TRON (TRX) — Onchain News & Whale Tracking

NVIDIA is developing a new open-source AI model named Nemotron 4.

According to a report from The Information, NVIDIA (NVDA.O) is developing a new open-source AI model called Nemotron 4. Multiple NVIDIA employees involved in the Nemotron project stated that they expect the largest Nemotron 4 model to have at least 1 trillion parameters. Per market data from BIT (bit.com), NVIDIA’s U.S. stock rose nearly 2% in pre-market trading.

Binance will conduct wallet maintenance for the Tron network (TRX) on August 13.

Per official announcement, Binance will conduct wallet maintenance on the Tron (TRX) network at 14:00 (GMT+8) on August 13, 2026. To facilitate this maintenance, the exchange will suspend Tron (TRX) deposits and withdrawals starting at 13:55 (GMT+8) on the same day. The maintenance is expected to last 1 hour, and deposits and withdrawals will automatically resume once the work is completed.

Samsung Electronics has unveiled its next-generation lithography technology roadmap, and will deploy high-NA EUV in mass production at the 1nm node.

Samsung Electronics technical expert Park Chang-min announced at the 2026 NGL Conference that Samsung plans to introduce a major lithography technology innovation for its 1-nanometer process, which could enter mass production as early as 2030. The company intends to deploy high-NA EUV — a next-generation extreme ultraviolet lithography technology — in large-scale production at the 1nm node, and is currently focused on developing the technologies required for commercialization. Separately, Samsung is accelerating development of high-NA EUV, the successor to current EUV technology. The firm has set its sights on full-scale mass production deployment of its 1nm (or A10) process. "A" denotes angstrom, with 1 angstrom equal to 0.1nm. Per this roadmap, Samsung expects to begin using high-NA EUV in mass production around 2030. The company has already commercialized its 2nm process and plans to launch mass production of its 1.4nm SF1.4 process in 2029. According to reports, it is preparing to start mass production of SF1.4+ — an enhanced variant of the 1.4nm process — and its 1nm process in 2030.

Samsung Electronics rose more than 5% intraday, with China Southern’s 2x Leveraged Samsung Electronics ETF surging over 9%.

According to Bitget’s market data, South Korean stocks opened lower and climbed higher today, with Samsung Electronics rising over 5% intraday. Driven by this, the Southern 2x Leveraged Samsung ETF surged more than 9%.

Samsung Electronics rises more than 4%, SK Hynix turns from a decline to a gain.

According to Bitget data, South Korea's KOSPI index posted an intraday gain of 0.9%. Samsung Electronics rose 4.1% among its constituents, while SK Hynix reversed its earlier decline to currently stand 0.1% higher.

Rocket Lab warns of potential delay to Neutron's maiden flight, possibly pushing it to 2027.

According to Bloomberg, Rocket Lab has stated its Neutron rocket project faces new delay risks, with the maiden launch possibly pushed back to 2027. The company plans to deliver Neutron to the launch pad in the fourth quarter as originally scheduled, but did not confirm the rocket will complete its first flight this year. Previously, Rocket Lab had targeted a maiden Neutron launch by the end of 2026. Rocket Lab noted that Neutron’s complex development cycle still carries “risks and uncertainties,” with the exact launch timeline dependent on booster test results and other factors. Neutron is a larger, higher-performance rocket developed by the company based on its Electron, with one goal being to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9. In financial results, Rocket Lab posted a record quarterly revenue of $234 million, beating market expectations of $232 million; adjusted earnings per share came in at a loss of $0.08, slightly worse than analysts’ projected loss of $0.07. The company forecasts third-quarter revenue between $250 million and $265 million, above the consensus market estimate of $237 million. Following the announcement, Rocket Lab’s U.S. stock fell roughly 2% in after-hours trading. Additionally, Rocket Lab announced that Kepler Communications has booked an exclusive Neutron launch mission, scheduled no earlier than 2028.

Tether minted an additional 1 billion USDT on the Tron network today.

Tether minted 1 billion additional USDT on the Tron network 7 hours ago.

Tether just minted another 1B $USDT on #Tron! The total supply of $USDT on #Tron has now exceeded 91B.

Tether just minted another 1B $USDT on #Tron! The total supply of $USDT on #Tron has now exceeded 91B.

Tether just minted another 1B $USDT on #Tron! The total supply of $USDT on #Tron has now exceeded 91B.

Tether just minted another 1B $USDT on #Tron! The total supply of $USDT on #Tron has now exceeded 91B.

South Korean think tank: Strong semiconductor exports drive growth, expanding South Korea's economic improvement.

The Korea Development Institute (KDI) said in its monthly economic assessment report on Monday that South Korea’s economy is showing broader signs of improvement, driven by semiconductor-related sectors. The institute added that exports and facility investment continue to post strong growth, fueled by the semiconductor industry, while durable goods consumption has accelerated overall consumer spending. It also noted that overall industrial production has recorded robust growth, supported by steady growth in the services sector and a rebound in manufacturing. However, the KDI pointed out that South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, still faces uncertainties including U.S. tariff policies and ongoing geopolitical instability in the Middle East. The think tank also emphasized that South Korea remains at a high inflation level, and a deteriorating employment situation is posing challenges to the economy. (Jinshi)

Nanfang Fund’s double-long SK Hynix product declined 5.6%, while its double-long Samsung Electronics product fell nearly 3%.

Per Bitget market data, Hong Kong’s Nanfang 2x Leveraged Long SK Hynix (07709) is quoted at 29.32, down 5.6%; Nanfang’s 2x Leveraged Long Samsung Electronics (07747) is quoted at 61.84, down 2.95%.

Serenity previews the CPO stock earnings week: Expects LITE’s earnings results to be very strong, though price movements typically occur ahead of earnings announcements.

U.S. stock leaders in optical modules Lumentum, Coherent, and computing infrastructure provider CoreWeave are set to release earnings reports this week, with Serenity previewing the upcoming CPO (Co-packaged Optics) stock earnings week. Serenity points out that AAOI’s newly released Q2 2026 earnings report shows a 20-40% imbalance in optical transceiver demand, with lasers emerging as the primary bottleneck. POET disclosed at its June Annual General Meeting (AGM) that the production capacity of its three major laser suppliers is fully booked for the next two years, and NVIDIA has secured supply through investments, confirming tight industry supply-demand dynamics. Serenity stresses it does not make earnings price movement predictions, noting: “Because most of the time it’s like flipping a coin. But I can say that much of the pricing happens ahead of earnings, unless there’s a very unexpected development. In any case, I expect LITE’s earnings report to be very strong.”

Morgan Stanley lifts Zhipu AI's target price by nearly 72%, citing strong growth drivers including access to computing power and new financing.

Morgan Stanley says growing access to computing power and fresh financing are supporting Zhipu AI’s stronger growth, lifting its target price for the firm by nearly 72% to HK$1,700. The bank’s report notes that China’s large language model (LLM) sector is building a healthier commercialization environment, a view that differs from the market’s widespread belief that China’s open-weight large models will lead to product homogenization and price wars.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix will disclose details of their shareholder return plans, with both companies planning to allocate 50% of their free cash flow to returning to shareholders.

According to analyst Jukan, Bank of America (BoA) forecasts that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix will announce specific shareholder return plans as follows. For Samsung Electronics, BoA projects the firm will allocate 50% of its free cash flow to shareholder returns, mainly including: a special dividend of over 30 trillion won to be distributed in the third or fourth quarter; share buybacks worth more than 40 trillion won in the first half of 2027; and a year-end dividend of 30 trillion won in April 2027. Additionally, Samsung will conduct an extra share buyback of over 30 trillion won for employee compensation. For SK Hynix, BoA also forecasts the company will allocate 50% of its free cash flow to shareholder returns, with a higher proportion going to share buybacks than cash dividends: projected share repurchases exceed 40 trillion won, while cash dividends exceed 20 trillion won.

JPMorgan Chase: U.S. and European companies' earnings beat expectations, posting strong results in the Q2 earnings season.

JPMorgan said the Q2 earnings season is drawing to a close, with roughly 80% to 85% of companies in the U.S. and Europe having reported results so far, and overall earnings performance has come in significantly stronger than expected. Data shows that both the U.S. and Europe have seen widespread EPS (earnings per share) beats, with the proportion of companies exceeding market expectations rising notably from prior periods. Despite already high market valuations and earnings expectations ahead of the earnings season, the combined EPS of S&P 500 constituents has continued to be revised upward, while the share of companies cutting their profit outlooks has fallen to its lowest level since 2021. By region, corporate earnings growth in the U.S. and Europe hit 25% and 23% year-over-year, respectively, both beating consensus market expectations; revenue growth rose 14% and 10% YoY, respectively, indicating robust top-line growth for companies. By sector, JPMorgan noted that the energy sector is one of the key drivers of earnings growth in both regions, fueled primarily by rising energy prices due to geopolitical conflicts. In addition, the financial and technology sectors also made significant contributions to overall profit growth.

JPMorgan: Strong earnings failed to lift US stocks, with markets focusing more on capital expenditure and expectation pressures.

JPMorgan noted that despite the overall strong performance of the U.S. corporate earnings season, stock prices have responded relatively weakly to earnings beats, with even some tech companies seeing share declines after reporting strong financial results. The bank attributes this phenomenon to multiple factors, including the market having already priced in high expectations for corporate earnings, investors being overly concentrated in tech sector positions, and the market’s focus gradually shifting from short-term performance to companies’ future capital expenditure plans. Particularly in the tech sector, investors are reassessing whether companies’ large-scale investments in areas like AI infrastructure will deliver long-term returns, with earnings beats alone no longer sufficient to support further stock price gains.

Yesterday, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a net inflow of $101.7 million, marking five consecutive trading days of strong inflows.

According to Farside's monitoring, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a net inflow of $101.7 million yesterday, marking five consecutive trading days of strong inflows.

Roundhill’s Optical Module ETF (LYTE) posted a strong debut on its first day of trading, logging a trading volume of $72 million.

Leading investment management firm Roundhill’s optical module stock ETF (LYTE) delivered strong performance on its debut, logging $72 million in trading volume and a 1.44% gain, outperforming Roundhill’s DRAM ETF’s first-day trading volume. The ETF tracks 10 stocks and carries an expense ratio of 65 basis points. As AI data centers shift from copper connections to faster, more efficient optical links, optical interconnects have emerged as a critical bottleneck in AI infrastructure development. The AI optical module market alone is projected to grow 57% this year, rising from $16.5 billion to $26 billion. LYTE primarily invests in leading global photonics and optics companies, providing investors with concentrated exposure to the sector. Its top holdings include Lumentum Holdings Inc. (LITE) at 15.42%, Coherent Corp. (COHR) at 15.23%, and Chinese A-share listed firms Source Photonics, CICT, and SkyLight Communication, which account for 14.59%, 14.22%, and 7.9% of the fund respectively.

Walsh adheres to prudent market guidance, and will consider a September interest rate hike if inflation remains strong.

According to a report by the Financial Times, even after his decision to withhold too many details about interest rate strategy triggered a sharp sell-off in U.S. Treasuries, Federal Reserve Chair Walsh has stuck to his usual concise communication style. People close to Walsh say he has acknowledged making some mistakes in his first 10 weeks leading the world’s most important central bank, including failing to reinforce his core message on price stability and sowing confusion over whether his long-term plans to overhaul the Fed would impact near-term policy decisions. However, they insist these mistakes are not enough to derail Walsh’s reform agenda for the Federal Reserve. Insiders also revealed that if inflation data released in the coming weeks comes in strong and market expectations for higher borrowing costs rise accordingly, Walsh is prepared to raise interest rates at the September policy meeting. Insiders added that while the Fed chair has raised the possibility of shrinking the central bank’s $6.7 trillion balance sheet to tighten monetary policy, interest rates remain the primary tool for now, and will be used at upcoming meetings if needed.

Nanfang’s 2x leveraged long SK Hynix ETF falls over 20%, while its 2x leveraged long Samsung Electronics ETF drops over 12%.

The Southern 2x Leveraged Long SK Hynix (07709) fell more than 20%, while the Southern 2x Leveraged Long Samsung Electronics (07747) dropped over 12%. (Jinshi)

Early investors in SpaceX are strongly backing the company to become the first firm valued at $10 trillion, claiming the market has misjudged its value.

Peter Diamandis, an early investor in SpaceX and founder of the XPRIZE Foundation, told CNBC that SpaceX has the potential to become the world’s first company valued at $10 trillion in the future. The market has not yet found the right way to value SpaceX, as its space transportation, satellite internet, and future space economy initiatives could deliver far greater long-term growth potential than traditional enterprises. SpaceX’s core value stems not only from its reusable rocket business, but also from its Starlink satellite internet, upcoming lunar and Mars exploration programs, and the new economic system being built around space infrastructure. SpaceX is already one of the world’s most valuable private tech companies. As the firm expands its business from rocket launches to satellite communications and deep space exploration, investors are seeking to reassess its long-term commercial potential. Diamandis argues that traditional valuation models struggle to measure the worth of a platform company like SpaceX, which operates across aerospace, communications, and future infrastructure, meaning the market may be underestimating its future growth potential.

$TRON surpasses 15B total transactions with 12.13M daily average

The total transactions on #TRON have surpassed 15 billion! On average, 12.13 million transactions are processed every day.

The total transactions on #TRON have surpassed 15 billion!

The total transactions on #TRON have surpassed 15 billion! On average, 12.13 million transactions are processed every day.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are reportedly testing equipment from China's Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (AMEC) to mitigate risks posed by U.S. export restrictions.

According to Reuters, three people familiar with the matter said Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are evaluating etching equipment from China's Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. (AMEC) for use at their factories in China, to mitigate risks from further U.S. tightening of chip equipment export restrictions. The two firms began related tests around two years ago but have not yet decided to expand deployment. The sources added that Samsung and SK Hynix fear future restrictions could extend beyond new equipment to the maintenance, repair and replacement of existing Western-made equipment at their Chinese facilities, so they are eyeing Chinese suppliers as a backup option for maintaining and upgrading existing production lines, not for expanding production capacity in China. Samsung Electronics denied testing or considering using AMEC's equipment at its Chinese factories, while SK Hynix declined to comment. The U.S. revoked the "Verified End User" (VEU) status of the two companies' Chinese factories in 2025, and later issued annual licenses for them to import chip manufacturing equipment in 2026. Samsung operates a NAND flash factory in Xi'an, while SK Hynix runs a NAND plant in Dalian and a DRAM plant in Wuxi; these production lines currently rely heavily on etching equipment from U.S. firms such as Applied Materials and Lam Research. If AMEC's equipment is ultimately certified by Samsung or SK Hynix, it would represent a major commercial endorsement for Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Data from TechInsights shows Chinese equipment is typically priced 20% to 30% lower than comparable overseas products, but still faces barriers including longer certification cycles, smaller service networks, intellectual property concerns and political pressure.

Japanese and South Korean stocks rose broadly at the open, with SK Hynix surging over 7% and Samsung Electronics up 5%.

According to Bitget market data, the Nikkei 225 index rose at opening, with an intraday gain of 2.00%. South Korea’s KOSPI index opened up 3.8%, touching 6600 points, SK Hynix surged over 7%, and Samsung Electronics gained 5%.

Wintermute: Marginal sell orders in crypto are nearly exhausted, but it is still not advisable to go heavy in betting on a strong rebound.

Wintermute noted in a post that the Federal Reserve held the federal funds rate steady last week, helping stabilize U.S. equities, in part due to the completion of large forced sell-offs. Leveraged AI fund Situational Awareness sold its disclosed holdings to Citadel at a discount. After AI infrastructure longs were crushed and AI software shorts were squeezed, chip stock sell-offs had become self-reinforcing, but the handover of positions allowed the market to absorb the Fed’s hawkish hold. The crypto market was relatively resilient: Strategy once again sold Bitcoin to cover preferred stock dividends, a firmware vulnerability in Coldcard led to the theft of large Bitcoin holdings from users, and altcoins continued to be offloaded. The sequence of U.S. equities releasing pressure first and crypto markets following aligned with prior assessments; major cryptocurrencies pulled back less than 4% amid multiple shocks, indicating marginal selling pressure is nearly exhausted. Heavy positioning to bet on a strong rebound remains inadvisable, but holdings and options data suggest some market participants may have been caught off guard by a short-term technical rally. This week, focus will be on ISM services and non-farm payrolls data; the Jackson Hole Symposium is the last clear signaling window from the Federal Reserve ahead of the September rate decision. Institutional OTC spot trading volume has risen to a record 72%, with liquidity further concentrating in mainstream assets.

South Korea’s KOSPI index closed up 1.62%, with SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics each rising slightly by less than 1%.

According to Bitget market data, South Korea’s KOSPI index closed up 1.62% at 6358.95 points, after falling more than 2% intraday. The South Korean KOSDAQ index rose 5.88% at close, marking three consecutive trading days of gains and triggering a buyer-side program trading suspension mechanism during the session. SK Hynix edged up 0.63%, while Samsung Electronics gained 0.2%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed up 0.32% at 63957.53 points, with Kioxia surging over 4%.

ON Semiconductor raises Q3 revenue guidance amid strong demand for AI data center chips.

ON Semiconductor projects third-quarter revenue between $1.65 billion and $1.75 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, driven by surging demand for AI data center chips. The company also announced a $7 billion all-stock acquisition of Synaptics to expand into AI devices and robotics.

Goldman Sachs raises Samsung Electronics' target price to 490,000 won, expects memory demand to significantly outpace supply.

Goldman Sachs said in a research note that Samsung Electronics' second-quarter operating profit met expectations. The bank raised its earnings per share (EPS) forecasts for Samsung for 2026 to 2028 by around 2%, and lifted its 12-month target price for the stock from 480,000 won to 490,000 won. Goldman Sachs expects memory chip demand to significantly outpace supply, with the gap widening in 2027 and supply remaining tight in 2028. The bank noted that Samsung’s long-term agreements with major data center clients will provide better earnings visibility and downside protection. Additionally, Samsung aims to become a leader in the AI memory market; HBM4 is projected to account for over 60% of its HBM revenue in the second half of 2026, and the stock has significant upside potential for shareholder returns. The stock is currently trading at a 2027 forecast price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 3.1x and a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of 1.2x, with a shareholder return yield approaching 50%.

South Korea's stock index extended its decline to 5%, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix seeing their losses widen to 8%.

According to Bitget market data, South Korea’s KOSPI index extended its morning session decline to 5%, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix seeing their losses widen to 8%.

Nomura significantly raises Samsung Electronics' profit forecast, with its operating profit projected to exceed 770 trillion won by 2028, while free cash flow and shareholder returns are set to surge in tandem.

Citrini analyst Jukan cited Nomura Securities’ latest report, noting that Samsung Electronics’ operating profit forecast has been sharply revised upward. Nomura projects Samsung’s operating profit will rise from the current approximately 391 trillion won (around $271 billion) to 635 trillion won (about $440.1 billion), then climb further to 774 trillion won (roughly $536.4 billion). Its free cash flow will correspondingly increase from 296 trillion won to 456 trillion won, and then to 563 trillion won; shareholder return yield will jump from 11.2% to 17.6% before hitting a final 22.3%. Operating profits and margins for DRAM and NAND are expected to continue surging over the coming years. This upward revision aligns with earlier research from Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA ML). Samsung Electronics has tied 60% to 70% of its memory sales to long-term supply agreements, whose terms “limit price declines but allow unlimited upside”, effectively locking in demand from key clients while retaining flexibility for price hikes. Against the backdrop of sustained surges in AI capital expenditure and constrained memory capacity expansion, the strong pricing momentum of DRAM and NAND is directly translating into Samsung’s profit flexibility and cash flow returns, with Nomura’s forecast underpinning this logic.

Roundhill DRAM Fund cut its holdings of Samsung Electronics by approximately $432 million this week, and added ChangXin Memory Technologies to its portfolio.

US ETF manager Roundhill made a significant portfolio adjustment to its DRAM-themed fund this week. In addition to the previously reported inclusion of CXMT (Changxin Technology) with a 2.52% weight in its holdings, the fund also reduced its stake in Samsung Electronics. Roundhill’s DRAM-themed fund sold roughly 1 million Samsung shares daily from Monday to Wednesday, totaling 3 million shares over the three days, worth approximately $432 million. The fund’s current top three holdings are Samsung Electronics (26.39%), Micron Technology (24.54%), and SK Hynix (22.77%). Other major holdings include Seagate Technology, Western Digital, SanDisk, Kioxia, Nanya Technology, and GigaDevice Semiconductor.

South Korean securities firm KIS says Samsung Electronics is "significantly undervalued," raising its target price by 10% to 650,000 won.

South Korean brokerage Korea Investment Securities released a research report on July 31, raising Samsung Electronics' target price by 10% to 650,000 won and maintaining a "buy" rating. The firm noted that the market is still pricing Samsung based on traditional cyclical stock logic, but is overlooking that long-term supply agreements are driving its memory business to transition from "cycle-driven" to "order-driven". It added that Samsung’s earnings stability, performance predictability, and valuation center are all expected to improve, with its current stock price deemed "significantly undervalued".

Decentralized AI data network Perceptron Network has completed $6.5 million in strategic financing, with participation from investors including Selini Capital.

Decentralized AI data network Perceptron Network has completed a $6.5 million strategic funding round, with participants including Sigma Capital, Selini Capital, QCP Capital, P2 Ventures, CoinDCX Ventures, Momentum6, DeFi Capital, Walrus Foundation, Aethir, Colosseum, GuruDev Capital, Tempo Finance, NewTribe Capital, Digital Consensus Fund, and CodeCraft Capital. The round will be used to support the launch of Perceptron’s data exploration platform, expand its contributor tools and reward infrastructure, and scale the network to its target of 5 million nodes. Perceptron aims to integrate global data collection into a single contributor network, enabling AI companies and regular contributors to access, verify high-quality datasets, and monetize them. The network is now live and already boasts over 700,000 nodes.

Trump: Will Continue to Launch Strong Strikes Against Iran

US President Donald Trump said, "We will continue to take strong action against Iran."

South Korea’s Doosan Group invested 2.3 trillion won to acquire a 70.6% stake in SK Siltron, ramping up its semiconductor sector expansion.

According to South Korean media reports, South Korea’s Doosan Group has signed an agreement with SK Group to acquire semiconductor wafer manufacturer SK Siltron. With the completion of the transaction, Doosan is expected to further enhance its competitiveness in the semiconductor industry, building on its core businesses such as energy and machinery. Doosan, the holding company of Doosan Group, disclosed on the 31st that it has signed a share purchase agreement with SK Group to acquire a 70.6% stake in SK Siltron held by SK, with a transaction value of 2.3 trillion won. However, the 29.4% stake held personally by SK Group Chairman Choi Tae-won is not included in the acquisition. SK Siltron is South Korea’s only semiconductor silicon wafer manufacturer, ranking third in global market share for 12-inch wafers. Last year, the firm’s corporate valuation exceeded 5 trillion won.

A Samsung Electronics executive invested 700 million South Korean won to increase their holdings in the company’s stock.

According to Yonhap News Agency, amid recent sharp fluctuations in Samsung Electronics' stock price, Noh Tae-moon, President and Co-CEO of Samsung Electronics' DX Division, spent approximately 700 million won to increase his holdings in the company. South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service's Electronic Disclosure System (DART) disclosed on July 31 that Noh purchased 3,045 Samsung Electronics shares at 230,000 won per share the previous day, totaling around 700.35 million won. Following this share purchase, his total stake in the company reached 124,280 shares.

Nanfang's 2x Leveraged Long Samsung Electronics ETF Surges Over 53%

According to Bitget market data, Southern's 2x leveraged long Samsung Electronics (07747) climbed to HK$79.440 intraday, with its gain widening to 53.06%.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix both notched their largest single-day gains on record.

According to Bitget market data, South Korea’s KOSPI index surged 17% in early Friday trading, driven primarily by a new wave of investment in global semiconductor stocks. The index had fallen for three consecutive days prior, hitting its lowest level since April 7. Samsung Electronics’ share price rose over 26%, while SK Hynix gained more than 29%—both notching their highest single-day percentage gains on record. Combined, the two chipmakers account for over half of the KOSPI’s total market capitalization. On Thursday, the U.S. Philadelphia Semiconductor Index climbed 8%, Micron Technology jumped 18%, and Microsoft reported strong earnings, with its share price surging 15% to log its largest single-day gain in 18 years.

Samsung Electronics plans to restart its aggressive shareholder return program for the first time in a decade, likely modeled after its 2017 plan, with share repurchases and cancellations leading the way.

Citrini analyst Jukan cited a report from South Korea’s Meritz Securities, stating that Samsung Electronics is expected to unveil a shareholder return plan in the coming weeks, on par with its aggressive 2017 initiative—marking the first revival of its "early execution plan" in nearly a decade. Specific measures include raising dividends, ceasing to deduct M&A expenses when calculating free cash flow, and returning 50% of free cash flow to shareholders in full. Meritz’s report notes that Samsung’s management has acknowledged the recent stock price drop has undervalued its shares, so moves directly boosting shareholder value such as share buybacks and cancellations are expected to roll out first. Samsung Electronics faced pressure in July due to overall pullbacks in its memory chip segment and structural factors including forced liquidation of leveraged ETFs; its current stock price remains significantly discounted from June’s highs. If the return plan is implemented, it will signal a structural shift in Samsung’s capital allocation strategy from conservative expansion to prioritizing shareholder returns.

Samsung: Demand for artificial intelligence chips remains strong, potentially exacerbating supply shortages next year.

Samsung Electronics said on Thursday that demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips remains strong, which may exacerbate supply shortages next year—contrary to investor concerns that major tech companies' massive AI spending could slow and curb growth. Samsung's stock rose 8% after its earnings call, while SK Hynix's stock rebounded 3%. In a statement, Samsung noted: "We expect demand in the server sector to stay strong through the second quarter of 2026, driven by continued investment in AI infrastructure and broader adoption of agent AI." (Jinshi)

Samsung Electronics: Not considering issuing US ADRs for the time being, and holds an open stance on future plans.

Samsung Electronics stated that it is not currently considering issuing American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), but remains open to the possibility of issuing ADRs over the medium and long term.

Samsung Electronics' gain expanded to 7%, while SK Hynix rose 3.2%.

According to Bitget's market data, South Korea's KOSPI index rose 5% intraday, now standing at 5950.55 points. Samsung Electronics gained 7%, while SK Hynix rose 3.2%.

SK Hynix's decline widened to 7.57%, while Samsung Electronics fell 2.64%.

According to Bitget market data, South Korea's KOSPI index rose 1.67% intraday, SK Hynix fell 7.57%, and Samsung Electronics dropped 2.64%.

Samsung Electronics: AI drives stronger demand for servers and memory in the second half of the year, expects full-year profit to continue growing.

Samsung Electronics has announced its second-quarter financial results: revenue reached 171 trillion won, operating profit stood at 89.4 trillion won, basically in line with market expectations; net profit was 71.3 trillion won, exceeding the market forecast of 68.5 trillion won. Among them, the chip division’s second-quarter operating profit hit 89.2 trillion won. Looking ahead, Samsung Electronics stated that server chip demand will remain strong in the second half of the year, and the chip supply shortage is expected to persist, while demand for mobile and PC chips may slow down. The company expects that driven by continuous capital expenditure on AI infrastructure and broader autonomous AI applications, memory business demand will continue to stay strong, and it forecasts that profit will keep growing in the second half of the year. Additionally, the depreciation of the won brought a positive impact of approximately 3.1 trillion won on the company’s second-quarter results.

US media: Elon Musk plans to strongly support the Republican Party in the midterm elections.

According to Axios, Elon Musk is inserting himself into the midterm elections with a large-scale investment plan aimed at boosting Republican voter turnout. The report states that Musk is reviving his previously dormant Super PAC, America PAC, which spent over $260 million in 2024 to help Donald Trump win the presidency. Sources familiar with the matter said the committee will focus on door-to-door canvassing, digital advertising, and direct mail campaigns to mobilize its conservative base, including voters who typically do not turn out in non-presidential election years. A representative for Musk declined to disclose specific spending figures, but given his 2024 donation amount, the current investment is expected to be substantial. Musk’s involvement will further expand the Republican Party’s funding advantage over the Democratic Party. Currently, Trump’s low approval ratings on issues such as the economy and the Iran war have put the Republican Party’s prospects of retaining its House and Senate majorities in the November 3 election at risk.

South Korean stocks extended their gains after opening, with SK Hynix rising 4% and Samsung Electronics climbing nearly 6%.

According to Bitget’s market data, South Korea’s KOSPI index has extended its gains to over 3%, SK Hynix rose 4%, and Samsung Electronics gained nearly 6%.

Citrini’s View: Nvidia’s Moat Remains Deep; HBM4 Costs Doubling Drives Up Rubin’s Pricing, With Its High Gross Margins and Strong Pricing Power Unshaken.

Citrini analyst Jukan cited Fubon Securities' *2027 Semiconductor Outlook* report, noting that although HBM4 costs will jump sharply from HBM3e's $17–18 per GB to $31–32 per GB in 2026, pushing Nvidia's Rubin GPU price to roughly $78,000–$80,000, Nvidia will still maintain a high gross margin of 75%–80%, with its pricing power and cost pass-through capability remaining unshaken. The report also pointed out that custom ASIC-based HBM could have even higher costs, reaching $35–36 per GB, meaning HBM costs will double by 2027. Fubon Securities remains optimistic about AI market demand, arguing that despite recent concerns over AI inflation, token costs are a more critical factor driving cloud service providers' capital expenditures. At the architecture level, Nvidia's new rack is still planned to use the same number of compute chips, with scale-up within racks via cables and scale-out between racks via NPO/CPO. Additionally, Google plans to deploy 12 million to 15 million TPUs by 2028, with production capacity more than doubling from 2027 levels; Intel's EMIB production capacity is expected to rise to 24,000–25,000 units per month by the end of 2027, while TSMC is slowing SoIC expansion to prioritize scaling up CoWoS capacity. The core conclusion is that even with changes to its cost structure, Nvidia's pricing power, gross margin, and demand support in the AI computing ecosystem still form an unassailable competitive moat.

SK Hynix has corrected nearly 50% from its June peak, Samsung Electronics has fallen around 41% cumulatively, and Kioxia has declined by more than 60%.

According to Bitget market data, the storage sector has undergone a deep correction and fallen into a technical bear market. South Korean stock SK Hynix has plunged nearly 50% from its June peak of 2,987,000 won (approx. $2,043) to 1,550,000 won (approx. $1,060); Samsung Electronics has dropped about 41% from its June high of 374,500 won (approx. $256) to 220,000 won (approx. $150). South Korea’s KOSPI index stands at 6,023 points, down roughly 36% from its June peak of 9,385.59 points. Japanese storage stock Kioxia has fallen over 60% from its peak of 112,700 yen to 44,550 yen. According to BIT (bit.com) market data, U.S. stocks Micron Technology has corrected around 29% from its peak, SanDisk down ~46%, Seagate down ~29%, and Western Digital down ~38%. The Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) has corrected over 35%, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index is down about 21%.

230,862 new Tron accounts created, up 42.87% to highest daily total this month

Yesterday, 230,862 new accounts were created on #Tron, up 42.87% and marking the highest daily total in the past month.