Financial
• Demand from AI data centres and cloud service providers is currently consuming huge quantities of memory, especially high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) and server‑grade DRAM, leaving less available for PCs, smartphones, and consumer electronics. Major AI projects have even booked large portions of global DRAM output. Forecasts of
• The ongoing expansion of AI infrastructure is also continuing to fuel GPU demand, and NVIDIA’s upcoming Rubin platform is expected to become a major catalyst for HBM4 adoption once mass production begins. The three leading memory suppliers, Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron, are now in the final stages of HBM4 validation, with completion anticipated by Q2 2026. Samsung, supported by its strong product stability, is projected to secure certification first. SK hynix and Micron are expected to follow shortly thereafter, forming a three-supplier ecosystem for NVIDIA’s HBM4. The current AI architecture evolution only seems to be gaining momentum and is set to drive the memory market revenue to a new peak in 2027 with annual growth forecast to be greater than 50%.
• The global shipments of general servers are projected to grow 12,8% YoY in 2026, while AI server shipments are expected to grow by more than 28% YoY. Both Google and Microsoft are set to ramp up procurement of general-purpose servers to meet rising inference workloads. Of the total, ASIC-based servers are set to account for 28% of shipments, reaching a multi-year peak.
• The market for high-end MLCCs is sharply rebounding, driven by the commercialisation of embodied AI applications according to the latest report from TrendForce. In contrast, the mid- to low-end MLCC segments are struggling due to seasonal downturns and rising raw material costs, which dampen demand for traditional consumer electronics and increase operational challenges for manufacturers. It has been noted that US tariffs and escalating geopolitical risks continue to increase MLCC supply chain uncertainty.
Companies
• GigaDevice has entered into a distribution agreement with SEMITRON, a leading electronic component distributor in Europe. Under the terms of the deal, SEMITRON is set to supply both GigaDevice’s leading Flash, MCU, power, and sensor lines in conjunction with field application engineering support to customers in the industrial, automotive, and communication technology sectors.
• Recently at CES, Siemens unveiled technology to accelerate the industrial AI revolution. The company and NVIDIA expanded their partnership to build the industrial AI operating system, reinventing the entire end-to-end industrial value chain. In the announcement Siemens launched their Digital Twin Composer software to power the industrial metaverse at scale while also unveiling nine industrial copilots to bring intelligence across the industrial value chain.
• Mycronic’s Global Technologies division has acquired ETZ, a company based in Germany that manufactures test probes. The PCB Test business line within Mycronic’s Global Technologies division provides electrical test equipment for bare board PCBs with ETZ currently supplying the majority of the test probes for the company’s PCB Test business line.
• L-com, an Infinite Electronics brand and a supplier of wired and wireless connectivity products, has expanded their strategic cooperation agreement with RS Group, to begin distributing L-com products across the EMEA and APAC markets via the RS website. This partnership significantly broadens L-com’s geographic reach beyond the United States and supports Infinite Electronics’ growth as a worldwide connectivity solutions provider.
• Panasonic has been named Supplier of the Year 2025 by Anglia Components. The award is given annually to the company that demonstrates exceptional product innovation, commercial support, and customer engagement, enabling Anglia to grow its business by delivering best customer service.
• Arrow Electronics, Farnell, and Future Electronics have been honoured by Panasonic Industry in their 2025 Distribution Awards. Future was named Distributor of the Year 2025, Farnell received the award for High Service Distributor of the Year 2025, and Arrow was honoured in the category Demand Creation of the Year 2025.
• Isuzu Motors South Africa has announced the launch of a major two-year MES Transformation project in conjunction with NoMuda and S4 Integration. This innovative, digital transformation project sets out to modernise Isuzu’s production environment by replacing the outdated legacy Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) applications with a single solution – the advanced NoMuda VisualFactory MES solution.
• Frogfoot has expanded its footprint in KZN through the acquisition of fibre assets that were built and operated Mitsol. The transition brings another 19 000 homes onto the Frogfoot network with the purchase resulting in immediate benefits to customers in the region through the company’s extensive national footprint and years of industry experience.
Technologies
• Google’s next-generation tensor processing unit (TPU), Ironwood, integrates a 3D Torus network topology with the Apollo optical circuit switch (OCS) all-optical network, marking a major step forward in AI data-centre interconnect design. This architecture is set to directly address the surging compute and bandwidth demands driven by large-scale AI workloads. In relation to this, TrendForce has forecast that the global shipment share of 800G and above optical transceiver modules will climb from 19,5% in 2024 to over 60% by 2026, positioning these modules to become standard components in AI-focused data centres.
• At CES 2026, e-peas announced its new AEM15820 power management IC (PMIC), the company’s first single-chip PMIC capable of spanning the full dynamic range of hybrid indoor-outdoor PV cells. These hybrid PV cells have a wide power output that can vary from microwatts under indoor lighting to several watts when in direct sunlight. To manage this wide range, multi-PMIC solutions have previously been required, adding cost and complexity to overall system designs.
• The use of solid-state batteries is set to become mainstream during 2026 in humanoid robotics applications. Solid-state lithium batteries offer a higher energy density than current Li-ion batteries and a longer charge cycle lifetime. It has been forecast that the demand for solid-state batteries is expected to hit 74 GWh by 2035, over 1000 times greater than the current demand. The global shipment of humanoid robots is set for a YoY growth of over 700% with 50 000 units being exceeded in the current year, a major contributing factor in the development of solid-state batteries. Currently, humanoid robots have a runtime of 2 to 4 hours powered by Li-ion technology.
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