DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

China's AI sector pivots to system-level "super-nodes" as chip curbs bite at WAIC 2026

DIGITIMES — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 02:16:03 GMT

The largest World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) to date opened in Shanghai on July 17, and its dominant signal was strategic: China's answer to US limits on advanced chips is shifting from chasing single-chip performance toward lashing thousands of domestic processors together into system-level "super-nodes."

Exclusive: SiPearl turns to Taiwan ODMs to bring Rhea-based servers to market

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:20:38 GMT

SiPearl has powered on and begun validating Rhea1, its first-generation server CPU designed in Europe. Its next challenge is convincing Taiwan's server manufacturers to turn the chip into systems that data centers can order and deploy.

Foxlink opens first US AI demonstration factory in Texas

Eifeh Strom — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:03:40 GMT

Foxlink Texas (FTI), a subsidiary of Cheng Uei Precision Industry (Foxlink), officially opened its first artificial intelligence (AI) demonstration factory at AllianceTexas in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 14, marking the group's first such facility in the US. The opening marks a key step in Foxlink's transformation from a traditional electronic manufacturing services (EMS) provider to an AI factory operating model.

Taiwan's 2027 tech budget rises 6.2% to NT$176.8 billion, targeting AI and space

Willis Ke — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:03:38 GMT

Taiwan plans to increase its technology budget by 6.2% in 2027 to accelerate investment in artificial intelligence (AI), space technology and net-zero innovation. The move is also meant to strengthen long-term industrial competitiveness through closer collaboration with the private sector.

Japan's ACSL eyes Taiwan drone supply chain expansion, commits to TADTE 2027

Willis Ke — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:02:46 GMT

Japanese industrial drone maker ACSL is open to expanding procurement from Taiwan as it strengthens its international supply chain strategy, with the company accepting an invitation to participate in the 2027 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE) during a visit by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Chairman James C.F. Huang to ACSL's R&D headquarters on July 15.

Taiwan drone sector expands Japanese tie-ups

Rodney Chan — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:59:26 GMT

Taiwan's drone industry has grown rapidly in recent years, with output surging from about NT$5 billion (US$154.87 million) in 2024 to NT$12.9 billion in 2025, while export value jumped from NT$140 million to NT$2.9 billion. Still, compared with semiconductors and electronics assembly, the drone sector remains small, making it critical for the industry to expand technology cooperation and secure government subsidies.

TSMC's CoWoS capacity remains 'extremely tight' as OSAT partners ramp expansion

Scarlett Yu — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:56:20 GMT

During its July 16 earnings conference, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) offered an upbeat outlook on AI demand. Responding to competition from Intel's EMIB advanced packaging technology, chairman and CEO C.C. Wei said TSMC's CoWoS capacity remains "extremely tight" and welcomed the emergence of additional advanced packaging solutions to help customers alleviate backend manufacturing bottlenecks.

China unveils first official commercial space roster, backing established players and the NTN ecosystem

Scarlett Yu — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:48:26 GMT

An organization under China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) released the membership list of the National Commercial Space Alliance's Commercial Space Entrepreneurship Consortium on July 1, offering a rare look at 271 officially recognized space-related organizations. Covering everything from launch services and satellite development to ground infrastructure and financial services, the list signals Beijing's increasingly institutionalized approach to identifying and supporting established commercial space companies.

Taiwan-Japan AI tech forum seeks closer partnerships

Rodney Chan — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:34:05 GMT

A Taiwan-Japan AI technology forum held at Taiwan Expo Japan brought together government, industry, academia and research representatives to discuss AI applications, semiconductor supply chains, smart manufacturing and innovation. Terry Tsao, SEMI's global marketing chief and head of the organization's operations in Taiwan, told DIGITIMES before the event that IBM has already demonstrated 2nm chip manufacturing capability in the lab, but the biggest challenge for its licensed partner, Japanese chipmaker Rapidus, to achieve mass production in Hokkaido will be yield.

AI server tracker: Taiwan's testing and design service leaders surge on global chip demand

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:25:10 GMT

The surge in AI and high-performance computing (HPC) technologies continues to reshape the semiconductor landscape, as demonstrated by the June 2026 financial performances of key supply chain players in Taiwan. Within this thriving ecosystem, IC testing and design services have emerged as pivotal backbones ensuring the physical viability and operational efficiency of next-generation silicon.

Micron SCA covers 7 auto customers, boosts supply chain

Charlene Chen — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:22:52 GMT

Micron has said its Strategic Customer Agreement (SCA) long-term supply deals with 16 key strategic customers include seven automotive customers — among them Qualcomm, Visteon, and Harman, all key suppliers supporting the automotive ecosystem — reinforcing its push into the auto supply chain. The memory maker said the agreements also cover CSPs and AI infrastructure players.

Laser Tek says AI demand is driving orders, but parts shortages are delaying shipments

Jingyue Hsiao — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:00:24 GMT

Taiwanese laser processing equipment maker Laser Tek said that artificial intelligence(AI)-led investment in advanced packaging, testing, and passive components is boosting orders worldwide, but a persistent parts shortage is stretching delivery schedules and delaying some shipments. The company warned that tight supply could keep pressure on revenue in the near term.

China, Netherlands urge Nexperia talks as Wingtech warns of 1H loss

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:48:24 GMT

China and the Netherlands agreed that their governments should create a favorable environment for companies to resolve the Nexperia dispute through consultation, China's Ministry of Commerce said July 16.

Oppo cuts OnePlus from North America and Europe, and Realme from China

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:41:05 GMT

OnePlus is exiting the North American and European markets for its future product launches, while sales of new Realme products will be suspended within its home market of China. The changes to both Oppo sub-brands signal the challenges low- to mid-tier brands face amid rising component costs and a tough global smartphone market this year.

Powertech and Broadcom expand AI ASIC push with US$400M Singapore FOPLP venture

Charlene Chen — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:30:10 GMT

Powertech Technology is deepening its panel-level packaging (FOPLP) strategy after its board approved a joint venture with Broadcom in Singapore to build panel-level advanced packaging (PLP) manufacturing capacity, with the planned investment totaling US$400 million.

TSMC limits mature-node expansion and eases pressure on PMIC suppliers

Lily Hess — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:29:06 GMT

TSMC chairman C.C. Wei said at the company's July 16 earnings call that mature-node expansion will be limited, with future capacity additions focused mainly on overseas fabs in Japan and Germany, as well as select products in Taiwan. The remarks have eased concerns among Taiwanese PMIC makers and other analog chip suppliers amid tight mature-node supply.

ABB to buy Rotork in US$5.5 billion cash deal

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:20:24 GMT

ABB said it has agreed to acquire Rotork in a recommended all-cash offer that would deepen the Swiss industrial group's push into electrification and automation, with potential implications for infrastructure operators, manufacturers, and energy users worldwide. The deal would combine two suppliers of critical flow-control and automation technology.

Montage Technology forecasts stronger first-half profit as AI demand lifts chip sales and discloses Korean prosecutors' search

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:14:39 GMT

China-based Montage Technology said its first-half results are expected to rise sharply, underscoring continued demand for AI-linked memory and interconnect chips that matter to data centers and device makers worldwide. The company also disclosed a regulatory search in South Korea, adding an overhang that global investors will be watching closely.

WAIC 2026 puts China's AI race on supernodes, domestic chips, and real-world deployment

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:13:36 GMT

China's AI industry is shifting from model scale to the infrastructure needed to train, deploy and commercialize AI, with supernodes, high-speed interconnects, and computing efficiency dominating WAIC 2026.

WST targets AI optical boom as high-power CW laser shipments begin in 4Q26

Scarlett Yu — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 07:08:21 GMT

Buoyed by robust shipments of optical communications products, Taiwanese optical communications company WaveSplitter Technologies (WST) nearly doubled its first-quarter revenue in 2026. Chairman and President Sheau Chen said surging AI computing demand will continue to drive the transition from 400G to 800G and 1.6T optical interconnects, with the company positioning its high-power continuous-wave (CW) laser portfolio as its next growth engine.

Moore Threads forecasts sharp first-half revenue growth on AI demand

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:54:26 GMT

Moore Threads, a Chinese GPU maker, said its first-half revenue likely more than doubled as demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips and large-scale computing clusters accelerated. The forecast matters beyond China, as global investors are closely watching how domestic chip firms are competing in the fast-growing AI hardware market.

China's DRAM milestone arrives with CXMT IPO; HBM now separates contenders from leaders

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:48:28 GMT

ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) opened subscriptions for its STAR Market IPO on July 16, launching one of China's largest A-share listings of 2026 and marking the country's first complete DRAM journey from technology acquisition and manufacturing validation to mass production and capital market recognition.

Google's Gemini 3.5 Pro delay deepens doubts over its standing in AI coding race

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:38:48 GMT

Google's months-long delay in shipping Gemini 3.5 Pro is hardening a view among investors and its own researchers that the company is slipping behind Anthropic and OpenAI in the contest that increasingly defines frontier AI: writing software. The setback has renewed questions about whether the search giant's sprawling structure is now a liability in a fast-moving race.

China moves to institutionalize its vision for global AI governance as Xi launches cooperation body

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:11:38 GMT

China used the opening of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai to institutionalize its bid to shape global governance of artificial intelligence (AI), with President Xi Jinping unveiling a package of measures aimed at the developing world and endorsing a new Shanghai-based intergovernmental body. The push positions Beijing as a self-styled champion of the "Global South" on AI at a moment of intensifying rivalry with the US over who writes the rules for the technology.

TSMC says A14 process on track for 2028 volume production

Eifeh Strom — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:49:04 GMT

TSMC said at its earnings call on July 16 that its A14 process technology is developing as planned, with risk production set for 2027 and volume production slated to begin in 2028.

Analysis: Unveiling the low-profile engineer building China's CXMT into a DRAM heavyweight

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:43:46 GMT

ChangXin Memory Technologies' (CXMT) STAR Market IPO is more than just one of China's biggest semiconductor listings. It also marks the culmination of Zhu Yiming's two-decade effort to build a domestic memory industry, taking the entrepreneur from founding flash memory designer GigaDevice to creating China's first globally competitive DRAM maker.

AI memory squeeze pushes automakers to shield supply chains

Jingyue Hsiao — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:42:34 GMT

AI giants are soaking up memory chips with vast capital, tightening supply for other industries and raising costs worldwide. The pressure is rippling from consumer electronics to cars, prompting automakers to hedge supply risks, absorb higher costs, and rethink procurement strategies as chip prices remain elevated.

Interview: QuantumDiamond's EU-backed quantum leap in chip inspection lands in Taiwan

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:28:23 GMT

The global tech landscape is currently dominated by two massive tides: the race for semiconductor supremacy and the long-promised dawn of the quantum era. While quantum technology is often associated with the distant goal of large-scale computing, a German startup is proving that quantum's most immediate impact may actually be in saving inspection time for the global semiconductor industry that powers the modern world.

Vietnam opens green power market, clearing the way for Foxconn and suppliers

Jingyue Hsiao — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:10:24 GMT

Vietnam has opened direct access to green electricity for companies, easing a major obstacle for Foxconn and its suppliers as global electronics makers shift production away from China. The change could help global supply chains expand in Vietnam while also increasing pressure on the country's power system, renewable capacity, and environmental management.

Power component prices keep rising as supply tightens

Lily Hess — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:06:40 GMT

Power semiconductor makers say prices are still being adjusted as upstream raw material costs rise and AI-driven high-margin products crowd out capacity. With supply tight across the chain, customers are now focusing on securing shipments first, even as new price-hike notices arrive in the third quarter of 2026.

Tata's India chip debut reportedly to lean on 90nm, a humbler start than its 28nm pledge

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 03:59:51 GMT

India's first large-scale wafer fab will begin production on decades-old 90nm technology rather than the 28nm node the Tata group publicly touted, a step that underscores how far the country still has to travel to build a chip industry from scratch, even as New Delhi commits fresh billions to the push.

Nvidia unveils Thor-based modules for robots and edge AI

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 03:55:54 GMT

Nvidia has introduced new Thor-based modules aimed at powering robots and autonomous machines as they move into broader commercial use. The launch reflects rising global demand for compact, efficient AI hardware that can run advanced foundation models on-device, helping businesses deploy smarter systems with lower latency and reduced reliance on the cloud.

SK Group chair floats 'memory as a service' model for SK Hynix

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 03:55:10 GMT

SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won has floated a "memory as a service" model for SK Hynix, saying the memory chipmaker needs to build a higher-value business beyond manufacturing and selling chips.

Exclusive: PC brands reportedly rush to secure CXMT memory as orders extend to end-2027

Charlene Chen — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 03:47:02 GMT

Chinese DRAM maker ChangXin Memory Technology's (CXMT) IPO has entered its final stage, drawing close market attention. PC supply chain sources said the US had briefly planned to add CXMT to its entity list but had not announced it, and that easing US-China tensions, along with reports that Apple had tested CXMT memory and lobbied the US government, had signaled a possible green light and triggered a rush of orders from brands, with shipments reportedly booked through the end of 2027.

Hygon forecasts higher first-half 2026 revenue and profit

DIGITIMES — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 03:42:30 GMT

Hygon Information Technology said its first-half 2026 results are expected to rise sharply, signaling continued demand for domestic high-end chips as AI, cloud computing, and localization trends reshape technology supply chains for global customers, investors, and competitors. The company said the forecast is preliminary and unaudited.