Attopsemi, a pioneering provider of innovative One-Time Programmable (OTP) IP solutions, today announced a significant technological leap: its proprietary I-fuse technology has achieved silicon validation on the 7nm FinFET process. Following the previous success on 12nm process, this latest milestone reinforces Attopsemi's technical agility in scaling its proprietary solutions alongside the cutting edge of semiconductors.Unlike conventional OTP solutions, I-fuse offers a comprehensive portfolio spanning multiple generations—from polysilicon to High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) and FinFET—without requiring additional mask layers or Boolean masking operations. This ensures seamless integration and high portability across a broad spectrum of process technologies.Attopsemi's revolutionary I-fuse is programmed below "thermal runaway." This allows electromigration (EM) to serve as the one and only one programming mechanism, ensuring high reliability guaranteed by fundamental physics. By utilizing metal as the fuse material, I-fuse benefits from the inherent scalability of Moore's Law: as metal width and height shrink, so do programming current and overall IP footprint. This scalability makes metal I-fuse stand out among other OTP technologies.The integration of I-fuse into advanced FinFET nodes enables a new generation of applications where small area, high reliability, low-power programming and low current read are critical. This OTP technology is poised to significantly impact the global semiconductor community, especially for AI and chiplets that need chips on very advanced nodes and from heterogeneous process technologies on the same package."Being able to scale I-fuse across FinFET nodes from 12nm to 7nm demonstrates I-fuse can be ported directly to 2nm GAA and beyond. The fundamental I-fuse programming mechanism for GAA is still the same, different MOS structures built by GAA are just to deliver currents." said Shine Chung, Chairman of Attopsemi.Attopsemi continues to make significant strides in providing high-performance, cost-effective OTP technologies. Its rapid growth and technical milestones demonstrate a ready-to-deploy solution now available across an expanding range of world-class foundries.

Tactile sensing is rapidly emerging as a critical foundation for next-generation applications across consumer electronics, robotics, automation, healthcare, manufacturing, and immersive technologies such as VR/AR and telepresence. According to Exactitude Consultancy and Global Market Insights, the global tactile sensing market is projected to surpass USD 30.7 billion by 2030 and approach USD 43.9 billion by 2032.Amid this rising wave of sensory innovation, an international team at National Chin-Yi University of Technology (NCUT) in Taichung is pushing the boundaries of how machines perceive the physical world. Their breakthrough project—AI driven TOUCH System – Digitizing Touch —earned the Gold Medal in the AI Application category at the 2025 Best AI Awards hosted by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs. Their goal is ambitious to digitize touch, and in doing so, teach machines how to "feel.""Our original mission was to help the visually impaired better perceive their surroundings," says Dr. Aaron Raymond See, founder of TOUCH Lab, project lead, and associate professor at NCUT, Department of Electronic Engineering. "Most assistive technologies focus on vision or hearing. We chose to help machines understand touch—the most intuitive yet and underutilized human sense in AI today."TOUCH Lab's journey began in 2021 with early prototypes of tactile teaching aids and haptic gloves. Over time, the team developed Omnisense, a visual-tactile sensing system that mimics the integrative capabilities of human skin. It simultaneously detects pressure, temperature, texture, and shape—unlike competing technologies such as GelSight, DIGIT or TacTip, which typically focus on isolated variables."Human skin doesn't separate functions," Dr. See explains. "We wanted our sensor to work the same way—fusing multiple tactile cues into one unified system, just like the way our fingertips perceive the world."Tactile sensing, Dr. See notes, fills critical gaps left by vision and audio-based systems. In precision manufacturing, for example, engineers still rely on touch to verify metal coatings or fabric softness. "You can't tell if a blade is sharp just by looking at it. You need to feel it. That's the kind of insight tactile data provides—and it's currently missing from most machine systems."The TOUCH system is already being evaluated for diverse applications, from robotic manipulators and automated quality control to medical rehabilitation and assistive devices for people with visual impairments. The team has also partnered with National Cheng Kung University Hospital for clinical testing of wearable medical devices."We're in active discussions with Siemens and other industrial partners," Raymond shares. "After multiple technical iterations and are now in the second phase of commercialization. We're also conducting durability testing under extreme conditions—high temperatures, oily surfaces, dusty environments—to prepare the system for deployment in heavy manufacturing."Looking ahead, Dr. See says the lab's short-term priority for 2025–2027 is to refine the sensor material, making it thinner and lighter for use in medical wearables, where comfort and responsiveness are paramount. The long-term goal for 2027–2030 is to miniaturize the entire sensing module for integration into robotic arms and end-effectors that perform high-precision tasks."Our ultimate goal is to make tactile sensing a standard feature in future machines," says Dr. See. "Just like cameras and accelerometers became essential in smartphones, touch sensors will be essential in robotics."For the team, the Best AI Award provided more than just funding and exposure—it validated a vision that was once considered niche. "It motivates our students, sustains our lab, and gives us the platform to go further, " Dr. See reflects. Winning the awardwas not just about showcasing innovation, it was a test of the team's resilience and synergy. Dr. See stated that, "he students faced enormous pressure during the competition, but that's exactly the kind of environment they’ll encounter in the real world. They didn't just refine the tech, they learned how to adapt quickly and collaborate under stress."With students and researchers from electronics, computer science, mechanical engineering, and design, the team's cross-disciplinary structure enabled rapid integration and validation. "We've been an international team from the start, with collaborators across the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Germany" Dr. See says. "Beyond sensors, we're also exploring assistive technologies such as leg rehabilitation tools. Our ultimate goal is to bring tangible improvements to elderly care and rehabilitation."While today's AI is dominated by visual and auditory systems, Dr. See believes tactile intelligence remains a largely untapped blue ocean, with transformative potential.  "Touch is the most subtle, intuitive, and instinctive of all senses," he says. "If AI can capture and replicate that, it unlocks a new dimension of value."From simulating fabric textures in e-commerce to enabling remote medical diagnostics and high-precision industrial inspections, TOUCH Lab's sensor is moving beyond the lab and into  real-world use. "We don't want this to remain an academic prototype, our vision is for machines to feel—not just calculate. And that changes everything." Dr. See concludes. TOUCH Lab won the Gold Award and NT$1,000,000 in the International Group AI Applications Category at the 2025 Best AI Awards. Now it's your chance to shine—bring your innovation to the world and apply for the 2026 Best AI Awards! With global tracks open for both AI Applications and IC Design, students and companies worldwide can compete for the grand prize of up to USD 30,000. The deadline is March 16, so don't miss out. For more details, join the online orientation on February 11 and sign up today.

The Asia FinTech Alliance (AFA) recently announced the results of its latest leadership election, conducted in full accordance with the AFA Bylaws unanimously adopted by all members in 2025.All elected members of the Executive Committee received affirmative written consent from more than two-thirds (2/3) of AFA member associations, representing at least ten Asian economies, underscoring strong collective confidence in AFA's governance framework and leadership continuity.Election ResultsJaclyn Tsai (Taiwan) was re-elected as Chairwoman of AFA for a second term.Dongpyo Hong (Korea) and Wilson Beh (Malaysia) continue their roles as Vice Chairpersons, having been elected in November 2025.Takafumi Ochiai (Japan) was elected as Treasurer, a newly established Executive Committee position that marks a key milestone in strengthening AFA's financial oversight and institutional maturity.Winston Hsiao (Taiwan) was re-elected as Secretary, ensuring continuity in AFA’s operational coordination and internal governance.Under the renewed leadership structure, the two Vice Chairpersons will jointly oversee eight Working Groups, including Bylaws, Anti-Fraud, Academy, Affiliate Members, Women in FinTech, Website, and Webinars, to drive focused execution across policy, industry development, inclusion, and knowledge exchange.Leadership Voices"I am deeply honored by the trust our members have placed in this leadership team," said Jaclyn Tsai, Chairwoman of AFA. "AFA is not just a platform - it is a network of trust. The more trust we build across borders, the more collective power we have to shape Asia's fintech future."Dongpyo Hong, Vice Chairperson, noted: "Strong governance is the foundation of meaningful regional collaboration. With clearer roles and active working groups, AFA is well positioned to move from dialogue to coordinated action."Wilson Beh, Vice Chairperson, added: "AFA's strength lies in its diversity - across markets, regulatory environments, and stages of development. This allows us to co-create solutions that truly work for Asia."Takafumi Ochiai, Treasurer, commented: "The creation of the Treasurer role reflects AFA's evolution into a more accountable and sustainable regional organization, reinforcing member trust through sound financial governance. As a member of the Executive Committee, I also look forward to contributing to AFA's broader initiatives across the region."Winston Hsiao, Secretary of AFA, emphasized execution and continuity: "Good governance is not only about structure, but about consistent implementation. As Secretary, I look forward to supporting the Executive Committee and Working Groups in translating AFA’s shared vision into concrete outcomes for our members."A Shared Vision for AsiaGuided by the principle of an alliance of associations, AFA brings together one leading fintech association from each participating economy. The Alliance currently comprises 15 member associations, representing Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Mongolia, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.With its renewed mandate, AFA will continue to strengthen cross-border trust, regulatory dialogue, and industry collaboration, transforming diversity into collective strength and governance into long-term regional impact.AFA — We Build Trust Together, Shape Asia's Future Together.

DesignCon, the United States' premier annual gathering for chip, board, and systems design engineers, returns to the Santa Clara Convention Center from February 24-26, 2026. For over three decades, this flagship Silicon Valley event has served as the essential forum for industry professionals to discover innovative solutions to the most pressing signal and power integrity challenges.As a global leader in semiconductor test sockets, Smiths Interconnect is proud to announce its participation in this prestigious conference and exhibition. We will feature a comprehensive portfolio of our star test products, highlighting solutions engineered for the next generation of technology in AI PCs, Enterprise Data Centres (EDC), automotive electronics, and the Internet of Things (IoT).Spotlight on Innovation: DaVinci Gen V High-Speed Test SocketHeadlining the display will be the DaVinci Gen V High-Speed Test Socket, Smiths Interconnect's latest flagship product. Designed to meet the extreme demands of high-performance computing and AI data centres, the DaVinci Gen V test socket delivers breakthrough high-speed signal transmission and performance. It enables unprecedented digital signaling speeds of up to 224 Gbps PAM4 for AI accelerators and beyond 100 GHz for 6G communications. These speeds are crucial for supporting the growing demand for massive data transfer.The solution supports BGA, LGA, and other package variants, using spring probe technology with a homogeneous alloy and gold plating to ensure better grounding. It delivers RF bandwidth greater than 84 GHz at -1 dB insertion loss, with a short signal path and a 4.90 mm test height. The impedance is tuned to match the system, providing consistent and stable contact resistance of 55 mΩ on average.The design also accommodates high co-planarity and features a tri-temp socket structure capable of operating from -55 °C to +150 °C. The same socket is suitable for manual test, bench test, and high-volume manufacturing (HVM) production test, enabling greater efficiency and consistency across test stages.In addition to high-speed test solutions, Smiths Interconnect will also showcase its high-power burn-in socket, a specialised electromechanical interface designed to temporarily connect a semiconductor device—such as a CPU, GPU, AI accelerator, or high-power discrete component—to a test board during the burn-in and stress-testing phase of manufacturing.It is designed to support next-generation devices with up to 22,000 contacts and sizes up to 150 × 150 mm, while managing power levels of up to 2000 W through integrated liquid cooling. The socket is universally compatible with advanced burn-in chamber platforms and can deliver a 500 lb applied load with a maximum closing force of 15 lb. Flexible thermal options, including passive heatsinks and heat pipes, are also available to meet different testing requirements.This burn-in socket is built for durability and thermal/electrical stability under extreme stress conditions.Attendees are invited to visit Booth 508 to experience Smiths Interconnect's cutting-edge technologies firsthand and engage with technical experts.Credit: Smiths InterconnectCredit: Smiths Interconnect

The "From Shenzhen to Global Opportunity: BIWIN Mini SSD Ecosystem Application Seminar", jointly hosted by BIWIN and Intel, was successfully concluded at the Intel Greater Bay Area Innovation Center in Shenzhen.  The seminar convened leading companies, industry partners, and authoritative media from across the value chain, including but not limited to computing power, advanced packaging, controller solutions, and end-device manufacturing providers. Together, participants gained an early glimpse into BIWIN's Mini SSD ecosystem strategy and engaged in in-depth discussions on industry collaboration and emerging business opportunities driven by AI.On-Device AI Is Redefining Storage Innovations at the EdgeAI is now embedding into edge devices like PCs, wearables, and robots with unmatched depth and reach, sparking revolutionary hardware needs. Storage, the core data foundation, must balance form factor, speed/performance, and power consumption - a critical constraint hindering new terminal designs and major performance jumps.Across the industry, a clear consensus is emerging: the edge-AI revolution must be powered by a fundamental transformation in storage technology. Conventional storage solutions can no longer satisfy the rigid requirements for ultra-compact size, high performance, low power consumption, and flexible scalability. The market is calling for a truly disruptive solution.BIWIN Mini SSD: Reshaping Industry Possibilities with a Ground-Up InnovationIn response to these industry shifts, BIWIN introduced Mini SSD, a product designed from the ground up for next-generation edge platforms. Rather than a simple iteration of existing solutions, Mini SSD represents a complete redefinition of SSD form factors, purpose-built for the future."The explosive growth of edge AI has created the perfect moment for storage innovation," said Rixin Sun, Founder and Group Strategic Advisor of BIWIN, in his opening remarks. "Mini SSD is not only a technological breakthrough for BIWIN, but also a new starting point for co-creating business value with our ecosystem partners."With approximately 40% of the volume of an M.2 2230 SSD and weighing about 1 gram, the Mini SSD delivers flagship-class performance, supporting capacities of up to 2TB and sequential read/write speeds of up to 3,700MB/s and 3,400MB/s. It also features IP68-rated dust and water resistance, 3-meter drop protection, and durability rated for over 12,000 insertion cycles.Its breakthrough design has earned multiple prestigious international awards, including TIME's Best Inventions of 2025 (the only storage product globally selected) and "Best-in-Show" at Embedded World North America 2025.Huilian Wang, Product Director, BIWIN. Credit:BIWINHuilian Wang, Product Director at BIWIN, further elaborated on the product's ecosystem value. Mini SSD is precisely positioned for five key application scenarios, namely ultra-thin notebooks, gaming handhelds, external storage, mobile workstations, and Physical AI devices, providing a new core engine for terminal-side innovation.BIWIN Mini SSD's power ultra-thin laptops, handhelds, external storage, workstations, and Physical AI. Credit:BIWINVertical Integration + Ecosystem Collaboration: Building a Solid Industrial FoundationThe success of Mini SSD is underpinned by BIWIN's strong vertically integrated capabilities and its open, collaborative ecosystem strategy.Internally, BIWIN has established a complete vertical chain spanning IC design, firmware development, and advanced packaging and testing. Greater Bay Advanced Technology Co., Ltd. (GBAT), its wholly-owned subsidiary and also the advanced packaging and manufacturing center, has overcome critical challenges such as 45μm ultra-thin die cracking in advanced packaging, ensuring exceptional reliability and performance.Externally, BIWIN is working closely with leading ecosystem partners to foster an open and mutually beneficial industry environment. As a long-term strategic partner, Intel shared its latest advancements in AI PC technologies. Tao Yan, Client Technology Director, Intel China, noted the strong foundation of cooperation between the two companies and expressed expectations for broader innovation enabled by Mini SSD in the AI PC era.Vertical Integration + Ecosystem Collaboration: Building a Solid Industrial Foundation. Credit:BIWINGlobal controller leaders such as Silicon Motion and Maxio Technology have also collaborated closely with BIWIN to provide powerful performance engines for Mini SSD. On the terminal side, Lin Wang, General Manager of One-Netbook (ONEXPLAYER), the first brand to adopt Mini SSD, shared that the product has become a core differentiator for its offerings. Meanwhile, AI PC solution providers such as Sixunited Intelligent confirmed plans to actively integrate Mini SSD into future product lines to address the surging storage demands driven by AI applications.Open Collaboration, Shared GrowthThis successful seminar marks not only a key milestone in BIWIN's Mini SSD ecosystem strategy, but also signals the industry's collective move into a new era of AI-driven storage.Looking ahead, BIWIN reaffirmed its commitment to openness by sharing product specifications, standardizing interfaces, and working with partners to establish industry alliances. Leveraging 32-die stacking packaging technology, 4TB and higher capacity Mini SSD variants are already on the roadmap, promising even higher performance and larger storage options.From defining a breakthrough product to building an open ecosystem, BIWIN is steadily transforming Mini SSD from a single innovation into a scalable industry standard. Through continuous technological advancement, open interface standards, and deep scenario enablement, BIWIN will work alongside global partners to convert the vast potential of edge AI into tangible commercial value, accelerating the arrival of the next era of AI hardware.Seminar marks BIWIN's Mini SSD milestone and a new AI-driven storage era. Credit:BIWIN

SK hynix Inc. (or "the company", www.skhynix.com) announced today that it has achieved record financial results in 2025 – 97.1467 trillion won in revenue, 47.2063 trillion won in operating profit (with an operating margin of 49%), and 42.9479 trillion won in net profit (with a net margin of 44%).The results significantly exceeded the previous record set in 2024. The annual revenue increased by more than 30 trillion won while the annual operating profit nearly doubled year-on-year, marking the highest annual performance in the company's history.Growth momentum accelerated further in the fourth quarter. In addition to HBM, demand on conventional memory solutions for servers increased sharply, to which SK hynix responded proactively. As a result, the company achieved record-high quarterly performance across all three indicators, with revenue rising 34% to 32.8267 trillion won, operating profit surging 68% to 19.1696 trillion won, and operating margin reaching 58% quarter-on-quarter.SK hynix emphasized that 2025 marked a year in which the company once again demonstrated its world-class technological leadership. In response to an AI-centric demand structure, the company secured both growth and profitability by enhancing technological competitiveness and expanding its portfolio of high value-added products.In the DRAM segment, HBM revenue more than doubled year-on-year, making a significant contribution to the company's record performance. Conventional DRAM entered full-scale mass production of 1cnm process, or the sixth-generation of the 10-nanometer technology. The company also solidified its leadership in server modules, with the development of the 256GB DDR5 RDIMM - a high capacity server module based on 32Gb fifth-generation 10nm-class (1b) DRAM.For the NAND business, despite sluggish demand in the first half, the company completed its development of 321-layer QLC products. SK hynix also achieved the highest annual revenue on record, responding to customer demand centered on eSSD in the second half.The company noted that as the AI market shifts from training to inference while demand for distributed architectures expands, the role of memory will become increasingly critical. Accordingly, not only demand for high-performance memory such as HBM is expected to grow continuously, but also for overall memory products including server DRAM and NAND as well.In response, SK hynix plans to further strengthen its proven quality, technological leadership and mass-production capabilities, based on the customer trust it has secured as the only industry player capable of stably supplying both HBM3E and HBM4 simultaneously. In particular, having successfully completed the preparation stages to mass produce HBM4 - for the first time in the industry - in September last year, the large-scale production of the next-generation HBM has been underway to meet customer requests, the company said.The company also sets to maintain its HBM4 leadership while strengthening customer and partner collaboration to supply optimized products in 'Custom HBM', which continues to gain traction as a key differentiator.For conventional DRAM, SK hynix intends to accelerate the transition to the 1cnm process, expanding its AI memory product portfolio to include solutions like SOCAMM2 and GDDR7. For NAND, the company plans to maximize product competitiveness by transitioning to 321-layer technology, while actively addressing AI data center storage demand by leveraging Solidigm's QLC eSSD.SK hynix stated that it will prioritize meeting customer demand amid supply-demand imbalances by reinforcing partnerships. To this end, the company plans to maximize production capacity of the M15X fab in Cheongju at an early stage. The company also intends to secure stable mid-to-long-term production capabilities through the construction of the first fab in the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster.The construction of the advanced packaging facilities in Cheongju and Indiana, the U.S., are also progressing smoothly. This enables the company to establish integrated global manufacturing capabilities spanning front-end and back-end processes, having able to respond flexibly to changes in customer demand.Meanwhile, backed by record-high financial performance, SK hynix announced a large-scale shareholder return program to enhance shareholder value.The company will deliver an additional dividend of 1 trillion won, equivalent to 1,500 won per share. Combined with the regular quarterly dividend of 375 won, the year-end dividend will total 1,875 won per share, bringing total dividends for FY2025 to 3,000 won per share, or 2.1 trillion won in aggregate.SK hynix also plans to cancel 15.3 million treasury shares (approximately 12.2 trillion won based on the closing price on the 27th) equivalent to 2.1% of total shares outstanding, signaling a long-term commitment to enhance per-share value and shareholder returns.Song Hyun Jong, President and Head of Corporate Center, said that SK hynix will continue to generate sustainable performance growth while maintaining the optimal balance between future investment, financial stability and shareholder returns, based on the company's technological edge. "We will strengthen our role not merely as a product supplier, but as a core infrastructure partner in the AI era, enabling customers to meet their AI performance requirements."4Q25 Financial Results (K-IFRS). Credit: SK hynixFY2025 Financial Results (K-IFRS).Credit: SK hynix

Collaboration combines GUC's ASIC design leadership with Lightmatter's industry-leading 3D CPO platform to redefine AI infrastructure scalability.Lightmatter, the leader in photonic interconnect solutions for AI, and Global Unichip Corp. (GUC), the Advanced ASIC leader and a key enabler for hyperscaler AI infrastructure, today announced a strategic partnership to bring commercial Passage 3D Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) solutions to market.The collaboration integrates Lightmatter's revolutionary Passage photonic interconnect with GUC's state-of-the-art ASIC design services and advanced packaging expertise. This joint solution is specifically engineered to overcome the critical connectivity bottlenecks currently limiting the scaling of next-generation AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) workloads for the world's largest data center operators."The fundamental architecture of computers is changing. The world has hit a wall in per silicon area performance, the network is becoming the computer, and that network needs to run on light. GUC has unmatched ASIC engineering execution in this rapidly-evolving landscape. Pairing their silicon expertise with our photonic interconnects provides the industry with a concrete path to escape the energy and performance traps of legacy signaling, enabling the massive scale-up required for tomorrow's intelligence," said Nick Harris, founder and CEO of Lightmatter.Redefining AI Interconnect with PassageThe integrated solution will leverage GUC's advanced node chiplet and packaging workflows to incorporate Passage, a silicon photonics-based platform that sets a new standard for AI interconnect performance. Passage delivers unprecedented bandwidth density and power efficiency for XPU and switch chip-to-chip communications, pushing the performance boundaries of world's largest and most complex foundation models.These advantages mark a decisive evolution beyond existing solutions, which are fundamentally constrained by physical I/O limits - or "shoreline" - of the chip, restricting the maximum bandwidth and radix per optical engine (OE). By seamlessly extending the scale-up domain of AI clusters acrossmultiple racks, the Passage platform substantially improves training time and token throughput for the next wave of frontier AI models."To enable our hyperscale customers to deliver the most competitive services, we need partners with proven, superior technology," said Igor Elkanovich, CTO of GUC. "Integrating Lightmatter's Passage CPO platform into our world-class ASIC designs allows us to bring to market a jointsolution that fundamentally redefines AI interconnect. Our combined expertise solves complex challenges - architectural, thermal, mechanical, and signal integrity, and ensures that customers receive a robust, power-efficient, and scalable CPO platform that accelerates their path to large-scaleAI deployment."Analyst Perspective on Market Impact"Optical interconnect is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity for hyperscale AI to continue its exponential growth path," said Dr. Wei-Chung Lo, Deputy General Director at Electronic & Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories (EOSL) of Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan. "The combination of GUC's extensive experience in custom AI silicon design for top-tier cloud providers and Lightmatter's innovation signals to the market that the supply chain is maturing, providing a credible blueprint for hyperscalers to address the critical bandwidth and power constraints of the next generation of AI clusters."For more information, visit.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) officially announced the launch of the 2026 Best AI Awards during a press conference held on January 20, 2026. This prestigious competition serves as a strategic platform to bridge Taiwan's software innovation with its world-class semiconductor industry, aiming to solidify the nation's position as a global hub for artificial intelligence.Championing the Next Wave: Agentic AISpeaking at the launch, Director General Kuo Chao-Chung of the Department of Industrial Technology highlighted a pivotal shift in the industry. "AI is moving beyond traditional discriminative and generative models toward 'Agentic AI' - autonomous systems capable of independent planning, reasoning, decision-making, and task execution," Kuo stated. To encourage this evolution, the 2026 awards will prioritize projects focusing on Agentic AI and AI model lightweighting, ensuring that software solutions are both intelligent and hardware-efficient.Competition Highlights and Incentives The 2026 Best AI Awards are divided into two primary tracks: AI Applications and IC Design. Registration is open from now until March 16, 2026, with the final competition set for April 25, 2026.Financial rewards are substantial, with corporate winners eligible to secure up to NT$1 million. Student teams also have significant incentives, with potential prizes reaching up to NT$300,000.Beyond direct cash prizes, winning Taiwanese companies benefit from enhanced R&D support, receiving an additional 10% subsidy bonus when applying for the "A+ Industrial Innovative R&D Program." Furthermore, these awards serve as a springboard for startup growth by providing domestic winners with priority access to the Startup Terrace Kaohsiung.International teams and global companies are incentivized through specialized support designed to integrate them into Taiwan's technology ecosystem. In addition to competing for the top cash prizes, winning global entities receive streamlined eligibility for Taiwan’s Employment Gold Card, as well as priority access to Startup Terrace Kaohsiung to support residency applications. These benefits are designed to facilitate global talent recruitment while enabling international startups and professionals to establish operations, scale their businesses, and build a long-term presence in Taiwan.Finalists gain valuable market exposure by being showcased at major international platforms such as InnoVEX. This placement is intended to facilitate critical business matching and attract potential investment from global stakeholders in the AI and semiconductor industries.A Proven Track Record of SuccessThe inaugural edition of the awards attracted over 1,000 teams and has already yielded significant commercial results. Previous winners, such as Zhen-Sheng Semiconductor and ProsperX Medical Technology, have successfully raised NT$180 million and NT$100 million respectively following their participation. Established firms like Etron Technology also reported that the awards significantly boosted their visibility among global system manufacturers.The MOEA invites students, startups, and established enterprises to showcase their innovations and join Taiwan's thriving AI ecosystem. By fostering a "Software-Hardware Synergy," Taiwan aims to redefine the global semiconductor supply chain through AI-driven intelligence.For more information on registration and competition guidelines, please visit the official website or follow the official LinkedIn page for the latest updates.

iCatch Technology announced a joint launch with its long-term partner Jet Opto (a Tier-1 automotive supplier) of a 4K automotive AI imaging solution designed to meet stringent European OEM requirements. Powered by iCatch's CR3 automotive AI imaging SoC, the solution has successfully passed validation by European automakers and is scheduled to enter mass production by the end of Q1 2026.At the core of the 4K OEM-grade imaging solution is iCatch's CR3 automotive AI imaging SoC, featuring the 8th-generation ThetaEye AI Image Signal Processing (ISP) engine, paired with a 4K LTM image sensor. This combination is engineered to address Europe's complex road conditions and diverse lighting environments, delivering high-quality, stable automotive imaging performance.Leveraging advanced imaging technologies integrated into the CR3 SoC, the solution delivers excellent high dynamic range (HDR) performance and supports LED Flicker Mitigation (LFM) to suppress flicker caused by LED streetlights, traffic signals, and other artificial light sources. Even under nighttime driving, high-speed motion, or extreme contrast conditions, the system maintains clear, stable, and reliable image quality - meeting the stringent safety and quality standards required by European OEMs for in-vehicle imaging systems.iCatch Technology and Jet Opto have maintained a close and long-standing collaboration in advanced imaging and automotive system development, continuously expanding their footprint in automotive imaging applications. Through this partnership, Jet Opto - acting as a Tier-1 supplier - has successfully introduced the jointly developed 4K OEM dash camera solution into the European automotive supply chain. The solution responds to growing market demand for high-resolution, high-reliability imaging while ensuring accurate recording of critical driving events, further enhancing vehicle safety and system value.With years of deep expertise in the automotive imaging market, iCatch Technology continues to invest in ThetaEye AI ISP technologies purpose-built for AI-based image analysis. The 4K imaging solution based on the CR3 automotive AI SoC supports 4K HDR video processing, H.264/H.265 encoding, and real-time data transmission, enabling seamless integration with a wide range of ADAS and intelligent in-vehicle applications. The CR3 platform has already been adopted by multiple automotive imaging and system manufacturers across Japan, Korea, and Europe, with several mass-production projects currently underway.In this collaboration, Jet Opto demonstrates its comprehensive one-stop Tier-1 service capability, covering early-stage software development, hardware engineering, optical module design, industrial design (ID) and mechanical integration, highly customized system integration, and in-house manufacturing. This end-to-end capability enables automotive OEM customers to accelerate product development from design validation through volume production.Weber Hsu, President of iCatch Technology, stated that Jet Opto is one of iCatch’s most important long-term partners in the automotive AI imaging field, and through deep collaboration across image sensing, AI image processing, and automotive system integration, the two companies have successfully brought a European OEM-compliant 4K pre-installed imaging solution into mass production, further strengthening iCatch’s global footprint in the automotive AI vision market.Jerry Lin, Chairman and President of Jet Opto, added that the long-standing partnership with iCatch has enabled both teams to accumulate extensive experience in optical modules, AI image processing, and automotive system integration, and that this 4K OEM-grade imaging solution demonstrates Jet Opto's Tier-1 strengths in system integration and volume delivery, helping European automakers deploy higher-quality and more reliable imaging applications in premium vehicle platforms.Looking ahead, iCatch Technology and Jet Opto will continue to deepen their collaboration in AI imaging and edge computing, expanding into broader automotive and intelligent vision applications to deliver smarter and safer AI imaging solutions to the global automotive market.

The semiconductor industry stands at one of its most pivotal moments. As AI drives explosive demand for computing power, chip manufacturing grows exponentially - die sizes are scaling, tolerances are tightening, and the margin for error has nearly vanished."Explaining the complexity isn't easy," says Ahmad Khan, President of Semiconductor Products and Customers at KLA. "Picture a six-lane highway. A decade ago, you could cruise down the middle, drift left or right - no problem. Today? Same highway, but cars are doing 200 miles per hour with gaps the width of a human hair between them. One wrong move causes catastrophe." This isn't traditional manufacturing anymore, he notes. "It's artisanal work. Exceptionally difficult work."KLA's philosophy in this environment is fundamental yet profoundly important: the company doesn't change the wafer - it observes it. That distinction defines KLA's entire approach. While other equipment modifies, deposits or etches, KLA provides the visibility and insights that allow customers to more tightly manage the complexity of semiconductor manufacturing. In this era where advanced wafers cost $15,000 to over $30,000 each and fabs produce 100,000 monthly, the ability to "see" every nanometer with absolute precision is essential.This capability is important for almost all semiconductor manufacturers, and particularly in Taiwan, which is home to nearly 90% of the world's advanced semiconductor production. The gravity of this ecosystem is one of the key reasons KLA recently opened its new Hsinchu headquarters and its largest Learning and Knowledge Services (LKS) Training Center - a combined US$15.5 million (NT$465 million) investment that underscores the company's commitment to staying close to customers.35 Years Strong: A $15.5 Million Vote of ConfidenceKLA's new Taiwan headquarters in Hsinchu's Tai Yuen Hi-Tech Industrial Park, with WELL certification. Credit:KLAThe investment breaks down to US$10.5 million (NT$315 million) for the new office and US$5 million (NT$150 million) for the training center. Located in Tai Yuen Hi-Tech Industrial Park Phase IX, the headquarters spans 10,000 square meters across two floors, accommodating up to 1,000 employees. The facility earned WELL certification - reflecting KLA's focus on employee wellbeing.KLA first set up shop in Taiwan in 1990. Khan himself has been coming here since those early days. "Back in the '90s, downtown Hsinchu had one hotel. One," he recalls. "The semiconductor sector was just getting started." What he found were engineers trickling back from Motorola, Texas Instruments, and Intel - talented people who returned when Morris Chang and other pioneers decided Taiwan was ready to build fabs."The transformation has been remarkable," Khan says, attributing the growth to what he calls "the Taiwan spirit" - relentless work ethic, intense collaboration, and a willingness to challenge conventions and push for excellence. "This industry is incredibly challenging," Khan acknowledges. "There's nothing harder. You can work yourself to the bone, pour in capital, and still fail completely. But so many of the players in Taiwan have figured it out and continue finding success. We’re honored to be a part of it."Today, KLA Taiwan employs roughly 1,800 people spread across Hsinchu, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taoyuan, Linkou, and Taichung, with plans to surpass 2,000 by year-end 2026 as customer demand surges.KLA's Largest Training Center: Where Innovation Meets EducationThe LKS Training Center covers 2,950 square meters, including 825 square meters of Class 100 cleanroom, and features 14 classrooms, an AR/VR immersive learning center, four engineering labs, and a chemical analysis lab.With millions of configuration modes, KLA's systems can't simply be switched on. Customers often need PhD- and master's-level engineers who can dial in exact settings for their specific needs. That's one of KLA’s primary motivations for investing in training infrastructure close to customers.The new training center combines classroom instruction, hands-on practice, and immersive simulations to accelerate learning. Beyond training KLA's own people, it is also designed to help customers' fab teams sharpen skills and get to yield faster on new technologies.Building Talent for the Long HaulWhile the larger semiconductor industry continues to face a talent crunch, KLA emphasizes steady hiring and long-term career growth. The company runs disciplined forecasts to determine staffing needs, avoiding boom-and-bust waves.KLA Taiwan values talent development and their long-term career growth, building a young and dynamic team. Credit:KLAKLA's talent strategy rests on three pillars:Extensive Campus Recruiting: KLA hires substantial numbers of fresh graduates and promotes from within, building loyalty and institutional knowledge over time.80-90% Internal Promotion: The company thinks long-term when hiring, creating clear career paths from customer support teams to application teams and engineering teams . People can climb technical ladders or switch to management based on their strengths.University Partnerships: KLA engineers give tech talks and teach courses at leading local universities. The company sees it as paying forward, training the next generation who'll work across the industry.The company seeks candidates with physics, mechanics, math, and computer science backgrounds. "We're mainly physics folks because we deal in optics, photons, electrons," Khan explains. With the new facilities, KLA Taiwan is actively recruiting positions across application engineering, field service, R&D, customer support, and sales and marketing.Why Process Control Became Make-or-BreakAs die sizes grow and devices get more complex, process control has gone from important to mission critical. Each new node brings tighter design rules, smaller features, and narrower process windows. Customers are printing tinier features, and yield becomes inversely proportional to the smallest printable feature.The stakes are incredibly high, both technologically and financially. When something goes wrong, thousands of wafers stack up behind the problem, with each carrying enormous economic weight.The AI chip challenge compounds the problem: mobile chips packed 20 billion transistors, but today's AI chips contain hundreds of billions of transistors. Die sizes have exploded. The math is brutal - if you have 10 dies per wafer and one fails, you still have nine. But if you only get two giant dies per wafer and one fails, you've lost 50%. All AI chips use massive dies, creating brutal complexity for customers.KLA's comprehensive portfolio - from BBP optical inspection to e-beam platforms to overlay metrology - monitors thousands of parameters across more than 1,000 process steps. If one step fails, yield can very quickly drop to zero.The industry shift is clear: customers are buying significantly more process-control tools because they need yield faster. Khan describes it through a straightforward lens - As semiconductor manufacturing becomes harder, KLA's capabilities become more critical, especially when a single excursion can cost hundreds of millions of dollars.AI Integration and What's NextKhan frames AI not as a trend or fashion, but as an inevitable evolution. After millions of years of biological evolution produced human neural networks - networks that gave humanity its competitive edge - the next step was always going to be artificial neural networks. This wasn't any individual's invention; it was the natural progression of how intelligence develops and scales. The universe, he suggests, essentially selects for the species with the most connected neurons. Now that same principle is extending to how we use machines to amplify our own neural connections.KLA is integrating AI directly into its tools to sharpen defect classification and speed root-cause analysis. The technology also transforms service support: every engineer now essentially walks around with an expert in their pocket. When an engineer encounters a problem, the AI network can instantly surface solutions from decades of collective troubleshooting experience. Ultimately, AI is enabling faster solutions, more productive engineers and more satisfied customers.This matters because KLA's systems use AI, customers build AI chips, and AI is reshaping every part of the manufacturing chain. It's a fundamental transformation, not a passing phase.Looking ahead, KLA is developing panel-based inspection systems (volume production expected around 2028) and high-NA EUV systems. Khan, who's spent about 30 years in the industry, maintains the semiconductor industry hasn't peaked. His reasoning is straightforward: computing demand will always trend upward, not downward. Until the walls aren't made of silicon, there's room to grow.Join the TeamKhan sums up KLA's hiring philosophy simply: maintain a stable plan, partner with universities, train people well, and grow them over time. They become advocates, which brings company success—and through that success, customers succeed.For engineering graduates and professionals interested in joining KLA Taiwan's 1,800-plus team, opportunities span application engineering, R&D, customer support, and sales and marketing. To explore opportunities, you may visit our KLA Careers or follow KLA Taiwan Facebook Fan page.