DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

Nvidia's US$13 billion Hugging Face deal bets physical AI can start at US$400, not US$40,000

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:58:08 GMT

Humanoid robotics has become one of the most visible fronts of the physical-AI race, but the industry's path to scale may depend as much on lowering the cost of experimentation as on making robots more intelligent.

Oracle's AI cloud build-out is now rewriting its cost structure

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:57:53 GMT

Oracle has passed the point where its artificial-intelligence infrastructure business is large enough to reshape the company's entire income statement. Revenue for the quarter ended August 31, 2026, rose 30% to US$19.3 billion, the company said on September 10, and every headline growth rate was strong. The more consequential shift sits one line lower, in what it now costs Oracle to deliver that revenue.

Oracle turns its AI build-out into a delivery number, and the cost lands where management said it would

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:57:45 GMT

Oracle used its fiscal 2027 first-quarter earnings call to recast the question about its AI infrastructure business from whether demand exists to whether it can build fast enough, and to argue the numbers now answer it.

AI server tracker: Taiwan's August filings say demand is still accelerating

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:54:03 GMT

The clearest read yet on whether the AI build-out is still accelerating arrived this week in a batch of unaudited Taipei filings, and it accelerated. The 49 Taiwan-listed companies spanning AI server assembly, cooling, power, substrates, materials, networking, test, and optics reported combined August revenue of NT$2.84 trillion (US$89.74 billion), up 76.5% from a year earlier and 9.9% from July, according to their filings to the Market Observation Post System. Both the total and the growth rate are the highest of the cycle, and the year-on-year rate is a step up from July's 61.3%.

iPhone Duo leads Apple's new lineup as market stays split

Jingyue Hsiao — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:49:04 GMT

Apple's latest iPhone launch could reshape premium phone demand, but the bigger question is whether the company can answer growing AI competition. While the new foldable iPhone drew the most attention, investors and channel players are watching pricing, repair costs, and Apple's dependence on Google-backed AI more closely.

MediaTek August revenue beats expectations, boosts 3Q outlook

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:36:50 GMT

MediaTek reported August 2026 revenue of NT$64.183 billion (approx. US$2.03 billion), up 32.41% from July and 44.08% year-over-year. Industry sources said the chipmaker's August performance came in well above expectations and puts its third-quarter revenue guidance within reach, with a chance to beat it.

Apple's foldable arrives late to a supply chain already moving on

Levi Li — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 01:08:38 GMT

Apple has unveiled its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, raising expectations that its entry will expand the foldable phone market and lift component prices. For Taiwanese suppliers, however, foldables are no longer the main growth focus.

Apple makes the hinge, not the screen, the centerpiece of its first foldable

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:31:15 GMT

Apple has built its first foldable around a component nobody sees. The iPhone Duo, unveiled 9 September and on sale from 23 October at a starting price of US$1,999, is defined less by its 7.6-inch inner display than by the mechanism underneath it — a hinge Apple says is engineered from more than 100 components, wrapped in a 3D-printed titanium cover, and designed to hold the panel flat rather than let it sag into the crease that has dogged the category since its first generation. That emphasis shifts the competitive contest in foldables to what has always been the manufacturing challenge: precision metal parts, not panel size.

Rayzher rides semiconductor fab buildout to record revenue

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:07:52 GMT

Rayzher Industrial, a high-tech factory gas supply system solutions provider, reported consolidated revenue of NT$369 million (approx. US$11.7 million) in August 2026, up 83.26% year-over-year and a record monthly high. Cumulative consolidated revenue for the first eight months of 2026 reached NT$1.993 billion, up 27.91% from the same period in 2025 and also a record for the period.

Taiwan startup taps CMOS infrared chips to give robots an electronic 'nose'

Scarlett Yu — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:07:25 GMT

Breaking from the industry's mainstream reliance on III-V compound semiconductors, Taiwanese startup Taiwan Nano & Micro-Photonics (N&M) is using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processes to develop a single chip capable of emitting more than four wavelengths of mid- to far-infrared light.

China's Shenzhen Kaifa plans CNY1.85 billion expansion for high-end memory packaging and testing

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:04:09 GMT

Chinese electronics manufacturer Shenzhen Kaifa Technology, also known as Shenzhen Kaifa or Kaifa, plans to invest CNY1.85 billion (about US$260 million) to expand high-end memory-chip packaging and testing capacity through its wholly owned subsidiary Payton Technology (Shenzhen), according to a company announcement.

GPU economics face pressure as token prices fall, d-Matrix says

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:03:19 GMT

Falling token prices are putting pressure on the economics of GPU-based AI inference, potentially prompting data center operators to rethink how workloads are divided across compute and memory resources, according to AI chip startup d-Matrix.

Samsung 2nm push gains momentum as Synopsys cuts NPU die area by 22%

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:02:31 GMT

Synopsys has reported a 22% reduction in die area for a neural processing unit (NPU) implemented with its Fusion Compiler design tool on Samsung Foundry's SF2P process, providing a concrete design-level result as Samsung seeks to turn its 2nm technology into more commercial foundry business.

ProLogium deepens partnership with Kyushu Electric Power through strategic investment

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 22:01:41 GMT

ProLogium said Kyushu Electric Power will make a strategic investment as its long-running collaboration expands from industrial cooperation into capital participation. The move signals growing confidence in next-generation battery technologies, with potential implications for energy security, manufacturing supply chains, and electrification efforts in global markets.

Global IC substrate market to surge 32% to US$19.5 billion in 2026 as Taiwan, Korea lead ABF, BT

Scarlett Yu — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:56:30 GMT

Rising demand for generative AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and data center buildouts is pushing the global IC substrate industry into a new phase marked by upgrades in high-end product specifications, tight supplies of critical materials, and intensifying competition in advanced packaging technologies.

Samsung, SK Hynix eye 2028 High-NA DRAM rollout

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:56:02 GMT

SK Hynix is targeting 2028 to apply High-NA extreme ultraviolet lithography to DRAM mass production and is considering joining an industry initiative to develop 12-inch photomasks, according to South Korea's fnnews. The company has separately confirmed both plans.

Academia Sinica to open 8-inch quantum chip platform in September 2026

Charlene Chen — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:53:44 GMT

Academia Sinica's Quantum Chip Fabrication Space (QC-Fab) in Tainan will open to external users at the end of September 2026, marking a new stage in Taiwan's in-house quantum chip development and manufacturing efforts. After the cleanroom was completed, the institute finished installing process equipment, connecting factory utility lines, testing equipment functions, and training operators.

Nuvoton sees robots driving MCU demand over next decade

Sherri Wang — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:53:23 GMT

Nuvoton Technology sees robots and other physical AI applications becoming an important source of demand for microcontrollers (MCUs) over the next decade as computing moves from the cloud into edge devices, smart factories, drones, and care applications.

Foxconn's global expansion signals a longer-term manufacturing shift

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:52:17 GMT

Kathy Yang, chief campus operations officer at Foxconn, said the company began moving abroad more than a decade ago as production shifted toward lower-cost regions, and that its global footprint has since become a source of supply chain resilience. Speaking at an Empower Women For A Better World forum in Taiwan on September 9, she said the strategy was planned well before the pandemic, and geopolitical tensions accelerated industry change.

TPK, GIS post mixed August sales as 2H26 demand stays cautious

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:51:41 GMT

Touch panel makers TPK and General Interface Solution Holding reported diverging August revenue trends, but both remained cautious on consumer electronics demand in the second half of 2026. They expect touch and display demand to stay relatively soft.

Quantum computer development is more about national security than profits, says expert

Rodney Chan — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:51:24 GMT

Japanese electronics giant NEC stopped development of gate-based superconducting quantum computer hardware at the end of March 2026. According to Japanese media reports, NEC concluded that the commercialization timeline for a physical quantum computer was too long and that hardware investment would be unlikely to deliver commensurate returns. The decision also reportedly prompted quantum R&D researchers to join Fujitsu.

More memory won't fix AI's bottleneck, says Microsoft's Azure hardware chief

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 21:50:12 GMT

Microsoft's AI accelerator was never designed to compete with Nvidia. It was designed to run Microsoft's own inference workloads across its own fleet, and that scoping decision — made at the outset of the program — explains why the company has no intention of selling the part to anyone else.

ITRI to showcase 3.2T silicon photonics and AI data center cooling

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 12:29:00 GMT

Taiwan's 2026 Innovation Technology Expo will run from September 17 to 19 at Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1. The Ministry of Economic Affairs Industrial Development Administration said on the 10th that AI data centers need faster transmission and better cooling. The ministry said government-supported technologies from Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) will be featured at the event, including a silicon photonics optical engine and a 3D aluminum microchannel thermosyphon cooler.

Taiwan pushes smart health care partnerships at Singapore medical trade show

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:27:00 GMT

Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council recently led hospitals and smart health care companies to Singapore for Medical Fair Asia 2026, the largest and most influential health care and medical device exhibition in Southeast Asia. The delegation showcased integrated AI, information and communications technology, medical equipment and clinical services as part of a broader effort to expand in southern markets.

Meta loses key AI researcher after billion-dollar hiring push

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:26:55 GMT

Meta said on September 9 that AI researcher Andrew Tulloch will leave the company after less than a year, ending a high-profile return that followed one of the biggest talent offers in Silicon Valley. The departure comes after Meta reportedly recruited him with compensation worth as much as US$1.5 billion as it intensified its push to narrow the gap with leading AI developers.

From cHBM to 3D Stacked SRAM, AI inference drives AI accelerators toward memory architecture innovation

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:09:09 GMT

DIGITIMES identifies three main directions for memory development in cloud AI accelerators: processing near memory, 3D Stacked SRAM, and high-bandwidth flash.

Taiwan EV charging operators face profit squeeze despite rapid network expansion

Scarlett Yu — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:54:57 GMT

Taiwan's EV charging industry remains in a fiercely competitive, fragmented phase, according to Blockcert chairman Chang Chung-I. While charging stations may appear to offer an unattended business model, their operations involve numerous complexities that operators often discover only after sites go live, and a lack of operational management experience can result in substantial costs.

MicroIP lands NT$630 million AI smart-building contract in northern Taiwan

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:54:10 GMT

MicroIP said on Sept. 10 that it secured a systems integration contract worth about NT$630 million for a major AI smart residential project in northern Taiwan. The agreement is expected to run for about 36 months, with the first phase — system architecture planning and project management integration — set to begin in October 2026.

Murata to stop some MLCC lines as AI server demand strains supply

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:52:53 GMT

Murata Manufacturing said it will gradually end production of several multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) part numbers as AI demand continues to pressure supply chains. The Japanese passive components leader said the move was aimed at stabilizing deliveries, improving customer support, and reallocating capacity to other products.

Samsung pushes into display-equipped smart glasses as Meta leads market

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:52:09 GMT

Samsung Electronics has begun developing its first smart glasses with an in-lens display, asking Samsung Display in August to develop a microdisplay that meets requirements for form factor, display area, color and price, according to industry sources cited by TheElec.

STMicroelectronics sets 2027 AI revenue plan with fiber chips at 80%

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:32:07 GMT

STMicroelectronics said in New York on September 9 that about 80% of its target for more than US$2 billion in artificial intelligence data-center revenue in 2027 will come from fiber-optic data transmission chips. The disclosure marked the first time the company broke out the mix behind its AI outlook after lifting its forecast in July.

Taiwan quantum leap expands scope to drug and finance

Charlene Chen — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:29:18 GMT

Taiwan's five-year National Quantum Team program is set to conclude in December 2026, and the government's second-stage quantum research initiative will begin in January 2027. The new phase will continue developing quantum computers, quantum communications and quantum software, while also dedicating several years to advancing cross-domain applications in drug discovery, materials simulation, fintech and smart logistics.

Nanoprinting lithography shifts from round to square, increasing waveguide output

Yunnie Cheng — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:20:47 GMT

Nanoimprint technology is shifting from round to square substrates. Qingdao GermanLitho noted that this transition has become vital for volume manufacturing as the industry demands larger template formats and higher throughput.

Huachuang Xinguang sees MicroLED optical interconnects entering data centers in 3 to 5 years

Yunnie Cheng — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:20:03 GMT

Shenzhen Huachuang Xinguang says MicroLED optical interconnect technology is feasible and expects to target data center applications within 3–5 years.

US Justice Department probes Nvidia-Groq deal over antitrust concerns

DIGITIMES — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:01:14 GMT

The US Department of Justice has opened a probe into Nvidia's deal with AI chip startup Groq, according to reports from The New York Times and Reuters. Regulators are examining whether the transaction was structured to avoid antitrust review, with potential fines possible if wrongdoing is found.