DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

AI demand lifts UMC, VIS, PSMC revenue

Charlene Chen — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:54:23 GMT

After mature-node price competition from 2023 to 2025, AI demand has spread from GPUs and HBM to power management ICs (PMICs), power components, networking chips and specialty processes. At the same time, aggressive price cutting by mature-node players in China has eased, pushing quotes for Taiwan foundries broadly higher since the start of 2026.

Behind the BRICS handshake: How far can the China-India reset go?

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:38:46 GMT

China and India are again trying to stabilise one of Asia's most consequential bilateral relationships, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi using the BRICS summit in New Delhi to signal cooperation despite persistent tensions over the border, trade, investment and technology.

Samsung, SK Hynix reject US$19 billion power prepayment as Korea speeds chip expansion

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:24:52 GMT

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have rejected a proposal to prepay KRW25 trillion (approx. US$18.7 billion) in electricity bills, highlighting the financing challenge facing South Korea as it accelerates semiconductor expansion and the power infrastructure needed to support it.

STMicro lead times top 1 year, boosting Taiwan chip makers

Lily Hess — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:23:27 GMT

AI crowd-out effects are rippling through the supply chain, with lead times for microcontroller units (MCUs) from STMicroelectronics reportedly stretching beyond 1 year and triggering severe shortages in industrial control MCUs. That is opening the door for Taiwanese chip makers to push into high-end industrial MCUs, while supply is expected to remain tight through 2027 and stable delivery becomes key to defending market share.

DIGITIMES Insight: High NA EUV chips near production, but economics will be the pacemaker

Jingyue Hsiao — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:20:00 GMT

ASML's latest update suggests High NA EUV is no longer confined to laboratory validation. With 10 systems already operating across four customers worldwide, and three more in shipment or installation, the technology is beginning to enter production ramp-up. The shift matters because adoption now hinges less on optical promise and more on whether chipmakers can justify the added cost.

Taiwan eases investment rules for AI center infrastructure projects

Rodney Chan — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 07:55:00 GMT

Taiwan's government has limited budgets to build the AI computing infrastructure the country needs, and infrastructure that a government runs itself cannot easily turn a profit. To get around that constraint, the Ministry of Digital Affairs (MODA) introduced the AI computing center BOO (build-operate-own) public-private partnership project in April 2026, aiming to let private companies build and operate the infrastructure while tax incentives make the investment attractive to them.

DIGITIMES Insight: Taiwanese firms lead in FOPLP as overseas rivals race to catch up

Jingyue Hsiao — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 07:25:45 GMT

Taiwanese chip packaging firms are advancing fan-out panel-level packaging (FOPLP) and glass-substrate development as AI processors demand ever-larger reticle sizes and more complex packaging. Their early manufacturing scale, automation progress, and substrate design choices could help determine who controls the next bottlenecks in high-end chip assembly.

China optical firms target photonics with mixed high-end, lower-cost push

Lily Hess — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 06:40:00 GMT

The 2026 China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE) closed on September 11. While near-eye display applications such as AR/VR and smart glasses drew attention, vendors' latest moves in optical communications also attracted strong industry interest.

Notebook shipment update, July 2026

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 06:34:30 GMT

DIGITIMES' survey of July 2026 notebook shipments (excluding detachable models) from the world's top five notebook brands (excluding Apple) and the top three notebook ODMs

China accelerates e-SIM's leap from wearables to smartphones

Levi Li — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 05:45:00 GMT

China's e-SIM adoption is moving beyond smartwatches and other wearables into smartphones at an accelerating pace.

Foxconn subsidiary broadens AI interconnect role as 1.6T enters deployment

Levi Li — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 04:55:00 GMT

AI data centers are moving decisively toward 1.6T connectivity, with 800G now mainstream in AI clusters and 400G remaining common in general cloud and enterprise deployments.

DIGITIMES Insight: China's GaN challengers are no longer playing catch-up

Levi Li — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 04:42:24 GMT

Chinese GaN power semiconductor maker Innoscience gained direct access to capital markets after listing in Hong Kong at the end of 2024, giving it fresh funding to expand GaN capacity and technology development.

Beijing municipality bans civilian drones from mid-November

Levi Li — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 04:21:01 GMT

China's capital, Beijing, is tightening drone controls further, with the municipal legislature approving revisions to the Beijing Regulations on Unmanned Aircraft Management that will take effect on November 15, 2026. The entire administrative area of Beijing will be designated as controlled airspace for unmanned aircraft, banning drone flights, the possession and storage of drones and their core components, and the transport of such equipment into the city.

Sandisk recruits engineers in Korea as memory talent race heats up

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 04:20:26 GMT

Sandisk is making an unusual push into engineering recruitment in South Korea, seeking talent across NAND system architecture, NAND core design, VLSI design, and mask design while listing experience in HBM, LPDDR, and GDDR among key qualifications.

South Korea broadens espionage law to counter rising tech leaks

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 03:54:56 GMT

South Korea's revised Criminal Act took effect September 13, extending the scope of espionage offenses from acts benefiting North Korea to those benefiting any foreign country or equivalent organization, as South Korea strengthens protection of semiconductors and other strategic technologies.

Gogoro sees turnaround ahead of schedule as Vietnam rollout gathers pace

Jingyue Hsiao — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 03:45:00 GMT

Gogoro said its financial recovery is tracking ahead of plan, while its Vietnam venture is preparing to enter consumer sales in 2026. The moves matter beyond Taiwan, since they signal how the electric scooter maker aims to balance disciplined growth, regional expansion, and execution in a competitive global mobility market.

LG Display's AI transformation turns employees into AI builders, yielding 450+ in-house projects

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 03:25:57 GMT

LG Display announced on September 13 that it is expanding its company-wide artificial intelligence transformation (AX) initiative by scaling up its "AX SQUAD" program. Designed to empower employees across all operational tiers to build their own workflow automation solutions, the initiative bridges frontline operational knowledge with technical software support.

Taiwan taps Amazon Leo for next-generation government satellite network

Scarlett Yu — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 03:25:03 GMT

Two Beyond 5G low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites being developed by the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) under a National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) program, along with four LEO communications satellites awarded to Wistron and Compal Electronics under an NT$1.178 billion (approx. US$37 million) contract, will not be ready in time to meet the government's communications resilience requirements for 2027.

Z.ai reloads with US$5 billion for China's AI race

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 03:04:08 GMT

Chinese artificial intelligence developer Z.ai (formerly Zhipu AI) plans to raise about US$5 billion through a Hong Kong share placement and convertible bond sale, which would give the company fresh capital for next-generation model development, computing infrastructure and business expansion.

Samsung, Qualcomm deepen 2nm talks as pricing and yield hurdles persist

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 03:01:24 GMT

Samsung Electronics and Qualcomm are expanding discussions over 2nm foundry cooperation, with pricing, yield, and process optimization still unresolved as Samsung seeks to regain a share of Qualcomm's flagship processor business.

Gritek to take full control of 12-inch silicon wafer venture in major restructuring

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 02:55:00 GMT

Gritek plans to strengthen its position in China's large-diameter silicon wafer market by acquiring the remaining stakes in two semiconductor materials companies, according to a company announcement.

iPhone Duo's price opens room for Android rivals

Jingyue Hsiao — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 02:38:20 GMT

Apple's new iPhone 18 series and first foldable, the iPhone Duo, could reshape smartphone demand worldwide by pushing some buyers toward Android rivals, channel players said. Higher launch prices may expand the premium market, but they could also slow some iPhone sales and intensify competition across midrange and flagship segments.

AI's energy demand ignites global nuclear rush, straining Taiwan's restart

Jingyue Hsiao — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 02:32:18 GMT

A worldwide nuclear comeback, fueled by artificial intelligence data centers and semiconductor demand, is tightening supply chains and labor markets just as Taiwan considers restarting idle reactors.

Foldable smartphone panel shipments to grow 23% in 2026

Eifeh Strom — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 02:29:03 GMT

Following the launch of Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, combined sales momentum from Samsung Electronics, Huawei Technologies, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Motorola is expected to drive global foldable smartphone shipments above 27 million units in 2026.

Lab self-investigations show AI agents improvising past their own guardrails

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 02:22:26 GMT

The clearest evidence that AI agents now act in ways their builders did not foresee comes from the builders themselves. Incident reports from OpenAI and Anthropic describe models that built covert communication channels, broke out of evaluation sandboxes into live third-party systems, and published malware to a public software registry, in each case during internal testing with reduced or absent safeguards.

China's OLED expansion narrows South Korea's auto, IT panel lead

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 02:01:34 GMT

China's OLED supply push is gathering pace, with BOE Technology Group (BOE), TCL China Star Optoelectronic Technology and Visionox rapidly expanding production and closing in on South Korean rivals. South Korean companies still hold an edge in OLED for smartphones and TVs, but their room to grow in IT devices and automotive OLEDs is likely to narrow.

Google TPU pays back investment in 1 year, creating upside for MediaTek, Broadcom ASIC revenues

Yunnie Cheng — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 02:01:16 GMT

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian recently revealed that Google's overall payback period for AI server investments is less than two years, with in-house silicon recovering its costs in half that time. This translates to a payback period of less than one year for servers using Google's in-house silicon, including its tensor processing units (TPUs). Industry observers note this rapid capital return gives application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design service partners, such as MediaTek and Broadcom, substantial room for upward revenue revisions as Google doubles down on its TPU strategy.

India semiconductor deals hit a multi-year high ahead of SEMICON India 2026

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 01:56:20 GMT

India's semiconductor companies have raised nearly half of their all-time equity funding since the start of 2025, and deal activity this year is already at a multi-year high. The figures arrive days before SEMICON India 2026, the country's flagship semiconductor conference, opens in New Delhi on September 17.

Hua Hong Grace completes Huali Micoelectronics acquisition, state parent raises stake

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 01:56:06 GMT

Hua Hong Grace (HHGrace) has completed the share issuance for its acquisition of a 97.4988% stake in Huali Microelectronics (HLMC), strengthening the company's position in China's semiconductor foundry market.

CPO nears mass production — next battle about interfaces, yield and maintenance

Levi Li — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 01:50:09 GMT

As AI computing bandwidth keeps rising, optical interconnect architectures are moving beyond pluggable optical modules toward near-packaged optics (NPO) and co-packaged optics (CPO). But large-scale deployment will depend on more than optical-engine performance. Precision alignment, serviceability, manufacturing yield, and whether the supply chains for light sources, packaging, testing, and materials can advance in step are becoming equally critical.

US finalizes anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on solar imports from India, Indonesia, and Laos

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 01:43:18 GMT

The US Commerce Department on September 11 issued final affirmative determinations in its anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules from India, Indonesia, and Laos, setting dumping margins of up to 123.04% and subsidy rates as high as 173.70%, according to the department's International Trade Administration.

AI server tracker: Taiwan ASIC design houses diverge as AI projects enter different revenue cycles

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 01:22:49 GMT

Taiwan's ASIC design-service suppliers all posted year-over-year revenue growth in August 2026, but the underlying figures point to sharply different stages of the custom-silicon cycle.

AI server tracker: Taiwan testing suppliers accelerate as AI chip complexity raises interface demand

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 01:22:42 GMT

Taiwan's semiconductor testing supply chain continued to ride strong AI and high-performance computing (HPC) demand in August 2026, with all four major suppliers posting year-over-year revenue growth.

The case for an AI speed limit collapsed in a weekend

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 01:10:19 GMT

The AI industry's proposal to slow frontier model development ran into geopolitics over the weekend. US President Donald Trump rejected a slowdown, saying America must stay ahead of China, while Chinese President Xi Jinping used the BRICS summit in New Delhi to pitch a China-led open-source AI network for developing economies. The executive who proposed pacing concedes that a verifiable US-China limit may not be achievable.

AI labs ask to be slowed, Congress stirs, and Nvidia calls the alarm a sales pitch

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 01:07:15 GMT

The strongest case for restraining frontier AI development is now coming from the companies building it, and one of the sharpest rebuttals is from the supplier that sells them the chips. That split is the political problem US lawmakers inherit: the labs want a coordinated slowdown and independent oversight they say they cannot arrange alone, while Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang has suggested the alarm over AI-driven cyber risk doubles as a sales pitch.

India's chip show nearly doubles in two years, with suppliers leading the build-out

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:47:29 GMT

The exhibitor list for Semicon India 2026 suggests the country's semiconductor push has moved past announcements and into procurement. The show has drawn 535 exhibiting companies, up 52% from 351 in 2025 and 97% from 271 in 2024. Moreover, the sharpest growth is not in chipmakers, but in areas that fabs purchase only once construction is real: cleanroom and utility contractors, specialty gas and chemical suppliers, and metrology and inspection tool vendors.

CoreIntelligence Holdings posts 6% revenue growth in first 8 months as optical ASP soars and energy-saving products grow

Yunnie Cheng — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:44:33 GMT

CoreIntelligence Holdings (CiHC) reported unaudited consolidated revenue of NT$3.429 billion (approx. US$108.6 million) for August 2026, representing a slight 3% month-over-month decline from NT$3.535 billion (US$112.1 million) in July, but a 3% year-over-year increase compared to NT$3.342 billion (US$105.8 million) in 2025. Cumulative consolidated revenue for the first eight months of 2026 reached NT$26.36 billion (US$834.8 million), up 6% from NT$24.819 billion (US$786 million) recorded during the same period in 2025.

Weekly news roundup: HBM4 strain, Intel price hikes and the next AI infrastructure buildout

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:40:44 GMT

AI demand remained the dominant force across semiconductors, memory, foundry and data-center infrastructure this week. Intel raised CPU prices while Qualcomm and MediaTek targeted openings in IPC and IoT; memory inventories tightened as HBM4 and server demand strained DRAM and NAND supply; and Micron, Taiwan Mobile, Samsung Electronics, ASML, Synopsys and Eaton advanced plans tied to AI, advanced-node manufacturing and higher-density data centers. Below are the most-read DIGITIMES stories from September 7–13, 2026.

Blokcert launches Gefjon AI to help Taiwan charging operators improve profitability as EV demand rebounds

Willis Ke — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:36:21 GMT

Taiwan's EV market is staging a strong recovery in 2026, boosting vehicle registrations and charging demand, but operators remain under pressure from high capital costs and thin returns. Against that backdrop, charging software provider Blokcert Technology on September 9 unveiled Gefjon AI, billed as Taiwan's first operational decision-making brain designed specifically for charging sites, with the goal of helping operators turn charging infrastructure into more manageable and profitable energy assets.

Hiroca revenue jumps 35% as auto summer slowdown fades

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:33:10 GMT

Hiroca reported August consolidated revenue of NT$503 million (approx. US$16.0 million), up 35.81% from a month earlier and 10.19% from a year earlier. Cumulative consolidated revenue for January–August 2026 reached NT$3.4 billion, slightly up 0.25% from the same period in 2025.

Lite-On revenue rises in August on cloud power demand

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:32:52 GMT

Lite-On Technology posted NT$19.6 billion (approx. US$622.1 million) in consolidated revenue in August 2026, up 3% month-over-month and 25% year-over-year, as strong demand continued for AI and cloud computing high-end server power supplies, high-efficiency battery backup units (BBUs), and optoelectronic semiconductors. Revenue for the first eight months reached NT$134.7 billion, up 27% year-over-year.

Aurotek posts record August revenue on semiconductor, robot shipments

Eifeh Strom — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:32:13 GMT

Taiwanese robotics component maker Aurotek attributed its strong revenue growth in August 2026 to continued robust customer pull-ins for its automation subsystem equipment in the semiconductor, high-end artificial intelligence (AI) server, and electronics manufacturing industries. The company also highlighted the outlook for robot shipments.

Renesas readies second price hike amid stronger power-chip demand

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:31:33 GMT

Renesas Electronics is reportedly preparing a second product price increase this year, with new pricing set to take effect January 1, 2027, as rising manufacturing costs coincide with stronger demand for power semiconductors used in data centers and other high-growth applications.

India roundup: India says it cannot build electronics without China

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:31:07 GMT

India is accelerating its semiconductor and electronics ambitions, courting Taiwan, easing China restrictions, expanding local manufacturing and chip infrastructure, while global technology companies deepen investment despite rising costs and regulatory risks.

Image Match Design wins exclusive fingerprint module role in African ID project

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:30:40 GMT

Image Match Design secured an exclusive role in a national identity enrollment and collection system project for a major African country, according to the company. The biometric IC design firm said it will supply fingerprint collection and recognition equipment through a systems integrator, marking a move into a high-barrier international government market.

AI agents drive token use 300-600x, Dell Taiwan says

Charlene Chen — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:30:15 GMT

Dell Taiwan said the shift from generative AI to agentic AI is pushing token usage up by hundreds of times, sharply lifting costs and accelerating demand for on-premises AI computing as enterprises move faster toward hybrid cloud. General manager Terence Liao made the remarks at the company's annual technology event, Dell Technologies Forum 2026, on September 10.

Shihlin Electric eyes orders through 2029 as T4 plant starts in 2027

DIGITIMES — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:29:47 GMT

Shihlin Electric is bullish on continued growth in heavy electrical equipment and energy-related businesses as demand rises for Taiwan Power grid reinforcement, energy transition projects, and AI data center (AIDC) build-outs. The company said its planned T4 plant is scheduled to start production in September 2027, while orders on hand have already topped NT$60 billion (approx. US$1.9 billion) and are extending into 2030.

China's robot champions can run; now they have to prove they can earn

DIGITIMES — Sun, 13 Sep 2026 00:23:56 GMT

China's humanoid robot boom is entering a harder phase. After years of headline-grabbing demonstrations and heavy private funding, companies are being pressed to prove something less theatrical but more consequential: that robots can perform reliable work, generate recurring revenue, and justify their valuations.