Hardware
The silicon rung of the inference stack, read memory-first.
Memory bandwidth of one H100 SXM's 80 GB of HBM3 — the wall the arithmetic waits behind
In scope: the memory hierarchy and the memory wall, HBM and DRAM scaling, bandwidth and capacity limits, processing-in-memory, accelerator and NPU architecture, advanced packaging, and interconnect including optical interconnect and co-packaged optics. Memory is the binding constraint of this cycle. Out of scope: photonic compute (computing in light, as distinct from communicating in light) and quantum computing — frontier science with no near-term effect on what a token costs — and consumer buying advice, which is an editorial beat rather than research.
| Type | Source | Published |
|---|---|---|
| REPORT | Inside the NVIDIA Vera Rubin Platform Kyle Aubrey · NVIDIA Six-chip co-designed AI supercomputer platform: 50 PFLOPS FP4 inference, 288GB HBM4 at 22TB/s, 5x improvement over Blackwell | 2026-01-05 |
| REPORT | NVIDIA, ASML, TSMC and Synopsys Set Foundation for Next-Generation Chip Manufacturing NVIDIA Newsroom · NVIDIA / ASML / TSMC / Synopsys NVIDIA cuLitho computational-lithography library deepens integration with ASML, TSMC, and Synopsys. GPU-accelerated mask synthesis becomes a structural enabler for sub-2nm production and a softener for TSMC's deferral of high-NA EUV | 2026-04-23 |
| REPORT | NVIDIA Vera Rubin Ramps Into Full Production to Power Agentic AI Factories Worldwide NVIDIA Newsroom · NVIDIA NVIDIA confirms the Vera Rubin platform is ramping into full production (May 2026), production shipments begin fall 2026 across 350+ factories in 30 countries; 10x agent throughput at scale vs Grace Blackwell. | 2026-05-31 |
| REPORT | TSMC — 6-K: June 2026 Revenue Report (filed 2026-07-13) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited · TSMC / SEC EDGAR June 2026 consolidated revenue NT$442.68B (+6.2% MoM, +67.9% YoY); H1 2026 revenue NT$2,404.48B (+35.6% YoY). | 2026-07-13 |
| REPORT | TSMC — Q2 2026 Earnings Release + Quarterly Management Report Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited · TSMC / investor.tsmc.com Full Q2'26 print (primary, TSMC IR): GM 67.7% above the 65.5-67.5% guided ceiling, OpM 60.3%, revenue US$40.20B/NT$1,270.38B at top of guidance, HPC 66% (60->61->66 progression), Q2 capex US$15.70B/H1 US$26.80B, 2nm 3% of wafer revenue with N2-ramp dilution active. | 2026-07-16 |
| REPORT | ASML — Q2 2026 Financial Results ASML Holding N.V. · ASML / asml.com Q2'26 beat (EUR9.33B net sales / 54.0% GM, both above guidance) + FY26 guidance raise to EUR43-45B/54-56% GM (+20.5% midpoint since the Feb 20-F). Beat engine was Installed-Base/service upside (+EUR300M), not new systems. | 2026-07-15 |
| REPORT | Intel Q2 2026 Results (Actual Print) — 8-K Ex-99.1 Intel Corporation · Intel Corporation (SEC 8-K Ex-99.1) ACTUAL Q2 2026: revenue $16,128M (+25% YoY, seventh straight guide-beat); GAAP EPS $(2.16) is entirely a $12,529M non-cash CHIPS Act Escrowed-Shares mark, non-GAAP EPS $0.42 and GAAP operating income POSITIVE $1,796M; Foundry loss narrowed to $(2,089)M/(36.2)% (first simultaneous margin+dollar improvement); gross capex FELL 41% YoY to $2,652M (the deeply negative Adjusted FCF is an Apollo/Fab 34 JV buyout, not capex). Panther Lake in HVM on ASML High-NA EUV. No FY26 capex-dollar guide; 18A yield still undisclosed. | 2026-07-23 |
| REPORT | TSMC — 6-K: August 2026 Revenue Report (filed 2026-09-10) Wendell Huang, SVP & CFO · TSMC / SEC EDGAR August 2026 net revenue NT$514.81B (+10.1% MoM, +53.3% YoY); Jan–Aug 2026 NT$3,386.87B (+39.3% YoY). Monthly foundry throughput proxy; YoY rate decelerating (67.9% June → 53.3% August) while absolute level climbs. | 2026-09-10 |
| REPORT | SK hynix Announces 2Q26 Financial Results SK hynix Inc. · SK hynix 2Q26 operating margin 76% on KRW 79.32tn revenue (+257% YoY), operating profit KRW 60.54tn (+557%); HBM4 mass shipments began in Q2; LTAs with ~10 customers. Memory scarcity stated as a margin, not a capability spec. | 2026-07-29 |