen behind SK Hynix and Micron in NVIDIA's HBM supply chain. Its 12-layer HBM3E product faced delivery delays due to failure to meet NVIDIA's stricter thermal standards, poor NVLink connection signal quality, and low yield rates. Currently, Samsung plans to shift to full-scale HBM3E shipments to Broadcom in the second half of the year, expected to fulfill over 50% of the latter's HBM3E demand.  

Samsung stated it will reclaim market share through a diversified DRAM product portfolio, focusing on promoting HBM, high-capacity DDR5, and server-grade LPDDR5x in the second half of the year to actively address the growing trend of high-capacity AI servers.

 

 

 

AMD Q2 Revenue Jumps 32% on Strong Ryzen Demand, But Data Center Sales Dip on China Export Curb

AMD reported its Q2 2025 financial results, with total revenue reaching $7.685 billion, a 32% year-on-year increase. The client business performed notably, achieving a record $2.5 billion in revenue (up 67% YoY), driven by strong demand for Zen 5 Ryzen processors. The gaming division also saw a 73% YoY growth, reaching $1.1 billion.  

However, data center revenue declined 12% quarter-on-quarter to $3.2 billion, primarily due to export restrictions on Instinct MI308 chips to China. The embedded segment revenue fell 4% YoY to $824 million. AMD projected Q3 revenue to reach $8.4-9 billion, representing 28% YoY growth, though the current outlook does not include sales of MI308 chips to China.  

CEO Lisa Su stated that the company has begun early mass production of the next-generation MI350 AI chips, with seven of the top ten AI companies already adopting Instinct series processors. She expects AI-related revenue to resume growth in Q3.

 

 

 

NVIDIA Halts H20 Production, Readies New B30A Samples for China

NVIDIA has reportedly ceased production of its H20 chip, specifically designed for the Chinese market, due to concerns raised by Chinese authorities over security risks, export conditions imposed by the US government, and intensified local competition. While NVIDIA obtained export licenses to China after agreeing to surrender 15% of its sales revenue to the US government, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) held talks with the company regarding potential "backdoor risks" in its chips, leading many government-backed enterprises to suspend procurement.

Additionally, the H20 chip faces growing competition from domestic AI chips in China, and its profitability has been undermined by the US government's revenue-sharing requirement.

 

NVIDIA is shifting its focus to developing new customized chips for the Chinese market. According to reports, the Blackwell architecture-based B30A chip will feature a single-chip design, with raw computing performance approximately half that of the flagship B300 dual-chip configuration, while equipped with high-bandwidth memory and NVLink technology. NVIDIA aims to provide B30A samples to Chinese customers for testing as early as next month.

 

Simultaneously, the company has prepared the RTX6000D chip for AI inference, featuring a memory bandwidth of 1,398 GB/s—slightly below the U.S.-imposed 1.4TB/s limit. The chip is expected to be delivered in small batches in September, priced lower than the H20.

 

 

TrendForce Predicts 20% Growth for Data Center Chips Amid Broader Market Slowdown

According to the latest report from TrendForce, the global electronics industry in 2025 shows a polarized trend. While AI server shipments are expected to grow over 20% year-on-year driven by data center demand, end products such as smartphones, laptops, wearables, and TVs are facing growth stagnation due to high inflation, lack of innovation, and geopolitical tensions. Among them, smartphone and laptop shipments are projected to increase only marginally by 1-2%, TV shipments may decline by 1.1% year-on-year, and the wearable device market could contract by 2.8%.  

The report highlights a significant early inventory buildup in the electronics supply chain for 2025, with products like servers, tablets, and laptops seeing first-half shipment shares rise to 50%. However, the second half of the year may face order contraction and inventory pressure. While cloud AI demand remains strong, edge AI applications still lack killer features, leading to weak momentum in end markets. Looking ahead to 2026, most consumer electronics shipments are expected to remain flat or see minimal growth of around 1%, and AI server growth rates will also slow. The electronics industry is officially entering a low-growth adjustment phase, awaiting technological breakthroughs or innovative applications to reignite the growth cycle.

 

 

 

Manufacturer Updates

ST

Persistently Weak Market Demand

ST continues to face weak market demand, primarily due to sluggish performance in the automotive and industrial sectors. Among its product portfolio, MCUs led by the STM32F and STM32H7 series have maintained relatively stable demand. The consumer electronics business has seen growth in power management chip orders, driven by wearables and high-end smartphones. Additionally, ST is steadily advancing its plan to upgrade its 6-inch to 8-inch SiC production lines, which is expected to increase capacity and reduce costs by 15–20%.

 

 

Renesas

Proactively Competing in the GaN Market

Renesas is driving GaN into high-power applications through its Gen IV Plus products, which are expected to gradually replace traditional silicon-based IGBTs and silicon carbide (SiC) components in scenarios such as data centers and EV charging. To strengthen its market position, Renesas plans to launch low-voltage enhanced-mode (E-mode) GaN products suitable for 65V to 150V by the end of 2025. It is also actively advancing the upgrade of its GaN wafer production lines from 6-inch to 8-inch to reduce costs and enhance competitiveness.

 

 

TI

Q3 Demand Expected to Normalize

TI's growth in the second quarter was largely driven by customers placing orders early, but demand is expected to gradually normalize in the third quarter. Signs of recovery have emerged in the industrial and communication sectors, while the automotive market remains weak. In the short term, some products, including the TCAN series (automotive communication chips), TPS5, LDOs, and isolators, continue to face delivery delays or tight inventory, with lead times for certain models extending up to 20 weeks.

 

 

ADI

Overall Weak Market Demand

Recently, customer demand for ADI chips has been generally low, showing a significant decline compared to the previous month. Despite the sluggish market, spot prices for certain popular models such as the LTM4644 remain high. Currently, order lead times continue to extend, generally maintained at 16-20 weeks.

 

 

Broadcom

Generally Stable Prices

Broadcom's product prices remain largely stable, with AI chips and networking equipment becoming the core growth drivers. As Samsung failed to enter NVIDIA's HBM supply chain, it has shifted to significantly increasing its supply to Broadcom. Samsung is expected to begin shipping HBM3E in the second half of 2025, potentially accounting for over 50% of Broadcom's total HBM supply. This collaboration will help Broadcom further solidify its advantage in AI servers and custom chips, especially amid rapidly growing demand for high-bandwidth memory. Market demand remains concentrated on networking, communication, and AI data center-related models, including the BCM57508, BCM56870A0KFSBG, as well as the SS24-0B00-02 and SS26-0B00-02.

 

 

Microchip

Persistently Weak Market Demand

Market demand remains low this month, with customers generally showing low acceptance of current prices for the VSC series of network communication chips. In terms of lead times, the fastest delivery for 8-bit and 16-bit MCU general materials has shortened to 4 weeks, while Ethernet and USB products require 6-12 weeks, and FPGA products take 8-32 weeks. The company stated that it significantly reduced inventory in the first half of the year, while its sales rate is gradually recovering.

 

 

onsemi

Q2 Revenue Declines YoY but Exceeds Market Expectations

onsemi's Q2 revenue reached $1.4687 billion, a 15% year-over-year decrease but slightly above market expectations of $1.45 billion. In the short term, onsemi faces pressure from weak demand in the electric vehicle market and inventory adjustments, but its silicon carbide (SiC) business and growing demand from AI data centers provide support for its performance. Currently, spot market shortages remain concentrated in PMICs (power management integrated circuits).

 

 

Infineon

Completes Acquisition of Marvell's Automotive Ethernet Business

Infineon has completed the acquisition of Marvell's automotive Ethernet business for $2.5 billion. This acquisition is expected to strengthen Infineon's system capabilities in the software-defined vehicle (SDV) domain and consolidate its leading position in the automotive MCU market. During the integration period, lead times for automotive Ethernet chips may extend. Meanwhile, supply contraction in the consumer electronics sector is expected to drive a general increase in chip prices in Q3. Customers are advised to adopt a tiered inventory strategy to ensure stable supply.

 

 

NXP

Rebound in Automotive and Industrial Chip Demand

Demand for automotive and industrial control chips has shown signs of recovery, benefiting NXP's business. Based on August market conditions, NXP's general models have sufficient inventory with limited price fluctuations, but high-end automotive-grade chips such as the S32K and S32G remain in short supply.

 

 

Xilinx

Rebound in Low-End FPGA Market Demand

Recently, driven by growing demand for embedded devices and IoT terminals, activity in the mid- to low-end FPGA market has significantly increased. These devices require flexible control capabilities but do not demand high computational performance. Coupled with the high cost and long lead times of high-end chips, an increasing number of companies are turning to low- or mid-end FPGA solutions.

 

 

 

Spot Market Insights

Memory

eMMC

• Samsung: Prices showed a slight decline, but as 8GB capacity products were sold in bulk in the market, prices quickly rebounded.  
• Kioxia/Sandisk: Inventory levels remain tight, and supply shortages are keeping prices high.  
• Winbond NAND Flash: Supply continues to be scarce, with official prices raised again and lead times further extended to 6-8 weeks.  
• MXIC: Quotations remain relatively stable, but lead times have significantly lengthened, now reaching 6-8 weeks.

 

 

DDR4

• Divergent trends among brands: Hynix 16GB prices rose, while Samsung and Micron saw slight price declines.  
• Micron: Industrial-grade products are arriving in very limited quantities, and shortages are expected to persist until the end of the year. 
• Nanya: 8GB demand remains strong, while 32GB supply is constrained by low inventory levels, keeping prices high for both.  
• Strong demand for DDR4 8GB in end markets continues to drive steady price increases.  
• Industrial-grade DDR4 4G/8G/16G is facing shortages across the board, primarily due to limited supply from original manufacturers and continuously expanding market demand.

 

 

LPDDR

• Overall market: Supply shortages from original manufacturers persist, keeping prices firm.  
• LPDDR4: Market prices show signs of slight softening.  
• LPDDR5: Supply remains extremely tight, and inventory shortages are not expected to ease until November at the earliest.

 

 

Server DDR4&DDR5

• DDR4 RDIMM: Driven by strong demand, prices show a significant upward trend.  
• DDR5 RDIMM: Demand is growing steadily, with prices rising slightly.  
• Overall, supported by data center demand, prices remain high.

 

 

Module

• DDR4 3200: Market demand remains robust, but limited spot inventory continues to push prices higher for 32GB and 64GB modules.

 

 

 

Storage

SSD

• Overall price trends have stabilized, with some large-capacity models experiencing price adjustments. Average lead times remain around 1 week.

 

 

HDD

• Small-capacity models (1T/2T/4T): Facing severe supply shortages, with significant stock-outs.  
• Large-capacity models: Although inventory exists, prices are also rising due to overall market momentum.

 

 

 

CPU

Mobile CPU

• Shortage models: N97, N5105, and N150 are in tight supply.  
• In-stock models: N100 and N95, though available, continue to see price increases due to demand. 
• N-series supply is expected to remain tight in Q4, driving further price hikes. 

 

 

PC CPU

• N-series supply is expected to remain tight in Q4, driving further price hikes. 

 

 

Server CPU

• Market demand remains focused on 3rd and 4th generation product lines.  
• Specific models (e.g. 6336Y) are experiencing exceptionally strong market conditions due to concentrated application demand.

 

 

 

GPU