Semiconductor

Appleโ€™s new M5 chip is a material step in local AI compute that will ripple into enterprise IT, developer tooling, and edge networking strategies. M5 is built on a thirdโ€‘generation 3โ€‘nanometer process and reworks Appleโ€™s GPU as the center of gravity for AI. The 10โ€‘core GPU adds a dedicated Neural Accelerator in every core, pushing peak GPU compute for AI to more than four times M4. Unified memory bandwidth jumps to 153 GB/s, and configurations with up to 32 GB allow more and larger models to remain entirely on device. Onโ€‘device inference is moving from niceโ€‘toโ€‘have to default, driven by privacy, latency, and cost.
India Mobile Congress 2025 in New Delhi framed a clear ambition: scale domestic innovation, shape 6G, and turn telecom into a larger engine of GDP growth. Leaders underscored a whole-of-government approach, with multiple ministries backing IMC and the Department of Telecommunications and the Cellular Operators Association of India co-hosting. Indiaโ€™s telecom and digital sector is estimated to contribute roughly 12โ€“14% to GDP today. Leaders at IMC projected this could reach about 20% by the mid-2030s if India scales advanced connectivity, software-led services, and domestic manufacturing. Indiaโ€™s 6G push was tied to a potential GDP uplift exceeding a trillion dollars by 2035.
Intel detailed its first client and server products on the new 18A process, positioning the company for AI PCs and powerโ€‘efficient cloud at a time when onshore manufacturing and TCO matter more than ever. Intel previewed Core Ultra series 3 โ€œPanther Lake,โ€ its first client SoC line on 18A, with a multiโ€‘chiplet design that blends new performance and efficient cores with an upgraded Arc GPU and dedicated AI acceleration across the CPU, GPU, and NPU. On the server side, Intel previewed โ€œClearwater Forest,โ€ branded Xeon 6+, its nextโ€‘gen Eโ€‘core product built on 18A and targeted for launch in the first half of 2026.
African AI Compute Is Moving Local. Telecom operators and digital infrastructure players are racing to stand up AI-grade capacity on the continent as demand, latency, and data-sovereignty pressures converge. MTN Group is negotiating with US and European partners to co-invest in AI-ready facilities and offer capacity to enterprises across multiple African markets. Cassava Technologies is accelerating its sovereign cloud strategy with five AI-focused facilities slated across key African markets in the next 12 months. Earlier this year, Cassava partnered with Nvidia to launch an AI data centre in South Africa powered by the chipmakerโ€™s GPUs, establishing a reference for accelerated infrastructure on the continent.
Tidal Wave Technologies has selected UK-based RANsemi to supply AI-enhanced Open RAN small cells for next-generation industrial private 5G networks across India. The companies will integrate RANsemiโ€™s small cell platform into private 5G systems targeted at harsh, safety-critical environments. Initial focus areas include open-cast coal mines, large port terminals, and complex logistics hubs. The goal is to deliver resilient, low-latency connectivity for automation, remote operations, and worker safety. The partnership will be showcased at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 with a live demonstration of integrated small cells and edge intelligence.
Gartnerโ€™s latest outlook points to global AI spend hitting roughly $1.5 trillion in 2025 and exceeding $2 trillion in 2026, signaling a multi-year investment cycle that will reshape infrastructure, devices, and networks. This is not a short-lived hype curve; it is a capital plan. Hyperscalers are pouring money into data centers built around AI-optimized servers and accelerators, while device makers push on-device AI into smartphones and PCs at scale. For telecom and enterprise IT leaders, the message is clear: capacity, latency, and data gravity will dictate where value lands. Spending is broad-based. AI services and software are growing fast, but the heavy lift is in hardware and cloud infrastructure.
SK hynix says it has completed development and readied mass production of HBM4, signaling a new performance and efficiency baseline for nextโ€‘generation AI accelerators and cloud infrastructure. HBM4 doubles perโ€‘stack bandwidth versus the prior generation by moving to a 2,048โ€‘bit I/O interface and pushing data rates beyond 10 Gbps per pin, exceeding the JEDEC baseline of 8 Gbps for this class of memory. The company also cites more than 40% improvement in power efficiency, a critical lever as AI clusters strain data center power envelopes. Taken together, SK hynix claims this can lift endโ€‘toโ€‘end AI service performance by up to roughly twoโ€‘thirds.
2025 has seen major telecom and tech M&A activity, including billion-dollar deals in fiber, AI, cloud, and cybersecurity. This monthly tracker details key acquisitions, like AT&T buying Lumenโ€™s fiber assets and Googleโ€™s $32B move for Wiz, highlighting how consolidation is shaping the competitive landscape.
OpenAI is reportedly partnering with Broadcom to bring a custom AI accelerator into mass production next year, a move aimed at cost control, supply assurance, and tighter hardwareโ€“software integration. The reported partnership points to OpenAI deploying its own chips internally rather than selling them, following the playbooks of Google (TPU), Amazon (Trainium/Inferentia), Microsoft (Maia/Athena), and Meta (MTIA). AI training and inference costs remain stubbornly high as model sizes, context windows, and user demand surge. Custom silicon can shift the cost curve by optimizing for specific workloads, improving energy efficiency, and reducing total cost of ownership across compute, memory, and networking.
BMW and Qualcomm have introduced the Snapdragon Ride Pilot, a jointly developed AI-powered automated driving system, debuting in the new BMW iX3. The system uses a Snapdragon Ride system-on-chip and features an advanced automated driving software stack with scalable Level 2+ capabilities. Validated in over 60 countries and targeting 100+ by 2026, the ADAS platform supports 360-degree perception, context-aware driving, and cloud-based updates, and is now available globally to automakers and Tier-1 suppliers.
Nvidia has reportedly paused production activities tied to its H20 data center AI GPUs for China as Beijing intensifies national-security scrutiny, clouding a long-anticipated reentry into the market. Multiple suppliers have been asked to suspend work related to the H20, Nvidia’s made-for-China accelerator designed to meet U.S. export rules. The pause arrives shortly after Washington signaled it would grant export licenses for the H20, reversing an earlier halt that triggered unsold inventory write downs at Nvidia. The H20 is Nvidia’s linchpin for retaining a foothold in the worlds second-largest AI market; any prolonged disruption has material revenue and ecosystem consequences.
SoftBank will invest $2 billion in Intel, taking roughly a 2% stake at $23 per share and becoming one of Intels largest shareholders. It is a financial vote of confidence in a company trying to reestablish process leadership, scale a foundry business, and convince marquee customers to commit to external wafer orders. SoftBank has been assembling an AI supply-chain franchise that spans IP, compute, and infrastructure. It owns Arm, agreed to acquire Arm server CPU designer Ampere Computing, injected massive capital into OpenAI, and aligned with Oracle under the Stargate hyperscale AI initiative backed by the current U.S. administration.

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