Haitong Securities International·2025-09-15 08:07Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry Core Insights - Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced subsidies exceeding 500 billion yen (approximately $3.64 billion) for Micron's next-generation DRAM R&D and mass production [21] - Micron plans to invest 1.5 trillion yen by the end of the 2029 fiscal year to enhance production capacity at its Hiroshima plant, aiming for a monthly output of 40,000 advanced DRAM wafers [22] - Apple is expected to introduce chips using TSMC's 2-nanometer process in 2026, securing nearly half of TSMC's initial capacity, which will strengthen TSMC's market position [26][29] - xAI has laid off over 500 data labelers to focus on expanding its team of Specialist AI Tutors for the Grok model [34][35] - Google is shifting its TPU strategy to a "Hardware-as-a-Service" model, deploying TPUs in third-party data centers while retaining ownership, aiming to penetrate NVIDIA's market [38][42] Summary by Sections Japan's Semiconductor Industry - The Japanese government will subsidize one-third of Micron's production line equipment investment, with a maximum of 500 billion yen [23] - The total amount of subsidies to Micron has reached 774.5 billion yen, ensuring a stable supply of semiconductors crucial for economic security [24] Apple and TSMC - Apple's new product strategy includes a "three-tier version" of its A-series processors, enhancing product differentiation and potentially impacting future M-series processors [28][30] - The tiering strategy may complicate product naming and positioning, leading to a reliance on benchmark tests rather than model numbers [33] xAI and AI Industry - xAI's restructuring involves significant layoffs in its data labeling team, which was the largest department, indicating a shift in focus towards specialized AI roles [34][36] Google TPU Strategy - Google's TPU strategy involves a partnership model where TPUs are deployed in third-party data centers, allowing for revenue sharing while avoiding direct competition with NVIDIA [41][42] - This approach lowers capital expenditure barriers for partners and expands the potential customer base for Google TPUs [43][46]