DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

Foxconn and Mitsubishi Electric target SDV with L4 autonomy and EV drive systems

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:50:00 GMT

Foxconn's planned JPY115 billion (US$726.83 million) investment in Mitsubishi Electric Mobility will create a joint venture to expand their electric-vehicle and autonomous-driving businesses globally. The deal combines Mitsubishi Electric's automotive technology and customer relationships with Foxconn's flexible contract development and manufacturing model, while testing whether shared ownership could speed future growth.

Beyond broadband: SpaceX maps Starlink's expansion into aviation, mobile, next-gen capacity

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:44:56 GMT

What began as a satellite broadband service is increasingly becoming SpaceX's platform for connecting homes, aircraft, mobile devices, and government networks.

iPhone Duo finally debuts, but with price increases across models, Apple's 4Q26 shipments will take hit

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:42:05 GMT

DIGITIMES says the most closely watched model in Apple's high-end iPhone 18 lineup, launched in September 2026, is the long-anticipated first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo.

Starlink, FPT deploy satellite internet terminals on Vietnam islands

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:42:00 GMT

Vietnam has installed 10 Starlink satellite internet terminals on islands near Haiphong, highlighting how low Earth orbit networks are being used to extend connectivity beyond conventional infrastructure. The deployment provides backup communications for emergencies and could support digital development, while also illustrating the service's regulatory limits, cost challenges, and focus on remote users.

LX Semicon uses AI agents to cut display chip design time by 80%

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:38:00 GMT

South Korean IC design firm LX Semicon has deployed AI agents in the development of display driver ICs (DDIs), reducing the design time for a benchmark image-processing engine from 10 days to two. The company said two large-size LCD TV DDI products developed with the technology have reached tape-out, with mass production planned for early to mid-2027 for television panels in Greater China.

AI customers seek 3-year partnerships as Unimicron calls for Taiwan PCB supply chain collab

Eifeh Strom — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:30:00 GMT

TPCA Show Taipei 2026, organized by the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA), opened on October 20. Unimicron Technology chairman S.C. Chien delivered a keynote at the opening ceremony, discussing key opportunities for printed circuit board (PCB) industry development in the artificial intelligence (AI) era.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics wins KRW360.5 billion memory substrate deal as AI demand drives expansion

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:23:11 GMT

Samsung Electro-Mechanics has secured a KRW360.5 billion (US$271.8 million) long-term contract to supply package substrates for memory semiconductors, strengthening its position in the growing AI server component market.

Memory chip inflation accelerates smartphone brands' retreat from low-end devices

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:20:00 GMT

Rising memory prices are squeezing smartphone makers and consumers, pushing shipments to their lowest third-quarter level since 2012, and accelerating the market's retreat from entry-level devices. Brands are raising prices, cutting low-margin models, and limiting production, while delayed upgrades and interest in used and refurbished phones further weigh on demand.

Breaking AI's memory wall: former TSMC VP charts a path with HBM, optical links and 3D stacking

Levi Li — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:15:00 GMT

AI processor performance continues to improve, but memory bandwidth is growing more slowly, making data supply a major constraint on AI chip performance and energy efficiency. Efforts to shorten the distance between memory and compute units and increase die-to-die interconnect density are driving advances in HBM, advanced packaging and 3D integration.

Taiwan's September export orders jump 62.4% on AI demand

Eifeh Strom — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:05:00 GMT

Taiwan's export orders totaled US$114.21 billion in September 2026, up US$11.25 billion, or 10.9%, from the previous month, according to data released by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on October 20. After seasonal adjustment, orders rose 1.1%. Compared with September 2025, export orders increased US$42.87 billion, or 62.4%, while growth in New Taiwan dollar terms reached 69.5%.

Nvidia's Vera CPU signals a broader shift in AI infrastructure

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:45:47 GMT

Nvidia is positioning its Vera CPU as a central component of data-center infrastructure for agentic artificial intelligence, as multistep reasoning and tool calls increase demand for fast serial processing. The company says CPU resources are gaining importance alongside GPUs, while declining GPU-to-CPU ratios signal a potential redesign of AI computing architectures.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics extends long-term contracts to memory substrates, totaling KRW4.3T

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:45:00 GMT

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO) has signed a long-term supply agreement worth KRW360.487 billion (approximately US$260 million) with a major global company for memory packaging substrates, with shipments scheduled to begin in 2027. The company did not disclose the customer or specific application, but the deal expands its long-term contract coverage from multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) and silicon capacitors into substrates.

Contrel, FSE combine laser and plasma processes for advanced packaging

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:37:05 GMT

Contrel Technology and FSE jointly showcased dual-core laser micromachining and plasma process technologies at TPCA Show 2026, targeting advanced packaging and high-end substrate manufacturing. The companies' solutions span key processes from surface treatment and residue removal to laser trimming, debonding, grooving, and cutting.

Taiwan promotes Hsinchu science-park model to Mexico and Poland

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:36:22 GMT

Taiwan is promoting its science-park development model as Mexico's Sonora state and Poland explore partnerships to attract investment and build industrial hubs. The effort could shape how regions worldwide develop global supply chains by combining research, manufacturing, infrastructure, talent, and sustainability, while Taiwan's companies seek opportunities beyond established overseas clusters.

Packaging-to-board integration emerges as key gap as AI reshapes electronics supply chain

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:35:39 GMT

Packaging, substrate, printed circuit board (PCB), and assembly makers need closer coordination to meet the demands of AI and high-performance computing (HPC), as package-to-board integration becomes a growing technical bottleneck, industry executives said at IMPACT 2026 in Taipei.

Robot hands get cheaper, but factories still want proof

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:35:14 GMT

Competition among Chinese suppliers is driving down prices for dexterous robotic hands, but cheaper hardware has yet to resolve a bigger challenge for humanoid developers: proving that multi-finger systems can perform industrial tasks reliably and at a competitive cost.

Huawei-linked Yinwang gives CATL battery swapping a wider route into smart vehicles

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:35:01 GMT

Chinese battery giant CATL is giving its battery-service business a distinctive boost through a three-party battery-swapping agreement linking Huawei-affiliated Yinwang Intelligent Technology, CATL, and CATL's battery-swapping subsidiary, Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology (CAES).

Foreign suppliers stand to gain first as India's chemical makers chase Tata's chip fab

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:34:29 GMT

India's first commercial chip fab is opening a long-awaited new market for the country's chemical makers, but the companies best placed to profit in the near term are Japanese, South Korean, and European materials suppliers that already have the purification know-how and customer trust that chipmakers demand.

Amazon open-sources TorchNeuron to bridge PyTorch, AWS Trainium

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:34:14 GMT

To lower AI hardware adoption barriers and offer alternative compute choices, Amazon has announced TorchNeuron—a native backend allowing existing PyTorch code to run directly on AWS Trainium chips with minimal code changes. The tool enters public beta under the Apache 2.0 open-source license today at the PyTorch Conference North America.

Japan plans JPY400 billion boost for Rapidus 2nm push

Charlene Chen — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:33:56 GMT

Japan plans to provide an additional JPY400 billion (US$2.5 billion) to support Rapidus' advanced semiconductor production between fiscal 2027 and fiscal 2029, as the government seeks to achieve mass production of 2nm chips in fiscal 2027. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) presented the latest policy on October 19, according to reports from Reuters, Nikkei Asia, and BigGo Finance. The funding would be provided as an industrial investment between April 2027 and March 2030.

SpaceX returns to operating profit in 3Q26; Super Intelligence revenue overtakes Connectivity

DIGITIMES — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 00:20:00 GMT

SpaceX's third quarter of 2026 reshaped the business. Its Super Intelligence (SI) segment, the compute and AI unit previously reported as Artificial Intelligence, generated more revenue than the Starlink-led Connectivity segment, reversing the previous quarter's order, and the group posted an operating profit after losses in each of the four preceding quarters. The quarter also showed what the shift costs: capital spending again ran ahead of revenue, and most of it went into compute.

AI infrastructure faces four hurdles: Power, construction, technology, funding

Charlene Chen — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 17:01:00 GMT

At last week's SEMICON West 2026 industry outlook forum, research firms said investment in US AI data centers continues to accelerate, but the industry still faces multiple hurdles before it can turn demand into operational computing capacity. Constraints now extend beyond chips to power and the grid, construction speed, immature technologies, and funding pressure behind capital spending, all of which could slow expansion.

Musk and Anthropic test rival models for sharing AI wealth with the public

DIGITIMES — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 16:01:00 GMT

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) is best understood as revolutionary in modern society, transforming industries and reshaping daily life as successive rounds of rapid growth push AI deeper into nearly every aspect of social and economic activity.

Unimicron chairman sees substrate sizes reaching 14x current scale by 2030

Charlene Chen — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 10:09:19 GMT

TPCA Show 2026 officially opened, with Unimicron Chairman Shan-Chieh Chien saying in his opening address that solving the three major challenges facing AI accelerators in high-performance computing (HPC) will require more than semiconductor process scaling. Advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration technologies must be introduced in parallel, significantly raising the technical requirements for the PCB and substrate industries.

Jensen Huang urges Germany to embrace physical AI at Berlin summit

Lily Hess — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:22:16 GMT

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang urged German businesses to embrace AI at an industry summit in Berlin on October 19, aiming to revive the economy and modernize industry. Huang specifically called on Germany's automotive and industrial machinery sectors to adopt physical AI by leveraging the country's extensive manufacturing data and expertise.

Samsung eyes six foldables for 2027, including a rollable phone

Lily Hess — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:09:11 GMT

Samsung Electronics is reportedly planning its largest-ever foldable smartphone lineup in 2027, expanding the Galaxy Z series to as many as six models. The broader portfolio, alongside improvements in battery performance, thickness, and weight, could accelerate foldable adoption beyond its current niche-market status.

Japan's MMX mission launches successfully, gains edge over China in race for first Mars system sample return

Scarlett Yu — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:05:43 GMT

Japan has successfully launched a spacecraft bound for the moons of Mars, gaining an early advantage over China in the international race to become the first country to return samples from Mars or its satellites.

Global Tek's new Thailand plant enters trial production in 3Q26, targeting AI liquid cooling and aerospace opportunities

Yunnie Cheng — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:05:20 GMT

Global Tek Industrial held an opening ceremony on the 20th for its Super Smart Manufacturing Park in Chonburi, Thailand. Spanning 177,600 square meters, the facility is the group's largest single production base. Having entered trial production in the third quarter of 2026, the plant will expand beyond existing automotive orders to incorporate high-value-added products such as AI liquid cooling and aerospace components, fulfilling customer demand for non-China supply chains.

Intel requests FCC waiver from US foreign robot ban, citing impact on US chipmaking

DIGITIMES — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:58:46 GMT

Intel has asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a waiver to the US ban on advanced foreign robots, citing worries that its machines will not receive equipment updates, which could hinder its ability to produce semiconductors in the US. The request comes after the US banned imports of foreign-made robots in July.

Chief Telecom starts NT$3.3 billion AI data center in Taiwan

DIGITIMES — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:51:04 GMT

Chief Telecom broke ground on a new AI data center at the Central Taiwan Science Park on the 20th, committing approximately NT$3.3 billion (US$101.7 million) to a facility expected to begin operations in the second half of 2028. The project is intended to extend the company's data center growth, as its Lianyun AI Intelligent Data Center is projected to reach full capacity in 2027.

Wistron Medical Technology and Chang Gung University expand AI elder-care training

DIGITIMES — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:48:33 GMT

Wistron Medical Technology and Chang Gung University of Science and Technology signed a memorandum of understanding at the university's Linkou campus to advance an AI-enabled training program for the aging and health industries. The partnership will combine industry expertise with academic resources to address rising demand for smart health, digital health and elder-care capabilities as societies move toward super-aged populations.

AI server demand lifts Tongtai drilling orders through 2027

DIGITIMES — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:02:30 GMT

Tongtai Machine & Tool said it had order visibility for its printed circuit board (PCB) drilling equipment through the end of 2027 as AI infrastructure demand increased pressure on high-end board production. The Taiwan-based machine tool maker presented its latest solutions at the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association Show 2026, highlighting CCD high-precision drilling machines and an unmanned drilling-station system for AI server boards and IC substrates.

US firms eye Malaysia to diversify rare earth supply chains

DIGITIMES — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:55:00 GMT

More than a dozen US companies are exploring opportunities to develop Malaysia's rare earth industry, seeking alternatives to China-dominated supply chains as Washington pushes to secure supplies of critical minerals.

AUO selects glass substrate specs for semiconductor processes, not size rivalry

Yunnie Cheng — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:38:00 GMT

AUO is tailoring its glass core substrate specifications specifically to semiconductor process requirements rather than competing on panel dimensions with Innolux, according to Chairman and CEO Paul Peng. The company aims to leverage its glass-processing expertise to supply critical components and technologies to outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) leaders such as ASE Technology Holding and Powertech Technology.

Taiwan anchors US chip revival, SEMICON West spotlights trusted partners

Charlene Chen — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:08:00 GMT

SEMICON West 2026 wrapped up in San Francisco last week, with US officials, industry executives, equipment and materials suppliers, and workforce-development partners repeatedly highlighting Taiwan as a critical partner in rebuilding US semiconductor manufacturing. Taiwan's role spans investment, process technology, supply-chain expertise, and talent development.