Most Read – China AI, Semiconductor boom, AMD in UK

And there’s also Intel and AMD. Intel admitting that a five-nodes-in-four-years process technology catch-up was too far too fast. And AMD outlining a series of UK investments worth £2bn.

As usual, let’s take them in reverse order as according to Google Analytics:

5. Rapidus IPA funding reaches $2.65bn
Rapidus has completed an additional funding round of $943 million from the Information-Technology Promotion Agency (IPA), Japan, an independent administrative agency under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Earlier this year, Rapidus announced that it received a $620 million investment from the IPA, in addition to private-sector funding, totalling $1.64 billion million from 32 companies including Canon, Development Bank of Japan, Fujitsu, NTT, SoftBank and Sony Group.

4. Ed Takes A Shine To Chinese AI Software [Mannerisms]
With Europe looking ready to relinquish its EV market to China, and with Germany and Spain pushing back on restrictions on using Huawei switchgear in European telecom networks, now seems a good time to be getting into bed with the Chinese on software, Ed confides to his diary. In government we can’t use Chinese AI products for fear of upsetting the Yanks who need to protect their own over-invested super-high-priced AI software industry, but consumers are clearly preferring Chinese AI models, some of which which can deliver most of the functionality of US models at anything from 5x to 30x less cost.

3. Semiconductor sales up 93.9% y-o-y in April, says SIA
April semiconductor sales of $110.5bn were 11% up on the $99.5bn of March 2026 and 93.9% more than the April 2025 total of $56.9bn, according to the SIA. The SIA endorsed the WSTS Spring 2026 global semiconductor sales forecast, which projects annual sales will grow by 90% to $1.5tn in 2026. In 2027, global sales are projected to exceed $1.9tn.

2. Rinse and repeat for Intel 14A
Intel’s five-nodes-in-four-years process technology catch-up was an attempt to go too far too fast, said CFO David Zinsner at the Bank of America 2026 Global Technology Conference in San Francisco last week. “I think the challenge around 18A was two things. One, we tried to do too much at once,” said Zinsner, “and it took a while to get that settled. And I think second is, we were trying to play performance and yield and trying to improve both at the same time. It was like trying to fly the plane and fix the wing at the same time, basically.”

1. AMD investing £2bn in UK
At London Tech Week this morning, AMD chair and CEO Dr Lisa Su (pictured) outlined a series of investments worth £2bn designed to accelerate the UK’s AI ecosystem and support the computing resource that underpins scientific discovery and public-sector innovation. The initiatives align with the UK’s AI Opportunities Action Plan and AI Hardware Strategy, supporting broader national priorities to build world-class AI infrastructure, develop technical talent and accelerate AI adoption. “The United Kingdom has the talent, research excellence and ambition to help lead the next era of AI,” said Su.