Scott Casper

#NAND Flash Wafer Supply Tightens Further, Some Products See Over 60% Contract Price Hikes in November TrendForce Corp.'s latest research shows that demand for #NAND Flash stayed strong in November 2025, fueled by #AI applications and solid #enterprise #SSD orders. Meanwhile, suppliers continued to focus on capacity for high-margin enterprise and premium products, while old-node capacity was quickly phased out. This led to a further tightening of wafer supply, causing November contract prices for mainstream wafers to rise sharply. Monthly average price increases varied from 20% to over 60% across all product categories, with the surge quickly expanding to all density segments. A detailed analysis of November's pricing trends reveals that 1 Tb TLC experienced the most significant shortage due to persistent enterprise SSD demand, causing a sharp increase in average prices. The 512 Gb TLC, affected by the faster phase-out of legacy nodes and sustained market demand, saw the largest price hike among all TLC products, rising over 65% MoM. Additionally, the 256 Gb TLC continued to see substantial price growth as supply shortages re-emerged after further legacy-node shutdowns. The QLC supply chain became much tighter thanks to strong demand for high-capacity enterprise products and increasing shipments for cold-storage applications, with 1 Tb QLC experiencing significant price hikes in November. MLC products also continued to see rising ASPs, supported by steady demand in industrial control and consumer markets. TrendForce reports that suppliers currently have significant pricing power, and wafer-level supply shortages are unlikely to improve soon. Consequently, contract prices are projected to keep rising in December. Personal addition 🤓: Let's make it short. From SLC over MLC to 3D TLC everything is extremely short. Prices are skyrocketing with a monthly increase of even 60% (we also got these increases from some suppliers), if prices are not halted. Same on DDR3 to DDR5.....the market is trying to through some demands out by simply getting to expensive. In school I thought these market dynamics are stupid theories and that prices are calculated by production cost + margin. Nope. Demand and offer is they key. If parties are willing to pay these prices (no matter if they must, due to binding contracts), then they will further go up. The increases are too fast, that it is pretty obvious that we see an overturn of prices, but who knows, when the top is reached... If you need assistance contact us via info@altec-cs.com. We do our utmost to bring customers through that phase, which is much worse than the worst allocation I have ever witnessed. And we thought the COVID supply chain crash was it.... #embedded #embeddedsystems #IIOT #industry40 #storage #electronics altec ComputerSysteme GmbH #semiconductor #technology #DRAM

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🇺🇸 Amkor Expands Arizona Semiconductor Operations to $7 Billion Amkor Technology, Inc. Technology has broken ground on its new advanced semiconductor packaging and test campus in Arizona, expanding its total planned investment to USD 7 billion. The project marks the first high-volume outsourced semiconductor advanced packaging facility in the United States. The expansion adds over $5 billion to the initial plan, bringing the total to two construction phases that will include 750,000+ square feet of cleanroom space and employ up to 3,000 workers. Phase one is expected to finish by mid-2027, with production slated for early 2028. Supported by the CHIPS for America initiative and the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit, the Arizona campus will serve key customers including Apple and Nvidia, complementing nearby TSMC wafer fabs. According to CEO Giel Rutten, the project is “a bold step in Amkor’s long-term strategy for growth and innovation.” The facilities will integrate smart factory technologies and scalable production lines to meet surging demand across AI, high-performance computing, mobile, and automotive sectors. Amkor’s expansion reinforces Arizona’s position as a fast-growing hub for advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Thanks to Evertiq - Global for providing the full article with additional background, charts, and insights at the link below. 👇 https://lnkd.in/gNMv4imB #ChipDesign,#SemiconductorManufacturing, #VLSI, #Lithography, #ICPackaging

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California's RF/millimeter-wave startup, Movandi, has secured $40 million in funding to Accelerate Global 5G, Satellite, and Fixed Wireless Access Deployment. The round was led by a $20 million investment from ITHCA Group, the sovereign-backed technology investment firm driving innovation across the Middle East. Movandi’s RF chipsets, beamforming silicon, phased array antennas, and repeater systems have already transformed mmWave economics and performance. The company is leveraging these technologies to enable affordable FWA using 5G and Wi-Fi, non-terrestrial satellite communications, and advanced RF systems for high-throughput terrestrial and satellite networks. What do you think of Movandi's latest funding? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ❓ Are you an RF engineer looking for your next opportunity? I'm offering 1:1 RF Job Search Consultations — focused on resume review, company targeting, and interview preparation. ✅ Book your session: https://lnkd.in/giENppTW 💡 Limited slots available — first come, first served.   

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AEHR Receives Orders for Sonoma PPBI Systems: FREMONT, CA — Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ: AEHR), a worldwide supplier of semiconductor test and burn-in solutions, today announced that during its fiscal third quarter to date it has received orders from multiple customers totaling more than $5.5 million for its Sonoma™ ultra-high-power packaged-part burn-in (PPBI) systems. These orders are from a premier global Bay Area lab and leading-edge artificial intelligence (AI) companies for multiple next-generation Sonoma systems designed to support next-generation CPUs, GPUs, and high-performance networking processors used in AI, data center, and communications applications where each device can reach up to 2000W. Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems, commented, “Orders for Sonoma systems received in the third quarter to date have already exceeded total Sonoma orders for the entire second quarter, highlighting the accelerating demand we are seeing for our package-level burn-in of high-powered AI and compute devices. These include initial orders from a premier Silicon Valley test services lab for our newly introduced next-generation fully automated Sonoma platform, expanding their installed base of Aehr systems. “We are particularly excited about the introduction of the fully automated Sonoma configuration. It extends the Sonoma family while maintaining full compatibility with the large installed base of Sonoma systems at test houses and OSATs worldwide, providing customers with a seamless path from device qualification to volume production.” Seamless Transition from Qualification to Production A key advantage of Aehr’s next-generation Sonoma platform is that customers can move from engineering qualification to production burn-in without changing hardware, software, test programs, or burn-in modules. The same Sonoma system used for qualification can be paired with Aehr’s Automated Loader/Unloader (ALU) to enable fully automated, high-volume production burn-in. “This continuity eliminates requalification risk and reduces time to production,” Erickson added. “Customers adopting Sonoma for qualification are effectively laying the foundation for scalable production burn-in on the same platform.” Systems scheduled for delivery by the end of Aehr’s current fiscal year will be fully compatible with the ALU, allowing customers to optimize throughput and manufacturing efficiency as they scale. Fully Automated, Continuous-Flow Burn-In The new fully automated Sonoma delivers hands-free operation in production environments, supporting standard JEDEC tray handling and compatibility with automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for continuous, lights-out material flow. Devices are automatically picked and placed into precision test sockets, each with independent active thermal control. The automated Sonoma is designed for continuous-flow operation, enabling devices to begin… http://dlvr.it/TQLwfN

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Memory Prices Soar by 50% in Q4, Rally to Continue in 2026 The #memory market has entered a "Hyper-Bull" phase, with current conditions eclipsing the historic 2018 peak. Supplier leverage is at an all-time high, driven by an insatiable demand for #AI and #server capacity. Memory prices are expected to surge 40%-50% in Q4 2025 and further increases of 40%-50% are expected in Q1 2026 and around 20% in Q2 2026. 64GB RDIMM prices, which jumped from $255 in Q3 2025 to $450 in Q4 2025, are targeted to reach $700 by March 2026. The $1,000 Milestone: It would not be surprising if prices climbed to $1,000 this year, reaching $1.95 per Gb, which is almost double its 2018 high of $1.00 per Gb. Thanks again to Counterpoint Research for the full article with more background and insights via the link below 💡🙏👇 https://lnkd.in/dHqUJu9c #semiconductorindustry #semiconductormanufacturing #technology #it #tech #chips #innovation #dram #hbm #ddr5 #ddr4 #hbm4 #hbm3e #ic

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The semiconductor landscape is evolving fast. 🚀     In this Semiconductor Leadership Podcast, I had an insightful conversation with Deven Haria, CEO of BOLTCHIP, about how the industry is shifting as companies push to get closer to the end consumer.     Today, the game is no longer just about manufacturing chips. It’s about differentiation, efficiency, and ownership of innovation.     As Deven explains, semiconductors have become the horizontal layer powering nearly every industry; from AI and cloud to automotive and robotics. Companies want tighter control over their technology stacks, faster innovation cycles, and the ability to deliver unique value directly to their customers.     That’s why more organizations are investing in custom silicon, chip IP, and innovation capability centers (ICCs) to build true competitive advantage.     In this conversation, Deven shares why:  • Semiconductor innovation is moving closer to where products and users are  • Owning chip IP and design capability is becoming a strategic differentiator  • Efficiency and speed to market are redefining industry competition     If you want to understand how the semiconductor value chain is being reshaped, this is a perspective you won’t want to miss.     ️ 🎙 Full episode in the comments.     #Semiconductors #ChipDesign #AIHardware #Innovation #TechnologyLeadership #SemiconductorIndustry #DeepTech #ICCs #CustomSilicon #EngineeringLeadership #SemiconductorLeadershipPodcast 

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Intel 18A is the most advanced semiconductor node developed and manufactured in the United States. Arizona’s Fab 52 is fully operational and set to reach high-volume production using Intel 18A later this year, strengthening U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership. Truly impressive!

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In power electronics R&D, the measurement setup is as important as the design. For capturing switching current waveforms (loss analysis, snubber currents, capacitor ripple), a shielded Rogowski probe like CWTMini50HF helps reduce dV/dt pickup while keeping bandwidth high.

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Photon Bridge has improved the assembly throughout for heterogeneous integration onto PIC's. Test hardware is also improved. eliminating the need for complex hexapods. The industry now has a cost effective and scalable solution.

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