Policy / Regulation
The U.S. Commerce Department has voided a prior $7.4 billion semiconductor research grant scheme (Natcast), citing procedural irregularities, and handed operational control to NIST.
The DOJ is signaling increased antitrust scrutiny of AI / chip sector deals under the Trump administration’s AI agenda.
Fabs / Manufacturing / Supply Chain
TSMC and chip‑design software firms are using AI to optimize energy efficiency in chip layouts and reduce power consumption.
E&R announced the launch of a U.S. subsidiary to strengthen its North American semiconductor presence.
In Arizona, TSMC’s U.S. fab cluster continues to expand, including plans for 3 nm / 2 nm production in future phases.
Earnings / Investment / Funding / M&A
Intel is reportedly in early talks to seek investment from Apple as it pursues further capital to fuel its turnaround.
Nvidia’s $5 billion stake in Intel (≈4 %) continues to reverberate across the industry, seen as a strategic AI‑era realignment.
Workforce / Education
UC San Diego was awarded nearly $1 million via NSF to launch a semiconductor workforce training program, addressing an expected shortage of 115,000 skilled workers by 2030.
Portland Community College (PCC) is collaborating with Lam Research to roll out semiconductor technician training in Oregon.
A new partnership was announced to empower K–12 / teacher leaders in microelectronics and semiconductor education.
Sources
Intel seeks investment from Apple (Reuters) Reuters
Nvidia takes $5B stake in Intel & industry realignment (Reuters / MarketWatch) Reuters+2MarketWatch+2
U.S. commerce voids $7.4B Natcast grant scheme (Reuters) Reuters
DOJ signals antitrust focus on AI (Reuters) Reuters
TSMC & design firms use AI for energy‑efficient chips (Reuters) Reuters
E&R launches U.S. semiconductor arm (PR / press) The Malaysian Reserve
TSMC Arizona fab expansion details (Wikipedia / press) Wikipedia
UC San Diego NSF grant news UC San Diego Today
PCC + Lam Research training program (local press) Hillsboro News Times
New K–12 / teacher‑leader microelectronics partnership University of Rochester