01. DDR5 Memory Module Prices Continue to Rise
This week, DDR5 continued to see a slight price increase due to tightening supply, while DDR4 remained stable at high levels. The price gap between the two narrowed, but DDR4 still dominates, with DDR5's application ratio awaiting improvement. Yongxing Securities noted that DDR4 is in short supply, with reduced inventory and low shipment volumes, prompting manufacturers to raise prices. Meanwhile, limited DDR5 resources and individual brand manufacturers' price hikes on DDR4 have driven a slight increase in prices for both last week. In the first half of 2025, memory chips are expected to see a bottoming-out recovery in the industry chain due to supply-side price increases, normalization of inventory, and rising demand driven by AI. XieChuang Data's SSDs have been widely applied in AI product lines, meeting the high standards of the AI field. YingFang Micro has obtained agency rights for Yangtze River Storage, with its product line expected to achieve a billion-level sales scale in the first half of 2025.
02. Optical Communication Modules Become the New Focus of the Tech War
On September 5, the US-China tech war extended from semiconductors to the optical communication field, starting with optical fibers and cables, and may expand to AI optical communication modules in the future. Taiwan's optical communication companies, such as BoRuiWei, ShangQuan, and HuanGuan, are expected to replicate the semiconductor model and gain order-shifting opportunities amid US-China competition. Currently, Mainland China dominates the AI optical communication market, with seven of the top ten optical communication module companies being from the mainland. This US-China conflict in the traditional optical fiber field may further expand in the future. If Taiwan companies can become a buffer zone and bridge in the US-China tech war, they may capture orders from both sides. Taiwan's optical communication companies are actively positioning themselves. For example, BoRuiWei is focusing on four major areas, including optical fiber components for AI servers. ShangQuan, as a partner in TSMC's silicon photonics ecosystem, is closely cooperating with TSMC and has mastered the core technologies of optical fiber arrays and packaging. It will begin mass production in 2026.
03. SK Hynix's Q2 DRAM Market Share Approaches 40%, Staying Global No. 1
On September 2, according to TrendForce, the DRAM industry's revenue reached $31.63 billion in the second quarter of 2025, a 17.1% increase from the previous quarter. Benefiting from rising prices and increased shipments, SK Hynix's revenue increased by 25.8% in the second quarter, with a market share of 38.7%, firmly holding the global top spot. Samsung's revenue grew by 13.7% in the second quarter, with its market share slightly declining to 32.7%, ranking second; Micron's revenue increased by 5.7%, with its market share dropping to 22%, ranking third. Taiwan-based manufacturers saw a significant revenue increase in the second quarter, with Nanya Tech's revenue growing by 56%, Winbond Electronics' by 24.9%, and PSMC's by 86.4%.
04. Yageo's Acquisition of Shihpu Electronics Approved by Japan
On September 4, Yageo Corporation announced that its plan to acquire Shihpu Electronics had been approved by Japan's Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) review, clearing the last regulatory hurdle for the transaction. The approval was granted under Japan's Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, following a review by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. Yageo stated that the offer price of JPY 7,130 per share (approximately USD 48) represents a significant premium over other bidding prices and is highly attractive to shareholders. With the FDI approval secured, Yageo is confident about completing the acquisition. The company pledged to protect Shihpu's core technologies, leverage its global distribution channels to expand Shihpu's global market presence, and reaffirmed its commitment to a transparent process. This acquisition is expected to create synergies, promote sales expansion, manufacturing, and technology development, while also creating broader career opportunities for Shihpu's employees.
05. Apple to Produce Chips in TI's New Factory
On September 4, DIGITIMES held a forum where Chairman Huang Chin-yung pointed out that TSMC dominates the global semiconductor market, with Samsung and Intel struggling to catch up and likely to lag behind in future technological development. AI is closely related to semiconductors, presenting development opportunities for Taiwan's semiconductor industry.
The growth trend of the mobile phone market in 2025 is uncertain, with US tariff policies affecting global trade and mobile phone industry demand. The post-pandemic revenge shopping did not occur, and the mobile phone industry saw negative growth in 2022 and 2023. Although it returned to positive growth in 2024, driven by generative AI, it remains uncertain whether demand will continue to rise this year.
In July 2025, global digital camera shipments increased by 8.2% year-on-year to 867,000 units, marking the 15th consecutive month of growth, with a surge in demand from the Americas being the main driving factor.
In the second quarter of 2025, capital expenditure by China's BAT reached RMB 61.583 billion, a year-on-year increase of 168% and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 12%, setting a new historical record. This reflects the strong demand for AI infrastructure and accelerated procurement of domestic AI chips.
06. Apple and Google Reach AI Collaboration, Foxconn Becomes Big Winner
On September 5, according to Bloomberg, Apple reached an agreement with Google this week to integrate the Gemini AI model, aiming to boost hardware sales of iPhones and other devices, and to encourage Google to increase its investment in AI infrastructure. Foxconn, as Apple's largest hardware assembly partner and also handling a large number of Google's AI server orders, emerged as the biggest winner. Apple has been relatively behind in the AI field, and this collaboration with Google can quickly enhance its AI capabilities, attract consumers, and may even prompt some Android users to switch to iOS.