DIGITIMES Asia: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

Anthropic accuses Alibaba of largest distillation attack on Claude, escalating the US-China AI fight

DIGITIMES — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 01:04:16 GMT

Anthropic's claim that Alibaba "illicitly" harvested its Claude model marks the biggest alleged case yet of a Chinese firm copying a top US lab, sharpening a national-security debate in Washington over AI intellectual property — even as Anthropic, valued at US$965 billion and eyeing an IPO, feuds with the White House over its own export limits.

OpenAI debuts Broadcom-designed, TSMC-built inference chip as model makers diversify silicon

DIGITIMES — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 01:03:13 GMT

OpenAI on June 24 unveiled "Jalapeño," its first in-house AI accelerator, co-developed with Broadcom and manufactured by TSMC — the clearest sign yet that leading model developers want to design their own chips and broaden a supply chain long dominated by Nvidia.

Acer Gadget sees double-digit growth as PC peripherals and smart living drive expansion

DIGITIMES — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:33:57 GMT

Acer Gadget said momentum in its core PC peripherals and smart living accessories businesses drove a record revenue start to 2026, signaling potential improvement in operating performance later this year. For global consumers and retailers, the company's gains highlight how cross-border e-commerce, pricing pressure, and product mix shifts are shaping demand across major online platforms.

E Ink subsidiary scales solvent-free OCA to support higher-quality, lower-carbon displays

DIGITIMES — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:30:18 GMT

E.Comis Technology, a subsidiary of E Ink Holdings Group, said it has scaled a self-developed, solvent-free optically clear adhesive to meet growing demand for thinner displays, better image quality, and more sustainable manufacturing. The development could affect display products sold worldwide, as brands and suppliers seek materials that improve performance, durability, and lower-carbon production.

Taiwan-US tariff deal cuts auto parts duties to 15% and reshapes supply chains

DIGITIMES — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:27:51 GMT

Taiwan's agreement with the US to cap tariffs on auto parts at 15% is prompting suppliers to rethink production and shipping plans, with implications that extend beyond the island's factories. The move could reshape pricing for global buyers, shift sourcing away from China, and improve Taiwan's role in the North American aftermarket.

Qualcomm pushes into data center chips with Dragonfly lineup and Meta deal, taking aim at Nvidia

DIGITIMES — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:09:21 GMT

Qualcomm used its June 24 investor day to unveil a data center chip portfolio and a multi-generation CPU agreement with Meta, a strategic bid to diversify beyond a shrinking smartphone business and challenge Nvidia's dominance — while courting Chinese demand and leaning on manufacturing partner TSMC.

Micron forecasts stronger AI-driven growth as strategic agreements reshape memory market

DIGITIMES — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:05:18 GMT

On June 24, Micron Technology reported record fiscal third-quarter results and issued a fourth-quarter forecast that significantly exceeded market expectations, reinforcing investor confidence in the AI infrastructure boom. Analysts said the company's expanding portfolio of multi-year customer agreements could help reduce the memory industry's traditional volatility, while persistent supply constraints are expected to support pricing and profitability through at least 2027.

Foxconn and Sharp sign strategic pact to prioritize AI servers and smart infrastructure

DIGITIMES — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:01:33 GMT

Foxconn announced on June 24 that it signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation with Japan's Sharp Corp., with both companies centering the partnership on complementary strengths and resource integration under Foxconn's "3+3+3" strategic framework.

ITRI and 30 firms form Taiwan consortium to accelerate unmanned vehicle R&D and exports

DIGITIMES — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:56 GMT

In response to global non-red supply chain realignment and the need to develop key autonomous technologies for unmanned vehicles, Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) recently joined with multiple major drone makers to form the Taiwan Unmanned Vehicle System Development Consortium (TUVSC). The consortium will focus on four core goals aimed at strengthening Taiwan's autonomous R&D capacity in unmanned vehicles and helping the industry connect with international markets.

China wafer champion turns to US$1.6B overhaul to stop losses

Levi Li — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:59:59 GMT

National Silicon Industry Group, China's leading 12-inch silicon wafer maker, has announced a CNY11.45 billion (US$1.6 billion) capital injection into its core subsidiary Shanghai Xinsheng Semiconductor Technology, in a restructuring aimed at easing losses in its wafer business.

Acbel advances into Europe with onboard chargers and ChargePoint collaboration

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:53:45 GMT

Acbel Polytech showcased onboard power conversion products and a co-developed charging station solution with ChargePoint at Power2Drive Europe in Munich on June 23, signaling a stepped-up push into Europe's electric vehicle power and charging infrastructure market. The company said the move targets growing European demand for energy-efficient EV systems, smart charging, and charging network expansion.

China PC shipments fall as Huawei gains ground in weakening market

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:53:17 GMT

China's personal computer market weakened in the first quarter of 2026, with shipments down 2% from a year earlier, according to Omdia. The decline reflects softer consumer demand, economic uncertainty, and rising component costs, trends that may affect global PC supply, pricing, and vendor strategy throughout the year.

Phison says NAND shortage has no end in sight as orders are booked into 2Q27

Sherri Wang — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:52:52 GMT

Phison Electronics CEO Khein-seng Pua said the NAND flash market is facing a supply crunch with "no end in sight," as AI continues to crowd out memory capacity and push storage demand higher.

Nvidia and AWS deepen push to simplify AI infrastructure at scale

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:51:54 GMT

Nvidia and Amazon Web Services (AWS) are expanding tools that could make it easier for companies worldwide to build and run large-scale AI systems. The changes aim to improve speed, lower costs, and reduce operational complexity across inference, search, and training, which could influence how global enterprises deploy production AI.

Japan, France push to secure rare-earth supply beyond China

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:51:29 GMT

Japan and France are moving to reduce their reliance on Chinese heavy rare earths, backing a recycling project in southwestern France that is expected to supply materials used in high-performance permanent magnets for electric vehicles, defense equipment, aircraft and wind-power motors.

SK Group to meet Tesla and SpaceX leadership to pursue AI-infrastructure and memory partnerships

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:51:07 GMT

SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won is planning to meet Tesla and SpaceX leadership in the US at the end of June 2026 to advance cooperation on next-generation AI infrastructure, memory supply, and data-center projects, South Korean outlet Ddaily reported, citing industry sources. The meeting is expected to cover specific business collaboration plans with Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, though the exact date was kept confidential.

EverFocus launches Nvidia-based edge AI vision push into North America

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:50:40 GMT

EverFocus Electronics has announced a North America market expansion that includes participation in Automate 2026 and inclusion in Nvidia's official Interactive Ecosystem Map, aimed at bringing Taiwan supplier edge AI vision technology into US advanced manufacturing and logistics. The firm said it will leverage an Nvidia-based edge AI platform to demonstrate multimodal integration of imaging and voice, and to showcase a mobile robot connection model for smart factory inspections.

Power-Win expands into EV battery recycling as Jiadong plant ramps up

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:50:12 GMT

Power-Win Technology Co. Chairman Lin Pei-yi said following the company's June 23 shareholders meeting that its core battery recycling and processing business has benefited from process improvements, equipment-efficiency upgrades, and enhanced production management, driving growth in both processing volumes and revenue.

Techzone builds circular economy to tap rising semiconductor expansion demand

Eifeh Strom — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:49:37 GMT

Techzone Technology Materials, a provider of one of Taiwan's few integrated waste treatment, renewable energy, and recycling solutions, is actively addressing the waste treatment demand driven by semiconductor capacity expansion. Together with its subsidiaries Han-Yang Technology Renewable Energy and Sunlight Environment, the company has a combined annual treatment capacity of 239,000 tons.

Foxtron enters overseas expansion phase as passenger vehicles, buses scale in 2027

Eifeh Strom — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 23:48:51 GMT

Foxtron Vehicle Technologies held its investor conference call on June 23, stating operations in the first half of 2026 followed a pattern of a slow start but strong finish.

SK Hynix to issue $29 billion in new shares for Nasdaq ADR listing on July 10

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:06:38 GMT

SK Hynix disclosed in regulatory filings to South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service and the Korea Exchange on June 24 that its board has approved the issuance of new shares worth 45,453,450,000,000 won (approximately $29.4 billion) to support a listing of American Depositary Receipts on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The filings represent the company's formal confirmation of a listing plan that market rumors had pointed to since at least December 2025, when SK Hynix first received and responded to regulatory inquiries about the speculation.

Imoo overtakes Samsung to become No. 4 smartwatch brand

Lily Hess — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:45:40 GMT

Imoo beat Samsung Electronics, Oppo, and Garmin to rank as the world's No. 4 smartwatch brand in global smartwatch sales in the first quarter of 2026. In fact, imoo's global smartwatch shipments have matched Samsung's in recent years, according to Counterpoint.

SoftBank to build domestic AI server base as Japan pushes for sovereign compute

Scarlett Yu — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:42:38 GMT

SoftBank, the telecom arm of SoftBank Group (SBG), is moving to localize a larger part of Japan's AI infrastructure stack, with plans to begin domestic AI server production in fiscal 2027 at the former Sharp Sakai plant in Osaka.

Asia's AI data center boom turns green power into supply chain stress test

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:36:20 GMT

Asia's AI infrastructure buildout is turning electricity into a new supply chain constraint. As demand for data storage, compute power, high-performance memory, servers, and advanced semiconductor manufacturing accelerates, governments and technology companies are under pressure to secure not only more power, but cleaner and more reliable power.

Global market for advanced chip packaging set for rapid expansion

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:23:33 GMT

The market for fan-out panel-level packaging(FOPLP) and glass substrate packaging is set to grow sharply as chipmakers race to support AI and high-performance computing. For global readers, the shift could shape future device performance, supply chains, and where advanced semiconductors are manufactured and assembled.

China's LineShine supercomputer tops TOP500, but AI lead remains unclear

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:18:24 GMT

China's LineShine supercomputer debuted at No. 1 on the June 2026 TOP500 list, announced at the ISC 2026 conference in Hamburg, becoming the first system to sustain more than two exaflops on the standard HPL benchmark using CPUs only. The result marks the first time since 2017 that a China-based system has led the TOP500 ranking, and reflects Beijing's effort to present a frontier computing system built around domestic processors, interconnects, and software.

Qualcomm, ByteDance talks signal new phase in China AI chip diversification

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:11:42 GMT

Qualcomm's reported talks to provide custom chip-design services to TikTok owner ByteDance show how China's AI chip supply chain is moving beyond a simple Nvidia replacement story.

Humanoid-robot maker Agility Robotics to go public via SPAC at US$2.5 billion valuation

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 08:13:46 GMT

Agility Robotics, a maker of humanlike robots for factories and warehouses, is set to list publicly through a merger that values the company at about US$2.5 billion, executives told The Wall Street Journal.

IBM targets Anderon venture to anchor quantum wafer supply

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:36:01 GMT

IBM is building a foundry to produce silicon wafers used in quantum-computing processors, seeking to become an indispensable part of the quantum economy under development. Called Anderon, the independent subsidiary is set to begin production this year, a decade after IBM began exploring applications of quantum computing.

MediaTek-Global Unichip tie-up talk puts TSMC's AI ASIC ecosystem on watch

Levi Li — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:29:04 GMT

Cloud service providers are accelerating in-house AI chip development, lifting demand for application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs, and reshaping collaboration across the semiconductor supply chain.

CATL's HIMA exclusivity fades in China EV battery shake-up

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:06:24 GMT

Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) is reducing its reliance on CATL and broadening its EV battery supply chain, a pragmatic reset driven by cost pressure, delivery targets, and supply risk in China's electric vehicle market.

AI supply chain boom fuels Taiwan's investment, exports as GDP growth tops 10% outlook

Willis Ke — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 06:03:36 GMT

Taiwan's economy is expected to maintain strong momentum through the second half of 2026, supported by accelerating AI-related investment, resilient exports, and robust demand across the semiconductor, memory, and server supply chains. Industry analysts and government officials increasingly believe growth could surpass earlier expectations as AI infrastructure spending continues to expand worldwide.

Samsung, SK Hynix weigh new Korean chip belt as concerns mount for Yongin cluster

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 05:48:48 GMT

South Korea's government is in talks with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix over a potential new phase of large-scale semiconductor investments, as the two chipmakers review plans that could include front-end fabrication plants and packaging facilities across the country's Honam and Chungcheong regions. Both companies say no final decisions have been made.

Samsung eyes Galaxy Ultra for 2nm Exynos 2700

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 04:57:00 GMT

Samsung Electronics' System LSI division is pressing its mobile business to expand adoption of the in-house Exynos 2700 processor beyond the standard Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus models and into the premium Galaxy S27 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 8, according to The Bell.

CATL turns sodium-ion batteries into grid storage contender with TENER Sodium launch

DIGITIMES — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 04:32:54 GMT

CATL has launched CATL TENER Sodium, a utility-scale sodium-ion energy storage system aimed at moving the technology from pilot projects into commercial grid infrastructure.