01. Fat DDR5 Margins Siphon Wafers, Setting HBM3e 2026 Price Up
AI-server appetite keeps outpacing forecasts; Q4 server-DDR5 contract prices are jumping far above seasonal norms. With wafer-level profits now fat, the DDR5-to-HBM3e price gap is compressing from 4-5× to barely 1-2×. Vendors are quietly swinging some capacity back to DDR5—but that only tightens HBM3e supply, handing pricing leverage back to suppliers. As GPU/ASIC forecasts for 2026 inch higher, buyers are already tacking on extra HBM3e bookings; expect a mild ASP uplift across calendar-2026.
02. SiC Inflection Point Slated for 2027—Third-Gen Supply Chain to Rocket
2027 marks the structural pivot for SiC. Three new demand rockets are being strapped on simultaneously: 800 V DC racks inside AI data centers, optical substrates for display-type AI glasses, and SiC carrier wafers for TSMC’s upcoming A16 backside-power process. The trio will devour an extra 4.1 M 6-inch-equivalent wafers in 2027—about 75 % of total global capacity in 2026—flipping the market from oversupply to snug. Money is moving early: Episil, GlobalWafers, and related names locked limit-up, pulling the entire third-gen semiconductor chain higher.
03. Samsung Said to Quit SATA SSD Arena, Further Pinching Consumer NAND
After clearing the existing backlog, Samsung will halt all SATA SSD production and will not relabel through sub-brands. Even as the SATA share erodes, the interface still populates legions of legacy PCs and enterprise boxes; removing Samsung instantly yanks out a mature NAND demand lane. While Micron merely stopped selling Crucial-branded drives but keeps shipping NAND dice, Samsung’s exit funnels wafers straight into high-margin AI/enterprise parts. Channel distributors and SI houses could front-load inventory, putting a floor under SATA and entry-level NVMe pricing—cheap SATA SSDs may never return.
04. ADI Slaps Broad Price Hikes on All Lines Starting Feb-2026
Analog Devices has notified customers that every SKU will move up in price effective 1 Feb 2026, citing relentless rises in raw materials, labour, energy and logistics. New prices hit all orders placed (or backlogged) on/after that date; the company urges clients to refresh ERP data and contact support teams for refreshed quotes. With industrial and automotive demand holding firm, ADI’s move will ripple straight into downstream BOMs and procurement calendars.
05. Rising Silicon Bills to Shave 2.1 % Off 2026 Global Smartphone Shipments
Legacy memory shortages and cost inflation will cut 2026 smartphone shipments by 2.1 % YoY. BOMs for sub-$200 models have already jumped 20-30 % this year; mid-to-high tiers are up 10-15 %. The agency warns memory could tack on another 40 % by Q2-2026, pushing total handset COGS up 8-15 %. Expect 2026 ASPs to rise 6.9 %, squeezing Honor, OPPO and other Chinese brands hardest while Apple and Samsung stay most insulated.
06. Carmakers Pivot Back to Hybrids & ICE—Taiwan Power-Device Houses Catch Tailwinds
Ford just canned its all-electric pickup and is doubling down on hybrids; the EU is also softening its 2035 ICE ban. The global propulsion map is shifting from “EV-only” to “multi-power”. Taiwan’s legacy power-device players are suddenly back in vogue: Pong Cheng (auto diodes/modules) sees flat 2026 vehicle sales but product-line flexibility to dodge tariff curveballs; Taiwan Semi’s automotive-qualified part numbers top 2 000, with 4.7 B units shipped—able to cover ~70 % of customers’ replacement demand left by Nexperia shortages once qual’s complete. Analysts say diodes, MOSFETs and IGBTs are no longer fringe but a key pillar for sector fundamentals.