DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

Amazon buys NT$1.59 billion stake in one of its Taiwanese AI server suppliers

Joseph Chen — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:01:23 GMT

Amazon will take an equity stake in Gold Circuit Electronics (GCE), a Taiwanese maker of printed circuit boards (PCBs) for AI servers and network switches. GCE's board approved the pricing of a NT$1.589 billion private share placement on September 29, with Amazon as the buyer. According to industry observers, it is rare for a major cloud provider to invest directly in a Taiwanese PCB maker. The deal turns a customer-supplier relationship into one where the customer also owns part of the company.

Mercedes-Benz and ProLogium expand solid-state battery testing partnership

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:33:49 GMT

ProLogium Technology said it has signed a joint testing agreement with Mercedes-Benz, giving the automaker priority access to evaluate the battery maker's latest Gen4 cells. The companies said the work will build on nearly a decade of collaboration focused on next-generation mobility battery technology.

Anthropic's US$2 trillion IPO bet comes with 80 pages of warnings

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:29:33 GMT

Confidential details of Anthropic's initial public offering (IPO) prospectus, reviewed by Reuters, reveal an enterprise operating at an unprecedented scale and making a historic wager that artificial intelligence will transform the global economy far more profoundly than industrialization, electricity, or the internet. To capture that future, the startup is targeting a public valuation of more than US$2 trillion.

CXMT to spend US$5.2 billion on R&D and testing as DRAM supply stays tight

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:25:56 GMT

China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) plans to invest CNY34.9 billion (approx. US$5.2 billion) in technology R&D and additional back-end DRAM testing capacity, stepping up investment as tight memory supply and stronger pricing give the company more room to expand.

SoftBank subsidiary Saimemory taps Shinko to bring ZAM closer to commercialization

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:00:46 GMT

Saimemory, a SoftBank subsidiary, has brought Shinko Electric Industries into its effort to commercialize Z-Angle Memory (ZAM), adding packaging-substrate, high-density integration and manufacturing expertise to a next-generation memory project that already includes Intel and Japan's RIKEN.

In global semiconductor race, Singapore bets on critical, mature technologies

Kevin Wang — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:57:39 GMT

Amid the ongoing restructuring of the global semiconductor supply chain, Singapore is focusing on advanced packaging, heterogeneous integration, silicon photonics, and optical interconnects, aiming to leverage nearly six decades' worth of manufacturing and supply chain expertise. In contrast with industry players in Taiwan, South Korea, and the US, who have continued to pour resources into 2nm and 1.4nm advanced processes, Singapore's semiconductor firms see no need to replicate Taiwan's foundry model. Instead, they aim to harness Singapore's existing strengths in mature and specialty processes, assembly and testing, equipment, materials, and multinational R&D clusters to secure their foothold in the supply chain for next-gen semiconductors.

Samsung reshuffles DRAM roadmap, prioritizing B1b hybrid bonding for D0a, HBM5

Scarlett Yu — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:19:54 GMT

Samsung Electronics is reshaping its next-generation dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) roadmap, elevating its B1b wafer-to-wafer (W2W) hybrid bonding technology from a project-specific development to the core technology behind D0a, its first sub-10nm DRAM generation. Industry observers believe Samsung's push to commercialize B1b DRAM earlier could also benefit its next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM) products, including HBM5.

AIDC sees NT$30 billion military maintenance boost, eyes drones

Lily Hess — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:12:18 GMT

As the last Brave Eagle advanced trainer rolls off the line in September 2026, Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) says its military business is not ending with the trainer's development and mass production program. Instead, a new phase is just beginning, with maintenance and spare-parts supply contracts for the Indigenous Defense Fighter and Brave Eagle expected to generate more than NT$30 billion (US$941.3 million) in value.

RoboTechnik completes Hong Kong listing to fund ficonTEC expansion in silicon photonics

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 07:38:58 GMT

RoboTechnik completed a Hong Kong listing on September 29 and began trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, according to its German photonics automation subsidiary ficonTEC. The new capital will be used for further investment in ficonTEC, which is expanding its role in silicon photonics and optical interconnect manufacturing for AI and high-performance computing infrastructure.

Foxtron writes a new chapter in Taiwan auto history

Charlene Chen — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 07:00:50 GMT

Taiwan's auto market has faced plenty of challenges in recent years, from broader industry headwinds to continued scrutiny of domestic car production. Against that backdrop, Foxconn-backed Foxtron is emerging as a fast-growing contender, delivering solid results in both domestic sales and local manufacturing while opening the door to exports and setting up a historic milestone for Taiwan's auto industry.

Taiwan breaks ground on aerospace and drone hub, targeting 2028 completion

Scarlett Yu — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 06:58:39 GMT

Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) broke ground on the Minxiong Aerospace and Drone Industrial Park on September 28, aiming to provide critical testing and validation capabilities for the country's growing drone industry.

Cerebras to power Gimlet's push for faster AI inference

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 06:49:43 GMT

Cerebras Systems is expanding its push into AI inference infrastructure through a collaboration with Gimlet Labs, as demand grows for computing systems capable of delivering faster responses from increasingly complex AI models.

Column: Why Micron's US$250M venture fund is about more than HBM margins—Taiwan has a stake in it

Lily Hess — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 06:40:00 GMT

Micron unveiled the Micron Ventures Paradigm Fund, a US$250 million venture vehicle, in mid-August 2026, as the memory maker pairs more than US$25 billion in fiscal 2026 capex with a pledge to invest more than US$250 billion in the US by 2035. The fund is designed to give Micron an early look at technology shifts, position it for next-generation AI architectures, and strengthen its strategy to reduce memory-cycle volatility.

South Korea AI compute squeeze hits researchers and startups

Yunnie Cheng — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 06:33:00 GMT

South Korea's AI sector is facing a growing GPU shortage as research institutes and small companies struggle to secure enough compute for model training and deployment. As government support ends, research teams are finding it harder to continue training, while startups are being squeezed by rising rental costs and long-term contract demands from suppliers.

AI boom sends China and Taiwan's PCB makers racing to HK for capital

Charlene Chen — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 05:59:25 GMT

Global investment in AI infrastructure is expanding rapidly, driving specification upgrades across the supply chain, from AI servers to high-speed optical modules, and pushing printed circuit boards (PCBs) into a more critical role in compute upgrades. As technical complexity and product prices rise together, PCBs are quickly redefining their value in the electronics supply chain.

Samsung Foundry nears 60% 2nm yield, shifts focus to power efficiency to win customers

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 05:51:11 GMT

Samsung Electronics' foundry business has reportedly raised yield on its 2-nanometer (2nm) SF2 process to nearly 60% and is now shifting engineering work toward power efficiency and other maturity checks. The effort is part of a broader push to win larger customers for its advanced manufacturing business.

MicroIP unveils AI drone and edge systems at Taiwan Expo USA

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 05:48:30 GMT

MicroIP Technology showcased its AI drone vertical mission system at the 2026 Taiwan Expo USA in Dallas, drawing attention from organizers and US stakeholders. The company said the event highlighted Taiwan's push into higher-value edge computing systems beyond chips and servers, and that its products also attracted leading customers in Europe and the US.

Solidigm weighs US IPO as AI storage demand lifts valuation

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:46:05 GMT

SK Hynix's US-based NAND flash and solid-state drive (SSD) subsidiary, Solidigm, is considering a US initial public offering as early as 2027, with reports indicating a potential valuation of up to US$150 billion and a fundraising target of about US$15 billion. The move comes as AI data centers drive stronger demand for high-capacity enterprise SSDs, putting AI storage businesses in focus for capital markets.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics to invest US$5 billion in ABF substrate expansion

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:43:01 GMT

Samsung Electro-Mechanics said it will invest KRW6.78 trillion (about US$5 billion) in South Korea and Vietnam to expand ABF substrate production for AI servers and high-performance computing (HPC) markets. Part of the funding reportedly comes from advance payments by Nvidia and other global technology companies. With Samsung Electro-Mechanics having already entered Nvidia's NVSwitch and Groq 3 supply chains, the two companies' cooperation is expected to extend from an existing supply relationship to dedicated capacity.

US, China eye US$60 billion in tariff relief, but chips stay off the table

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:25:50 GMT

The US and China are moving toward tariff reductions on about US$60 billion of bilateral trade following last week's Trump-Xi summit, but semiconductors and other strategically sensitive sectors remain outside the arrangement.

Advanced packaging shifts toward system integration as AI renews semiconductor talent appeal

Scarlett Yu — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:59:54 GMT

At Singapore's Innovate Together 2026 conference on September 25, executives and researchers from A*STAR's Institute of Microelectronics (IME), KLA, ASM International, the National University of Singapore (NUS), the SHINE Centre, and ASMPT discussed how advanced packaging is evolving beyond conventional chip integration, with optical interconnects, panel-level packaging, and talent development emerging as key challenges.

Beyond 16 layers: HBM stacks test advanced packaging equipment makers

Scarlett Yu — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:55:16 GMT

At Singapore's Innovate Together 2026 conference on September 25, equipment makers including ASM, ASMPT, and KLA said the challenges facing next-generation advanced packaging are expanding beyond the performance of individual tools to hybrid bonding, interface materials, defect metrology, process control, optical interconnects, and panel-level packaging.

Samsung bonus plan to lift South Korea talent race

Lily Hess — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:36:07 GMT

Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions division is set to announce the calculation and payout rules for its special management performance bonus in late September, after a holiday break. The move comes as SK Hynix continues recruiting experienced talent, underscoring how pay systems and workplace conditions have become key to attracting and retaining workers at South Korea's semiconductor giants.

GlobalFoundries eyes GaN expansion to challenge TSMC in AI

Charlene Chen — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:31:47 GMT

GlobalFoundries (GF) is preparing a major global capacity expansion as TSMC is set to gradually exit gallium nitride (GaN) foundry services in 2027. GF said it was the first foundry to proactively approach TSMC and secure a GaN technology license, positioning itself to give existing customers a "seamless migration" path to its own platform.

SK Hynix tests HBM5 with TSMC as HBM4 enters Nvidia's next platform

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:23:52 GMT

SK Hynix has validated its HBM5 memory with TSMC's CoWoS packaging, the company said in a September 28 post on its corporate newsroom. That means work on the generation after next is already underway with the foundry, while its HBM4 is only now being built into Nvidia's Vera Rubin superchip.

GF's MIPS bets on RISC-V physical AI, expands into autos and data centers

Lily Hess — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:22:47 GMT

MIPS, a GlobalFoundries (GF) unit, said it has completed its integration with the ARC unit acquired from Synopsys earlier this year and is using the move to position RISC-V for physical AI, while expanding from AIoT into automotive and data center applications. MIPS said the strategy lowers the barrier for global customers to adopt GF platforms across process technologies and has pushed GF and MIPS to become the world's second-largest processor IP provider.

Taiwan's Brave Eagle reaches 55% domestic content, bringing 200 suppliers into aerospace

Scarlett Yu — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:08:26 GMT

Taiwan's Brave Eagle advanced jet trainer program officially concluded its production phase in 2026, but the capabilities developed through the project could mark the beginning of a broader push toward greater defense aerospace self-reliance.

HBM to take nearly 30% of DRAM capacity as Samsung speeds up P5

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:07:49 GMT

High-bandwidth memory (HBM) is expected to account for nearly 30% of DRAM makers' total wafer capacity in 2027, up from about 20% currently, as Samsung Electronics moves to accelerate the rollout of new memory capacity amid tightening supplies of both HBM and conventional DRAM.

Exclusive: Inside Tesla's playbook for dodging First Solar's TOPCon patent traps

Yunnie Cheng — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 03:01:07 GMT

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar giant First Solar is widely viewed across the global solar supply chain as the most aggressive litigant in US TOPCon patent infringement disputes. As First Solar does not actually manufacture TOPCon products, industry insiders believe its lawsuits are purely designed to block and suppress competitors. Against this backdrop, how can Tesla navigate its US solar localization strategy while dodging First Solar's patent traps?

Chips make up nearly half of South Korea's September exports; China, Hong Kong account for 52% of them

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 02:53:04 GMT

Semiconductors made up nearly half of South Korea's exports in the first 20 days of September, while China and Hong Kong combined accounted for more than half of the country's chip shipments in August, underscoring the growing concentration of the latest export surge by both product and destination.

LG expands AI data center cooling ties with Microsoft, SK Enmove

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 02:45:47 GMT

LG Electronics has expanded its push into the AI data center cooling market through cooperation with Microsoft, SK Enmove, and overseas heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) partners. The moves come as demand for data center cooling rises with the rapid buildout of AI infrastructure in the US, South Korea, and other markets.

South Korea looks beyond high-nickel NCM in battery push

DIGITIMES — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 02:44:12 GMT

South Korea is broadening its battery strategy beyond high-nickel NCM, stepping up investment in sodium-ion, all-solid-state and lower-cost technologies after acknowledging that its focus on high-performance batteries left it exposed to China's rapid expansion in the affordable LFP market.

VSMC Singapore fab fully booked as VIS weighs Fab 2

Sherri Wang — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 02:39:25 GMT

Capacity at VisionPower Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (VSMC) first 12-inch wafer fab in Singapore is fully booked as the joint venture between Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) and NXP Semiconductors begins a preliminary evaluation of a second fab.

TSMC helps VSMC build first Singapore fab in 22 months at lower cost than US

Scarlett Yu — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 02:38:26 GMT

VSMC, the joint venture between Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) and NXP Semiconductors, officially opened its first 12-inch wafer fab in Singapore on September 28, completing construction in just 22 months.

Vanguard chairman says AI slowdown won't free up chip capacity

Lily Hess — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 02:33:29 GMT

Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) and NXP Semiconductors' joint venture, VisionPower Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (VSMC), officially opened its 12-inch (300mm) wafer fab on September 28 in Tampines, Singapore. Vanguard and VSMC chairman Leuh Fang said the AI-driven crowding out of capacity has spread across the global semiconductor supply chain, leaving almost no company able to say it has sufficient capacity.