DIGITIMES Asia: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

SEMI president says SEA must build ecosystems, not just fabs, to capture trillion-dollar opportunity

Charlene Chen — Wed, 6 May 2026 06:34:16 GMT

At SEMICON Southeast Asia 2026, SEMI President and CEO Ajit Manocha delivered a clear message: the semiconductor industry is entering a "multi-trillion-dollar journey," but capturing that growth will depend less on ambition and more on coordination, ecosystems, and long-term strategy.

Taiwan researchers create non-toxic blue-light material that could enable glasses-free 3D displays

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 06:00:06 GMT

Researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University announced a new non-toxic, metal-free light-emitting silicone that produces blue fluorescence when mechanically stressed, a development they said could advance glasses-free 3D displays and wearable imaging sensors. The research was published on May 6 in the journal JACS Au, and the work was carried out in collaboration with a team at Osaka Institute of Technology, the university stated.

Intel Capital leads QuantWare's US$178 million bet on hyperscale quantum computing ambitions

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 05:45:00 GMT

QuantWare's US$178 million Series B round aims to accelerate the global rollout of larger, industrial-scale quantum processors, promising hyperscale quantum compute through its VIO-40K architecture and KiloFab foundry — a development that could reshape supply chains, national technology capabilities, and industrial adoption for countries seeking scalable quantum computing.

GCS Holdings says InP export controls remain top supply risk despite capacity and sourcing moves

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 6 May 2026 04:45:10 GMT

Export controls on indium phosphide (InP) risk prolonging supply strains in the compound semiconductor market, GCS Holdings warned, affecting optical and RF component makers worldwide. The company said it has secured capacity and diversified sourcing ahead of the second half of 2026, signaling potential relief from first-half 2026 constraints for global customers and partners.

GlobalWafers reports weaker quarter as expansion weighs on margins

Elaine Chen — Wed, 6 May 2026 04:33:47 GMT

GlobalWafers said on May 4 that its first-quarter performance reflected a transitional period, as short-term cost pressures and capacity expansion weighed on margins even as demand tied to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing began to strengthen.

VIS sees stronger growth in the AI boom and pricing power

Elaine Chen — Wed, 6 May 2026 04:27:06 GMT

Buoyed by robust demand for artificial intelligence and the early success of price increases, Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation (VIS) is projecting a stronger performance for the second quarter of 2026, with wafer shipments expected to rise by more than 10% from the previous quarter. Average selling prices are forecast to increase by 2% to 4%, while gross margins are likely to recover to above 30%.

GlobalWafers outlines 2026 recovery path, highlights tightening 12-inch wafer supply

Elaine Chen — Wed, 6 May 2026 04:14:04 GMT

GlobalWafers expects the current semiconductor cycle to bottom in the first quarter of 2026, with both the speed and breadth of recovery exceeding prior expectations, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand continues to drive growth across the industry.

Flex jumps on 2027 outlook beat, AI data-center unit spinoff plan

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 04:07:59 GMT

Flex shares rose 13% in after-hours trading on May 5 after the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider forecast fiscal 2027 results above Wall Street expectations and announced plans to spin off its Cloud and Power Infrastructure segment into a separate publicly traded company.

Memory supply gap stretches beyond 2028 as cloud capex tops US$725 billion

Sherri Wang — Wed, 6 May 2026 03:52:14 GMT

Global cloud service providers have recently raised capital spending to about US$725 billion, accelerating the shift of memory resources toward AI and prompting suppliers and customers to secure long-term agreements, or LTAs, three to five years in advance.

AMD earnings call: AI is turning CPUs back into the main event

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 03:31:06 GMT

AMD's fiscal first-quarter 2026 earnings call was not just a victory lap for another data center beat. It was a strategic argument from management: AI infrastructure is no longer only an accelerator story. It is becoming a full compute-platform story, where CPUs, GPUs, memory, software, and rack-scale systems all have to move together.

GlobalFoundries pivots toward high-growth chips as mobile slowdown reshapes revenue mix

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 03:15:20 GMT

GlobalFoundries is reporting a stark divergence in its primary end-markets, as the company pivots its manufacturing focus toward high-growth sectors like automotive and data centers to counter a cooling smartphone market. While overall wafer shipments reached approximately 579,300 12-inch-equivalent units in the first quarter, the company is managing a transition in which two-thirds of its revenue now originates from markets outside smart mobile devices.

MediaTek unit Airoha targets AI networking surge with triple optical growth

Levi Li — Wed, 6 May 2026 03:13:08 GMT

MediaTek subsidiary Airoha Technology said its first-quarter 2026 performance met expectations, driven by continued improvement in product mix and accelerating demand across its optical communications, Ethernet, and fixed broadband businesses tied to AI infrastructure expansion.

India approves new semiconductor and Mini/Micro LED projects

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:57:55 GMT

India's latest approvals could expand global display and chip sourcing as the country adds Mini/Micro LED GaN fabrication and large-scale packaging capacity. Global manufacturers and buyers may see new sourcing options as India deepens its production capabilities for displays, power devices, and automotive components.

GlobalFoundries turns three-continent footprint into geopolitical hedge

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:56:05 GMT

In a recent assessment of the semiconductor landscape, GlobalFoundries emphasized the critical need for supply chain resilience amid a "fragmented geopolitical environment." The company is positioning its three-continent manufacturing presence—spanning the US, Germany, and Singapore—as a strategic solution for global customers seeking to mitigate the risks associated with concentrated production.

Eris Technology posts record April revenue on AI robot and server demand

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:55:10 GMT

Power semiconductor maker Eris Technology reported consolidated revenue of NT$250 million (US$7.9 million) in April 2026, a company record and up 19% from a year earlier, executives said, as demand tied to AI robots and AI servers began moving from sampling into volume ramp-up. The company said the April result followed 16 months of operational adjustment and signaled a return to a growth track driven by new AI and edge product lines.

Synnex posts record first-quarter revenue and profit as AI demand drives semiconductor and cloud sales

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:52:56 GMT

Synnex Technology International Corp. reported record consolidated results for the first quarter as accelerating AI commercialization drove triple-digit growth in data-center products and broad-based gains across its Asia-Pacific markets. The distributor said it is accelerating a shift toward an AI supply-chain integration platform and an MSP digital-intelligence offering to capture higher-value business as AI applications expand.

Winbond beats full-year 2025 profit in 1Q26 with memory capacity fully loaded

Eifeh Strom — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:50:34 GMT

Winbond Electronics posted strong first-quarter 2026 results, with consolidated revenue totaling NT$38.25 billion (approx. US$1.21 billion), up 43.7% from the previous quarter and 91.3% from the same period in 2025, driven by strong market demand and an improved product mix. Net profit reached NT$10.12 billion, surging 226.9% sequentially and turning from a loss a year earlier, while earnings per share (EPS) were NT$2.25, exceeding the company's full-year 2025 results in a single quarter.

GlobalWafers prepares inventory buffer as geopolitical factors push up gallium prices

Eifeh Strom — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:37:24 GMT

Semiconductor silicon wafer supplier GlobalWafers said during its May 5 earnings call that it is advancing its next-generation compound semiconductor strategy. In response to advanced packaging and thermal dissipation demand, the company is actively pursuing customer certification for 12-inch silicon carbide (SiC) wafers, while strong demand for gallium nitride (GaN) is driving plans to launch a second phase of capacity expansion.

Low-cost cruise missiles drive a new drone cost race

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:30:35 GMT

Rapid changes in battlefield tactics have made drones central to "economic attrition warfare," shifting the focus from technical performance to cost and scale. The implications are global: military planners, procurement budgets, and civilian supply chains are all under pressure as countries and manufacturers scramble to stockpile, ramp up production, and rethink manufacturing models.

RichWave sees Wi-Fi 7 growth outrunning memory price pressure

Lily Hess — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:30:00 GMT

Radio frequency (RF) front-end chip maker RichWave said on May 4 that Wi-Fi 7 momentum will remain very strong in the first quarter of 2026, even as rising memory and component costs squeeze profitability and cloud order visibility. The company said memory-driven price increases are affecting the broader networking industry, but the impact on its 2026 growth will be limited.

Largan April revenue rises 24% annually; May pull-in remains strong

Lily Hess — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:15:00 GMT

Largan Precision on May 5 reported its self-calculated April consolidated revenue at NT$5.4 billion (US$169.7 million), down 1% from the previous month but up 24% from the same period in 2025. For the first four months of 2026, consolidated revenue reached NT$20.9 billion, an 11% increase from the same period in 2025.

Explainer: Why Supermicro's margins bounced back — one customer pulled back

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:11:31 GMT

Supermicro's third-quarter of fiscal 2026 gross margins snapped back to 10.1% non-GAAP, up from 6.4% in the second quarter of fiscal 2026. CEO Charles Liang attributed the recovery to product mix improvement and growth in the company's Data Center Building Block Solutions (DCBBS) business. The earnings call transcript, however, tells a simpler story. The single customer that drove 63% of revenue in the second quarter fell to 27% in the third quarter. That mix shift — toward higher-margin enterprise and neocloud buyers — did most of the work.

Taiwan drone makers expand into Eastern Europe as Ukraine cuts China supply risk

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:10:42 GMT

Ukraine is accelerating efforts to reduce its dependence on China's supply chain, while Taiwanese drone makers expand production in Poland and Lithuania, reshaping Eastern Europe's industrial map and affecting global defense supply chains, export controls, and battlefield logistics as European demand rises and Ukraine urgently seeks alternative sourcing channels abroad.

China's cloud providers raise AI prices as model usage surges

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:01:06 GMT

Rising demand for generative AI is prompting major Chinese cloud providers to raise prices for large-scale services and data products, with implications for global AI users and developers, as usage-based billing and efficiency become central to costs and deployment decisions across international markets and could soon influence provider strategies worldwide.

Chicony Power's full product line to ramp in 2Q26; satellite communications power revenue set to double

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 6 May 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Chicony Power's first-quarter performance signals supply-chain resilience and potential upside for global notebook, server, and satellite power markets, as the company forecasts second-quarter revenue growth driven by inventory pull-ins, rising average selling prices, and expanding satellite and AI power-supply businesses serving international customers.

GlobalFoundries sees optical and SiGe momentum drive strategic leap into high-value chip markets

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 01:58:30 GMT

GlobalFoundries used its first-quarter 2026 earnings call to spotlight advances in silicon photonics (SiPh), co-packaged optics (CPO), and silicon-germanium (SiGe) development while reporting improved margins and steady revenue. CEO Tim Breen and CFO Sam Franklin framed the quarter as evidence of a strategic shift toward higher-value technology corridors and broader technology services.

Innos Taiwan and Apollo Power to supply renewable electricity to semiconductor suppliers

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 01:57:58 GMT

Innos and Apollo Power announced a green power cooperation agreement on May 5 to supply renewable electricity to global high-tech manufacturing, aiming to support the semiconductor industry's low-carbon transition and meet tighter ESG requirements across international supply chains. The deal is expected to deliver more than 10 million kWh of renewable electricity per year and will initially target upstream and downstream semiconductor suppliers, the firms said.

Hengs Technology shifts to recurring revenue as O&M business matures in 2026

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 01:54:33 GMT

Hengs Technology, a Taiwan solar system integrator and operator, said its operations and maintenance business would enter a harvest phase in 2026, supporting another year of strong revenue growth. The company said it remained focused on project development and solar and energy storage engineering, procurement, and construction, which accounted for 95.75% of total revenue, and that expanding O&M contracts will transform its revenue mix toward recurring cash flow.

Weblink posts record first-quarter revenue as business PC refresh fuels 70% hardware surge

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 01:49:46 GMT

Weblink International Inc. reported record consolidated revenue of NT$7.78 billion (US$247 million) for the first quarter of 2026, up 19.8% year on year, and net profit after tax of NT$104 million, rising 26.9%, executives said. The firm attributed the results to a business PC refresh cycle, inventory stocking ahead of demand, and stronger pricing in memory components.

Acer E-Enabling reports record first-quarter revenue as cloud AI projects surge

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 01:47:31 GMT

Acer E-Enabling Service Business reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of NT$2.96 billion (US$93.9 million), up nearly 15% year on year, and net profit after tax of NT$199 million, delivering earnings per share of NT$4.8 and record revenue and profit for the period. The firm said cloud AI project services expanded rapidly, with project volume increasing nearly 40% year on year as many engagements moved from proof-of-concept into production.

Analysis: The US$2.5 billion smuggling case hanging over Supermicro's US$40 billion year

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 01:46:17 GMT

Supermicro CEO Charles Liang used the opening of his fiscal third quarter of 2026 earnings call to address a topic unrelated to revenue or margins: the DOJ indictment of former employees for allegedly smuggling AI servers equipped with Nvidia GPUs to China through Southeast Asian transshipment networks.

Tata Electronics targets US$30B semiconductor buildout to anchor India’s manufacturing push

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 01:45:00 GMT

Tata Electronics is rapidly emerging as one of India's most ambitious bets in the global semiconductor and electronics industry, with a long-term goal of building a US$30 billion business anchored in chip manufacturing, advanced packaging, and electronics services.

Seetel secures JC-STAR dual certification to enter Japan energy storage market

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 01:44:17 GMT

Taiwan startup Seetel New Energy announced on May 5 that its self-developed energy management and battery management systems have passed Japan Cyber STAR certification from the Information-technology Promotion Agency, a body under Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, positioning the firm for early entry into the Japanese energy storage market. The company said it is the first and only Taiwan-based energy storage systems provider to obtain the dual certification, a credential that will be required for distributed energy resources connecting to Japan's grid beginning in April 2027.

Germany now forecast to miss 2030 BEV target as ICE cars remain dominant

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 01:41:27 GMT

Germany's rollout of battery electric vehicles (BEV) fell far short of earlier aims, with new forecasts indicating the country will not reach the coalition government's 15 million BEV stock target by 2030, executives and research firms said.

iPhone 17 topples charts as memory costs threaten midrange Android momentum

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 01:39:07 GMT

Apple and Samsung led the global smartphone market in the first quarter of 2026 as premium demand helped them buck broader shipment declines, industry data showed. According to Counterpoint, the iPhone 17 was the world's best-selling smartphone in the first quarter, while Samsung's Galaxy A series placed five models in the top 10, leaving the two vendors with nine of the top 10 spots.

China EV exports hit 22% in 1Q26, April surge highlights overseas growth shift

Levi Li — Wed, 6 May 2026 01:30:00 GMT

As the global electric vehicle market enters a phase of structural adjustment, China's new energy vehicle makers are increasingly relying on exports to sustain growth and expand their overseas footprint.

Lumentum sees explosive expansion as AI demand fuels record results

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:42:07 GMT

Lumentum reported record third-quarter fiscal 2026 results, with revenue rising to US$808 million, reflecting strong year-over-year growth driven by demand for optical components used in AI infrastructure, according to the company.

GlobalFoundries signals stronger second half despite mixed end-market demand

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:22:34 GMT

GlobalFoundries reported first-quarter results broadly in line with expectations, with management highlighting solid execution and profitability at the upper end of guidance ranges, according to company statements. Chief executive Tim Breen said the company made "significant traction in secular growth end markets," supported by differentiated technologies and customer-focused execution.

Transcend reports record April revenue as memory shortage drives prices higher

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:03:27 GMT

Transcend Information posted consolidated revenue of NT$7.449 billion (roughly $235 million USD) in April 2026, marking its strongest month on record—nearly six times higher than April 2025's NT$1.073 billion. Year-to-date revenue through April already exceeded the company's entire 2025 total of NT$17.13 billion.

TV panel prices stall as China cuts output to defend prices

Lily Hess — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:03:00 GMT

The LCD TV panel market has shifted sharply from aggressive stocking to defensive procurement as global sports-event demand fades, pre-stocking cycles for China's 618 shopping festival wind down, and end-market demand loses momentum. TV brands are now focusing on inventory control and buying only as needed, while Chinese panel makers are trimming production to support prices.

DeepSeek pulls multimodal paper after brief release, reveals new visual reasoning approach

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:02:23 GMT

DeepSeek briefly released, then removed, a multimodal research paper that offers rare insight into its evolving AI strategy, drawing attention across the developer community.

Supermicro posts US$10.2B in Q3 revenue, missing own guidance by US$2B as working capital swings drive US$6.6B cash outflow

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:02:11 GMT

Supermicro reported fiscal third-quarter revenue of US$10.24 billion, up 123% year-over-year but down 19% sequentially and well below both the company's own guidance of at least US$12.3 billion and the analyst consensus of US$12.33 billion. Management attributed the shortfall to customer data center readiness delays and industrywide supply constraints, saying it expects to capture the deferred revenue in the coming quarters.

From China to Arizona: How AI and TSMC are redrawing Taiwan's economic map

Willis Ke — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:02:00 GMT

Taiwan's decades-long tilt toward China is giving way to a sharper, US-focused strategy. Semiconductor expansion and surging demand for AI infrastructure are redrawing the island's trade flows — and its industrial ambitions.

SoftBank, Intel target HBM limits with 9-layer memory

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:01:26 GMT

SoftBank's memory unit SAIMEMORY is preparing to present a new 3D DRAM technology developed with Intel, as the AI hardware industry seeks ways to ease the power and heat constraints of high-bandwidth memory.

Foxconn revenue nears US$95B in first four months, AI server racks fuel 2Q26 outlook

Levi Li — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:01:10 GMT

Driven by sustained growth in AI server demand, Foxconn reported consolidated revenue of NT$832.1 billion (US$26 billion) for April 2026, marking a record high for the month.

AMD lifts outlook as AI demand fuels data center growth

DIGITIMES — Wed, 6 May 2026 00:00:55 GMT

On May 5, AMD reported first-quarter 2026 results that exceeded expectations, supported by strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, according to company data and media reports. Revenue reached US$10.25 billion, while net profit rose to US$1.38 billion, reflecting robust year-on-year growth across key metrics.

Southeast Asia faces fab gap as chipmaking remains concentrated in China and Taiwan

DIGITIMES — Tue, 5 May 2026 23:15:30 GMT

Global semiconductor sales are projected to reach US$1 trillion this year and could double to US$2 trillion by 2035, driven by rapid growth in AI data centers. But the boom is also shining new light on Southeast Asia's limited front-end manufacturing base, as SEMI urges the region to add more fabs to reduce chip supply-chain concentration in China and Taiwan.

Samsung board chairman warns strike could disrupt chip output

DIGITIMES — Tue, 5 May 2026 23:15:20 GMT

Samsung Electronics' labor dispute is widening beyond a fight over bonuses, after board chairman Shin Je-yoon made a rare appeal for management and unionized workers to resolve the standoff through dialogue as a planned strike threatens to disrupt chip production, customer trust, and South Korea's broader economy.

How Plug and Play is bridging Taiwan's deep tech startups with Silicon Valley capital

DIGITIMES — Tue, 5 May 2026 23:15:04 GMT

For much of the past decade, Taiwan watched from the sidelines as global venture capital poured into software. The island's world-class manufacturers, semiconductor giants, and precision hardware suppliers were celebrated — but they weren't what investors were chasing. That window has now closed. Plug and Play, one of the world's largest startup accelerators, has decided the time is ripe for it to make a move into Taiwan.

E Ink to launch major e-paper zone at COMPUTEX with 40 partners

DIGITIMES — Tue, 5 May 2026 08:57:25 GMT

E Ink Holdings is making its COMPUTEX debut in 2026 with a 1,170 square-meter showcase featuring 40 ecosystem partners. The e-paper industry zone will demonstrate color e-paper and smart surface technology to global manufacturers and retailers.