Manufacturing

Apple and Intel have struck a preliminary agreement for Intel to manufacture some Apple chips, ending a six-year split and handing Intel Foundry its most consequential customer win yet.

Shanghai-based optical computing firm Lightelligence raised about US$306 million on April 28, 2026 in a Hong Kong IPO whose retail tranche was oversubscribed nearly 5,800 times, opening at HK$880 versus an HK$183.20 offer price for a roughly HK$81.5 billion market capitalization at the open.

Elon Musk picked Intel's 14A process for Tesla's Terafab AI chip complex, handing the struggling Intel Foundry its first marquee external win for a node that is still years from volume production.

Lam Research reported record Q3 FY2026 revenue of $5.84 billion on April 22, beat estimates, and raised its 2026 wafer fab equipment forecast from $135 billion to $140 billion with bias to the upside.

TSMC debuted its A13 and A12 process nodes and updated its full roadmap through 2029 at its North America Technology Symposium, while confirming A16 volume production slides to 2027.

North America's largest additive manufacturing conference draws 450 exhibitors to Boston as DoD allocates $3.3 billion for AM and vendors unveil production-grade systems.

Samsung has begun a phased rollout of blood pressure monitoring to US Galaxy Watch owners, classifying the feature as a wellness tool under the FDA's updated General Wellness Policy rather than seeking medical device clearance.

Intel is in advanced talks with Google and Amazon for EMIB-based chip packaging services worth billions annually, positioning its foundry division as a credible alternative to TSMC's constrained CoWoS capacity.

The industry association's latest 300mm Fab Outlook report forecasts an 18 percent jump in equipment spending this year, with investments projected to exceed $150 billion for the first time in 2027 as AI demand drives historic commitments to advanced capacity across all major regions.

Water treatment giant Ecolab is buying CoolIT Systems from KKR in an all-cash deal that values the Calgary-based liquid cooling company at roughly 18 times its price just three years ago, reflecting the explosive demand for direct-to-chip cooling in AI data centers.

TSMC's US footprint could triple from $165 billion to $465 billion under a proposed tariff deal, with four Arizona fabs already fully booked before construction is complete.

Apple has permanently retired the Mac Pro tower with no successor planned, closing a 20-year chapter in professional computing as the Mac Studio becomes its flagship desktop.