DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

Data center leader leaves OpenAI, latest in wave of high-level departures

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 05:55:29 GMT

A key figure responsible for OpenAI's data center plans left the company last week, the latest in a string of departures just as it invests heavily in its AI infrastructure build-out and prepares for an IPO next year. This also illustrates the challenges the industry faces in retaining talent, even among top companies offering large pay packages.

Cook's parting shot: Apple takes AI compute out of data centers

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 05:09:07 GMT

Apple took pre-orders on August 25 for a new Mac mini and Mac Studio. Both will ship on September 22. Prices of the Mac mini start at US$899 with the M6 chip, or $1,699 with the M5 Pro. Mac Studio starts at $2,499 with M5 Max and $5,499 with M5 Ultra. The 512GB memory version comes in late October.

Growth in low-Earth-orbit satellite communications accelerates; further boosts demand for GaN components

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 04:56:13 GMT

DIGITIMES has observed that since SpaceX began using reusable rockets for launch missions, its payload capacity has continued to rise.

Star Trade to highlight power services for chips and AI at Semicon Taiwan 2026

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 04:08:26 GMT

Star Trade, a unit of HD Renewable Energy, is set to debut at Semicon Taiwan 2026 next week, offering power trading and energy management services for semiconductor and AI infrastructure. The move underscores how global chipmaking and data center growth is increasing pressure on grids, renewable integration, and electricity pricing.

SK hynix production union rejects stock-heavy pay deal by 25 votes

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:58:37 GMT

SK hynix's production-worker union has rejected the company's tentative 2026 wage and collective bargaining agreement by just 25 votes, sending the two sides back to the negotiating table as production workers push back against a proposed shift from cash-heavy profit sharing toward stock-based compensation.

Taiwan Photon Source boosts domestic accelerator supply chain, challenges cutting-edge technology limits

Eifeh Strom — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:53:52 GMT

The Taiwan-based National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), supported by top scientists including Nobel chemistry laureate Yuan-tseh Lee, held a celebration event on August 25 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Taiwan Photon Source (TPS).

US-Canada trade talks collapse as auto tariffs threaten North American supply chain

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:45:00 GMT

The collapse of US-Canada trade talks has put global automakers and suppliers on alert, as tariff disputes now threaten production costs, vehicle prices, and cross-border parts flows. The breakdown underscores how deeply integrated the North American auto industry remains. Disruption is likely to ripple well beyond the two countries.

Samsung's 3-year shareholder returns seen topping KRW600T

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:36:13 GMT

AI memory excess profits are beginning to change Samsung Electronics' capital-allocation logic. The company recently said that, under its current 2024-2026 shareholder return policy, the remaining funds available for shareholder returns in 2026 are estimated at about KRW90 trillion-KRW110 trillion (about US$65 billion-US$79 billion), a record high, while the market has already started looking to the next three-year period.

TCL, Asus drop China OLED as LGD gains edge

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:31:46 GMT

TCL has reportedly stopped using OLED panels from its own TCL CSOT unit as it expands its monitor lineup, instead turning again to LG Display (LGD), while Asus is said to have halted use of BOE Technology Group (BOE) OLED panels after about one month. The moves underscore a growing gap in high-end OLED technology led by South Korean panel makers.

Trump weighs Apple China chip deal as CXMT runs full

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:25:41 GMT

Apple is seeking to diversify its supply chain to ease pressure from rising memory costs and has reportedly sought US government clearance to buy memory from blacklisted Chinese chipmaker CXMT. The request has quickly become entangled in US-China geopolitics, but even if it receives political approval, CXMT’s long-running capacity constraints could still keep Apple from getting what it wants.

China GPU race, Part 2: Moore Threads, MetaX, Biren and Enflame pursue four formulas for breaking Nvidia's grip

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:02:09 GMT

Enflame's planned US$893 million STAR Market IPO, examined in Part 1 of this series, highlights both the opportunity and the financial strain facing China's emerging AI chip suppliers, but profitability is only one part of the competition.

LandSpace eyes Zhuque-3 refly within 6 months

Rodney Chan — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 02:47:22 GMT

Chinese commercial rocket maker LandSpace plans to relaunch its reusable Zhuque-3 booster within six months, after the vehicle successfully completed a vertical landing on land in its second test flight last week. The company said the milestone marks not only a technical breakthrough but also the starting point for building a system for inspection, maintenance and reuse, as China's reusable rocket sector accelerates commercialization.

Apple gives 2nm debut to Mac, not iPhone: M6 leads TSMC node transition

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 02:36:48 GMT

Apple on Aug. 25 introduced M6 in a new Mac mini and M5 Ultra in a new Mac Studio, framing both chips around AI compute and memory bandwidth rather than conventional CPU headline numbers. The more consequential detail is that M6 is Apple's first 2-nanometer part — putting a Mac, not an iPhone, at the front of the node transition.

China GPU race, Part 1: Enflame IPO spotlights Tencent ties, deep losses and AI chip ambitions

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 02:27:43 GMT

Enflame Technology is preparing to become the latest of China's leading AI chip developers to tap public markets, with a CNY6 billion (approx. US$893 million) Shanghai STAR Market listing that puts its rapid revenue growth, persistent losses and heavy reliance on Tencent under closer scrutiny.

Taiwan AI Cloud flags four demands for AI from POC to production

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 02:17:21 GMT

Taiwan AI Cloud General Manager Han-chang Wu said at the 2026 Taiwan Sustainability Summit on August 25 that as open-source models mature, computing power becomes easier to access, and generative AI becomes more widespread, the barriers to enterprises launching AI proof-of-concept (POC) projects have fallen sharply. But moving AI from a demo to formal deployment is not just about model capability; it is about whether it can support core enterprise workflows.

MOEA says circular economy output tops NT$1T

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 02:11:28 GMT

Taiwan's circular economy has entered a new stage as the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said the sector's output has surpassed NT$1 trillion (US$31.4 billion), while calling for AI and related technologies to help narrow the pay and working-conditions gap with the semiconductor industry. The ministry made the remarks on August 25 at a joint press conference for the 2026 Taiwan Circular Economy Week with the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of the Interior, and the Public Construction Commission.

India chip manufacturing push exposes production-test skills gap, NI says

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:58:05 GMT

India's semiconductor expansion is beginning to expose a shortage of engineers with experience in production testing, a capability that will become increasingly important as new OSAT plants and fabs move toward manufacturing, executives at Emerson's NI test and measurement business said.

Eternal Materials reports July revenue gain as advanced packaging demand strengthens

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:56:23 GMT

Eternal Materials said July marked the start of its traditional peak season, with stronger shipments across its three main business units lifting monthly revenue to NT$4.093 billion (US$128.5 million). That was up 23.86% from a year earlier and 6.82% from June, as demand from the electronics supply chain continued to support sales.

Taiwan listed firms report 1H26 pretax profit surge on AI server demand

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:49:29 GMT

Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission said on August 25 that strong global demand for Taiwan-made AI servers and high-performance computing lifted corporate earnings in the first half of 2026. The agency said pretax profits at listed and OTC companies reached their highest first-half level in 10 years.

Apple is only the test: Chinese memory makers CXMT, YMTC target North American cloud market

Levi Li — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:42:59 GMT

The memory industry is entering a powerful growth cycle, with Apple seeking to add Chinese suppliers CXMT and YMTC to its memory supply chain. With a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected on September 24, 2026, sources say Washington, previously opposed to such sourcing, could allow the purchases to proceed.

BOE, 3M expand materials partnership as foldable OLED competition intensifies

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:30:00 GMT

BOE Technology Group and 3M have opened a joint research laboratory in Beijing that covers optical films, optically clear adhesives, structural adhesives and advanced materials development for LCD, OLED and MLED panels — turning what has been a roughly two-decade partnership into a shared development platform.

Nvidia unveils Jetson Orin Nano 2 for edge AI robots and drones

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:23:08 GMT

Nvidia has introduced Jetson Orin Nano 2, a compact robotics computer aimed at entry-level edge AI, with implications for developers building autonomous machines worldwide. The system promises faster, more efficient on-device intelligence for robots, drones, and vision systems as physical AI adoption expands across industries and markets.

OpenAI says Jalapeño cuts latency up to 3.6x, targeting the bottleneck that slows agents

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:51:45 GMT

OpenAI said its first custom inference chip, Jalapeño, delivered faster responses and better power efficiency than competing systems in tests across several large language models. The findings could matter for global users, as cheaper, lower-latency AI infrastructure may help expand access, improve reliability, and support more capable agents worldwide.

Apple ships M6 Mac mini and M5 Ultra Mac Studio — and hands Ternus a memory bill

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:50:08 GMT

Apple unveiled new Mac mini and Mac Studio desktops on August 25 in what Reuters called "likely the final product launch of Tim Cook's tenure as CEO." The machines read less like a farewell than like a handover note. Cook becomes executive chairman on September 1, when John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering, becomes chief executive under a succession Apple announced in April.

Taiwan maps four AI-led strategies to expand its biotech sector

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:47:23 GMT

Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs outlined four strategies to scale up the island's biotech industry at a strategy meeting under the Executive Yuan on August 24. The plan centered on artificial intelligence integration, stronger critical-drug supply chains, broader clinical validation, and deeper global market ties.

Samsung, Intel widen AI chip battle into memory, packaging

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:47:10 GMT

Samsung Electronics and Intel are pushing into each other's core businesses as AI semiconductor competition shifts from individual chips to full-system integration. South Korean reports cited by Counterpoint Research said Samsung is using high-bandwidth memory (HBM) to strengthen its foundry business, while Intel is expanding from logic chips and foundry services into memory through advanced packaging and system-level technologies.

Samsung Display boosts OLED sales as Galaxy Z panel orders triple

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:46:58 GMT

The global small-size OLED market was flat in the second quarter of 2026 as seasonal weakness and cautious inventory management by Chinese device makers slowed demand. Samsung Display, however, outperformed the market on stronger shipments of foldable phone panels.

Waymo's 320 million-km milestone exposes the next robotaxi challenge: scaling the silicon

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:46:41 GMT

As robotaxi services expand beyond individual cities into wider regions, the growing appeal of AI-assisted driving and the technological vision that AV developers are eager to realize have raised industry expectations for the economic viability of full autonomy.

China's EV giants redraw their boundaries as physical AI becomes its own business

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:46:15 GMT

The surprising convergence at the intersection of two fundamental applications of embodied AI — EVs and robotics — has given rise to an intensifying trend across both sectors. The supply chain is witnessing a major power imbalance unfold, alongside increasingly blurred lines in product lifecycles and, ultimately, an economic restructuring of broader supply-chain dynamics.

China has plenty of indium but not enough InP wafers for AI data centers

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:46:01 GMT

China accounts for more than 70% of the world's primary indium output but only about 10% of finished indium phosphide substrates, leaving a gap between its strength in raw materials and the qualified wafer capacity increasingly needed for AI data-center optics.

China's advanced-chip gap could close well before its lithography gap does

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:45:34 GMT

As China enters a near-frenzied state of continuous production-capacity expansion, it is easy to see that the main driver behind these aggressive, purpose-built movements in the domestic chip-manufacturing space is rooted in a national need to maintain sovereign control over critical process nodes, where access to the surrounding supply chain has proved increasingly constrained.

TSMC's 310mm push threatens Samsung's PLP lead

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:44:51 GMT

Samsung Electronics commercialized fan-out panel-level packaging (FOPLP) before rivals, using the technology in mobile and wearable chips and now preparing to extend it into AI and high-performance computing. But the next phase of PLP competition may depend less on who moved first than on which rectangular panel format equipment makers, materials suppliers and OSATs ultimately build around, and activity around 310×310mm is growing in Taiwan.

Samsung steps up Taylor Fab 2 preparations as foundry capacity tightens

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:44:37 GMT

Samsung Electronics has begun asking semiconductor equipment suppliers to complete safety-compliance groundwork for a second foundry fab in Taylor, Texas, months before construction is scheduled to begin, according to ZDNet Korea.

SK hynix adds second major customer as Nvidia misses Samsung's top five

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:44:22 GMT

SK hynix added a second customer accounting for more than 10% of revenue in the first half of 2026, while Nvidia remained outside Samsung Electronics' five largest customers, highlighting the contrast in how the two Korean memory makers are exposed to the AI accelerator leader.

Samsung, LG ramp up India for AI cooling and appliances

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:28:15 GMT

India is emerging as a new battleground for South Korea's two electronics giants, with Samsung Electronics using the country as a production and supply-chain base for AI data center cooling equipment and LG Electronics investing hundreds of billions of won to build a third home appliance plant. But whether India's fast growth and huge population will translate into real earnings remains the biggest test.

India mmWave opportunity emerges; Gemtek moves early

DIGITIMES — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:25:27 GMT

India has continued to push next-generation communications infrastructure, and the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has officially released a Provisional Generic Requirement for Wi-Fi technology in the licensed 26 GHz (n258) band, opening the door for manufacturers and telecom operators to conduct field trials in real-world environments.

Eva Air green transport pact to cut Microsoft freight emissions by 15,000 tonnes

DIGITIMES — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:00:00 GMT

Eva Air and AIT Worldwide Logistics have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a green transport program that will use sustainable aviation fuel from Formosa Petrochemical for Microsoft cloud equipment shipments. The Taiwan-based collaboration is expected to reduce Microsoft's Scope 3 emissions by 15,000 tonnes in its first year.