DIGITIMES Asia: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

Everlight ramping up in optical communications, supported by automotive and invisible light

Emily Kuo — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:18:32 GMT

As global companies race to capture opportunities in AI optical communications and co-packaged optics (CPO), Taiwanese LED and optoelectronics firms are actively transforming and entering the field. Everlight Electronics, a leading LED packaging company, has also begun low-profile positioning, considering investments in related startups and leveraging its strengths in high-end optocouplers to play a key role in optical signal transmission and coupling.

Column: Where does robot training data come from?

Emily Kuo — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:18:18 GMT

Across both sides of the Pacific, robot startups and leading laboratories have reached a consensus over the past year that model architecture is no longer the sole focus. Data has become the core competitive resource. Regardless of how technical approaches evolve, most teams eventually encounter the same problem: the shortage of training data.

S-Tech accelerates high-end materials shift, doubles titanium alloy share to target aerospace and US markets

Jingyue Hsiao — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:18:00 GMT

S-Tech Corp's shift toward titanium alloys and entry into the US market could reshape global supply for the aerospace and defense sectors, reducing reliance on nickel-based products and mitigating raw-material price risks while influencing inventory cycles and production utilization worldwide.

Taiwan's growing AI and industrial demand reshapes corporate power strategies

Jingyue Hsiao — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:17:36 GMT

As AI infrastructure and industrial electricity use rise, Taiwan's shifting power landscape has far-reaching global implications for supply reliability, corporate competitiveness, and carbon-cost exposure. Companies worldwide with local operations or supply chains tied to Taiwanese manufacturing may face higher energy prices, tighter grid constraints, and increased demand for behind-the-meter energy storage and power-quality solutions.

Research insights: tendon-driven dexterous hands are key development factor as humanoids enter home market

Emily Kuo — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:17:12 GMT

While humanoid robots application remains a topic of debate, initial deployment is expected to be in structured environmental environments. However, there is large potential in the home and/or commercial market. According to DIGITIMES Research, home environments impose significantly higher requirements on humanoid robots, with dexterous hands being a critical development factor.

Taiwan networking firms set for 11% Q2 growth as Wi-Fi 7 gains traction

Sherri Wang — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:16:51 GMT

Global Wi-Fi router shipments are increasingly driven by telecom operators' upgrade cycles and tender deployments rather than consumer demand, with traditional seasonality continuing to weaken. Since 2025, the market has shown a pattern of weaker peak seasons and firmer off-seasons.

NEO Semiconductor advances 3D DRAM with POC validation

Charlene Chen — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:16:35 GMT

Driven by AI, demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) is surging, causing a supply shortage in DRAM and prompting cloud service providers to pre-book capacity for the next two years. The rising need for larger HBM capacities is expected to grow exponentially, while 3D DRAM technology emerges as a solution to overcome current process scaling limits.

South Korea's telecom giants unveil full-stack AI strategies at WIS 2026, highlighting agents, infrastructure, and 6G

Willis Ke — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:16:19 GMT

South Korea's three leading telecom operators—SK Telecom (SKT), KT, and LG U+—signaled a decisive shift beyond connectivity at the World IT Show (WIS) 2026, held April 22–24 in Seoul, unveiling AI-centric strategies spanning agents, applications, and infrastructure as they position themselves as full-stack AI platform providers.

Tesla doubles down on robotaxi and FSD, recasting cars into revenue-generating assets

Levi Li — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:15:32 GMT

At its first-quarter 2026 earnings call, Tesla set out a clear shift in strategy: moving the auto industry away from ownership toward a usage-based mobility model. By aligning software, hardware, and manufacturing capacity, the company is repositioning its vehicles not just as products, but as assets within a service-driven ecosystem.

Cerebras files for IPO after AI chip breakthrough, G42 partnership shapes supply chain

Charlene Chen — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:15:13 GMT

Cerebras Systems filed for an initial public offering (IPO) on April 17, 2026, aiming to list on the Nasdaq. The company reversed its fortunes with US$510 million in revenue and a net profit of US$87.9 million in 2025, compared to US$290 million revenue and a net loss of US$484.8 million in 2024.

Meta and Alibaba blur social media and e-commerce boundaries

Kevin Wang — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:14:49 GMT

The rise of generative AI has blurred the boundaries between the social media and e-commerce industries, driving a shift in their business models that has been exemplified by recent strategic initiatives from Meta and Alibaba. With competition now expanding horizontally across various sectors, industry observers highlight that Meta's plans to strengthen its physical retail presence may become a key focus for the company. Conversely, it is now increasingly likely that Alibaba will one day venture into social media.

Taiwan's NCSIST partners with Saronic to advance autonomous maritime capabilities

Sherri Wang — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:14:25 GMT

Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) said on April 24 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saronic, a US unmanned surface vessel (USV) developer, to develop autonomous maritime systems.

Tata's India chip fab faces leadership churn and engineering hurdles amid uneven but continuing progress

DIGITIMES — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:14:01 GMT

Tata Electronics' flagship semiconductor fabrication project in Dholera, Gujarat—long viewed as India's most ambitious attempt to build a domestic chip manufacturing ecosystem—continues to move forward but remains marked by repeated setbacks alongside visible progress. While construction activity and regulatory milestones indicate momentum, leadership exits and complex site conditions underline the challenges of executing a greenfield fab at global scale.

Innolux enters leading tier of advanced packaging with new RDL and TGV technology

Emily Kuo — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:13:27 GMT

Innolux is expanding into the advanced semiconductor packaging sector, leveraging display technology as its core platform to accelerate integration with semiconductor and IoT technologies. Building on its strengths in Thin-Film Transistors (TFTs), the company continues to enhance hardware performance while aggressively deploying in Mini LED, Micro LED, and advanced semiconductor packaging. Through technological iteration and capacity optimization, it aims to strengthen its market competitiveness.

BMW's color-changing car is no longer a concept — E Ink says it's ready for mass production

Emily Kuo — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:44:25 GMT

E-paper manufacturer E Ink stated that the BMW iX3 Flow Edition equipped with E Ink Prism technology was officially released at the Auto China 2026. This represents a major breakthrough in automotive surface innovation technology. The BMW iX3 Flow Edition has become the world's first vehicle to adopt E Ink Prism electronic paper technology and move toward mass production, marking a new stage in which electronic paper vehicle-body technology has officially transitioned from concept demonstrations to practical applications.

Harman hits KRW15.78 trillion in revenue 10 years after Samsung acquisition

Lily Hess — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:41:21 GMT

Samsung Electronics executive chairman Lee Jae-yong's bold acquisition of premium audio brand Harman for KRW9.4 trillion (approx. US$6.3 billion) a decade ago has paid off, with the American subsidiary of Samsung posting historic highs in both revenue and operating profit.

AI data centers hit interconnect limits, boosting optical module demand

DIGITIMES — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:41:00 GMT

The surge in optical module stocks reflects a deeper shift in AI infrastructure: the bottleneck is no longer computing power alone, but how that power is connected.

Samsung, Kingston reportedly lift SSD prices by over 10% as supply tightens

DIGITIMES — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:40:47 GMT

Samsung Electronics and Kingston Technology have reportedly notified distributors of price increases of more than 10% across their solid-state drive (SSD) product lines, according to IT Home, citing supply chain sources.

ASML cuts management layers due to restructuring; TSMC stance affects High-NA outlook

DIGITIMES — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:40:34 GMT

ASML is moving to eliminate a wide range of management roles as part of a broader effort to simplify its organization and improve execution, according to internal documents viewed by Business Insider.

Samsung reportedly advances sub-10nm DRAM as SK Hynix targets HBM4E sampling

DIGITIMES — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:40:16 GMT

Samsung Electronics has reportedly produced a working die for sub-10nm DRAM, marking a potential breakthrough below the 10-nanometer threshold, according to The Elec. SK Hynix, meanwhile, is preparing to sample its next-generation high-bandwidth memory product as memory makers accelerate their product roadmaps.

Nvidia and OpenAI both make US$20 billion bets on AI chip startups: what's the common factor?

Emily Kuo — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:40:01 GMT

2026 has become a major year for IPO fundraising among leading AI players. At the end of 2025, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang spent US$20 billion to acquire the IP and talent of AI chip startup Groq. In April 2026, The Information reported that OpenAI will purchase more than US$20 billion worth of chips from AI chip startup Cerebras. These two amounts are nearly identical; Nvidia for acquisition, OpenAI for procurement. Although seemingly isolated events, they are symmetrical moves.

JDI accelerates exit from LTPS, reshaping automotive display panel landscape

Jingyue Hsiao — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:39:45 GMT

Japan Display Inc. (JDI) is accelerating its withdrawal from the low-temperature polycrystalline silicon panel market by selling its Tottori plant to Yahata Toei Real Estate, a deal expected to close by September 30, 2026. The Tottori factory stopped production in March 2025, following the closure of the Mobara plant in November 2025.

BizLink expands optical interconnect push, sees uncertain CPO ramp timing

Sherri Wang — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:39:33 GMT

The artificial intelligence boom continues to drive demand for related hardware, particularly as server power delivery and high-speed data transmission requirements increase. Against this backdrop, BizLink has shifted its business mix toward high-performance computing and semiconductor applications, which now account for more than 50% of revenue, transforming the company from a traditional cable supplier into a provider of integrated power and high-speed connectivity solutions for AI data centers.

Samsung bets its HBM leverage can hold Nvidia's LPU orders — but TSMC is pushing back

Charlene Chen — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:39:17 GMT

The AI era has officially shifted from training to inference and agent-centric computing, prompting Nvidia's strategic acquisition of Groq to integrate LPUs into its own platform. This move not only eliminates a strong competitor but also sparks a fierce battle between Samsung Electronics and TSMC over LPU foundry orders.

Commentary: Sodium batteries reset EV cost structure and supply chain balance

Levi Li — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:39:02 GMT

For more than a decade, lithium-ion batteries have defined the global power battery market, concentrating technology, capital and supply chains along a single trajectory. That model is now under pressure. Sharp swings in lithium carbonate prices have exposed structural vulnerabilities, forcing the industry to confront a long-ignored question: what happens when the core input cost is no longer predictable?

LandMark Optoelectronics ramps up semiconductor-grade equipment for 6-inch SiPh amid surging demand

Charlene Chen — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 06:00:03 GMT

Silicon photonics (SiPh) products continue to see strong demand, with optical communication epitaxy manufacturer LandMark Optoelectronics reporting output still far below customer needs. The company plans to increase capital expenditure (capex) to NT$1.315 billion (US$41.7 million) in 2026 to prepare early for second-half 2027 demand, and aims to introduce semiconductor-grade equipment for processes involving substrates larger than 6 inches, targeting a new expansion phase starting in 2028.

The Taiwan startup that Qualcomm helped build the agentic OS for edge AI

DIGITIMES — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 02:11:44 GMT

When the avocado has two hours left, the AI takes over.

China's Horizon Robotics aims at Tesla with new self-driving platform

Elaine Chen — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 01:57:09 GMT

As competition in intelligent electric vehicles shifts from incremental feature upgrades to full system-level redesign, China's Horizon Robotics is mounting an ambitious strategic push — one that places it in more direct competition with Tesla.

Taiwan's industrial production surges on AI infrastructure demand

Eifeh Strom — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 01:56:55 GMT

Data released by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on April 23 showed that major global cloud service providers continue to expand procurement of artificial intelligence (AI) hardware as countries worldwide build out AI infrastructure. As a result, industrial production of computer, electronic, and optical products — primarily AI servers — surged 146.32% in March 2026. Cumulatively, output from January to March rose 131.77% compared with the same period in 2025.

India's solar growth faces policy tension between local manufacturing push and rapid capacity expansion

DIGITIMES — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 01:56:30 GMT

India's push to localize solar manufacturing while rapidly expanding capacity is creating a structural bottleneck, as stricter domestic sourcing rules risk constraining supply just as renewable deployment accelerates. Industry groups warn that the mismatch between solar cell production and demand could delay projects, even as the government accelerates its clean energy transition.

Chinese AI firms push into deployment, shift focus to inference at GITEX Asia

DIGITIMES — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 01:55:58 GMT

Chinese artificial intelligence companies are reshaping global AI deployment strategies, accelerating a shift toward inference-driven, commercially viable applications at GITEX Asia 2026.

Hon Hai and Mitsubishi Electric sign MOU on joint automotive equipment venture

DIGITIMES — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 10:50:21 GMT

Foxconn eyes 50% stake in Mitsubishi Electric Mobility as it deepens push into EV-related hardware.

Chipmakers face higher cost pressure as packaging outpaces foundry price hikes

Lily Hess — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 08:58:07 GMT

In recent weeks, chip companies ranging from major players to small and medium-sized firms have issued price increase notices or begun renegotiating product prices with select customers. These moves aim to pass on steadily rising manufacturing costs across the supply chain as outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) costs surge faster than even foundry price increases.

Google splits AI chips into training and inference TPUs, signaling shift toward workload-specialized AI infrastructure

Jingyue Hsiao — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 08:33:45 GMT

At Google Cloud Next 26, Google Cloud announced a strategic shift in its AI hardware approach by introducing two distinct eighth-generation Tensor Processing Units: the TPU v8t for training and the TPU v8i for inference. The move is intended to boost performance and energy efficiency by optimizing each chip for its specific role.

M31 and TSMC complete eUSB2V2 tapeout on N2P process

Charlene Chen — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 08:15:16 GMT

IP provider M31 has announced that its eUSB2V2 interface IP has completed tapeout on TSMC's N2P 2nm process. M31 CEO Scott Chang emphasized that 2nm interface IP must align closely with the manufacturing platform to boost design efficiency and accelerate time-to-market.