Semiconductor today

Malta Government Venture Capital (MGVC) has approved investment under its co-investment framework to support the growth of Quinas Technology Ltd of London, UK (which was spun off from Lancaster University in early 2023)...

Cohu Inc of San Diego, CA, USA (a supplier of equipment and services optimizing semiconductor manufacturing yield and productivity) says that a leading semiconductor manufacturer has placed multiple orders totaling about $5m for the DiamondX platform, delivering high-current capability, ultra-low resistance measurement accuracy and scalable multi-site throughput...

Building on more than 30 years of collaboration, process equipment maker Applied Materials Inc of Santa Clara, CA, USA has announced a new innovation partnership with foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd (TSMC) to accelerate the development and commercialization of semiconductor technologies required for the next era of AI. Working together at Applied’s EPIC Center in Silicon Valley, the companies will co-innovate to advance materials engineering, equipment innovation, and process integration technologies designed to deliver energy-efficient performance from the data center to the edge...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany has expanded its XHP 2 power module portfolio with new variants incorporating CoolSiC MOSFETs 2300V, designed for high-voltage power systems. The new 2300V-class devices support DC-link voltages of up to 1500V, addressing the industry trend toward higher system voltages...

Lumentum Holdings Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (which designs and makes photonics products for optical networks and lasers for industrial and consumer markets) has been included in the Nasdaq-100 Index. The firm is expected to join the index prior to the market opening on 18 May...

Custom ASIC/ASSP and power solutions provider Cyient Semiconductor Pte Ltd of Hyderabad, India has launched seven new gallium nitride (GaN) power devices for the Indian market, developed using the GaN technology of Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA — which provides GaNFast gallium nitride (GaN) and GeneSiC silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors...

Photonic simulation CAD software developer Photon Design Ltd of Oxford, UK says that it has enabled the industry-first 3D quantum dot laser simulation, by integrating its HAROLD QD quantum dot laser simulation tool with its PICWave laser diode, SOA and photonic integrated circuit (PIC) simulator...

Market analyst firm TrendForce’s latest research into the micro-LED industry highlights how generative AI is driving rapid growth in demand for high-speed optical communications. Micro-LED technology offers power consumption as low as 1–2pJ/bit and ultra-low bit-error rates (BER) of ≤10-10. It is also emerging as one of the three major short-distance, high-speed intra-rack transmission solutions for scale-up data-center networks, alongside active electrical cables (AEC) and vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)-based near-packaged optics (VCSEL NPO). As a result, TrendForce projects that the micro-LED CPO optical transceiver market will reach US$848m by 2030...

For fiscal third-quarter 2026, Wolfspeed Inc of Durham, NC, USA — which makes silicon carbide (SiC) materials and power semiconductor devices — has reported revenue of revenue of $150.2m, down 10.6% on $168m last quarter and 19% on $185.4m a year ago...

Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany says that the Full Commission of the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has affirmed the ITC’s initial determination from December 2025 that China-based Innoscience (Suzhou) Technology Holding Co Ltd, which manufactures GaN-on-silicon power chips on 8” silicon wafers, infringed an Infineon patent concerning gallium nitride (GaN) technology and ordered import and sales bans against Innoscience. The Commission’s final decision and the bans are subject to a 60-day review period of the US President...

Deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, near Aachen, Germany has supplied Renesas Electronics Corp of Tokyo, Japan with multiple Planetary G5+C systems to expand its gallium nitride (GaN) production in high-volume manufacturing (HVM) environments. The collaboration helps to strengthen Renesas’ GaN production capabilities in response to surging demand across critical power electronics applications...

The Canadian government is to spin off the Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre (CPFC) — the nation’s only end-to-end pure-play III-V compound semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility — into a commercial entity...

Photonic quantum computing company Xanadu Quantum Technologies Ltd of Toronto, ON, Canada, and EV Group of St Florian, Austria — a supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for semiconductor, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and nanotechnology applications — have announced a strategic partnership to develop critical heterogeneous integration and wafer bonding processes to facilitate the scalability of photonic quantum systems...

Epitaxial deposition and process equipment maker Veeco Instruments Inc of Plainview, NY, USA has received orders totaling more than $250m from multiple customers for its Spector ion beam deposition (IBD), Lumina metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and its WaferEtch wet processing systems. Driven by momentum in silicon photonics, these orders support the manufacturing of indium phosphide (InP) lasers, with deliveries beginning in 2026 and significantly accelerating in 2027...

The UK Semiconductor Centre (UKSC) has appointed its first chief executive officer to deliver on its vision of establishing the UK as a global leader in semiconductors by accelerating scale-up, investment and commercial growth across the sector...

Power Integrations Inc of San Jose, CA, USA (which provides high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion) has appointed Michael Balow as senior VP, worldwide sales. He joins the executive management team with responsibility for leading the global sales organization, channel strategy and growth initiatives...

For first quarter 2026, AXT Inc of Fremont, CA, USA — which makes gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium phosphide (InP) and germanium (Ge) substrates and raw materials at plants in China — has reported revenue of $26.9m, up 17% on $23m last quarter and 39% on $19.4m a year ago, and slightly above the forecasted $26m as export permits came in slightly better than guidance...

STMicroelectronics of Geneva, Switzerland has introduced two 100W VIPerGaN high-voltage converters, extending wide-bandgap energy savings throughout domestic appliances, building and home automation, smart lighting, and consumer products including televisions and device chargers...

Gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA has appointed semiconductor veteran Davin Lee to its board, serving on the Compensation Committee and the Governance and Sustainability Committee. He will stand for re-election in 2027 as a Class III director...

Confirming its preliminary figures released on 14 April, for first-quarter 2026 deposition equipment maker Aixtron SE of Herzogenrath, near Aachen, Germany has reported revenue of €59.4m, down 47% on €112.5m a year ago and down 68% on €187m last quarter, but within the guidance of €65m±€10m. Of total revenue, as much as 40% came from after-sales, and only 60% from equipment sales (€35.7m, down 52% on €87.7m, or 78% of total revenue, a year ago)...