DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

OCI thins solar wafers to boost Vietnam output 39%

DIGITIMES — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:54:32 GMT

OCI Holdings is turning to thinner solar wafers to raise output from its Vietnam operations by nearly 40% without adding production lines, as demand from US customers outpaces existing capacity.

AI server tracker: Demand drives strong growth across Taiwan's CCL, design services, substrate, and testing supply chains

DIGITIMES — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:54:18 GMT

Taiwan's AI server supply chain continued to show strong growth in July 2026, with revenue rising across copper-clad laminate (CCL), design services, substrates, and testing. All four segments recorded year-over-year growth, while design services posted the strongest monthly increase.

India roundup: India's electronics push gains momentum as water, China ties and chip incentives collide

DIGITIMES — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:54:01 GMT

India's electronics and AI infrastructure ambitions are accelerating, but mounting environmental opposition, tighter Chinese visa curbs, and intensifying competition for semiconductor investment are exposing new challenges. As Google advances a US$15 billion AI data center, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) restructures its cloud business, and Dixon Technologies expands its smartphone OEM business, states are sweetening incentives to strengthen India's position in global technology supply chains.

Twoway Communications speeds defense push with C-UAS, unmanned vehicles

Lily Hess — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:53:36 GMT

Twoway Communications said its July 2026 consolidated revenue was NT$139 million (US$4.3 million), down 0.4% from a year earlier. For January to July 2026, consolidated revenue reached NT$1.1 billion, up 35.0% from the same period in 2025.

AI vision sensing demand heats up for Novatek, PixArt, Elan, Realtek

Lily Hess — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:53:07 GMT

Taiwanese IC design firms that have been building out AI vision sensing businesses are now reaping the rewards, with major players including display driver IC (DDI) leader Novatek Microelectronics, Himax Technologies, and Realtek Semiconductor, as well as PixArt Imaging and Elan Microelectronics, saying that revenue in this area is rising quickly. The companies see AI vision sensing as set to become a key part of their overall revenue mix.

DFI accelerates edge AI rollout in 2H26 with ‘Right Compute’ strategy

DIGITIMES — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:52:44 GMT

Industrial PC (IPC) maker DFI held its second-quarter 2026 earnings conference on August 14, reporting a sharp improvement in profitability as its embedded, intelligent automation and network security businesses all gained momentum. Revenue growth accelerated further in July, strengthening the company's confidence in the second-half outlook.

FSC plans MLPC trial production by end-2026 in passive component push

DIGITIMES — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:52:28 GMT

FS said it plans to begin trial production and shipments of high-end MLPC stacked solid-state capacitors by the end of 2026 as it expands beyond plastic injection molding machines into passive components. The move was outlined alongside the company's second-quarter 2026 financial update and marks a new growth line tied to AI and GPU supply chains.

Toppan eyes FC-BGA substrate price hikes as new line fills up

Charlene Chen — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:52:12 GMT

Japan's Toppan is negotiating price increases for FC-BGA substrates with customers as its new FC-BGA substrate plant ramps up, lifting the operating margin of its electronics business and doubling consolidated net profit. Nikkei Asia reported that the additional production line at Toppan's FC-BGA substrate factory in Niigata, Japan, began operations in January 2026, doubling the plant's FC-BGA substrate capacity from the first half of fiscal 2022 (April-September 2022).

E Ink cuts 2026 outlook as signage gains momentum

Charlene Chen — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:51:56 GMT

E Ink has lowered its 2026 revenue growth outlook after rising memory prices hit demand for consumer electronics, but the company said IoT and e-paper signage businesses remain strong. Full-year revenue growth is now expected at 10-15%, down from an earlier forecast of 20-25%, while consumer electronics revenue could fall by double digits.

T-glass demand surges as IC substrate makers see shortages through 2028

Charlene Chen — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:51:39 GMT

As the global AI computing infrastructure boom drives rapid demand growth for GPUs, CPUs, and ASICs, the ABF substrate industry is set to swing into shortage in 2026, with the supply-demand gap expected to widen in 2027-2028. That has lifted order visibility for IC substrate makers in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, with the outlook now stretching as far as 2029-2030. Companies including Ibiden, Unimicron, Kinsus, Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board, Leading, and Samsung Electro-Mechanics are all moving into a new round of capacity expansion.

Fu Chun Shin lifts second quarter margins on stronger electronics demand

DIGITIMES — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:51:22 GMT

Fu Chun Shin Machinery said rising investment in smart manufacturing and AI infrastructure lifted demand for high-precision, high-efficiency, and intelligent equipment across ICT, semiconductor, and electronics supply chains. The plastic injection molding machine maker reported higher gross margin and operating margin in the second quarter, with both measures improving year-on-year.

Solomon posts record 2Q26 profit as AI vision, robotics orders surge

Scarlett Yu — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:51:07 GMT

AI vision specialist Solomon Technology Corporation reported strong financial results for the second quarter of 2026, with quarterly profit reaching a record high. Solomon chairman Cheng-Lung Chen said orders related to AI vision and robotics have surged since the beginning of the year, setting the stage for substantial growth in 2026.

Gogolook sees 2026 revenue hit new high as anti-fraud businesses expand

DIGITIMES — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:50:55 GMT

Taiwanese trust technology company Gogolook said its revenue and profitability are expected to stay strong in the second half of 2026, helped by continued growth, critical operating scale, and efficiency gains from generative AI. The company said full-year revenue is likely to reach a new record as its consumer anti-fraud, enterprise anti-fraud, and fintech services all expand.

Taiwan's Century Group eyes SMR supply chain as AI power demand accelerates

Willis Ke — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:50:44 GMT

AI-driven electricity demand is prompting Century Group to broaden its energy ambitions beyond offshore wind. The group plans to enter the small modular reactor (SMR) supply chain through reactor peripheral equipment and aims to obtain TÜV Rheinland technical and safety certification within three years, positioning itself for what it sees as a major wave of low-carbon power investment tied to AI data centers.

Unique Opto sees AI demand lift 1H26 results, but CPO upside remains uncertain

Jingyue Hsiao — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:50:25 GMT

Unique Opto-Electronics said stronger demand tied to artificial intelligence applications lifted first-half profitability above 2025 levels, while management struck a cautious tone on growth in the second half of 2026 and 2027. The company also said its optical glass business could benefit from co-packaged optics (CPO), but the size of any contribution remains unclear.

Appier lifts FY26 outlook after record second-quarter revenue and margin gains

DIGITIMES — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:50:08 GMT

Appier, an agentic AI-as-a-service provider, reported record second-quarter 2026 revenue of JPY12.9 billion and raised its fiscal 2026 outlook on the back of stronger growth and higher profitability. The results, announced on the 13th, showed revenue up 24.6% year-on-year and gross margin reaching 60.1% for the first time, with both revenue and operating profit beating the company's guidance.

Sigurd tops NT$2B in July revenue as AI testing demand surges

DIGITIMES — Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:49:51 GMT

Sigurd Microelectronics, an IC testing and packaging company, reported record July 2026 revenue and said demand from AI and AI connectivity markets drove the result. The company said orders for high-performance computing chips, including CPUs, GPUs, ASICs, and AI accelerators, lifted testing demand for silicon photonics, high-speed networking, memory, silicon capacitors, baseboard management controller chips, and high-end power management ICs used in AI servers and data centers.

Samsung, SK Hynix HBM4 hiring war drains South Korea's chip design talent

DIGITIMES — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:41:24 GMT

South Korea's semiconductor talent shortage is intensifying as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix recruit experienced chip designers for increasingly complex HBM4 products, drawing key engineers away from fabless companies and design houses while tighter restrictions complicate movement between the country's two memory giants.

Interview: Orbbec bridges physical AI data gaps with robot-free platform

DIGITIMES — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:41:14 GMT

As physical AI and robotics draw unprecedented market attention, a key bottleneck is clogging the deployment pipeline: quality, real-world physical data. To move applications from the lab to real-world deployment, companies are getting creative in overcoming this obstacle while balancing affordability, stability, and data volumes.

China's AI supernode build-out turns more chips into more computing power

DIGITIMES — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:41:04 GMT

China is accelerating construction of its national computing network, and a growing share of new capacity is likely to use supernodes. With domestic AI accelerators still trailing leading global chips in single-card performance, Chinese vendors are increasingly relying on larger card counts, high-speed interconnects and system-level optimisation to close the gap.

Taiwan Mobile launches tender offer for Systex, targeting majority control

DIGITIMES — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:40:54 GMT

Taiwan Mobile said on August 12 that its board approved a tender offer for Systex Corporation common shares through its wholly owned subsidiary Taiwan Cellular, with the goal of lifting its stake to more than 50%. The telecom operator already held 11.86% of Systex, and the tender offer seeks an additional stake of at least 39%, which would lift Taiwan Mobile's total ownership above 50%.

Nan Pao posts record second-quarter profit and July revenue as sales rise

DIGITIMES — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:39:33 GMT

Nan Pao Resins Chemical reported record second-quarter net profit attributable to the parent company of NT$877 million, with earnings per share of NT$7.27, as the Taiwan-based materials maker also said July revenue reached an all-time monthly high. The results reflected stronger sales of adhesives and building materials, along with customers placing orders early and building inventory ahead of anticipated price increases.

Edgecore pushes all-optical networking for distributed AI data centers

DIGITIMES — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:39:23 GMT

Edgecore Networks said distributed AI infrastructure will become more important as data centers run into limits on power, space, and cooling. Speaking at the 2026 OCP APAC Summit, the company outlined an all-optical networking approach designed to connect GPUs, servers, and storage across multiple sites and regions.

TV slowdown accelerates panel makers' shift to IT OLED, UBI Research found

Willis Ke — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:39:10 GMT

With global TV demand slowing and panel prices continuing to fall, display makers are facing intensifying profit pressure. Analysts say the industry's bottleneck extends beyond low-priced Chinese competition and reflects a broader reshaping of the consumer electronics value chain, with OLED's next growth phase likely to depend on lower manufacturing costs and wider adoption in IT devices.

Flytech posts record second-quarter profit on AI demand, margin gains

DIGITIMES — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:38:57 GMT

Industrial PC maker Flytech Technology reported another record quarterly profit in the second quarter of 2026, driven by deeper penetration into end-market applications, stronger demand for AI software and site computing upgrades, and continued operating leverage. The Americas delivered the largest regional contribution and became the main engine of sales growth.

AI reshapes semiconductor testing as KYEC pushes four-way model

Lily Hess — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:38:39 GMT

As AI chip value and integration complexity keep rising, King Yuan Electronics (KYEC) President Gauss Chang said semiconductor testing is shifting from being considered "part of the supply chain" to a "part of the process." He said the supply chain is also moving toward a new collaboration model built around four integrated elements: equipment, accessories, testing, and products.

AI product cycle lifts Chroma test demand

Lily Hess — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:38:21 GMT

AI is sharply increasing demand for test and measurement equipment, turning it from a cost-cutting support tool into a must-have, said Chroma president I-Shih Tseng. He said he expects the industry boom to outlast a short-term investment wave and that second-half 2026 operations will outperform the first half of the year.

HDRE reports first-half growth as Japan and Australia projects expand

DIGITIMES — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 22:37:57 GMT

HD Renewable Energy (HDRE) reported first-half 2026 consolidated revenue of NT$3.078 billion (approx. US$95.7 million), along with gross profit of NT$758 million, a gross margin of 24.63%, and operating profit of NT$112 million. The Taiwanese energy group said some second-quarter transactions were delayed, pushing recognition of several 2MW battery storage projects in Japan into the third quarter.

Gelsinger calls HBM 'lousy', SK Hynix says it's not memory's final answer

Lily Hess — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:53:33 GMT

High-bandwidth memory (HBM), a core component in AI semiconductors, has drawn fresh scrutiny after former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger called it "lousy" at a recent AI summit in Paris. SK Hynix, the market leader in this type of memory, also said it is not the final answer to AI memory bottlenecks, underscoring the industry's push to find a next-generation memory architecture beyond HBM.

Asia Vital Components sees stronger AI server demand and faster liquid cooling adoption

Jingyue Hsiao — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:53:01 GMT

Asia Vital Components expects global AI server demand to strengthen in the second half, with liquid cooling adoption becoming more common — a shift carrying implications for data center operators and suppliers worldwide. The company sees higher shipments of ASIC chips and Nvidia's Vera Rubin platform driving growth, and estimates that liquid-cooling penetration in AI servers will reach 50% by 2027.

Taiwan Gold Card approvals for finance professionals top 1,000

DIGITIMES — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:52:41 GMT

Taiwan has approved more than 1,000 Employment Gold Cards for finance professionals as the government broadens its push to attract overseas talent and develop Taiwan into an Asian asset-management center.

Research Insight: Unitree IPO reveals humanoid robot commercialization still in early innings

Scarlett Yu — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:50:18 GMT

Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics has drawn significant market attention with its IPO. Based on DIGITIMES' review of the company's three-hour IPO roadshow and Q&A session on August 7, chairman Xingxing Wang and the management team provided further details on humanoid robot commercialization, embodied intelligence, and its supply chain strategy.

J&V Energy lifts 1H revenue on storage and green power trading

DIGITIMES — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:49:45 GMT

J&V Energy Technology said its first-half 2026 results were lifted by growing energy storage projects and green power trading, with consolidated revenue reaching NT$3.498 billion (US$108.74 million). The Taiwan-based renewable energy group said gross profit rose 67% year over year to NT$570 million, while operating profit increased 195% to NT$109 million.

Lotes sees tight supply, says demand remains intact

Lily Hess — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:48:58 GMT

Connector maker Lotes is deepening its server business, with its server quick disconnect (QD) line set to enter mass production in July, and expansion is expected to accelerate at the same time. A new-generation server platform is expected to begin small-volume shipments in the fourth quarter of 2026, followed by a larger-scale ramp-up in early 2027, making both key growth drivers to watch in the coming quarters.

Century Group pivots beyond offshore wind with four-pronged energy strategy

Scarlett Yu — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 22:48:29 GMT

Century Iron and Steel Industrial (CIS) and Century Wind Power (CWP) held a joint investor conference on August 13. Driven by a significant increase in the revenue contribution from offshore wind foundation engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects beginning in 2026, CWP said it expects revenue to reach new highs in both 2026 and 2027, with profit in 2026 also poised to set a record.