In the competitive smartphone maket, product differentiation is one of the crucial factors to attract customers. Handset vendors are now looking to customized chips to achieve such production differentiation, with Xiaomi reportedly working...

Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is urging international material and equipment makers to invest in Taiwan where demand for semiconductor equipment, especially from the wafer foundry sector, is expected to surge in the next few years.

Thin-film optical filter maker East Tender Optoelectronics has seen clients in Japan, China and the US begin testing optical filter samples for 6G communication, as optical filers for communication applications usually require 5-6 years to develop.

PV conductive paste maker Giga Solar Materials will merge with Exojet Technology, a maker of conductive paste for passive components, PCBs and touch panels, with the former to be the surviving company.

Taiwan's flexible PCB makers Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect reportedly have entered the supply chain of Apple's upcoming mini LED-backlit iPad Pro and MacBook series and will compete with their South Korean peer Young Poong Electronics for a higher shipment ratio for flexible boards...

Taiwan-based Eternal Materials continues to utilize as high as 90% of its dry-film photoresist production capacity, thanks to brisk PCB demand for base stations, servers, notebooks and games consoles.

The emerging market for silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors is forecast to pass US$1 billion in 2021, energized by demand from hybrid & electric vehicles (EV), power supplies and photovoltaic (PV) inverters, according to Omdia.

Taiwan-based rigid PCB makers have moved to increase production of high-layer-count PCBs that have seen a significant surge in demand since the start of 2020, according to industry sources.

Chang Wah Electromaterials (CWE), a Taiwan-based distributor of packaging material and equipment, has disclosed plans to grow its stake in Tian Zheng International Precision Machinery, which specializes in automation equipment, to 12.08% from the current 2.31%.

Taiwan-based IC substrate makers continue to improve their AiP (antenna in package) substrate production yield rates seeking to gain a firm presence in AiP packaging that is expected to be widely used in mmWave-enabled 5G smartphones, according to industry sources.

Taiwan-based IC substrate suppliers including Unimicron Technology and Nan Ya PCB are expected to continue experiencing tight supply of ABS substrates throughout 2020 despite losses of orders from Huawei, but their profitability may fall slightly, according to industry sources.

Kingboard Copper Foil has notified its customers that quotes for specific CCLs will be raised by 3-5% starting July to reflect rising copper and other materials costs, according to industry sources. It remains to be seen whether other China- and Taiwan-based CCL makers will follow suit.

China-based manufacturer and component suppliers have crossed into the supply chain of Apple and are gaining increased orders from the vendor with China-based Luxshare already becoming a key assembler of the AirPods and having a chance...

Group Up Industrial (GP) has clear order visibility through the third quarter of 2020, thanks to growing demand from its PCB and IC substrate clients looking to ramp up their offerings for 5G related applications, according to the Taiwan-based maker dedicated to supplying automation and semiconductor...

China-based Leadrive Technology, specializing in third-generation semiconductor power modules for electric vehicles, has teamed up with Japan's IDM Rohm Semiconductor to set up an SiC (silicon on carbide) technology research lab at the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, according to a statement jointly...

Rigid PCB maker HannStar Board will see strong growth momentum driven by notebook, server, networking and gaming applications in the third quarter of 2020, but prospects for the fourth quarter remain uncertain due to market variables, according to company chairman YH Chiao.

Taiwan-based Unimicron Technology is being identified as the major ABF substrate supplier for Apple's new-generation Mac computers that will be powered by its in-house developed ARM-based processors, according to market sources.

Panasonic plans to expand its high-frequency and high-speed CCL production capacity at its plant in China's Guangdong seeking to satisfy Chinese demand for 5G infrastructure applications, with Huawei among the Japanese vendor's major clients demanding the additional CCL output, according to industry...

Intelligent Epitaxy Technology (IntelliEPI), which supplies compound semiconductor epitaxial wafers, will complete installing new equipment and facilities and is gearing up to scale up its output to meet demand arising from the proliferation of 5G in the second half of 2020.

PCB equipment maker Chime Ball Technology (CBT) has expressed caution about its shipment prospects for the second half of 2020 due mainly to uncertain pandemic impacts on consumer electronics and automotive PCBs.

Taiwan-based Eris Technology has eentered the supply chain of China's leading display panel vendors by providing power diodes and MOSFET chips, according to industry sources.

Rigid PCB manufacturer Tripod Technology expects its revenues for the third quarter of 2020 to grow sequentially on stronger PCB shipments for servers, network equipment and memory modules and basic demand for HDI handset mainboards, according company chairman Jimmy Wang.

PCB manufacturer Compeq Manufacturing expects to end the first half of 2020 with good business results but remains cautious about its operations in the second half of 2020 citing a slow recovery in handset demand.

Phison Electronics plans to acquire a 49% stake in Nextorage, a subsidiary of Sony Storage Media Solutions (SSMS), for an undisclosed sum, according to the Taiwan-based flash storage controller specialist.

Intel and TSMC are head to head in 3D packaging technology. While Intel has unveiled its Lakefield processors 3D-packaged with its Foveros technology, TSMC is looking to commercialize its SoIC technology for 3D heterogeneous integration...