Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) has disclosed more than KRW5 trillion in long-term supply agreements (LTAs) this year after signing another AI server capacitor contract. The company expects such agreements to account for more than half of its multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) revenue in 2027.
Taiwan-based Horngyu Electric is leveraging manufacturing in Vietnam to meet rising demand for electrical equipment from AI data centers (AIDCs), Taiwan makers investing in the US, and new-energy projects. Horngyu's Vietnam plant is scheduled to begin trial production by the end of 2026 and enter mass production in 2027.
South Korea should tie government support for new semiconductor fabs to commitments that benefit domestic chip designers, equipment makers, and packaging suppliers, a state-funded researcher proposed on November 2, a move that could influence chipmakers' sourcing decisions if adopted.
Premier Jung-tai Cho said on November 3 that Taiwan's government provided Nvidia with timely support in three areas—budget, legal frameworks, and policy—to establish its first overseas R&D center and headquarters in Taipei's Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (BSTP). Nvidia's decision has also become a key achievement for Taipei Mayor Wayne Chiang as he seeks reelection.
OpenAI has signed a series of agreements in Abu Dhabi covering energy, investment, and public-sector applications, as the artificial intelligence company expands generative AI deployment across the United Arab Emirates. The initiatives involve the Abu Dhabi government, sovereign investment institutions, and energy companies, while regional funds are also reportedly discussing participation in a potential US$20 billion to US$30 billion financing round.
Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold 8 weekly sales in South Korea increased by more than 20% in the week after Apple launched its first foldable iPhone Duo, according to Seoul Economic Daily and Financial News. The increase followed the iPhone Duo's South Korean debut on October 23, 2026, as reported problems involving shipment delays and cracked internal displays created additional attention for Samsung's competing foldable device.
Electronic components maker TDK will invest about JPY100 billion (US$633.5 million) to renovate an existing factory in Ojiya, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and expand magnetic sensor production. The company aims to double capacity by fiscal 2030, which runs from April 2030 to March 2031, to capture demand from humanoid robots and other physical AI applications.
Samsung Electronics is considering a major overhaul of its TV lineup for 2027, replacing technology-based product names with three tiers modeled on its Galaxy smartphones as it looks to increase shipments and expand its services business, South Korea's ETNews reported.
Japan's Mitsui Kinzoku has announced its third capacity expansion plan since the start of fiscal 2026 for MicroThin, its ultrathin copper foil used in optical communications equipment. The company is accelerating production expansion to meet sustained growth in market demand.
China's outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) companies entered the fourth quarter with rising sales, high utilization, and an industry-wide price upturn. Their third-quarter results also show how much reported profit growth rests on investment gains and lower taxes, and how heavily the sector is now spending to close an advanced packaging gap that AI demand has exposed.
Geopolitical tensions, volatile crude oil prices, and tightening sustainability requirements are reshaping the global chemical industry, creating new challenges and opportunities for Taiwan's specialty chemicals sector. Against this backdrop, the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) forecasts that Taiwan's specialty chemicals output will reach NT$185.7 billion (US$5.7 billion) in 2026, up 10.9% from 2025, partly driven by higher oil prices pushing up specialty chemical prices.
Samsung Electronics plans to shut down its remaining 8-inch foundry lines by the end of 2030, forcing South Korean chip designers to seek alternative manufacturing capacity as competing foundries operate near full capacity, The Elec reported.
China's leading solar manufacturers have reported their third-quarter 2026 financial results, showing signs of improving profitability but continued heavy losses, underscoring the persistence of excess production capacity across the industry.
China's memory chip industry heads into the final quarter of 2026 riding a global supply shortage: its leading DRAM maker booked more than CNY54 billion (US$8.11 billion) in third-quarter profit, and its chip designers are still lifting sales on tight supply. The same third-quarter results also show where risks are accumulating — rapid capacity expansion, swelling inventories, and a US policy debate that could reach the equipment domestic fabs depend on.
Malaysia is attaching tougher conditions to its data center boom, pairing a newly approved renewable energy quota with stricter screening of power and water requests and pressure on operators to supply more of their own electricity.
