Chip

• Hedge fund Situational Awareness has committed a total of $500 million to Source Foundry, including a fresh $400 million injection this week. • Founded last year by Stanford researchers Abdulmalik Obaid and Joe Burg, Source Foundry develops specialized equipment to resolve bottlenecks in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. • The investment follows a recent funding round that valued the startup at $5 billion, highlighting the high demand for domestic chip production efficiency.

• U.S. stock futures are trading higher in pre-market activity, with the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.55% to $29,651, the S&P 500 up 0.23% to $7,752, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average remaining in the green at $54,063. • A rebound in the semiconductor sector is driving the optimism, with Sandisk advancing 2.6%, Micron increasing 1.27%, and AMD rising 0.7%. • This upbeat sentiment among chipmakers is attributed to an improved geopolitical backdrop, which is reducing investor anxiety regarding trade and supply chains.

Move to raise levy on goods made with polysilicon aims to protect domestic US supply chains from China, the major producerDonald Trump has ordered a new 15% tariff on imported products made of polysilicon, an important ingredient in microchip manufacturing that is primarily produced by China.The new tariff, which will take effect on 4 December, is aimed at supporting US chip and solar panel supply chains to compete with Beijing on artificial intelligence and energy. Continue reading...

• South Korea's KOSPI index plunged 4.58% following a massive selloff in semiconductor stocks, specifically impacting industry giants Samsung and SK Hynix. • The severity of the decline triggered a trading halt to stabilize the market, reflecting significant volatility within Korean equities in 2026. • Frank Benzimra of Societe Generale noted that these steep declines often occur in sectors where investors utilize the highest levels of leverage.

• Asian stock markets experienced mixed results on August 6, highlighted by a significant 4% drop in South Korea’s Kospi index. • The decline was driven by weakness in the semiconductor sector, with major chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics leading the losses. • Other regional movements included a 1.7% fall for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and a 0.4% dip for Japan’s Topix, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.4%.

Restaurant chain pulls peppers ‘out of an abundance of caution’ as salmonella outbreak sickens 100 peopleChipotle said on Tuesday ⁠it had removed jalapeños from some of the chain’s restaurants after identifying ⁠the peppers as ⁠a ​potential ingredient tied to a salmonella outbreak, replacing them ⁠with supplies from different growers.The company said it ​began tracing ‌ingredients through its supply ‌chain after learning of a ‌potential outbreak and identified jalapeños from a common lot as a possible source. Continue reading...

• India is accelerating its semiconductor ambitions by investing in R&D centers, indigenous design tools, and Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) facilities to reduce import dependence. • HCLTech is expanding into the full-stack AI market by establishing its first AI data center at the upcoming Odisha Sovereign AI Park, partnering with the Government of Odisha and startup Sarvam. • These strategic initiatives aim to strengthen domestic capabilities, support technology exports, and build an integrated base for telecom hardware and research.