The three major players in advanced chip manufacturing have secured CHIPS Act subsidies by promising to increase investments in fabrication facilities within the United States. With more than half of the direct subsidies in their coffers, they are mandated to introduce cutting-edge 2-nm production lines on American soil.
Samsung Electronics is caught in the history of the first collective strike crisis in South Korea amidst intensifying global semiconductor competition. Samsung's five labor unions, should they eventually choose to go on strike, will become Samsung's first largest collective action in the 55 years since its founding.
DIGITIMES Research analyzed the US CHIPS Act grant program for TSMC and found that although TSMC received US$6.6 billion compared to Intel's US$8.5 billion, the US government still provided beneficial conditions to TSMC.
A recent report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has emerged, indicating Baidu is poised to provide AI capabilities for Apple's next-generation iPhone 16.
In the past, it was the chip that created the user's needs, but when hardware has little room to expand for running Artificial Intelligence (AI) models while the difference between each generation of chips gets smaller and smaller, it's the Operating System (OS) and applications that decide the winner in the AI PC, AI smartphone and AIoT era, said DIGITIMES Research analyst and project manager Joyce Chen.
After the 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Taiwan, TSMC's speedy recovery to resume operation on the late evening of April 5 demonstrated the resilience and flexibility of semiconductor supply chains in Asia.
The output value of Taiwan's PCB industry is anticipated to be propelled by emerging market applications, such as AI servers, EVs, and satellite communications this year.
Apple has recently found itself in an antitrust predicament, as the US Department of Justice (DOJ), alongside 15 state courts and D.C., filed a joint lawsuit against Apple.
At a recent semiconductor forum hosted by a think tank under Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), former TSMC R&D Director Konrad Young and various scholars from Taiwan and Japan highlighted some of the cooperation opportunities and challenges between Taiwanese and Japanese semiconductor ecosystems. As TSMC goes on to expand its presence in Japan while the Japanese chip industry simultaneously seeks to carve its own path through the Rapidus initiative, the event, held by NSTC's Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) on March 22, left much for the audience to brainstorm.
Tim Cook's recent trip to China underscored Apple's emphasis on the Chinese market, where iPhone sales have been reported to be below estimates since 2024.
