EVERY TIER OF THE SILICON UNIVERSE
700 companies mapped across 7 supply chain tiers and 32 countries — from rare-earth mining to finished silicon.
TSMC's 2nm Bottleneck: Why CoWoS, Not the Wafer, Is Now the Constraint That Governs the AI Hardware Roadmap
TSMC's N2 node entered volume production in early 2026 with wafer costs exceeding $30,000 — a 50% step-up from N3. But the harder constraint is no longer the front-end wafer: it is the CoWoS advanced packaging step that bonds logic die to HBM stacks. All six CoWoS lines carry 50+ week lead times, and TSMC's AI packaging capacity must grow 80% this year just to keep pace with demand. We trace the full vertical from Spruce Pine quartz through silicon wafer growth, EUV exposure, and CoWoS assembly — and map exactly where the next two years of AI chip supply will be won or lost.
HBM4 Shortage Set to Deepen: SK Hynix and Samsung Warn Supply Gap Persists into 2027
SK Hynix posted a record Q1 2026 operating margin of 72% — surpassing Nvidia's 65% — as its entire HBM capacity sold out months in advance. Samsung's memory chief confirmed shortages across DRAM products will continue through at least 2027, with customers signing multi-year contracts to secure allocation. The pivot to HBM is now consuming 23% of global DRAM wafer output.
TSMC's 2nm Ramp: CoWoS Yields Hit 98%, Five New Fabs Breaking Ground Simultaneously
At its 2026 Technology Symposium, TSMC disclosed that its 5.5-reticle CoWoS advanced packaging — the largest in the industry — has exceeded 98% yield in volume production. The company is launching five new fabrication plants in 2026 and projects 70% compound annual growth in 2nm capacity through 2028. All three 2nm fabs carry lead times of 78–104 weeks, fully booked.
The MATCH Act: Washington Moves to Ban DUV Lithography Exports to China
US lawmakers introduced the Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware (MATCH) Act, targeting ASML's DUV immersion systems — the last class of lithography equipment still legally flowing to Chinese fabs. The bill would also ban servicing of already-installed equipment in China, threatening a portion of ASML's high-margin service revenue. China accounts for roughly 20% of ASML's projected 2026 sales.
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