➀ Companies like TSMC threaten to forgo U.S. Chips Act grants (e.g., TSMC’s $6.6 million subsidy) if required to grant equity to the government, unlike Intel, which accepted the terms in exchange for funding;

➁ The U.S. government acquired 433.3 million Intel shares (9.9% stake) at $20.47 per share, with no board rights but voting alignment, plus a warrant for 5% more shares if Intel’s foundry ownership drops below 51%;

➂ Analysts warn Intel’s deal risks shareholder dilution (10%) and pressure to deliver projects like the Ohio fab, reflecting broader industry resistance to equity-for-subsidy clauses.

➀ Intel's monopolistic mindset and dismissal of fabless models led to complacency, allowing TSMC and competitors to surpass its manufacturing dominance;

➁ Critical failures in 10nm/7nm process transitions, product delays, and strategic exits from mobile/GPU markets eroded Intel’s technological leadership;

➂ Despite recent government backing and leadership changes, Intel must regain trust through innovation and collaboration with fabless partners.

➀ NVIDIA reveals its Quantum-X and Spectrum-X silicon photonics platforms with co-packaged optics (CPO) for AI GPU interconnect, aiming for 2026 deployment;

➁ Collaborating with TSMC's 3-stage COUPE roadmap, NVIDIA achieves up to 12.8 Tb/s bandwidth and 85% power reduction via CPO integration;

➂ CPO eliminates 30W traditional optical modules, enabling liquid-cooled 800 Gb/s switches for multi-rack AI clusters with 10x reliability improvements.

➀ NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and TSMC CEO C.C. Wei shared a lighthearted exchange about billionaire status and wafer pricing during dinner meetings in Taipei;

➁ Discussions reportedly revolve around China-specific B30 Blackwell AI chips, with Nvidia seeking TSMC's production support amid export restrictions;

➂ Huang confirmed collaborating with TSMC on six revolutionary chips including Rubin-architecture photonics processors, emphasizing the foundry's critical role in NVIDIA's roadmap.

➀ TSMC reported July 2025 revenues of $10.9 billion, marking a 25.8% year-on-year increase and 22.5% month-on-month growth;

➁ Cumulative January-July revenue reached $70.1 billion, up 37.6% YoY, with full-year growth projected at 30%;

➂ The company maintained strong margins at 58.6% gross margin and 49.6% operating margin, signaling robust profitability.

➀ Former Intel board members propose splitting Intel into separate design and manufacturing entities to create a TSMC alternative, emphasizing competition in the semiconductor foundry market;

➁ The author opposes the split, citing the critical integration between chip design and manufacturing, and highlights AMD's success through close collaboration with TSMC;

➂ Maintaining U.S. leadership in advanced semiconductor manufacturing is deemed vital for national security and global competitiveness, requiring collaboration between government and industry.

➀ Intel's interim CEO Lip-Bu Tan advocates abandoning solitary IDM model, shifting to a collaborative foundry approach inspired by TSMC;

➁ Samsung secures $16.5B Tesla chip deal through geographic advantages, while Intel faces urgency to secure hero customers for 14A process within 18 months;

➂ Semiconductor industry calls for cross-sector collaboration involving politicians, tech giants and capital to maintain US leadership in advanced manufacturing.

➀ President Trump imposed 100% tariffs on foreign-made semiconductors to boost U.S. chip production;

➁ TSMC's Arizona fab (already sold out until 2027) and Samsung's Texas plant face challenges amid investments under the CHIPS Act;

➂ Concerns rise over supply shortages and consumer inflation due to tariff impacts across industries.

➀ TSMC dismissed two current employees and one former employee suspected of colluding to illegally obtain trade secrets related to its 2nm semiconductor manufacturing process;

➁ The company proactively detected unauthorized file access, initiated internal investigations, and filed legal actions under Taiwan’s National Security Act;

➂ Prosecutors approved detention requests, emphasizing the case’s severity as a breach of national core technology security.

➀ Two former TSMC engineers face charges under Taiwan’s National Security Act for attempting to leak 2nm chip technology to rivals, marking the first case under the 2022 law;

➀ The suspects allegedly stole proprietary semiconductor IP linked to national security, triggering an investigation involving Japanese chip toolmaker Tokyo Electron;

➂ TSMC dominates global advanced chip production, producing 90% of cutting-edge chips, while China’s SMIC and Huawei lag at 7nm, intensifying geopolitical tensions over tech sovereignty.

➀ TSMC detected suspicious activities on August 5, 2025, potentially involving leaks of 2nm process trade secrets through routine monitoring systems;

➁ The company initiated internal investigations and legal measures after identifying unauthorized access to proprietary data;

➂ TSMC terminated employees linked to the incident, reinforcing its commitment to intellectual property protection amid advanced semiconductor development.