DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

Exclusive: South Korea's safety AI boom is being built from the top down, BEXCO says

DIGITIMES — Sat, 5 Sep 2026 00:03:52 GMT

South Korea's safety-tech sector may be increasingly filled with AI cameras, robots, drones, and predictive systems, but BEXCO general manager Tom Choi argues that the force pushing many of those technologies toward actual deployment begins somewhere less glamorous: government policy.

Samsung, SK chiefs to meet Nvidia's Huang in New York amid US investment pressure

DIGITIMES — Sat, 5 Sep 2026 00:03:20 GMT

Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee and SK Group Chairman Tae-won Chey are traveling to New York at the end of September 2026 to meet Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang again as Washington presses South Korean companies to expand US investment. The planned trip is drawing market attention because Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are already pursuing large-scale spending in the US and could discuss further business ties on the sidelines of the event.

NYCU wins Nobel laureate for Taiwan job card

Charlene Chen — Sat, 5 Sep 2026 00:00:12 GMT

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) has recruited 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Arieh Warshel to work in Taiwan, and the National Development Council (NDC) has issued him an Employment Gold Card enabling him to work and reside in Taiwan. It is the first time a Nobel laureate has received the card since the program began.

Semicon Taiwan 2026: A windmill in the die bonder, and a Dutch bet on photonics

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:58:00 GMT

Dutch equipment maker ITEC used Semicon Taiwan to promote a die-bonding architecture that it says triples throughput over earlier versions of the design by removing the largest source of idle motion in chip assembly: the return trip.

Taiwan semiconductor output targets NT$8 trillion

Yunnie Cheng — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:57:23 GMT

As Semicon Taiwan kicked off at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced that, based on forecasts compiled from multiple research institutions, Taiwan's semiconductor industry output could top NT$8 trillion (approx. US$252.6 billion) in 2026. Advanced equipment and materials, historically local industry weak points, are also making remarkable gains, with domestic equipment output projected to reach NT$270 billion (US$8.5 billion).

Topco targets optical comms, cooling as copper gives way

Lily Hess — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:57:07 GMT

System integration remains a key hurdle as the AI chip industry pushes for higher power efficiency and faster transmission speeds, drawing intense attention to when short-reach optical communications between racks and chips will enter practical use. Industry players say the maturity of system integration is still the main consideration for commercialization.

TSMC's 3D packaging roadmap: engineering AI chips to think like the human brain

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:56:30 GMT

TSMC is steering the future of artificial intelligence toward high-density three-dimensional advanced packaging designed to mimic the architectural connectivity of the human brain, as traditional two-dimensional silicon scaling approaches its physical limits, a top TSMC executive said at SEMICON Taiwan 2026.

Interview: China Tier 1 supplier Jingwei Hirain shares lessons from EV race

Charlene Chen — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:56:03 GMT

"Demo is not a product," Jingwei Hirain president Chengjian Fan told DIGITIMES in an interview, arguing that China's new-energy vehicle industry has learned hard lessons as fast-moving startups, deep in-house development, and tougher supplier scrutiny reshape the market. He said software demand has increased more than tenfold compared with the internal combustion engine era, while the fastest mass-production delivery cycle in China has been as short as 12 months.

Exclusive: Taiwan's first tokamak to begin plasma testing by end of 2026

Yunnie Cheng — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:55:46 GMT

Fusion energy, often referred to as an artificial sun, has become a central focus of global sustainable energy development in recent years. However, despite nearly 70 years of worldwide R&D, commercial fusion power remains unrealized. This is primarily due to several critical technical hurdles, including heating plasma to over 100 million°C and maintaining stable long-term operation, developing materials resistant to high-energy neutrons, tritium breeding, and ensuring overall system reliability. These challenges underscore that fusion power relies not on a single breakthrough, but on a highly integrated system engineering effort.

Interview: Agility Robotics CTO discusses the future of collaborative humanoid robotics

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:55:22 GMT

Excitement is growing among investors and the public over the rising capabilities of humanoid robots. Yet as robot makers seek to turn their lab-built innovations into real-world commercial tools, one key bottleneck has emerged: safety.

Samsung SDI nears solid-state battery mass production, eyes China supply chain

Yunnie Cheng — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:54:56 GMT

Reports that Samsung SDI's procurement team recently visited the Chinese production facilities of battery material maker Tinci Materials have drawn significant attention within China's industry. As Samsung SDI prepares to initiate mass production of all-solid-state batteries in the second half of 2027, its supply chain strategy and upcoming moves are rapidly becoming a major focal point in the Chinese market.

SiPh, optical lens demand ignite laser race

Charlene Chen — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:54:36 GMT

Silicon photonics (SiPh) is emerging as a core theme at SEMICON Taiwan 2026, and while the sector is still in an early, fast-growing stage, production-line investments are already under way. As optical makers move into co-packaged optics (CPO), the source and capability of laser equipment are becoming critical to whether they can secure market share.

Google TPU splits training, inference as CPU becomes next focus

Charlene Chen — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:54:21 GMT

As AI model training, inference, and AI agent workloads continue to grow, AI accelerators are increasingly being optimized for different tasks. Amin Vahdat, Google's senior vice president and chief technologist for AI and infrastructure, said at SEMICON Taiwan 2026 that if a specific workload reaches sufficient scale and investment in custom chips is economically viable, Google could develop additional dedicated chips for different computing needs.

Micron looks to lock in Taiwanese construction capacity with long-term deals

Sherri Wang — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:53:55 GMT

The global rush to build semiconductor fabs is creating a historic opportunity for Taiwan's construction and facility engineering supply chain, and Micron Technology is looking to move away from awarding work project by project in favor of long-term agreements and reserved capacity with a small group of trusted partners.

Commentary: China builds three-pronged memory strategy around CXMT, YMTC, XMC

Levi Li — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:53:40 GMT

China's memory industry is shifting from a single-champion model towards a three-pronged structure. ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is building its position in DRAM, Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) in 3D NAND, while Wuhan Xinxin Semiconductor Manufacturing (XMC) is concentrating its next phase on NOR Flash, 3D integration and optoelectronics.

Taiwan auto parts makers face exit-or-overseas dilemma

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:53:17 GMT

Taiwan's auto market remains under pressure in 2026, and even as recent months have shown signs of bottoming out, auto parts makers remain cautious or outright pessimistic about the outlook. The gap between the headline recovery and the reality on the ground underscores how slowly and unevenly the industry is healing.

Jmem Tek's PQC security chip nears mass production

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:53:03 GMT

Taiwanese IC design startup Jmem Tek showcased its in-house physical unclonable function (PUF) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) hardware security technologies at SEMICON Taiwan 2026, as it pushes to build a hardware root of trust at the chip level for next-generation AI and smart devices facing quantum-era cybersecurity threats.

Taiwan satellite ground equipment output grows 13%, nears NT$300B

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:52:48 GMT

Taiwan's satellite ground equipment industry posted 13% year-over-year growth in 2025 as local firms push deeper into the low-Earth orbit satellite supply chain, with industry output reaching NT$277.1 billion (approx. US$8.74 billion) and the market edging toward NT$300 billion in the next few years. Companies including Auden Techno, Compal Electronics, Rapidtek, and Arcadyan Technology are accelerating commercialization efforts.

Marketech profits hit record in 1H26 on overseas orders

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:52:34 GMT

Marketech International Corp. (MIC) posted record results in the second quarter of 2026, with consolidated revenue of NT$21.2 billion (approx. US$668.6 million), up 48.2% quarter-over-quarter and 74% year-over-year, and net profit after tax of NT$1.8 billion, up 61.8% quarter-over-quarter and more than 350% year-over-year. Earnings per share were NT$8.17.

Adata expands AI business with TRUSTA, Industrial brands

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 23:52:05 GMT

ADATA Technology said it will integrate the products, technologies and solutions of its TRUSTA and ADATA Industrial brands to target enterprise servers, edge computing, system integration, smart homes, mobile devices and wearables. This comes as AI infrastructure, edge computing and smart systems accelerate. The memory module maker aims to expand AI and intelligent application opportunities by focusing on business use cases.

Cisco targets zero engineers writing code by end-October

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 10:12:26 GMT

AI is forcing companies to rethink not only how software is built but how quickly ageing systems must be replaced, with Cisco warning that increasingly capable frontier models are turning technical debt into a board-level cybersecurity concern.

CPO testing shifts to mid-stage to avoid costly failures, Chroma says

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 09:45:19 GMT

Co-packaged optics (CPO) is forcing chipmakers and equipment suppliers to rethink where testing should take place, as long optical test times and the high cost of downstream failures raise the importance of screening optical engines before final package integration, according to Chroma ATE.

TSMC urges HBM makers to design for X-ray inspection as packaging grows more complex

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 09:19:18 GMT

TSMC is calling for future HBM and DRAM designs to become more compatible with X-ray inspection, as increasingly complex advanced packaging makes buried defects harder to detect while raising concerns over radiation exposure to sensitive memory devices.

Commentary: Apple shifts to smart vehicle software layer as Ternus era arrives

Yunnie Cheng — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 09:06:20 GMT

When Apple abandoned Project Titan, automotive supply chain insiders predicted the tech giant wouldn't bow out of the smart vehicle market entirely; it would simply approach the market from a different angle. Judging by its recent collaboration with Ford Motor, Apple is pivoting toward software-layer integration and vehicle systems, a move that may represent a preview of the playbook CEO John Ternus will execute.

From chips to physical AI: Experts urge Taiwan-US push for trusted drone supply chains at Semicon Taiwan 2026

Willis Ke — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 09:05:00 GMT

Trustworthy supply chain concerns are extending beyond semiconductors to drones and other autonomous systems, now emerging as national strategic industries. At a Semicon Taiwan 2026 side forum, defense and industry experts from Taiwan and the US called for stronger production capacity, standardized interfaces, testing infrastructure and predictable government procurement to turn Taiwan's supply chain strengths into a globally trusted base for unmanned systems.

The 'Copper Wall': inside the physical bottlenecks threatening to melt AI supercomputing boom

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 08:35:50 GMT

A decade ago, when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was developing the world's first NVLink-enabled deep learning system, the DGX-1, the tech industry was deeply skeptical about the future of artificial intelligence (AI).

How agentic AI and 'AI physics' are reshaping chip design

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 08:20:00 GMT

As semiconductor designs advance toward trillion-transistor packages, the traditional engineering playbook of simply adding more personnel or running legacy software faster has hit a wall, a top Nvidia executive warned Tuesday.

South Korea taps chip windfall for next tech push

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 07:16:16 GMT

South Korea is turning a semiconductor-driven tax windfall into a broader technology investment push, directing record fiscal firepower toward chips, Nvidia's Vera Rubin computing platform, AI data centers, robotics and the power and water infrastructure needed to support them.

Samsung turns to chips, OLED for next phase of Vietnam expansion

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 07:03:18 GMT

Samsung is expanding its Vietnam footprint beyond smartphones, with semiconductor testing, high-end chip substrates, OLED displays and R&D emerging as the next pillars of its presence in one of its largest global manufacturing bases.

MSScorps August revenue hits new high on silicon photonics gains

Eifeh Strom — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 06:31:46 GMT

MSScorps saw August 2026 revenue post a new single-month high, as global artificial intelligence (AI) computing power continues to expand, driving demand for advanced process technologies, high-performance computing (HPC), advanced packaging, and high-speed optical interconnects, further raising the importance of semiconductor analysis services.

Trusval Technology eyes NT$23 billion order backlog, US 4Q26 ramp

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 06:11:06 GMT

Trusval Technology is riding AI- and high-performance computing-driven semiconductor expansion overseas, but Taiwan's fab engineering firms face tougher labor shortages, regulations, materials constraints and rising costs abroad. Co-CEO Chu-chiao Kung said the company is turning years of high-spec project execution for leading advanced-process customers into global competitiveness.

SEMICON Taiwan 2026: QuantumDiamonds cracks the hybrid bonding blind spot with new inline metrology

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 05:50:12 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The global semiconductor industry is hitting a physical wall. As artificial intelligence demands push architectures toward three-dimensional packaging, high-bandwidth memory (HBM) stacks, and complex hybrid bonding, traditional inspection tools are going blind.

G20 approves guidelines calling for more business-friendly AI regulation

DIGITIMES — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 04:25:29 GMT

Delegates to the G20 summit have agreed to support proposed guidelines for a light touch on AI regulation. The framework, proposed by the US, appeared to show a rare moment of consensus as countries race to gain a foothold in the booming AI industry, all while grappling with how to strike a balance between encouraging innovation and preventing harm.

Chunghwa Precision Test sees ASIC revenue overtaking GPU by 2027

Lily Hess — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 04:22:09 GMT

Chunghwa Precision Test Technology said demand for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) is driving a surge in advanced testing interface business, while ASIC revenue is set to grow rapidly and catch up with GPU sales. CEO Shui-Ke Huang said GPU products remain the mainstream in the HPC chip market and the company's main revenue source, with US customers also serving as its largest clients.

Lite-On makes US$170 million strategic investment in DCX for AI cooling push

Eifeh Strom — Fri, 4 Sep 2026 04:20:00 GMT

Lite-On Technology announced a strategic investment in Polish liquid cooling solutions provider DCX Polska, also known as DCX Liquid Cooling Systems. The deal will give Lite-On approximately a 25% stake in DCX upon completion, with a total transaction value of roughly US$176 million.