Weekly News Bulletin Oct 9, 2026
Weekly Semiconductor Industry News Brief
① Micron Posts Record US$54.2 Billion in FQ4 Revenue; Gross Margin Climbs to 87%
After the US market close on September 30, Micron Technology reported results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 (ended September 3): quarterly revenue of US$54.229 billion, up 30.8% QoQ and 379.6% YoY, beating market expectations by roughly 7%; non-GAAP gross margin rose to 87.0%, up 2.2 percentage points QoQ; adjusted EPS was US$33.42. DRAM contributed about US$39.8 billion, or 73% of total revenue. Full-year fiscal 2026 revenue reached US$133.188 billion—about 3.5× the prior year's US$37.378 billion—with data center revenue up roughly fourfold and liquidity of US$75.48 billion. Management attributed the margin expansion mainly to higher selling prices and operational improvements, and expects memory supply to remain tight through 2027-2028.
② Samsung's Q3 Profit Surges Nearly 800%; Korea's September Chip Exports Top US$60 Billion for the First Time
On October 8, Samsung Electronics released its Q3 business guidance, showing substantial YoY growth in revenue and operating profit, with profit up nearly 800%, confirming the continued memory upcycle. The same day, South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported that the country's September semiconductor exports reached US$60.3 billion, up 262.8% YoY—the first time monthly chip exports have exceeded US$60 billion and a record high. Analysts attribute the jump mainly to surging AI server and HBM demand alongside continuously rising memory contract prices.
③ TrendForce: Q4 DRAM Contract Prices to Rise 10%-15% QoQ, NAND 15%-20%
TrendForce's latest forecast indicates ordinary DRAM contract prices will rise 10%-15% QoQ in Q4 2026, with overall NAND flash contract prices up 15%-20% and enterprise SSD contract prices up 23%-28%. Some Taiwanese memory makers have already notified customers of DRAM contract price increases of up to 20%. Institutions note that cloud providers continue to add procurement, while AI data centers drive demand for HBM, server DRAM and enterprise SSDs, so memory prices are expected to stay firm in Q4, with the supply-demand gap unlikely to ease in the near term.
④ Broadcom Seeks Over US$50 Billion Financing for OpenAI Custom AI Chips
On October 8, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg reported that Broadcom has spent recent weeks arranging more than US$50 billion in financing for its custom AI chip project co-developed with OpenAI, having begun early talks with private credit institutions including Apollo Global Management and Blackstone. The report noted negotiations are still preliminary and the final size may change; proceeds would go entirely to custom chip capacity, potentially covering several gigawatts, with completion targeted as early as end-2026. OpenAI reportedly calls the chip program "Nexus." Meanwhile, Oracle is in talks with Apollo and Goldman Sachs for chip procurement financing, and SpaceX is negotiating about US$40 billion in financing.
⑤ CXMT Invests RMB 34.9 Billion to Expand R&D and Testing, Using RMB 18 Billion of IPO Over-Allotment Funds
On the evening of September 28, CXMT (688825.SH) announced that its board approved two major new projects with total investment of RMB 34.9 billion. The technology R&D project totals RMB 24.1 billion, of which RMB 13 billion will come from over-allotment funds, with a 30-month construction period; the Phase II memory wafer back-end testing base project totals RMB 10.8 billion, of which RMB 5 billion will come from over-allotment funds, with a 37-month construction period. The two projects will use RMB 18 billion of IPO over-allotment proceeds in total, with the remainder self-funded. The company said the R&D project will focus on DRAM process evolution and product iteration, while the testing base will provide supporting capacity for future output ramps.
⑥ Yu Chengdong Confirms China Is Developing EUV Lithography Equipment
On October 6-7, Huawei disclosed on its overseas social media account the minutes of a September 29 roundtable between Yu Chengdong—Huawei's Executive Director and Chairman of its Terminal BG—and international media. At the meeting, Yu stated explicitly that extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is the core equipment for manufacturing advanced chips and that China has been continuously advancing the development of related equipment. He also revealed that Huawei has found a technical path to "improve chip performance without relying on the most advanced process nodes." Industry observers regard this as the first public confirmation at an international forum of progress on China's EUV lithography development, marking a new stage in domestic semiconductor equipment development.
⑦ Counterpoint: Q2 Global Foundry 2.0 Market Revenue Reaches US$96.6 Billion, Up 25% YoY
On October 8, Counterpoint Research released its foundry supply tracking report. Data show that Q2 2026 global foundry 2.0 market revenue grew 25% YoY and 11% QoQ to US$96.6 billion. The report noted that growth accelerated versus the previous quarter, driven mainly by continued AI GPU demand and AI infrastructure expansion, with custom ASICs, server CPUs, networking chips and power management ICs contributing significantly, while mature-node capacity utilization also recovered.
⑧ Four Ministries Launch 2026 VAT Deduction List Applications for IC Enterprises
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration recently jointly issued a notice on establishing the 2026 list of integrated circuit enterprises eligible for the VAT additional deduction policy. The list covers five categories: IC design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, equipment, and materials. Applicants must submit applications through the designated information system between October 9 and October 16, 2026, generate paper documents, stamp them with the company seal, and submit them together with supporting materials. The policy's continuation reflects sustained support for the entire IC supply chain.
⑨ First Domestic BAW Filter Patent Infringement Ruling: Xinsheng Wins RMB 1.5 Million
On October 8, media reported that the Beijing Intellectual Property Court recently issued a first-instance ruling in the patent infringement case brought by Shenzhen Xinsheng Semiconductor against Beijing Xinxi Semiconductor. The court found that the CS3041FB bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filters manufactured and sold by Xinxi infringed Xinsheng's invention patent No. 202211141215.6 ("resonant structure and method for manufacturing resonant structure"), and ordered RMB 1.5 million in damages plus destruction of relevant inventory. This is the first publicly disclosed infringement finding in the domestic BAW filter field, setting an example for intellectual property protection in RF front-end devices.
⑩ Samsung Foundry Customers Expected to Reach 5× the 2017 Level by 2029; HBM4 Demand a Key Driver
On October 8, a Samsung Foundry executive said that since becoming an independent business in 2017, its customer count has roughly tripled and could reach five times the level of 12 years ago by 2029; HPC's contribution to Samsung Foundry has risen markedly since 2017. According to TrendForce, Samsung's HBM4 mass production has progressed smoothly this year, with the base die built on a 4 nm process. Growing HBM4 demand has not only lifted memory revenue but also effectively supported the foundry business. Combined with improving 2/3 nm yields and higher quotes, Samsung's foundry operations are gradually improving.
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① https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1877906011200438482
② https://k.sina.com.cn/article_7857201856_1d45362c001908q8qe.html
③ https://xueqiu.com/9271268436/411477612
④ https://finance.sina.com.cn/world/2026-10-08/doc-iniumyts5460803.shtml
⑤ https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1878459259772809955
⑥ https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1878283031951959926
⑦ https://xueqiu.com/8871682425/411549670
⑧ https://www.miit.gov.cn/zwgk/zcwj/wjfb/tz/art/2026/art_7d2e760b4be94217b8f55caec840b30d.html
⑨ https://k.sina.com.cn/article_7857201856_1d45362c001908q9cm.html
⑩ https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1878396460841881284
