#hardware

Samsung and SK Hynix are expected to announce massive AI-focused investment plans at a national briefing on June 29, 2026, with Samsung proposing a 1000 trillion won ($648 billion) ten-year spending plan, the largest in South Korean history. This unprecedented investment scale could transform the AI hardware supply chain, dramatically increasing the production capacity of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and other AI-critical chips, potentially accelerating AI development globally. The announcement will focus on semiconductors, AI data centers, and physical AI; however, shares of both companies fell over 9% on the same day due to concerns that Apple product price hikes could suppress demand for memory chips.

SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung warned that the global memory industry will face the worst supply shortage in history by 2027, with demand outstripping supply even after capacity expansion beyond 2030. The warning came on the company's Nasdaq debut day, where shares closed up 13.3% at $168.85. This forecast from a major memory maker signals that AI and computing demand will drive long-term memory tightness, potentially raising hardware costs and impacting the entire tech industry. As a leading player, SK Hynix's outlook carries significant weight for supply chain planning. SK Hynix reported a record operating profit of 47 trillion won ($31 billion) in 2025, with Q2 2026 expected to rise further to 65.5 trillion won. The company is considering overseas fab locations in the US, Japan, or Southeast Asia, prioritizing regions with cost advantages in land, power, and labor.

QuadRF, an open-source 4x4 MIMO software-defined radio (SDR) phased-array system, has been demonstrated as a radio frequency augmented reality tool that can visualize WiFi signals and detect drones through walls. This project democratizes advanced RF sensing technology, making it accessible to hobbyists and researchers for applications in security, privacy auditing, and wireless network diagnostics. It also raises important discussions about privacy and the capabilities of consumer-grade RF tools. QuadRF is available as a development kit on Crowd Supply and uses GNU Radio on a Raspberry Pi 5 for signal processing. The creator noted that the demo required careful camera alignment calibration and radio gain settings, which are being improved based on user feedback.

Meta plans to start mass production of its self-designed AI chip, codenamed 'Iris,' in September 2026, aiming to double its overall AI computing capacity to 14 GW by 2027. This move reduces Meta’s reliance on external suppliers like Nvidia and AMD, potentially reshaping the AI hardware market and lowering costs for large-scale AI training and inference. The chip, part of the MTIA (Meta Training and Inference Accelerator) fourth-generation project, was developed with Broadcom and manufactured by TSMC, passing tests in only six weeks without significant issues.