DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

Witchbox eyes Taiwan channels, hospitals for AI posture platform

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 02:13:57 GMT

South Korean health tech company Witchbox is extending AI posture analysis into gym operations management, using its iPosture Pro platform to integrate body assessments, workout programs, and member tracking as competition in the category intensifies. The company has already built a Pilates education partnership base in Taiwan and now wants to work with local channels and hospitals to expand brand visibility and use cases.

Meta unveils AI agent standard with Walmart, Stripe

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 02:05:18 GMT

Meta has teamed up with Walmart, Stripe, and AI startup Sierra to develop the Personal Agent Protocol, an open standard designed to let AI agents interact with corporate websites and services with authorization. The move aims to address a growing challenge as AI agents spread rapidly: companies increasingly struggle to tell whether a website visitor is the user or an AI agent acting on the user's behalf, CNBC reported.

Intel stays in Musk's Terafab as TSMC talks point to multi-foundry strategy

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 02:03:13 GMT

Elon Musk has moved to quell uncertainty over Intel's position in the Terafab chip project, stressing that his companies will build and operate the planned semiconductor complex themselves while limiting any potential TSMC involvement to subleasing part of the site.

Samsung expands memory testing beyond Korea with US$4.08 billion Vietnam project

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:55:00 GMT

Samsung Electronics is expanding its memory testing footprint beyond South Korea with a US$4.08 billion project in Vietnam, adding another back-end and export base as tight DRAM and NAND supply increases the value of geographic diversification.

AI agents fuel new CPU demand, lifting AMD

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:51:54 GMT

Before generative AI rose and Nvidia GPUs came to dominate the market, the central processing unit (CPU) was the main compute engine for servers. Now, as the personal AI agent boom gathers pace, CPUs are drawing renewed attention for their role in AI — a trend that is giving Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) powerful growth momentum.

Team Group posts record quarterly revenue as memory market tightens

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:50:00 GMT

Memory module maker Team Group reported a sharp rise in September 2026 revenue, amid a global memory upswing that may affect pricing, supply, and procurement decisions for server operators, device makers, and distributors worldwide. The Taiwanese company said demand remained strong across segments, while capacity shifts toward AI-related infrastructure continued to reshape the market. Team Group posted revenue of NT$4.081 billion (US$128.1 million) in September 2026, up 16.17% from August and 109.69% from a year earlier, marking its second-highest monthly total on record.

OpenAI and Anthropic push Australia on AI rules

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:49:38 GMT

Senior executives from US artificial intelligence (AI) companies OpenAI and Anthropic flew to Sydney to attend a hearing and answer questions from Australian officials, as both firms continued to press Canberra to change copyright rules. The companies also agreed to report model jailbreak incidents as quickly as possible if they happen.

Fed could hike again before year-end as liquidity is watched

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:41:19 GMT

The Federal Reserve raised rates by 1 quarter point in September, and with the standoff between the US and Iran still unresolved and US inflation remaining elevated, markets expect the Fed could keep tightening before year-end. The move comes as US mortgage rates have already climbed above 7%, while pressure on consumers would intensify if inflation fails to return to the 2% target.

Nvidia's RTX Spark hits order books, taking on Apple's Macs

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:35:00 GMT

Nvidia's RTX Spark superchip for Windows PCs moved from stage demos to order books on October 7, as pre-orders opened for Windows laptops built to rival Apple's unified-memory Macs at running large AI models locally. Reuters said cracking the Windows PC market could help Nvidia go after one of the last major markets dominated by Intel and AMD.

Ray Dalio warns high rates could burst AI bubble

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:28:56 GMT

Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio has warned that technology giants are borrowing heavily to invest in AI, and that further increases in interest rates could become the trigger for an AI bubble to burst.

Microsoft prices Surface Laptop Ultra at US$2,599, pitches Windows for hybrid AI

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:25:00 GMT

Microsoft is betting that the next reason to buy a premium Windows PC is the ability to run AI agents and large models on the machine itself, pairing its most powerful Surface laptop yet with a Windows strategy designed to move part of the AI workload off the cloud.

SAS first-three-quarter revenue hits record NT$61.38 billion as it expands manufacturing, services

Eifeh Strom — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:21:53 GMT

Sino-American Silicon Products (SAS) is expanding its renewable energy business through a dual-track strategy focused on manufacturing and services, amid the explosive growth in demand for artificial intelligence (AI) computing power. Not only is this driving up power consumption at data centers and advanced manufacturing facilities, it is also fueling urgent demand from companies for green power, energy storage, and energy management services.

Taiwan defense industry deepens global supply chain ties

Eifeh Strom — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:20:11 GMT

As countries move to build more resilient and self-reliant defense industries, they are also accelerating international supply chain cooperation. Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) chairman James Huang said the key in the future will not only be to develop good products, but also to understand international certifications, regulations, and procurement rules, so that Taiwan can turn its technological and manufacturing advantages into competitiveness in international markets and become a trusted and indispensable defense partner worldwide.

GlobalWafers September revenue rises 7.65% on stronger demand

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:20:00 GMT

GlobalWafers' September and third-quarter sales showed a mixed picture for the semiconductor materials supplier, with artificial intelligence (AI)-related demand helping offset a lingering hit from the Novara fire and broader near-term capacity constraints. The company also highlighted stronger momentum at several overseas plants and a recent capital raise that should support future expansion.

Samsung Electronics posts record quarterly profit in preliminary results

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:15:00 GMT

Samsung Electronics has become the first South Korean company to clear KRW100 trillion in operating profit in a single quarter, a milestone that shows how heavily the company now leans on a memory market where, by analysts' reckoning, suppliers hold pricing power. The open questions are whether high-bandwidth memory (HBM) contracts can extend that run into 2027, and how long the company's consumer-device arm can absorb the rising component costs that the same boom creates.

Lisa Su takes AMD's Korea ties beyond memory to AI

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:10:00 GMT

AMD is broadening its Korean partnerships from memory procurement to AI infrastructure and research, as chief executive Lisa Su seeks the supply and technology cooperation needed for the company's planned 2027 expansion in chip shipments.

Laster revenue falls as AI-driven component shortage delays automotive shipments

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 01:05:00 GMT

Laster said shortages of key components have delayed automotive order shipments, underscoring how global demand for AI-related parts is rippling into other industries. The impact trimmed revenue in September and the third quarter, but the company said long-term order visibility remains intact, with overseas expansion and new product demand still supporting growth.

Broadcom reportedly in early talks to finance OpenAI's custom chip purchases

DIGITIMES — Thu, 8 Oct 2026 00:55:45 GMT

Broadcom is increasingly arranging the money its customers need to buy its chips. Fresh off launching a US$60 billion debt package to fund Anthropic's AI build-out, the company has held early discussions to arrange financing that would help OpenAI buy the custom AI chip the two are developing together, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Microloops sees 2027 growth as ASIC shipments near GPU crossover

DIGITIMES — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 23:56:09 GMT

Microloops, a thermal module maker, reported September 2026 consolidated revenue of NT$421 million (approx. US$13.2 million), up 25.12% year-over-year but down 17.88% month-over-month, as component shortages slowed customer pull-ins from cloud service provider orders. The company said underlying demand remained intact and was only delayed, while new products from major cloud clients continued to make a meaningful contribution to sales.

Tokyo Electron eyes record profit on chipmakers' spending boom

DIGITIMES — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 23:55:00 GMT

Tokyo Electron (TEL) could post an operating profit of about JPY1 trillion (approx. US$6.32 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 2027, up roughly 60% from JPY624.9 billion a year earlier, which would be a record for the Japanese semiconductor equipment maker, Nikkei reported on October 6.

Rockwell Automation expands AI platform to reshape manufacturing

DIGITIMES — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 23:53:53 GMT

Industrial automation leader Rockwell Automation said its Plex Quality Management System (QMS) and FactoryTalk Analytics VisionAI have been integrated through APIs, bringing AI visual inspection into QMS workflows to improve quality, traceability, and defect detection in manufacturing quality management.

Acer Synergy Tech expands OT push, builds IT-OT integration

DIGITIMES — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 23:53:01 GMT

Acer subsidiary Acer Synergy Tech reported consolidated revenue of NT$265 million (approx. US$8.3 million) in September 2026, up 158% year-on-year and a monthly record. Third-quarter consolidated self-reported revenue reached NT$550 million, also a quarterly high, as rising semiconductor demand boosted orders for information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) solutions.

Acerpure hits record revenue on overseas appliance push

DIGITIMES — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 23:52:10 GMT

Acer's subsidiary Acerpure reported record quarterly and nine-month revenue for 3Q26, driven by strong demand for air conditioners in India and Indonesia and continued growth in its TV business in India. The company said its overseas home-appliance expansion is gaining traction across Southeast Asia.

Mature-node DRAM momentum stays strong into 4Q26

Charlene Chen — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 23:51:36 GMT

Contract prices for memory continue to climb, and supply chain sources say niche memory built on mature processes will still see "steady price increases" in the fourth quarter of 2026. Dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), NOR flash, and single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash are expected to extend their gains, with some suppliers' quarterly revenue potentially rising 30% or more.

27 Samsung, SK Hynix veterans joined China's CXMT, study shows

Yunnie Cheng — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 23:51:01 GMT

An investigation by a South Korean lawmaker's office revealed that former Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix personnel who transitioned to Chinese DRAM maker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) spanned key stages of semiconductor development and mass production, including circuit design, process integration, and defect analysis. The group notably included engineers with experience in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) design and advanced packaging.

Monitor brands raise prices as panel hikes loom

Lily Hess — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 23:50:00 GMT

Major monitor brands including AOC and Philips have raised end-product prices in recent months, affecting office, home, and gaming lines, as price-increase notices from China's three biggest panel makers — BOE Technology Group (BOE), TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology, and HKC — signal a tightening link between retail pricing and panel costs.

MediaTek's US push will shape its AI networking race

Charlene Chen — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 23:49:14 GMT

In recent years, MediaTek has continued to chase opportunities in AI networking infrastructure. Beyond its established strength in wireless, it has also expanded wired collaboration with its subsidiary Airoha, building a full portfolio that spans Ethernet, optical communications, switches, and SerDes. Industry observers say MediaTek's push into "high-speed transmission" reflects its view of the key bottleneck in future AI computing systems.

UK weighs Chinese EV tariffs amid fears of EU exclusion, retaliation from Beijing

Sherri Wang — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 23:48:53 GMT

Chinese automakers are expanding rapidly in the UK, with their growing presence beginning to influence government policy as well as market competition. Chery's Jaecoo 7 was the UK's best-selling model in September, while Chinese brands' share of the market rose from 15.8% in August to about 23% in September.

Micron's Taiwan union wins strike vote with 99% support

Joseph Chen — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 09:45:53 GMT

The labor union at Micron Technology's Taoyuan operations in Taiwan has won the right to strike and set up picket lines. Ballots were counted on the night of October 6, after six days of voting.

Quanta says September server dip is normal as revenue falls 23% from August

Joseph Chen — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 09:26:24 GMT

Quanta Computer shipped 4.2 million notebooks in September 2026, up more than 60% from August. Yet its revenue for the month fell more than 20% because server shipments dropped from the previous month. The company said that server demand remains strong and that monthly shipments normally rise and fall with customer schedules and component supply.

Anduril to invest US$3.7 billion in Maryland shipyard for submarine supply chain

DIGITIMES — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 09:25:00 GMT

Anduril Industries said it will spend US$3.7 billion to build Arsenal-2, a next-generation software-defined shipyard at Sparrows Point in Baltimore County, Maryland. The US Navy is backing the project with a contract worth up to US$2.9 billion tied to production results, bringing the total commitment to US$6.6 billion as Washington seeks to expand the submarine industrial base.

Apple and LG Electronics reportedly team up on branded smart home devices

DIGITIMES — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 08:56:05 GMT

Apple and LG Electronics are reportedly pairing up to create a line of smart home devices, though the devices will carry the LG brand name. The two companies are expanding their reach into the smart home market as both face headwinds in their home product segments.

Samsung SDI builds dual-track battery strategy with LFP supply deal, solid-state push

DIGITIMES — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 08:35:00 GMT

Samsung SDI is simultaneously expanding its lower-cost LFP supply chain and advancing its next-generation all-solid-state battery roadmap, signing separate agreements with POSCO Future M and EcoPro BM as it broadens its battery chemistry portfolio.

Musk limits TSMC to possible Terafab sublease; Intel says it will stay involved

DIGITIMES — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 08:27:50 GMT

Intel will keep working with Elon Musk on Terafab, according to Bloomberg. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan stated that the company will stay involved in Musk's plan to make cutting-edge chips. Musk, meanwhile, said TSMC's role would be limited to subleasing space at most.

China Airlines highlights AI and MR training in aircraft maintenance

DIGITIMES — Wed, 7 Oct 2026 08:20:00 GMT

Discovery Channel's new documentary Engineering Pioneers: Guardians of Flight takes viewers inside China Airlines' maintenance system, showcasing aircraft hangars, engine shops and training centers that the public rarely sees. It follows a Boeing 747 freighter through a weeks-long C Check overhaul and also covers line maintenance performed between flights, non-destructive testing of engine components, landing gear replacement, emergency release tests and mixed reality (MR) training for new maintenance staff.