DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

China's AMIES lands repeat orders for 350nm lithography system

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:53:40 GMT

Shanghai-based AMIES Technology has secured repeat volume orders for its domestically developed AST6200 350nm stepper projection lithography system after passing process validation at a leading Chinese compound-semiconductor customer, extending the company's reach beyond its established advanced-packaging equipment business.

Memory crunch pushes Apple toward China—and into Washington's security dilemma

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:53:26 GMT

Apple's unusual interest in testing CXMT memory and redirecting part of its procurement toward China has rattled Washington, given the years-long US effort to curb China's rise across strategic segments of the semiconductor industry.

Samsung tackles AI memory wall with zHBM, V10 BV-NAND concepts

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:53:16 GMT

Samsung Electronics is betting on new 3D memory architectures and tighter processor-memory integration as AI workloads put growing pressure on data movement, storage capacity and power efficiency.

Samsung set to double BOE TV panel orders as Korean TV makers reshuffle suppliers

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:53:05 GMT

Samsung Electronics is expected to double its purchases of TV LCD panels from BOE in 2026 while cutting orders from CSOT, as Samsung and LG Electronics rebalance their supplier mixes in an LCD market increasingly dominated by Chinese panel makers.

PSA, NTUT sign NT$50 million AI research and talent deal

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:52:49 GMT

Passive System Alliance (PSA) Group and National Taipei University of Technology have signed a three-year industry-academia agreement worth NT$50 million to advance artificial intelligence research and workforce development. The partnership, set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, brings together PSA Group companies including Walsin Technology, Walton Advanced Engineering, HannStar Board Corporation, and INPAQ Technology with NTUT’s engineering and AI capabilities.

TSMC affiliate VisEra scales AI optics with 1.6T silicon photonics

Levi Li — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:52:30 GMT

VisEra, the TSMC-affiliated optical components supplier, is expanding into AI optical interconnects and silicon photonics, with its MicroLens products for 800G pluggable transceivers already in mass production and its next-generation PIC thin-film processes for 1.6T products targeted to begin gradual volume production by the end of 2026. A high-density optical coupling platform is planned for mass production in the second half of 2027.

Google's US$15B India AI data center faces environmental backlash

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:51:53 GMT

Google's planned AI data center in Andhra Pradesh, India, has drawn its first major opposition, with environmental groups protesting over water rights and wildlife concerns. The project, announced in October 2025, calls for US$15 billion in investment over five years and includes participation from Adani Group.

Foxconn Research Institute maps four-stage LEO roadmap from relay satellites to AI-native networks

Scarlett Yu — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:51:09 GMT

Foxconn is extending decades of expertise in electronics manufacturing, system integration, and assembly, integration and testing (AIT) into the space industry. Through its Pearl satellite missions, the Foxconn Research Institute (FRI) is collecting first-hand data on communications links, orbital operations, and the space environment while giving group-developed hardware an opportunity to establish flight heritage.

UMT sees LEO demand rebound, targets 20%+ satellite revenue growth in 2H26

Scarlett Yu — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:50:45 GMT

Demand for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications continues to expand, supporting growth at satellite communications component supplier Universal Microwave Technology (UMT).

Radiant braces for Apple delays as auto, AI PC lift growth

Lily Hess — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:41:06 GMT

Apple's new product shipments are likely to be delayed, with supply chain sources saying a model originally slated for shipment in the fourth quarter of 2026 may slip to the first quarter of 2027. Apple is also expected to keep rolling out new OLED devices from late 2026 into early 2027.

South Korean minister warns about CXMT capex as semiconductor profits debate heats up

Lily Hess — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:40:54 GMT

South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Jung-kwan Kim has warned that the country should not rush to redistribute semiconductor profits throughout society just as AI-driven memory demand is lifting earnings at Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to record highs. Instead, he said South Korea must help companies reinvest in facilities and R&D to protect its edge as China speeds up semiconductor investment.

Europe and US IDM giants expand China EV share on capacity, tech edge

Lily Hess — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:40:28 GMT

Major European and US integrated device manufactures (IDM) have faced strong competition from Chinese players within China's electric vehicle (EV) market in recent years, but many are now offering a positive outlook for their business there. In recent earnings calls, several companies said their technology lead remains difficult for local rivals to catch up with, while others said AI-related foundry-capacity bottlenecks have left some Chinese integrated circuit (IC) design firms unable to secure enough production for auto customers, allowing IDMs with in-house manufacturing to win back some market share.

SK Hynix weighs stake sale in US$3B Chongqing chip packaging plant

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 09:12:24 GMT

SK Hynix is considering options for its semiconductor packaging and testing facility in Chongqing, China, including bringing in an outside investor or selling a stake in the operation, which could be valued at about US$3 billion, as the memory chipmaker ramps up investment in South Korea.

Hotai Leasing to debut on the Taiwan stock market on August 11

Lily Hess — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:49:28 GMT

Hotai Motor's all-round mobility services unit, Hotai Leasing, will officially launch its public listing on August 11. Hotai Leasing posted NT$2.7 billion (US$83.8 million) in consolidated revenue for July 2026, up 7.0% from the same period in 2025, reflecting strong profitability and a solid financial position.

Sony, TSMC to spend US$6.3 billion on Japan image sensor venture, Nikkei says

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:47:38 GMT

Sony Group and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) plan to invest around JPY1 trillion (approx. US$6.3 billion) in a joint venture to mass-produce next-generation image sensors in Kumamoto, Japan, with commercial production starting as early as 2029, Nikkei reported on August 10. Sony would own about 60% of the venture and TSMC about 40%.

Acer Gadget lifts revenue on smart-life peripherals and plans 2H expansion

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 07:55:00 GMT

Acer Gadget, a subsidiary of Acer Group, reported strong second-quarter results for 2026 and said it expects growth to continue in the second half of 2026 as smart-life peripherals gained traction. The Taiwan-based maker said smart safes and smart door locks were supporting performance even as the PC market faces headwinds.

Unitree CEO eyes embodied AI and robot expansion

Charlene Chen — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 07:34:52 GMT

Chinese humanoid robotics company Unitree said on August 7, 2026, it will continue boosting R&D in core embodied AI technologies, focusing on large embodied AI models, reinforcement learning, self-developed core components, and high-performance actuators. The company also plans to expand its humanoid robot, quadruped robot, and mecha product lines to deploy robots into high-intensity and high-risk tasks.

Commentary: What the DeepSeek-Unitree tie-up reveals about China's hard-tech financing

Levi Li — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 07:28:33 GMT

DeepSeek's participation in Unitree's Shanghai STAR Market IPO was made at the corporate level, not personally by founder Liang Wenfeng or a fund associated with him.

TSMC July revenue jumps 44.7% to record US$14.5B, 2026 growth forecast tops 40%

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 07:20:44 GMT

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) reported record monthly revenue of NT$467.58 billion (approx. US$14.5 billion) for July 2026, up 5.6% from June and 44.7% from a year earlier, extending strong growth fueled by artificial intelligence and high-performance computing demand.

SuperAlloy boosts profit and expands into semiconductor green supply chains

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 06:55:00 GMT

SuperAlloy Industrial said after its August 7 board meeting that second-quarter 2026 results showed steady improvement in core profitability, even though foreign exchange losses tied to a weaker yen weighed on net income. The Taiwan-based manufacturer is also moving into the semiconductor front-end equipment supply chain in a bid to build a second growth engine alongside high-end automotive and green materials.

Nvidia invests up to US$3B in Lancium as energy becomes new AI bottleneck

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 06:29:30 GMT

Nvidia will reportedly invest US$2 billion into energy technology and infrastructure developer Lancium, which is building the Stargate data center campus in Texas. This deal illustrates how AI bottlenecks have expanded to include not only chips used for compute, but also the enormous amounts of electricity needed to support the entire AI supply chain.

Naver revenue hit a record in 2Q26 as AI spending held down profit

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 05:55:00 GMT

Naver reported record quarterly revenue in the second quarter of 2026, boosted by advertising and e-commerce growth, while operating profit slipped as spending on AI infrastructure weighed on earnings. The South Korean internet company also said its AI factory business with Nvidia is expected to begin generating revenue in the first half of 2027.

Samsung HBM4 yield nears 80% as production race with SK Hynix heats up

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 04:21:38 GMT

Samsung Electronics has reportedly pushed the production yield of its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) close to 80%, marking a sharp improvement from the start of mass production as competition with SK Hynix increasingly shifts toward production capacity and supply stability.

Chenbro stays bullish on AI demand, flags seven indicators to watch in 2H26

Scarlett Yu — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 04:02:02 GMT

Chenbro CEO Corona Chen said the company's July 2026 revenue experienced some fluctuations due to shipment scheduling, shipping logistics, and the timing of revenue recognition.

FCC 26-50 extends US tech controls to chips, optical transceivers and supply-chain origins

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:59:10 GMT

US technology controls are reaching deeper into communications supply chains. Under FCC 26-50, the Federal Communications Commission no longer focuses only on brands or final assembly. Its emerging framework now extends to chips, modules, software, firmware, design ownership, production location and supply-chain control, raising new compliance risks for optical transceivers, networking equipment and ODM suppliers.

Nvidia reportedly weighs up to US$3B stake in Lancium

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:50:00 GMT

Nvidia is in investment talks with Texas power infrastructure developer Lancium as AI data center buildouts strain access to electricity and grid connections. The proposed deal could give Nvidia a 20% to 30% stake and would mark a push into the energy infrastructure needed to support large-scale compute deployment.

OCI rides AI, space solar boom as SpaceX deepens polysilicon ties

Scarlett Yu — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:48:53 GMT

South Korean solar polysilicon supplier OCI Holdings is capitalizing on its increasingly scarce position as a non-China supplier, benefiting not only from growing solar demand from US AI data centers but also from a supply partnership with SpaceX that is extending its reach from terrestrial solar projects into space applications.

Moore Threads eyes HK listing after 147% revenue surge, AI GPU expansion

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:42:06 GMT

Chinese AI GPU developer Moore Threads is preparing a Hong Kong listing after first-half revenue jumped 147.42% year on year to CNY1.74 billion (approx. US$258 million), supported by stronger AI infrastructure demand and faster commercialization of its computing platforms. Its net loss narrowed 95.73% to CNY11.56 million, from CNY271 million a year earlier.

Apple tests CXMT memory chips as shortage, price pressures persist

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:40:00 GMT

Apple has tested DRAM from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies in iPhone and MacBook products as AI-driven memory shortages and rising prices strain global supply, according to reports. The testing has also drawn bipartisan pressure from US lawmakers, who are urging the Commerce Department and Apple leadership to tighten restrictions on Chinese suppliers.

Cambricon AI chip revenue doubles as China demand surges, supply capacity holds key

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:39:46 GMT

Cambricon Technologies has largely settled the question of whether China's AI chip champion can make money. First-half 2026 revenue rose 108.13% to CNY6 billion (approx. US$890 million), attributable net profit climbed 122.61% to CNY2.31 billion, and adjusted net profit increased 137.30% to CNY2.17 billion. Gross margin held near 55%, extending profitability to seven consecutive quarters.

SK Hynix faces US patent fight over HBM, 3D NAND

DIGITIMES — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:35:00 GMT

SK Hynix is facing an expanding US patent dispute with MonolithIC 3D. A second US International Trade Commission (USITC) investigation covers high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and 3D NAND products, alongside parallel litigation in federal court.

Semiconductor material prices surge across silicon wafers, specialty gases and advanced packaging

Levi Li — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:14:35 GMT

Demand for advanced processes and packaging continues to rise, while the Middle East conflict is lifting energy and raw-material costs and tighter Chinese controls on strategic-mineral exports are disrupting high-purity material supplies. Together, these forces are raising prices for silicon wafers, tungsten hexafluoride (WF6), sputtering targets, electronic-grade chemicals, helium and advanced packaging materials.

Starlink, Amazon squeeze satellite broadband newcomers toward niche markets

Scarlett Yu — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:10:34 GMT

In the US Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) latest processing round for Ku-, Ka- and V-band spectrum, established and emerging satellite operators alike are seeking to enter the non-geostationary satellite orbit (NGSO) market. But as giants including SpaceX and Amazon continue to expand, the barriers facing latecomers seeking a foothold in satellite broadband are rising rapidly.

Interview: Nvidia sees Taiwan as more than an assembler — an engineering partner

Sherri Wang — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:07:42 GMT

Taiwan's role in the global AI supply chain is shifting from manufacturing toward engineering, Nvidia networking senior vice president Gilad Shainer told DIGITIMES in an interview. The island, he said, is increasingly serving as an engineering partner for next-generation AI factories rather than simply an assembler.

Hiwin earns S&P and DJSI sustainability recognitions on four-way carbon cuts

Rodney Chan — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:07:16 GMT

Hiwin, a major precision motion components maker, has accelerated its sustainability transformation in recent years and achieved two major milestones: it was included in the DJSI Emerging Markets Index in both 2024 and 2025, and in May 2026 it was ranked in the top 1% globally in the S&P Sustainability Yearbook. That makes it one of the highest-rated companies in Taiwan and the world in the machinery and electrical equipment sector.