MediaTek unveils new smartphone chip using TSMC's 2-nanometer technology

Qualcomm and Arm Holdings began a new trial on Monday, with Qualcomm claiming Arm withheld chip testing tools required under their contract. Qualcomm also alleges Arm leaked information to the media about its 2024 threat to cancel a critical license agreement, which hurt negotiations for a chip deal between Qualcomm and Meta Platforms. In the lawsuit filed in US federal court in Delaware, Qualcomm is seeking to stop paying royalties to Arm for up to five years, an amount that could be worth billions of dollars. Judge Maryellen Noreika is considering whether to remove the five-year royalty hold provision from the contract; if removed, Qualcomm would only be able to seek a smaller amount in damages. Arm, owned by Japan's SoftBank Group, has denied breaking the contract and argued it did not harm Qualcomm's chip deals, which it called speculative, and countered that Qualcomm cannot seek damages for the leaked termination letter because Qualcomm leaked confidential details of antitrust investigations into Arm to the media. The five-day jury trial represents another chapter in the difficult relationship between the two companies.

Apple has begun rolling out its redesigned Siri AI Beta, a centerpiece of the company's AI strategy under new CEO John Ternus, as it seeks to restore credibility in artificial intelligence after past delays to the Siri overhaul. The company reported $109.4 billion in revenue for its third quarter of fiscal 2026, up 16.4% from Q3 FY25, with diluted earnings per share rising roughly 29% to $2.02 and operating cash flows of $34.4 billion. Apple is also moving into enterprise servers powered by its planned M8 Ultra processors, which have not yet been released and carry a 2029 launch target with designs featuring either two or four M8 Ultra chips. The Siri AI Beta's initial geographic availability remains limited by regulatory hurdles in China and the European Union, where the beta is not accessible to users, and Apple continues to face App Store and digital markets legislation challenges that could reshape its services business. The stock has gained 29.51% over the past 52 weeks versus the S&P 500's 13.93%, giving Apple a $4.92 trillion market capitalization, while hedge fund ownership slipped marginally to 169 funds in the latest quarter from 170, with short interest below 1% and BlackRock the largest institutional stakeholder at 1.16 billion shares, or 7.97% ownership.

ON Semiconductor said it will acquire Synaptics in an all-cash transaction at $123 per share, replacing its original offer of 1.350 ON Semiconductor shares for each Synaptics share held. The revised deal values Synaptics at $5.7 billion, down from the original $7 billion, and represents a nearly 16 percent premium over Synaptics' closing price on Thursday. Synaptics shares surged 14.08 percent on Friday to close at $121.10, extending their winning streak to a fourth straight session and bringing the week's gain to 17.9 percent. Synaptics President and CEO Rahul Patel said the all-cash structure provides value certainty at a meaningful premium, and ON Semiconductor will finance the transaction with cash on hand and committed financing from Morgan Stanley. The deal is expected to close in the middle of next year, subject to approval by Synaptics shareholders, with Synaptics' board joining ON Semiconductor's board. The acquisition followed Synaptics' fourth-quarter results, in which net losses widened by 9,419 percent to $447.4 million from $4.7 million a year earlier, dragged by a $425.3 million non-cash charge tied to a valuation allowance against US deferred tax assets, while revenue rose 8.9 percent to $308 million.

Apple plans a Siri AI-powered smart home hub, a new HomePod mini, and an updated Apple TV to expand its home ecosystem. The new Siri-centric hub is designed as a central controller for connected devices, positioning Apple more directly against Amazon and Google in smart homes. Apple is set to integrate the hub, HomePod mini, and Apple TV more tightly with iPhone and iPad services to reinforce its ecosystem around the living room and broader home. The move extends an existing hardware and software footprint already present in many households, and pushes Apple deeper into a market where Amazon and Google built an early lead with Alexa and Assistant devices. Each new AI-powered surface also increases exposure to the regulatory and legal risks already highlighted by the recent Siri settlement, especially if promised features do not match user experience.