DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

OpenAI says Jalapeño cuts latency up to 3.6x, targeting the bottleneck that slows agents

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:51:45 GMT

OpenAI said its first custom inference chip, Jalapeño, delivered faster responses and better power efficiency than competing systems in tests across several large language models. The findings could matter for global users, as cheaper, lower-latency AI infrastructure may help expand access, improve reliability, and support more capable agents worldwide.

Apple ships M6 Mac mini and M5 Ultra Mac Studio — and hands Ternus a memory bill

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:50:08 GMT

Apple unveiled new Mac mini and Mac Studio desktops on August 25 in what Reuters called "likely the final product launch of Tim Cook's tenure as CEO." The machines read less like a farewell than like a handover note. Cook becomes executive chairman on September 1, when John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering, becomes chief executive under a succession Apple announced in April.

Taiwan maps four AI-led strategies to expand its biotech sector

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:47:23 GMT

Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs outlined four strategies to scale up the island's biotech industry at a strategy meeting under the Executive Yuan on August 24. The plan centered on artificial intelligence integration, stronger critical-drug supply chains, broader clinical validation, and deeper global market ties.

Samsung, Intel widen AI chip battle into memory, packaging

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:47:10 GMT

Samsung Electronics and Intel are pushing into each other's core businesses as AI semiconductor competition shifts from individual chips to full-system integration. South Korean reports cited by Counterpoint Research said Samsung is using high-bandwidth memory (HBM) to strengthen its foundry business, while Intel is expanding from logic chips and foundry services into memory through advanced packaging and system-level technologies.

Samsung Display boosts OLED sales as Galaxy Z panel orders triple

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:46:58 GMT

The global small-size OLED market was flat in the second quarter of 2026 as seasonal weakness and cautious inventory management by Chinese device makers slowed demand. Samsung Display, however, outperformed the market on stronger shipments of foldable phone panels.

Waymo's 320 million-km milestone exposes the next robotaxi challenge: scaling the silicon

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:46:41 GMT

As robotaxi services expand beyond individual cities into wider regions, the growing appeal of AI-assisted driving and the technological vision that AV developers are eager to realize have raised industry expectations for the economic viability of full autonomy.

China's EV giants redraw their boundaries as physical AI becomes its own business

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:46:15 GMT

The surprising convergence at the intersection of two fundamental applications of embodied AI — EVs and robotics — has given rise to an intensifying trend across both sectors. The supply chain is witnessing a major power imbalance unfold, alongside increasingly blurred lines in product lifecycles and, ultimately, an economic restructuring of broader supply-chain dynamics.

China has plenty of indium but not enough InP wafers for AI data centers

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:46:01 GMT

China accounts for more than 70% of the world's primary indium output but only about 10% of finished indium phosphide substrates, leaving a gap between its strength in raw materials and the qualified wafer capacity increasingly needed for AI data-center optics.

China's advanced-chip gap could close well before its lithography gap does

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:45:34 GMT

As China enters a near-frenzied state of continuous production-capacity expansion, it is easy to see that the main driver behind these aggressive, purpose-built movements in the domestic chip-manufacturing space is rooted in a national need to maintain sovereign control over critical process nodes, where access to the surrounding supply chain has proved increasingly constrained.

TSMC's 310mm push threatens Samsung's PLP lead

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:44:51 GMT

Samsung Electronics commercialized fan-out panel-level packaging (FOPLP) before rivals, using the technology in mobile and wearable chips and now preparing to extend it into AI and high-performance computing. But the next phase of PLP competition may depend less on who moved first than on which rectangular panel format equipment makers, materials suppliers and OSATs ultimately build around, and activity around 310×310mm is growing in Taiwan.

Samsung steps up Taylor Fab 2 preparations as foundry capacity tightens

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:44:37 GMT

Samsung Electronics has begun asking semiconductor equipment suppliers to complete safety-compliance groundwork for a second foundry fab in Taylor, Texas, months before construction is scheduled to begin, according to ZDNet Korea.

SK hynix adds second major customer as Nvidia misses Samsung's top five

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:44:22 GMT

SK hynix added a second customer accounting for more than 10% of revenue in the first half of 2026, while Nvidia remained outside Samsung Electronics' five largest customers, highlighting the contrast in how the two Korean memory makers are exposed to the AI accelerator leader.

Samsung, LG ramp up India for AI cooling and appliances

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:28:15 GMT

India is emerging as a new battleground for South Korea's two electronics giants, with Samsung Electronics using the country as a production and supply-chain base for AI data center cooling equipment and LG Electronics investing hundreds of billions of won to build a third home appliance plant. But whether India's fast growth and huge population will translate into real earnings remains the biggest test.

India mmWave opportunity emerges; Gemtek moves early

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:25:27 GMT

India has continued to push next-generation communications infrastructure, and the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has officially released a Provisional Generic Requirement for Wi-Fi technology in the licensed 26 GHz (n258) band, opening the door for manufacturers and telecom operators to conduct field trials in real-world environments.

Eva Air green transport pact to cut Microsoft freight emissions by 15,000 tonnes

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:00:00 GMT

Eva Air and AIT Worldwide Logistics have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a green transport program that will use sustainable aviation fuel from Formosa Petrochemical for Microsoft cloud equipment shipments. The Taiwan-based collaboration is expected to reduce Microsoft's Scope 3 emissions by 15,000 tonnes in its first year.

Tesla senior chip engineer joins DensityAI as in-house plans face more strain

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 10:45:00 GMT

Tesla's senior director of AI hardware design, Shishuang Sun, joined DensityAI in July 2026, taking charge of packaging and system hardware development. The move came as Tesla continued to pursue custom AI and robotics chips amid the loss of another senior hardware leader.

Intel x86 share drops below 70% as AMD reaches a record high

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 10:36:09 GMT

Intel's long-running lead in x86 processors slipped below a major threshold in the second quarter of 2026, even as AI infrastructure spending helped support demand. New market data showed Intel's combined share of PC and server x86 CPU shipments fell to 69.3%, its lowest level since 1995, while Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) climbed to a record 30.7%.

Smartphone lens maker Largan spends US$179m on four Taichung plants in two months

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:13:16 GMT

Largan Precision, the world's largest maker of smartphone camera lenses and a longtime supplier of lenses for Apple's iPhone, said on August 25 it would buy land and buildings in Taichung's Nantun district for NT$3.08 billion (approx. US$98 million). It is the company's fourth industrial property purchase in two months.

Insight: One Nexperia, two supply chains? China-Europe split tests automotive chip model

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:10:36 GMT

Nexperia China is accelerating its separation from the Dutch chipmaker's traditional European manufacturing network, raising the prospect that one of the world's largest suppliers of automotive and industrial semiconductors could operate through increasingly distinct China- and Europe-based supply chains.

Nexperia China rebuilds 12-inch local supply chain after 330 days

Lily Hess — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:09:49 GMT

Nexperia China said it has rebuilt a domestic 12-inch wafer supply chain after 330 days of overseas wafer supply disruptions, unveiling the new platform at a press conference outlining its new direction. The company said complete China-based manufacturing supply chains have now been established for metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) and logic IC products.

Taiwan's manufacturers and govt align on economic security push amid heightened trade risk

Rodney Chan — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 08:20:00 GMT

The Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI), an industrial association representing the majority of manufacturing businesses in Taiwan, has released its 2026 white paper, putting forward seven proposals aimed at building a resilient national economic security line amid the current trade and economic climate. In response, the National Development Council (NDC) said the white paper's core demands closely align with the government's current policy direction.

Anthropic bets on in-house chips, reshaping ASIC orders

Lily Hess — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:57:00 GMT

Anthropic confirmed on August 5 that it is building an internal silicon team to design custom chips for its Claude models, signaling a sharper push into self-developed AI hardware. The move is set to influence the company's compute procurement plans and could reshape order shares among ASIC vendors.

Luxshare breaks beyond consumer electronics: Auto sales soar 274%, data centres jump 50%

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:56:00 GMT

Luxshare Precision posted a 40.16% rise in first-half 2026 revenue as rapid growth in automotive electronics, communications and data-centre products reduced its reliance on consumer electronics.

From podium to production line: China's robots ace the sprint, but stumble on the real test

Willis Ke — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:20:00 GMT

The 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games put China's rapid advances in robotics on full display — but beyond the record-breaking sprints and human-robot sports demonstrations, the event raised a tougher question for the industry: can humanoid robots move past the highlight reel and become reliable, economically viable workers?

China foundry Nexchip breaks beyond display chips: CIS reaches 25% of revenue

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 07:15:00 GMT

Nexchip Semiconductor reported higher first-half 2026 revenue as broadening demand for CMOS image sensors, power management chips and display drivers diversified its product mix, even though profit declined.

Samsung Foundry sees higher 4nm volumes as Nvidia ramps Groq 3

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 06:56:47 GMT

Nvidia's Groq 3 ramp is adding meaningful 4nm volume to Samsung Electronics' foundry business, with monthly wafer input estimated at about 10,000 and expected to rise above 15,000 in 2027. The increase comes as reported yields improve, Samsung's 4nm capacity remains tight, and pricing on the node moves higher.

GATE 2026 to spotlight Southeast Asia's pivot to EV supply chains

Jingyue Hsiao — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 06:55:00 GMT

GATE 2026 is set to bring together automakers, suppliers, and technology firms in Kuala Lumpur as Southeast Asia deepens its focus on electric vehicles, smart manufacturing, and industrial upgrading. The event's scale and timing could make it a key indicator of where the region's auto supply chains are heading next.

Nvidia and SK Hynix CPO strategies diverge as 3D optics look toward a post-2030 horizon

Yunnie Cheng — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 06:47:15 GMT

On August 20, SK Hynix's global research team published a paper in Nature Electronics detailing its co-packaged optics (CPO) development for high-performance computing (HPC) and AI. Highlighting key technical hurdles and outlining the trajectory for next-generation optical interconnect technology, the paper marks SK Hynix's first systematic presentation of its CPO roadmap.

Chinese automakers expand to humanoid robotics with technology, supply chain and scenario advantages

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 06:25:25 GMT

DIGITIMES observes that the humanoid robot market is expanding rapidly, supported by global labor shortages and advances in artificial intelligence (AI), and Chinese automakers are also moving aggressively into this emerging field.

China power chip makers CRM, Silan post sharp 1H profit gains

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 06:20:00 GMT

China Resources Microelectronics (CRM) and Hangzhou Silan Microelectronics (Silan), two of China's leading integrated device manufacturers, reported strong first-half 2026 results as firmer semiconductor demand, higher utilisation and improved product mix lifted earnings.

Taiwan AI server supply chain expands China footprint

Lily Hess — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 04:24:37 GMT

Taiwan's AI server supply chain is stepping up investment in China, but expansion is concentrated in components rather than full-system assembly. By contrast, Taiwan's notebook PC production in China is mostly flat as the industry shifts to Southeast Asia and other non-China locations.

AI boom drives Foxconn past 40% of Taiwan-listed firms' China returns, with FII leading the way

Lily Hess — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 03:55:00 GMT

Global demand for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) has lifted investment returns for Taiwan-listed companies in China, with Foxconn continuing to lead the pack. According to CRIF, Foxconn's total China investment returns in the first half of 2026 reached NT$117.6 billion (US$3.7 billion).

TSMC suppliers reportedly plan Taiwan plant for critical chipmaking tubing

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 03:45:00 GMT

Taiwan's semiconductor supply chain is moving to close a gap that turned costly during the industry's last major crunch: the plastic tubing that carries chemicals through chip fabs. TSMC suppliers Nichias and Gold Stone Development are building a factory in Hsinchu to produce fluoropolymer (PFA) tubes domestically, Nikkei Asia reported, citing sources with direct knowledge of the plan.

AI's power crunch hits Taiwan: foundry capacity tightens, chip prices climb into 2H26

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 03:35:00 GMT

AI data centres are becoming a new stress point for the global power and semiconductor supply chain. As facilities shift towards megawatt-scale architectures, demand is rising for power semiconductors, battery backup systems, liquid cooling, grid capacity and low-carbon electricity.

Vera Rubin transition gap eases as ASIC, general servers rescue supply chain

Yunnie Cheng — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 03:31:28 GMT

As Nvidia's next-generation Vera Rubin platform enters deployment, Taiwan's server supply chain is finding ways to bridge the transition gap before ramping up volume production. Ongoing shipments of the existing GB series, custom ASIC server deployments led by Google and Amazon Web Services (AWS), and general-purpose servers are all providing revenue support to cushion the interim shortfall.