International Perspective · July 28, 2026
① Samsung and Broadcom Sign $200B AI Semiconductor Alliance — Largest MOU in Industry History — On July 25 at the AI Summit in San Francisco, Samsung Electronics and Broadcom signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) projecting over $200 billion in collaboration across five years. The deal spans three pillars: (1) HBM memory supply — Samsung will provide next-gen HBM4 memory to Broadcom's custom AI chip customers; (2) 2nm foundry — Samsung Foundry will manufacture Broadcom's advanced networking and AI ASICs on its 2nm GAA process; (3) advanced packaging — joint development of 3D IC and hybrid bonding technologies. Korean government representatives attended the signing, with Samsung President Jinman Han and Broadcom CEO Hock Tan present. (TechPowerUp / EENews Europe / FinanceAsia)
② NVIDIA and Broadcom CPO Switches Enter Volume Production — Co-Packaged Optics Officially Transition to Mass Deployment [详见中文版] — TrendForce's July 27 optical communications research confirms: (1) NVIDIA has begun shipping Spectrum-X CPO switches to select partners — manufactured by TSMC using COUPE advanced packaging, delivering 400Tb/s total switching capacity, with capacity expansion planned for H2 2026; (2) Broadcom's 51.2T Bailly CPO switch has entered small-volume production with support from Delta Electronics and Micas Networks — power consumption reduced ~70% versus traditional pluggable optics, with Meta among hyperscalers completing deployment validation. This marks the formal transition of CPO from lab validation to commercial mass production. (TrendForce / IConnect007 / Communications Today)
③ Memory Stocks Rout Deepens: SanDisk -12%, SK Hynix -8% as CXMT IPO Rattles Global DRAM Market [详见中文版] — U.S. memory stocks suffered a broad selloff on July 27 as China's CXMT debut rattled the global DRAM competitive landscape. SanDisk sank 12%, SK Hynix fell 8%, Western Digital dropped 6%, Micron declined 5%, and Seagate lost 5%. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) fell 3.14%. According to 247wallst.com, the selloff was triggered by CXMT's 466% first-day surge on Shanghai's STAR Market — the $8.6B IPO immediately valued CXMT at $85B, making it the world's #4 DRAM maker with 8% market share. The rout comes despite Samsung and SK Hynix recently securing $950B in U.S. semiconductor partnerships. (CNBC / 247wallst.com / Invezz)