Applied Optoelectronics’ potential equity issuance leads a session focused on semiconductor financing, supply-chain localization, advanced-node capacity and custom silicon.
AAOI entered an at-the-market agreement that could provide up to $600 million in gross proceeds while creating potential dilution.
2 Nexperia China Plans to Shift Its Portfolio to Domestic 12-Inch WafersNexperia China said it plans to move its full product portfolio from European 6-inch and 8-inch wafer sources to an unnamed Chinese 12-inch foundry partner.
3 China’s Advanced-Node Wafer Supply Could Narrow Its Deficit by 2035Goldman Sachs projects China’s 7-nanometer-and-below wafer supply could reach 410,000 wafers per month by 2035.
4 Waymo Discloses a 5nm, 1,000-TOPS Custom Autonomous-Driving ASICWaymo described a 5nm custom ASIC that delivers more than 1,000 TOPS for processing autonomous-driving sensor data.
5 Memory pricing: DRAM spot rows updated 2026-08-24Same-day DRAM spot pricing was modestly firmer in standard DDR5 and DDR4, with eTT results mixed; no current NAND chip price row with a visible same-day update was available.
Applied Optoelectronics entered an Equity Distribution Agreement with Raymond James and Needham permitting sales of up to $600 million of common stock from time to time at market prices. Agent commissions may reach 2.0% of gross proceeds. Source: SEC filing.
The filing said net proceeds may be used for general corporate purposes, including debt repayment, working capital, capital expenditures and complementary acquisitions, while stating that AAOI had no current acquisition plans or commitments. Against 84.9 million shares outstanding as of August 20, the filing illustrated that selling the full offering at its $129.10 reference price would represent approximately 4.65 million shares, or about 5.5% of the pre-offering share count. Source: SEC filing.
Nexperia China said it is moving toward 100% domestic production and transferring its products from prior 6-inch and 8-inch lines to 12-inch wafers supplied by an unnamed Chinese strategic partner. The stated portfolio includes diodes, MOSFETs and logic integrated circuits. Source: South China Morning Post.
The shift follows a March announcement of small-volume production of bipolar discrete devices. SCMP reported that China handles about 70% of Nexperia’s global output, while the company previously relied on an integrated network in which German and British fabs produced wafers for assembly in China, Malaysia and the Philippines. Source: South China Morning Post.
Goldman Sachs estimates China’s supply of wafers produced at 7-nanometer and below could grow at a 46% compound annual rate from 2025 to 2035, compared with 17% growth in domestic demand. The forecast would raise monthly supply to 410,000 wafers against projected demand of 619,000 wafers, narrowing the supply-demand deficit from 92% in 2025 to 34% in 2035. Source: South China Morning Post.
The model assumes SMIC adds 30,000 to 50,000 advanced-node wafers of monthly capacity each year from 2026 through 2031, followed by 20,000 wafers per month annually through 2035. It also assumes yields improve from 23% in 2026 to 50% in 2030 and 75% in 2035. Goldman’s projection still leaves lithography as a constraint; SCMP noted that TSMC’s yields can exceed 90%, depending on chip design and die size. Source: South China Morning Post.
Waymo said its sixth-generation self-driving system uses a 5nm ASIC designed to process raw sensor data before it reaches the main autonomous-driving compute system. The company said the chip delivers more than 1,000 TOPS, placing it in roughly the same performance range as Nvidia’s latest DRIVE AGX Thor automotive processor. Source: TechCrunch.
The chip is part of Waymo’s effort to reduce the cost, operating expense and maintenance burden of its next-generation robotaxi system. Waymo identified AMD, Micron, Nvidia, Samsung, Sandisk, Socionext and TSMC as partners, providing an investor read-through on the component and foundry ecosystem supporting custom automotive silicon. Source: TechCrunch.
Same-day DRAM spot pricing was modestly firmer in standard DDR5 and DDR4, with eTT results mixed; no current NAND chip price row with a visible same-day update was available.
$26.37/GB (2026-08-17) +2.69%
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$44.47/GB (2026-08-17) +2.68%
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33 sources monitored across semiconductor trade press, Taiwan and Asia supply-chain coverage, official company pages, industry research, memory pricing, and TickerStar internal alerts.