DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

Waymo weighs ending Uber robotaxi role as app control battle intensifies

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:22:14 GMT

Waymo is considering leaving its robotaxi partnership with Uber as it seeks to bring ride-hailing service in Austin and Atlanta under the Waymo App starting in 2028. The shift would end Uber’s exclusive role in those markets when the current contract is expected to expire in May 2028.

Everlight files third US patent suit over LED flip chip technology

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:21:21 GMT

Everlight Electronics filed a new US patent infringement lawsuit against Nichia on July 30 in the Southern Division of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The LED packaging maker said Nichia's high-power LED products infringed Everlight's US flip chip patent No. 7,554,126.

Cloud AI chipmakers race to secure capacity with long-term deals

Charlene Chen — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:20:48 GMT

Cloud AI chip demand remains exceptionally hot, forcing chipmakers to put advanced-node capacity at the top of their agenda. IC design firms say technical strength and cost are no longer enough; the ability to secure stable, sufficient capacity has become a key factor in supplier selection.

US dominates world's largest AI data centers as China places three in global top 60

Scarlett Yu — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:20:30 GMT

The global race to build AI data centers is accelerating. According to Epoch AI's latest AI Data Centers report, more than 60 hyperscale AI data centers have either entered operation or are under construction worldwide as of July 2026. Collectively, they represent computing capacity equivalent to approximately 12 million Nvidia H100 GPUs, accounting for roughly 27% of the world's deployed AI compute.

Research Insight: Samsung indicates diversification in AI memory demand, LTA reshapes supply

Charlene Chen — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:20:14 GMT

Samsung Electronics' memory business was the clear focus of its second quarter 2026 earnings call, accounting for about one-third of the Q&A session. DIGITIMES Intelligence said its review of the call points to three takeaways: AI is broadening high-end memory demand into a wider product mix, supply tightness will last through 2028, and long-term agreements (LTAs) are reshaping supply and operations.

Hanwha Semitech expands packaging tools as TCB turns profitable

Charlene Chen — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:20:01 GMT

South Korean semiconductor equipment maker Hanwha Semitech is expected to begin recognizing revenue from fan-out panel-level packaging (FOPLP) equipment starting in the third quarter of 2026. The move follows a return to profitability in the second quarter, driven by thermocompression bonding (TCB) tools. FOPLP is set to become the next growth engine as the company broadens its advanced packaging portfolio.

Roborock breaks free from Xiaomi to lead robot vacuums

Lily Hess — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:19:49 GMT

Roborock Technology, which started out in Xiaomi's ecosystem, has staged a comeback to become the global leader in robot vacuums. After launching its own brand in 2017, the company has spent nine years shedding the label of a Xiaomi contract manufacturer, and now holds a 27% global market share, far ahead of Xiaomi's 8.3%.

Aurona lifts ABF and CCL shipments, eyes capacity expansion in 3Q26

Charlene Chen — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:19:25 GMT

Aurona said shipments of ABF substrate pads and CCL-related packaging materials both rose, extending its growth momentum in the second quarter of 2026. Stronger demand for CCL-related products helped lift quarterly revenue to NT$420 million (US$13 million), up 24.2% year-over-year.

China robot capital surges past US in global VC boom

Lily Hess — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:19:12 GMT

Global venture capital has rebounded on the AI boom after the pandemic freeze, with total investment in the first half of 2026 already topping full-year 2025. But the recovery is coming with a warning sign: capital is becoming highly concentrated in AI, while China is pouring money into robotics and drawing scrutiny from the US.

Powerchip says family succession plan remains unchanged

Charlene Chen — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:18:59 GMT

Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation said on August 4, 2026, that the death of chairman Frank Huang has not changed the group's ownership structure, management team, or overall strategy. The company said Huang's personal and family shareholdings will be handled under the law, while the Huang family will continue supporting the existing management team.

From factories to consumers: Samsung's long retreat from China enters its final chapters

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:17:06 GMT

Samsung Electronics' latest move to scale back its smartphone retail network in China marks another milestone in a years-long restructuring. The shift has steadily reduced the company's footprint across manufacturing and consumer businesses, highlighting how changing market dynamics have reshaped the Korean technology giant's China strategy.

South Korea's KRW500B SiC push stalls as low returns deter major companies

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:16:50 GMT

South Korea's planned KRW500 billion(US$349,398) research and development initiative for silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors is struggling to move beyond the planning stage because the government has not secured a major anchor company to drive demand and support commercialization, according to ETNews.

From chip to grid: OCP CEO George Tchaparian on redefining data center architecture for the AI era

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 22:16:10 GMT

Ahead of the OCP APAC Summit in Taipei, George Tchaparian says co-packaged optics (CPO) gives Taiwan an opportunity to turn its manufacturing and packaging expertise into global standards leadership. He also warns that proprietary management interfaces are delaying AI infrastructure deployment and leaving a meaningful share of large GPU fleets in a degraded state.

SK Hynix, Sandisk release first HBF specs with up to 512GB and 3TB/s bandwidth

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 09:49:06 GMT

SK Hynix and Sandisk released the first standard specifications for High Bandwidth Flash (HBF) on August 4, defining a NAND-based memory technology with a capacity of up to 512GB and bandwidth of up to 3TB/s.

PSMC sees stronger 2H, says strategy unchanged after chair's death

Sherri Wang — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 09:29:28 GMT

Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (PSMC) will maintain its existing strategy following the sudden death of Chairman Frank Huang and expects business to improve quarter by quarter in the second half of 2026, Acting Chairman Brian Shieh said on August 4th.

Nvidia RTX 50 graphics card prices climb as TSMC and memory costs rise

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 09:15:00 GMT

Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series graphics card prices in South Korea were set to rise by as much as 30% starting in August 2026 as higher wafer costs at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and continued increases in GDDR7 memory prices pushed up supply-chain expenses. The increase was reported by Tom’s Hardware, citing South Korean media outlet ZDNet Korea and industry sources.

Samsung Galaxy Z8 preorder sales hit record 1.44 million in South Korea

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 09:02:09 GMT

Samsung Electronics said its Galaxy Z8 foldable smartphone lineup generated 1.44 million preorders in South Korea, setting a new high for Galaxy phone preorder sales. The result marked the company’s strongest preorder performance in seven years and highlighted early demand for its latest foldables.

Samsung Foundry nears full utilization, but 2nm yields remain a hurdle

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 09:01:48 GMT

Samsung Electronics' contract chipmaking business could approach full utilization in the second half of 2026, marking a potential turning point after prolonged underuse weighed on earnings.

China's chip output jumps nearly 350% in a decade as semiconductor supply chain expands

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 09:01:40 GMT

China's industrial enterprises above the designated size produced 484.28 billion integrated circuits in 2025, up nearly 350% from 108.72 billion in 2015, as the country expanded manufacturing capacity across mature-node chips, memory, packaging, and semiconductor production equipment.

China claims 8 in 10 robots worldwide are made at home

Lily Hess — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 09:01:30 GMT

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said humanoid robots have become a key symbol of the country's emerging manufacturing sector, claiming that 8 of every 10 humanoid and quadruped robots sold globally are produced by Chinese companies. The remarks came at a July 31 press briefing and also highlighted progress in IC design, semiconductor equipment, wafer fabrication, and packaging and testing.

HP, Asus and Acer reportedly turn to CXMT for laptop memory

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 09:01:03 GMT

HP, Asus and Acer have begun using limited quantities of DRAM from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) in selected budget notebooks sold outside the US, Nikkei Asia reported, as a global memory shortage pushes PC makers to widen their supplier base.

Taiwan classifies semiconductors, AI as high-energy industries, launches decarbonization project

Kevin Wang — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 08:55:00 GMT

Taiwan's government has recently begun classifying the semiconductor and AI industries as high-energy consumption industries in recent documents. This marks a notable development, as the manufacturing sector in general moves toward improving energy efficiency and eliminating toxic materials and waste products in pursuit of more eco-friendly measures to lessen the impact of climate change.

Factorial, SK On sign pact to assess solid-state battery manufacturing

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 07:55:00 GMT

Factorial Energy and SK On have agreed to study whether existing battery plants could be adapted for solid-state cells, a move that could affect how next-generation batteries reach global markets. The deal underscores a broader industry push to scale cleaner, denser energy storage through established manufacturing networks, rather than entirely new factories.

Wistron backs Taiwan's sovereign AI effort with 2.4 million computing hours

Sherri Wang — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 07:30:00 GMT

Wistron will provide 2.4 million hours of AI computing capacity in 2026 and support Taiwan's first open-source language model for three years as it steps up efforts to strengthen Taiwan's sovereign AI capabilities.

Analysis: Tesla's driverless ambitions get regulatory reality check

Scarlett Yu — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 06:55:00 GMT

Tesla's latest quarterly results fell short of market expectations, but another development attracted equal attention: CEO Elon Musk adopted a noticeably more cautious tone when discussing the company's Robotaxi ambitions.

Onsemi details AI data center momentum, pricing strategy in Q2 earnings call

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 06:30:00 GMT

Onsemi's leadership fielded a wide range of investor questions following the company's second-quarter 2026 results, with much of the discussion centered on its accelerating AI data center business, capacity utilization, and how the company is managing rising input costs.

Intel China adds day 0 support for MiniMax H3 after DeepSeek

Charlene Chen — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 05:57:44 GMT

Intel China has completed day-0 adaptation for MiniMax H3, the latest multimodal generative model from Chinese AI startup MiniMax, following its earlier support for the DeepSeek model family. The move underscores Intel's push to capture local AI deployment opportunities in China's growing open-source model ecosystem.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics reportedly fast-tracks Philippine MLCC plant in wake of AI-driven price hikes

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 05:55:00 GMT

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO) is reportedly pulling forward the start-up of its first overseas multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) plant, a move that underscores how an AI-driven scramble for the tiny components is reshaping pricing and investment across the industry.

Alibaba unveils biggest Qwen model as DeepSeek deepens China's AI price war

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 04:48:14 GMT

Alibaba Group unveiled Qwen3.8-Max on August 3, calling it its largest and most capable artificial intelligence (AI) model to date, as DeepSeek's low-cost V4-Flash intensified competition over the price of running advanced AI systems.

China tightens chip layout design protection to strengthen domestic semiconductor innovation

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 04:19:43 GMT

China has revised its regulations on the protection of integrated circuit (IC) layout designs, introducing stricter registration requirements, stronger enforcement measures and clearer commercialization rules as Beijing steps up efforts to strengthen its domestic semiconductor industry amid ongoing US technology restrictions.

Kumamoto semiconductor production recovers, TSMC's Japan subsidiary returns to normal operations

Scarlett Yu — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 04:09:51 GMT

TSMC has announced that Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM), its subsidiary in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, has resumed normal operations following production disruptions caused by the recent Kumamoto earthquake.

AI's payback math: how long can servers last?

Sherri Wang — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 03:57:19 GMT

Amazon's second-quarter 2026 results beat market expectations by a wide margin, but rapidly expanding investment in artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure pushed the company's trailing 12-month free cash flow into negative territory for the first time since 2023.

CXMT reportedly weighs second Beijing DRAM fab as Chinese cities compete for memory chip investment

DIGITIMES — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 03:52:39 GMT

China's leading DRAM maker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is considering building a second 12-inch memory chip fabrication plant in Beijing's Yizhuang district while holding early-stage financing talks with entities backed by the Beijing municipal government, according to a Reuters report. The proposed project would further expand the company's manufacturing footprint as AI-driven demand continues to tighten global memory supply.

Taiwan specialty chemical firm expands Taiwan, China capacity on AI materials boom, eyes 20% revenue gain in 2026

Willis Ke — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 03:46:35 GMT

Taiwan-based specialty chemicals supplier Johnson Fine Chemical expects robust growth in electronic materials demand driven by AI, high-performance computing (HPC) and advanced communications applications. The company is expanding production capacity in both Taiwan and China and plans to raise prices for selected products by 10-20% in the third quarter of 2026 to offset higher raw material costs. Management forecasts revenue growth of about 20% in 2026 from a year earlier, with profits also expected to increase, while 2027 is projected to deliver even stronger results.

Kinsus boosts spending as global IC substrate supply stays tight

Jingyue Hsiao — Tue, 4 Aug 2026 03:11:38 GMT

Kinsus said stronger second-quarter results and fresh capital spending reflect continued strain in the global IC substrate market, where demand from AI, CPU, GPU, and ASIC customers is keeping capacity tight. For global readers, the company's expansion plan points to prolonged supply constraints and firmer pricing ahead.