It was already a tumultuous year for the US semiconductor industry.
The semiconductor industry plays a considerable role in the “AI race”, which the United States seems to win, which is why this context is worth paying attention: from the appointment of Intel de Lip-Bu Tan to Director-General-who wasted time to work by trying to revive the Legacy Company-to Joe Biden offering to sweep new AI pieces of exporting the rules.
Here’s a look at what happened in the first half of 2025.
June
Intel appoints new leadership
June 18 – Intel announced Four new leadership appointments This Intel says it will help it move to its goal to become an engineering-first company again. Intel announced a new chief income officer in addition to multiple high -profile engineering employment.
Intel to start layoffs
June 17 – Intel will start Sign off a significant piece of its Intel Foundry personnel in July. The company plans to remove at least 15%, and up to 20%, from workers in that business unit. These layoffs are not a shock: rumored back in April, and the general manager of Intel Lip-Bu Tan said he wanted to level the organization.
Nvidia will not report on China
June 13 – NVIDIA does not calculate that the United States supports its AI -rag export limitations soon. After the company has taken a financial success of the newly imposed licensed demands on its H20 AI skins, Nvidia’s Director General Jensen Huang said the company will no longer includes the Chinese market in future income and profitable forecasts.
AMD gets the team behind Untether AI
June 6- AMD makes another acquisition – this time centered on talent. The company Get the team behind Untether AIWhoever develops AI -unference chips, as the semiconductor giant continues to round out its some -offers.
AMD comes for NVIDIA’s AI
June 4 – AMD continued his purchase spy. The company Acquired AI software -optimization start Briumwhich helps companies restructure AI program to work with different AI device. With a lot of AI software projected with NVIDIA device in mind, this acquisition is not surprising.
May
Nvidia exhibits the impact of rag export limitations
May 28 – Nvidia reported that US licensing requirements on its H20 AI -PLATES cost the company $ 4.5 billion in allegations During Q1. The company expects these requirements to result in $ 8 billion success to NVIDIA’s revenue in Q2.
AMD gets ENOSOMI
May 28 – AMD kicks his acquisition spy. The semiconductor company announced that it had acquired ENOSOMISilicon photography. Enosemi’s technology, which uses light photons to transmit data, is becoming growing interest in semiconductors.
Tensions flare between China and the United States
May 21- The Chinese Trade Secretary did not like the leadership of the United States, issued on May 13, which warned US companies that the use of Huawei’s AI -chips “anywhere in the world” was a violation of US rag export. The business secretary released a statement that threatened legal action against anyone seized forcing that export limitation.
Intel may start downloading their non-core units
May 20 – Intel’s general manager, Lip-Bu Tan apparently, was allowed to work on his plan to pour out the non-core trade units of Intel. The semiconductor giant is reportedly looking Unload its interconnected and edge unitsWhich manufactures pieces for telecommunication equipment, and was responsible for $ 5.4 billion 2024 revenue from the company.
Biden’s AI -Dissemination Rule is officially dead
May 13 – Just days before the rule of artificial intelligent dissemination of Biden administration was arranged, the place, the US Department of Commerce formally gave up it. The document said it plans to publish new leadership in the future, and meanwhile companies should remember that using Huawei’s ascend pieces anywhere in the world is a violation of US export rules.
Last -minute reversal
May 7: Just a week before the “framework for artificial smart spread” was arranged, the Trump administration plans to make a different path. According to numerous media, including Axios And BloombergThe administration will not fulfill the restrictions when they were supposed to start on May 15 and instead work on their own framework.
April
Anthropic doubles due to its support of rag export limitations
April 30: Anthropic doubled because of its support To restrict US rags exports, including some retorts to the dissemination of artificial intelligence, such as imposing further restrictions on Tier 2 countries and dedicating resources to enforcement. Nvidia spokesman counteredSaying, “US firms must focus on innovation and rise to the challenge, instead of telling high stories that big, heavy and sensitive electronics are somehow smuggled in” baby balls “or” along with live little men. “”
Scheduled layoffs at Intel
April 22: Prior to its Q1 win -call, Intel said it plans to dismiss more than 21,000 employees. The layoffs aimed to rationalize management, something CEO Lip-Bu Tan has long said Intel needed to do, and to help rebuild the company’s engineering focus.
The Trump administration further limits rag exports
April 15: H20 AI -Plate by NVIDIA was hit by export License requirementThe company revealed in SEC archiving. The company added that it expects $ 5.5 billion allegations related to this new demand in the first quarter of its 2026 fiscal year. The H20 is the most advanced AI -blat Nvidia can still export to China in some form or fashion. TSMC and Intel reported similar expenses the same week.
Nvidia seems to talk her way out of further ragged exports
April 9: CEO of Nvidia Jensen Huang was spotted to attend dinner at Donald Trump’s Lake Resort, according to reports. At the time, NPR reported Huang may have been able to save the H20 -AI pieces of NVIDIA from export limitations after consent to invest in AI data centers in the United States
An alleged agreement between Intel and TSMC
April 3: Intel and TSMC allegedly reached a trial agreement launch a joint rag enterprise. This joint venture would operate the rag facilities of Intel, and TSMC would have 20% participation in the new business. Both companies have refused to comment or confirm. If this agreement does not fruit, this is probably a decent forecast of potential deals in this industry to come.
Intel arises incoreaeous assets, announces a new initiative
April 1: CEO Lip-bu Tan started working immediately. Just weeks after he joined Intel, the company announced it sprinkle offline assets So it could focus. He also said the company will launch new products, including custom semiconductors for customers.
March
Intel appoints a new CEO
March 12: Intel announced that an industrial veteran, and a former board member, Lip-Bu Tan would return to the company as CEO March 18th. At the time of his appointment, Tan said Intel will be an “engineering focus company” under its leadership.
February
Intel’s Ohio Factory again delay
February 28: Intel was supposed to start operating his first rag plant in Ohio this year. Instead, The company slowed down construction on the plant for the second time in February. Now the $ 28 billion semiconductor project will not complete construction by 2030 and may not even open until 2031.
Senators call for more rag export limitations
February 3: US Senators, including Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Josh Hawley (R-MO), wrote a letter to business secretary candidate to Howard Lutnick prompting the Trump administration to further restrict Ai -scipline exports. The letter specifically referred to NVIDIA H20 AI chips, which were used in the training of the R1 -“reasoning” of Deepseek.
January
Deepseek releases his open “reasoning” model
January 27: Chinese ai -start Deepseek caused enough the agitation in Silicon Valley when it released the Open version of its R1 “reasoning” model. Although this is not a semiconductor news specifically, the pure alarm in Deepseek’s AI and semiconductor industries, Deepseek’s release, still has ripping effects on the rag industry.
Joe Biden’s Executive Order on ragged exports
January 13: With just a week left, former president Joe Biden offered to sweep new export limitations On US AI chips. This order has created a three-level structure that determined how many US chips can be exported to each country. Under this proposal, Tier 1 countries faced no restrictions; Tier 2 countries had a purchase limit for the first time; And Tier 3 countries have gained further restrictions.
Dario -amodei of Antropic weighs on rag export limitations
January 6: Antropa co-founder and general manager Dario Amodei co-written OP-ED in The Wall Street Journal Supporting existing AI -rag export controls and showing them as a reason why China’s AI market was behind the United States. He also called for next President Donald Trump to impose further restrictions and close gaps that allowed AI companies in China to still give their hands on these chips.
