DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

Column: Samsung's memory boom reshapes its investment strategy

Sherri Wang — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 22:22:00 GMT

Samsung Electronics has never had more capital at its disposal. The company reported operating profit of KRW89.5 trillion (approx. US$67 billion) in the second quarter of 2026 and KRW107.4 trillion in the third, when its operating margin reached approximately 55%. Samsung became the first technology company worldwide to post quarterly operating profit exceeding KRW100 trillion. The company is benefiting enormously from the memory boom, but its dependence on the industry has also deepened.

India roundup: India accelerates semiconductor push as states, chipmakers and equipment suppliers expand investment

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 21:19:00 GMT

India's semiconductor ambitions are gathering momentum as states launch new subsidies, chipmakers weigh fabs, global suppliers consider manufacturing, and engineering partnerships deepen the country's role in chip supply chains.

NearLink looks to chip vendors to expand beyond Huawei ecosystem

Yunnie Cheng — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 19:22:00 GMT

China's next-generation short-range wireless connectivity technology, NearLink, is actively pushing into markets beyond the Huawei ecosystem. Securing support from major chip vendors such as MediaTek, STMicroelectronics (ST), and NXP will be critical as the International SparkLink Alliance works to encourage wider adoption among non-Huawei smartphone brands, according to alliance secretary-general Guosong Zeng.

Lite-On reports record third-quarter profit as AI revenue exceeds 30%

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 19:19:00 GMT

Lite-On Technology reported record net profit for the third quarter of 2026 as demand for AI infrastructure boosted its cloud and power businesses. The Taiwanese electronics supplier posted consolidated revenue of NT$57.4 billion (US$1.8 billion), up 9% quarter-over-quarter and 28% year-over-year, while executives said AI-related revenue had exceeded 30% of the company's year-to-date total.

GigaDevice's massive financial growth in 2026 capitalizing on its A+H listing, memory surge

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 19:18:00 GMT

GigaDevice's financial performance through the first three quarters of 2026 highlights a transformative period driven by strategic market positioning, capital expansion, and robust product demand.

Nvidia's Korea robotics push gains ground as LG starts data factory operations

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 18:15:00 GMT

Nvidia's robotics partnerships in South Korea are moving beyond initial agreements, with LG Electronics beginning partial operations at its robot-training Data Factory and LG Innotek expanding cooperation on sensing technologies. Hyundai Motor Group, another Nvidia partner, has also outlined new steps toward building AI infrastructure for robotics and autonomous driving.

Humanoid robots, robotaxis take center stage at Korea's FIX 2026

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 18:13:00 GMT

South Korean companies showcased humanoid robot components, dual-arm machines, and autonomous driving systems at FIX 2026 in Daegu, offering a look at how developers are bringing automation into factories and transportation. The technologies ranged from robotic hardware under development for manufacturing applications to an autonomous taxi service already carrying paying passengers.

Nytex targets 35% of sales from high-end materials by 2027

Sherri Wang — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 17:10:00 GMT

Nytex Composites, a Taiwan-based specialty plastics compounder, aims to increase high-end materials' share of revenue to 35% in 2027, up from 25.76% in the first half of 2026, as demand grows for materials used in semiconductor wafer carriers, IC trays, and battery backup units (BBUs) for AI data centers.

Seoul Viosys begins mass production of rare earth-free white micro LEDs

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 17:09:00 GMT

A South Korean company says it has begun mass-producing white-light micro LED chips without rare earth materials, potentially reducing costs and environmental concerns in a market valued at about US$10 billion. The technology could also support smaller lighting systems, augmented reality displays, and optical links for artificial intelligence data communications.

Analysis: Samsung's own memory unit pushes its foundry toward a 2027 capacity crunch

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 16:09:00 GMT

Samsung Electronics' contract chipmaking business spent years struggling to fill its factories. On its third-quarter earnings call, the company said that by 2027, demand will exceed capacity across all its nodes below 8nm, which it expects to run at over 100% utilization.

The 20% problem: why Taiwan's imported equipment parts still carry 70% of the cost

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 15:09:00 GMT

Taiwan can manufacture some of the world's most advanced chips, package them into increasingly complex AI systems, and connect much of the surrounding electronics supply chain within a remarkably small geographic footprint.

TWM's BNPL users rise 49.9% as Taiwan targets gig-worker demand

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 15:08:00 GMT

Taiwan Mobile (TWM) said its buy now, pay later (BNPL) service is expanding beyond e-commerce checkout to travel, pet care, and other consumer scenarios, driven by the growth of atypical employment and rising demand for flexible payments. The service, branded "OP Pay," had 49.9% more cumulative users as of the end of September 2026 than at the end of September 2025.

Tesla at a historic crossroads as Musk bets on AI, space to revive growth

Scarlett Yu — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 14:08:00 GMT

From the spectacular flying demonstration of its next-generation Roadster to the prospect of a merger with SpaceX, Tesla appears to be approaching a historic strategic turning point.

Foxconn expands AI deployment with smart manufacturing across sites worldwide

Kevin Wang — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 14:07:00 GMT

As part of its efforts to harness AI for tangible benefits, Foxconn is integrating AI models, computing infrastructure, factory management, and automation equipment to build a model for smart manufacturing that can be replicated across sites. The company has already achieved initial results in applying AI to injection molding, computer numerical control (CNC) machining, surface-mount technology (SMT) processes, and production scheduling, with further plans to use digital twins and physical AI in process optimization, factory design, and automated system deployment.

Interview: Pactum sees AI as a cybersecurity boon despite public fear

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 13:12:54 GMT

High-profile breaches caused by AI agents from frontier labs are leading to public alarm over what AI means for the future of cybersecurity. However, Taivo Pungas, chief intelligence officer of agentic procurement platform Pactum, said that AI development is becoming a cybersecurity boon and could even be a boost for software as a service (SaaS) products.

The pioneer behind TSMC's FinFET leap: a personal look at Chenming Hu

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 13:12:46 GMT

In 2008, I accompanied a graduate student delegation sponsored by Applied Materials to visit the University of California, Berkeley. The trip was arranged with hopes of meeting Dr. Chenming Hu, but he was away from his laboratory that day, leaving his students to host our group instead. Looking back years later, what stands out most vividly in my memory—aside from the academic shrine of a semiconductor pioneer—are several splash-ink paintings hanging inside the lab that seemed completely detached from transistors, fabrication processes, and physics equations.

Six decades in the making: Why the world can't easily copy Taiwan's chip ecosystem

DIGITIMES — Sun, 1 Nov 2026 13:09:11 GMT

Taiwan's semiconductor strength is often described today through leading-edge process nodes, advanced packaging capacity, or its pivotal role in the global AI supply chain. At the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association's (TSIA) 30th anniversary gathering in Hsinchu, however, industry pioneer Shih Chin-Tay offered a different way to understand that advantage: not as the product of one breakthrough, one company or even one technology cycle, but as the cumulative result of six decades of learning.

Nvidia moves beyond GPUs as Meta's Muse agent stack pulls it deeper into AI infrastructure

DIGITIMES — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:35:09 GMT

The launch of Muse in September across Meta's expanding agent ecosystem has highlighted how quickly AI agents are evolving beyond conventional chatbot architectures, bringing more complex operating requirements and increasingly diversified roles into the definition of what an AI agent can do.

TSIA 30: The manpower problem behind Taiwan's semiconductor resilience

DIGITIMES — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:34:24 GMT

Taiwan's semiconductor industry has earned its reputation for chip dominance through decades of sustained investment in solving some of the world's hardest technological challenges. That persistence has helped build a manufacturing ecosystem whose industrial density, specialization, and resilience remain difficult for competitors to replicate.

TSIA 30: Taiwan builds the AI backbone — but can it capture the AI economy?

DIGITIMES — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:34:04 GMT

Taiwan already manufactures much of the physical infrastructure on which the AI boom depends. Advanced logic, packaging, substrates, testing, power delivery, cooling, and server assembly can all be sourced through an unusually dense industrial base.

Marvell-Lumentum talks put optical supply chain in focus

Charlene Chen — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:33:24 GMT

Marvell is reportedly in talks to acquire Lumentum, drawing attention across the optical communications supply chain. The deal would offer strong strategic synergies, particularly through Lumentum's expertise in critical optical transceiver components, but Lumentum's size and its contracts with major customers, including Apple, could make the acquisition difficult.

Radiant targets next-gen CPO above 6.4T, eyes 2028 mass production

Lily Hess — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:32:58 GMT

Radiant Opto-Electronics, a major backlight module maker, is expanding into new businesses and targeting next-generation optical communications architecture, particularly co-packaged optics (CPO) applications above 6.4T. Chairman and General Manager Yu-Chao Wang said the company plans to provide samples to selected customers in 2027 and could enter mass production as early as 2028.

AUO targets major revenue contribution from optical engines, glass core substrates within 2 to 3 years

Yunnie Cheng — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:32:31 GMT

AUO is accelerating its strategic push into optical communications and advanced semiconductor packaging, establishing optical engines and glass core substrates (GCS) as its two primary technological pillars. According to AUO chairman and CEO Paul Peng, while these technologies are still in their early phases and specific operational targets have yet to be finalized, they are projected to make significant contributions to overall revenue within two to three years.

Analysis: Elon Musk, Jensen Huang clash over neocloud survival

Charlene Chen — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:31:07 GMT

The outlook for AI neocloud providers has sparked a clash between Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who warned that more than 200 such companies could face large-scale failures or consolidation, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who said during an interview at the GTC Berlin conference that demand for neocloud services has exceeded expectations and current funding shortages will eventually be resolved.

Global smartphone shipments fall 14% as brands launch more 5G models

Sherri Wang — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:30:43 GMT

Global smartphone shipments fell an estimated 14% year-over-year in the first three quarters of 2026, even as the number of new 5G smartphone models rose 18.4%, according to DIGITIMES Intelligence. The figures show a divergence between new model launches and actual shipment volumes.

MediaTek raises ASIC outlook as fourth-quarter revenue could jump 32%

DIGITIMES — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:30:16 GMT

MediaTek reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of NT$168.06 billion (US$5.17 billion), up 10.4% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) and 18.3% year-over-year, and projected fourth-quarter revenue growth of as much as 32% on accelerating shipments of AI accelerator application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The Taiwanese IC design company disclosed the results and outlook at an investor conference on October 30, citing stronger-than-expected customer demand, improved capacity availability, and new smart-device platforms entering mass production.

TSIA 30: AI is breaking the sequential supply chain — Taiwan may be built for what comes next

DIGITIMES — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:30:00 GMT

The AI hardware race is usually measured in nanometers, memory bandwidth, and accelerator performance. But another constraint is emerging much earlier in the development process: whether dozens of specialized suppliers can move fast enough together.

Compeq plans sustained investment as AI infrastructure, LEO satellite demand grows

Jingyue Hsiao — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:29:35 GMT

Compeq Manufacturing is reshaping its product portfolio and expanding capacity in Taiwan and overseas as demand rises for AI data center infrastructure and next-generation low Earth orbit satellite products. It plans annual capex above NT$20 billion (US$616.96 million) from 2026 through 2028, as revenue reaches record levels across its key markets.

Ibiden expands AI packaging substrate capacity for Intel from 2029

DIGITIMES — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:29:18 GMT

Ibiden on October 29 raised its fiscal 2026 forecast, projecting consolidated net profit to rise 40% year-over-year to JPY89 billion (US$563 million) and revenue to increase 36% to JPY565 billion. The company also announced an additional JPY151 billion in capital investment to expand advanced IC packaging substrate capacity for generative AI servers and CPUs.

Renesas expands AI data center capacity, targets 33.2% margin in 2026

DIGITIMES — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:28:59 GMT

Japan’s Renesas Electronics expects strong demand for AI data centers, industrial applications, and automotive semiconductors to drive 2026 revenue to JPY1.6668 trillion (US$10.55 billion), up 26.4% year-over-year, with its operating margin rising to 33.2%, according to its third-quarter 2026 earnings report.

Infineon's 300mm GaN push turns Europe's power-chip strength into an AI infrastructure bet

DIGITIMES — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:28:25 GMT

The aggressive deployment of infrastructure-scale AI projects is rapidly driving up compute demand as chip architectures continue to scale across an expanding ecosystem of data-center racks. At the same time, sustaining those massive buildouts is pushing one of the industry's most critical bottlenecks beyond raw compute toward power delivery and thermal efficiency.

DIGITIMES Insight: Arm extends from IP licensing to server CPU products, with strong growth potential in China

Charlene Chen — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 18:59:00 GMT

Arm is expanding its business model from licensing Neoverse core IP and compute subsystem (CSS) technologies to selling finished server CPUs for artificial general intelligence (AGI) applications. Meta is a co-developer and primary customer, while OpenAI also plans to adopt the products. Customers can purchase processors directly, reducing the time and cost required to develop and deploy their own chips, while Arm can increase its chip sales revenue.

Interview: Why this Taiwan mmWave maker chose to sidestep SpaceX and look to niche markets for demand

Charlene Chen — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 16:41:00 GMT

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) technology was previously used mainly in military and aerospace applications, where costs were extremely high. Now, as high-frequency communications and non-terrestrial network (NTN) technologies gain momentum, new opportunities are opening up across the communications industry.

From living neurons to enterprise AI: TBC pursues faster video generation with AWS

DIGITIMES — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

The Biological Computing Co. (TBC), a San Francisco startup that grows living neurons in its lab to find ways to make AI models more efficient, launched its first publicly available product on October 30: mischief 1, an image-to-video model the company says generates video five times faster than the open-weight model it is built on. The release moves TBC's technology from an early-access program to self-serve developer marketplaces and puts a price on the company's argument that biology can be a source of AI efficiency distinct from the standard optimization toolkit.

Honda targets Level 4 autonomy by 2027, AI maps by 2030

Lily Hess — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:59:00 GMT

Honda Motor plans to achieve Level 4 autonomous driving around 2027 and replace high-definition maps with AI technology around 2030, enabling Level 4 vehicles to navigate the narrow roads and mountain routes common in Asia, said Yuji Yasui, a fellow at Honda R&D, at Hon Hai Tech Day 2026 (HHTD26).