News Center

Industry news, technical articles, reference designs and company updates — semiconductor insights and the latest from Sky Century.

Content is being updated continuously

Industry News 2026-08-25

Behind 52-Week Lead Times: The Third Round of Power Semi Hikes Is Rewriting Supply-Chain Rules in the AI Era

ST hikes again, confirming the third round of power semi increases: CR Micro and Silan follow, lead times stretch to 40-52 weeks, up 15-50%+. From Rubin's 10x efficiency to 52-week lead times, AI power demand is structural — for buyers, locking prices now protects margin through 2027; for domestic vendors, it is a double window of volume and substitution.

Industry News 2026-08-23

Memory Supercycle Continues: DDR5 Up 40-100% in Q2, More Hikes in Q3/Q4

AI data center demand keeps outpacing supply: Samsung and SK hynix raised DDR5 by ~40% in Q2 (up to 100% for high-end parts); Q3 DRAM ASPs rise another ~20% QoQ, with further increases for Q4. UBS sees more upside in 2H26.

Industry News 2026-08-23

Third Round of Power Semi Hikes: ST +10-15% in October, PMIC Follows

ST announces its third price adjustment of the year - +10-15% for power semis in October; China Resources Micro hiked in Feb. The 2026 rally spreads from memory and display drivers into PMIC, driven by AI rack power density.

Industry News 2026-08-23

NVIDIA Rubin Platform: Six New Chips Built for Agentic AI

The Rubin platform bundles six new chips (Rubin GPU, Vera CPU, NVLink 6...) for long-context inference, multi-step generation and distributed MoE; Rubin ramp will drive HBM4 and advanced packaging demand, tightening memory supply further.

Industry News 2026-08-23

Japan-China Controls Escalate: Advanced Packaging Blocked, China Retaliates

Japan's third round of export controls took effect Aug 1, targeting advanced packaging; China tightened US-bound drone dual-use item reviews on Aug 5. Escalating controls accelerate domestic packaging equipment substitution.

Industry News 2026-08-20

2026 Power Semiconductor Outlook: SiC & IGBT Demand Driven by Dual Engines

With NEV and PV/ESS scaling up, SiC accelerates into 800V platforms while IGBT modules stay resilient in industrial control and grid applications.

Technical Articles 2026-08-18

Automotive Power Management IC Selection Guide: From BMS to Smart Cockpit

Automotive power design calls for AEC-Q100 qualification, wide input range, low quiescent current and EMI performance - key selection points for BMS, OBC and cockpit domains.

Reference Designs 2026-08-22

RS232 Transceiver Pin-to-Pin Domestic Replacement (MAX232/MAX3232)

With MAX232/MAX3232 shortage and price risk, UMW MAX232ESE (¥0.4279, -91%) and 3PEAK TP3232N-SR (¥0.6698, -85%) drop in directly on SOP-16 - no board change, ample LCSC stock.

Reference Designs 2026-08-22

TI TPS62913 Shortage Replacement: Chipown Redesign + TPS62912 Emergency

TI official confirms TPS62913RPUR out of stock: Chipown AP65xx/AP66xx redesign (4-8 wks) is the priority, while TPS62912 (2A pin-to-pin sibling) covers emergencies, with 411 pcs LCSC stock lockable.

Company News 2026-08-22

Sky Century Website Upgraded: 16 Product Families, Reference Designs & News Center

The product center now features 16 family-level navigation, with a new Reference Design zone (RS232/TPS62913 replacements) and a News Center for clearer navigation, selection support and industry insights.

Industry News 2026-08-28

All Three MLCC Giants Hike: Murata +15-35% (Apr), Samsung Electro-Mechanics +30% (Aug 1), Taiyo Yuden +30% (Sep 1)

All three MLCC leaders have hiked: Murata raised AI-server and high-end automotive MLCCs 15-35% effective Apr 1, Samsung Electro-Mechanics +30% from Aug 1, and Taiyo Yuden follows +30% on Sep 1. High-cap MLCCs face structural tightness (10-20x Huaqiangbei spot premiums) — lock prices before Sep 1.

Industry News 2026-08-27

SK hynix Breaks Ground on First US HBM Advanced Packaging Plant: $3.87B, Production in 2028

SK hynix held the groundbreaking ceremony on Aug 27 for its West Lafayette, Indiana advanced packaging site: $3.87 billion investment, volume production of next-gen HBM in 2H 2028, creating over 1,000 jobs — AI memory "made in America" officially starts, anchoring both memory expansion and packaging substitution.

Industry News 2026-08-27

Memory Stock Divergence Shifts: US Nvidia +7.5% on Strong Earnings, SOX +2%, Korean Memory Giants Keep Falling

On Aug 27 US memory/semis rallied (Nvidia +7.5% on better-than-expected earnings, SanDisk unveiled an investment plan, SOX +2%) while SK hynix H-shares fell nearly 7% — the divergence between sentiment and fundamentals entered day 3 with a directional split: Wall Street votes on earnings, Seoul on valuation. Q4 memory hike letters (up to 30%) look more certain.

Reference Designs 2026-08-22

RS232 Transceiver Pin-to-Pin Domestic Replacement

MAX232 / MAX3232 → UMW MAX232ESE / 3PEAK TP3232N-SR — SOP-16 pin-compatible drop-in with ample domestic stock, no board change, significant cost savings (quote for latest volume pricing).

Reference Designs 2026-08-22

TI TPS62913 Shortage Replacement Plan

TI official site confirms TPS62913RPUR OutOfStock (day 12) → Chipown AP65xx/AP66xx redesign (4–8 wks) as priority, TPS62912 (2A pin-to-pin sibling) for emergency, 411 pcs LCSC stock lockable.

Reference Designs 2026-08-24

ADI/TI Precision & General-Purpose Op-Amp Replacement

OPA2188 / OPA2333 / LM358 / LM324 → RUNIC RS855x / SGMICRO SGM358/SGM324 — high pin-to-pin ratio for zero-drift and general-purpose op-amps, ample domestic stock, lead time <4 weeks, significant cost advantage (quote for latest pricing).

Reference Designs 2026-08-24

TI Power Management IC Replacement Plan

TPS5430 / TPS54331 / TLV1117-33 → Chipown AP65xx/AP61xx, Silergy SY8120, etc. — full DC-DC/LDO coverage, domestic lead 4–8 weeks, significant cost advantage (quote for latest pricing).

Reference Designs 2026-08-24

Infineon/ST Power Device (MOSFET/IGBT) Replacement Plan

IRF840 / IRFP460 / IKW40N120 → Silan SVF/SGL, CR Micro CRJ, NCE — full high-voltage MOS and IGBT coverage, domestic lead 4–8 weeks, cost advantage 8–14:1 (quote for latest pricing).

Reference Designs 2026-08-24

Murata/TDK Passive (MLCC/Inductor/Bead) Replacement Plan

GRM188R71C104KA01D / LQM2HPN1R0MG0L → Fenghua/Sunlord/CCTC — regular MLCC and beads are direct drop-ins with 50–80% savings (quote), domestic lead 1–3 days; lock domestic long-term for high-capacitance parts.

Reference Designs 2026-08-24

ST/NXP MCU Replacement Plan

STM32F103 series / ATmega328P → GigaDevice GD32F103, Geehy APM32F103 — pin-to-pin verified, 6–9:1 price gap (quote for latest pricing), domestic lead 4–8 weeks.

📐 Reference Designs

Domestic replacement, shortage replacement & selection guides — continuously published by our technical team.

View Reference Designs →