Air Products Signs Second Chip Gas Deal With $250 Million Arizona Investment

National Silicon Industry Group announced on September 29 that its board of directors recently received a written resignation report from Chairman Jiang Haitao. Due to a change in work arrangements, he applied to resign from his positions as chairman of the third board of directors, director, member and convener of the strategy committee, member of the nomination committee, and member of the remuneration and assessment committee. After resigning, he will no longer hold any position at the company. Jiang Haitao is 54 years old this year and has served as a director of National Silicon Industry Group since June 10, 2021. Before his resignation, he was chairman of the company. He previously worked for a long time in the Shanghai port system and the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions. Since May 2020, he has served as deputy party secretary of Shanghai Guosheng Group, and he currently serves as deputy party secretary, president, and director of that company. National Silicon Industry Group mainly produces polished wafers, epitaxial wafers, and SOI silicon wafers. On August 19, the company released its 2026 interim report. Operating revenue was 2.32 billion yuan, up 36.5 percent year on year. Net profit attributable to the parent company swung from a loss of 367 million yuan in the same period last year to a loss of 965 million yuan, with the loss widening further. Net profit attributable to the parent company after deducting non-recurring items swung from a loss of 481 million yuan in the same period last year to a loss of 958 million yuan, with the loss also widening further. Net operating cash flow was 179 million yuan, up 138.8 percent year on year. The company said the revenue growth was mainly driven by a year-on-year increase of more than 90 percent in sales volume of 300-millimeter semiconductor silicon wafers, while the year-on-year decline in profit was mainly due to increased research and development investment, higher financial expenses caused by exchange rate fluctuations, and increased asset impairment losses.

SCHMID shares surged nearly 20% by Friday afternoon trading after a report revealed that advanced chipmakers were considering the use of glass substrates in processors. The technology could increase the amount of high-bandwidth memory in chips, boosting processing speeds for AI workloads. SCHMID Chief Sales Officer Roland Rettenmaier said on the company's second-quarter 2026 earnings call that many players in the Intel, Nvidia and AMD supply chains are eyeing glass core substrates for their flatness, smoothness, dielectric constants and signal integrity, and that the German-based company is engaged with most major supply chain players to make glass core substrates real. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently met with the chairman of SK Group to discuss using glass substrate technology in next-generation semiconductors, according to Seoul Economic Daily, and has reportedly discussed it with TSMC as well. SCHMID specializes in high-tech manufacturing for electronics, photovoltaics, glass and energy systems, and has been developing glass substrate solutions that offer thinner, smoother packaging material to raise chip speeds and cut power consumption.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and ASML Holding announced a collaborative industry initiative on September 8 to transition the semiconductor sector to a 12-inch Extreme Ultraviolet photomask format, replacing the 6-inch masks chipmakers currently use for High NA EUV systems. The shift aims to boost scanner productivity, eliminate stitching constraints on ultra-large chips, and lower long-term advanced node manufacturing costs, with the initiative targeting a pilot line by 2031 and 12-inch High-NA production by 2033. TSMC plans to adopt High-NA EUV starting in 2030, with the 12-inch masks providing a multi-year roadmap for scaling complex AI architectures. For ASML, establishing a 12-inch standard locks in the long-term economic case for its High-NA scanner line, supporting its 15% revenue expansion outlook, while for TSMC the larger format helps defend its leading-edge and AI/HPC manufacturing dominance. The decade-long roadmap carries execution risk, as the entire global supply chain, from mask blanks and inspection equipment to automated handling, must retool from scratch, and TSMC faces near-term gross margin dilution from its N2 ramp and overseas fab expansions while ASML contends with gross margin pressure in late 2025 and geopolitical growth uncertainties through 2026.