DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

GlobalFoundries revenue rises 13% as data center demand offsets mobile decline

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:46:29 GMT

GlobalFoundries' third quarter showed the contract chipmaker's revenue base shifting from smartphones to AI-related networking, and that shift is now boosting profitability. Revenue rose 13% from a year earlier to US$1.9 billion for the three months ended September 30, according to the company's November 4 earnings release, while IFRS gross margin widened to 30.1%.

Qualcomm's September-quarter revenue falls 8% as handset slump outweighs automotive gains

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:45:13 GMT

Qualcomm's fiscal fourth quarter showed a company whose growth now comes almost entirely from outside the smartphone, but not yet at a scale that can offset a shrinking handset business. Revenue fell 8% from a year earlier to US$10.3 billion for the three months ended September 27, according to the company's November 4 earnings release, as a memory-driven downturn in phone demand weighed on its largest product line while automotive chips grew sharply.

Arm's quarterly revenue rises 27% as licensing outpaces smartphone-weighed royalties

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:44:03 GMT

Arm's September quarter showed demand for its technology moving toward data centers while its smartphone royalty base slowed. Revenue rose 27% from a year earlier to a record US$1.44 billion for the fiscal second quarter ended September 30, according to the company's November 4 shareholder letter. Still, the gain came mostly from licensing deals rather than from the per-chip royalties that make up Arm's recurring income.

Taiwan-Netherlands launch four photonics R&D partnerships

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:43:10 GMT

Taiwan and the Netherlands announced four joint research and development collaborations on November 4 under their bilateral Technology Bridge Program, targeting photonic packaging, 5G and 6G communications, AI data center connectivity, and quantum computing. The agreements were unveiled during PIC Summit Europe as both sides sought to deepen semiconductor cooperation and strengthen supply chain resilience despite having no formal diplomatic relations.

oToBrite and Yuan build robot vision chain for Nvidia platform

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:42:46 GMT

As the Physical Intelligence and autonomous vehicle markets heat up, oToBrite is partnering with Yuan High-Tech Development to integrate its 3D binocular stereo vision camera module with NVIDIA Jetson Thor, delivering an end-to-end vision solution for robots and unmanned vehicles. The collaboration addresses the need for precise depth perception and low-latency image transmission in complex environments.

Chicony Power profit hit by notebooks in Q3 2026

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:41:38 GMT

Chicony Power Technology Co. reported weaker quarterly results in the third quarter of 2026 as slowing notebook demand and severe memory shortages among customers weighed on performance. The power supply maker expects AI servers and communications power supplies to drive growth in the fourth quarter, while low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite products are positioned as a key growth engine for 2027.

Airoha targets multibillion growth as 100G ramps, 200G tapes out

Lily Hess — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:40:57 GMT

Airoha, a MediaTek subsidiary, expects its optical communications business to deliver another multiple-fold increase in 2027 as 100G pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM4) digital signal processor (DSP) shipments ramp and its 200G product targets tape-out by the end of the year. The company also reported record quarterly revenue and profit in the third quarter of 2026, driven by its wired networking infrastructure and wireless edge AI businesses.

Empyrean's EDA acquisitions could give Korean chip designers cheaper tools—and stronger Chinese rivals

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:40:28 GMT

China's efforts to build a complete domestic chip-design software stack are gathering pace through acquisitions and strategic investments. Empyrean Technology's latest transactions target gaps in verification, placement and routing, and logic optimisation, strengthening its challenge to established electronic design automation (EDA) suppliers.

AI chips need 1.5 years to move beyond cloud: HCLTech

Lily Hess — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:39:45 GMT

HCLTech said AI chips will need about 1.5 years to move into mass adoption beyond cloud infrastructure, as the industry develops integrated semiconductor platforms to support large-scale AI deployment. The company made the remarks in a white paper released with Omdia on November 3, which highlights Taiwan's key role in powering the next phase of AI infrastructure growth.

DIGITIMES Insight: TSMC, ASML's 2031 photomask target puts High NA EUV suppliers on the clock

Levi Li — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:38:51 GMT

ASML and TSMC announced plans in September 2026, ahead of the SPIE BACUS symposium, to advance high-numerical-aperture extreme ultraviolet (High NA EUV) lithography by replacing the decades-old 6-inch photomask format with larger 12-inch masks. TSMC plans to introduce High NA EUV into advanced-node volume production from 2030, establish a 12-inch mask pilot line and begin production-line and ecosystem qualification by 2031, and achieve full readiness for 12-inch-mask High NA EUV systems supporting advanced-node manufacturing by 2033.

Murata, Samsung Electro-Mechanics reportedly secure Winbond's silicon capacitor capacity

Sherri Wang — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:37:41 GMT

Murata Manufacturing and Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) have reportedly secured silicon capacitor production capacity from Winbond Electronics to meet demand from their end customers, as the Taiwanese memory maker expands into components used in AI advanced packaging.

From assembly lines to front lines, defense opens new opportunities for automakers

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:36:24 GMT

As low capacity utilization, steep tariffs, and fierce competition from Chinese automakers pressure the industry, significant growth in European defense spending is opening new business opportunities for European and US automotive supply chains. Automakers are entering the defense sector through four main models, namely plant conversion, platform adaptation, protection and security, and autonomous logistics, channeling idle capacity and technological strengths into this new blue ocean.

AI squeezes chip component capacity as Zyxel flags longer lead times, higher memory costs

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:34:36 GMT

Slowing capex by global telecom operators and surging prices for memory and other components weakened Taiwan-based networking equipment maker Zyxel Group's operations in the third quarter of 2026. The company posted consolidated revenue of NT$7.753 billion (US$236.7 million), down 11.4% quarter-over-quarter but up 20.8% year-over-year, as overall customer demand recovered.

Nvidia DSX POD leads modular wave as Taiwanese firms race into AI data-center integration

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:34:14 GMT

As AI data center construction continues to scale up, shortening build times and bringing computing capacity online faster have become key priorities for cloud service providers (CSPs) and AI infrastructure companies. Nvidia's recently launched DSX POD reference design seeks to move equipment installation, cabling, piping, and system testing from data center sites to factories, pushing AI data centers toward prefabricated, modular delivery.

Subsidies pave the way as cheap cells squeeze Taiwan's energy storage players into a profit battle

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:33:41 GMT

With Taiwan's electricity prices poised to rise, large power users set to bear the brunt, and the government planning to broaden the definition of large power users, pairing electricity supply with energy storage has become a global trend. However, as Taiwan's energy storage market faces competition from low-cost lithium battery cells, whether government subsidies can translate into actual profits has become a focus for many local supply chains.

Taiwan's power density tops Japan, South Korea as AI drives Southern Taiwan Science Park load

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 23:32:57 GMT

AI expansion and rising household electricity demand are pushing Taiwan's power consumption higher, with Taipower forecasting that the Southern Taiwan Science Park's electricity load will reach about 4GW in 2031, accounting for 9% of Taiwan's total power use. Taiwan's electricity consumption per unit of land is already about 2.7 times Japan's and 1.3 times South Korea's, Taipower said.

Former Intel packaging chief Navid Shahriari joins MediaTek as senior vice president

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 10:43:22 GMT

MediaTek announced that Navid Shahriari will join the company on November 9 as Senior Vice President, reporting to the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer.

Waymo fleet crowds San Diego chargers, straining EV access

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 09:29:00 GMT

Alphabet's autonomous taxi service Waymo began operations in San Diego, California, in September 2026 and expanded its coverage on October 27. However, EV owners have reported that large numbers of robotaxis are using public fast-charging stations, forcing other drivers to queue and prompting local politicians to call for tighter oversight of autonomous vehicles.

Amazon's US$2 billion Ohio data center plan faces new hurdle as voters approve ban

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 09:27:12 GMT

Voters in Sunbury, Ohio, approved a ban on large data centers in the November 3 election, raising a new obstacle to Amazon's proposed US$2 billion project as communities across the US move to restrict AI infrastructure development.

US election previews shift toward AI oversight and data center regulation

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 09:24:56 GMT

Asian stocks wavered on November 4 in response to the US midterm election results. While the final votes are still being counted, current results show the Democratic Party winning majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate, a clear indication of voters' discontent about data center development in their localities, which could usher in more regulation of the AI industry.

Innodisk advances AI data center push with eSSD, DDR5 products

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 08:56:00 GMT

Industrial memory module maker Innodisk is deepening its AI data center strategy by supplying critical components for AI infrastructure, including enterprise solid-state drives (eSSDs) and AI server memory modules. Its data center SSD series is now undergoing full customer sampling, while DDR5 and RDIMM products will launch in stages to support data-intensive model training, inference, and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads for cloud service providers and emerging cloud operators (Neoclouds).

Raydium faces 4Q26 slowdown after AI capacity fears fuel customer stockpiling

Levi Li — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 08:54:00 GMT

Display driver IC designer Raydium Semiconductor reported consolidated revenue of NT$6.57 billion (≈ US$200 million) for the third quarter of 2026, down 3.8% sequentially but up 21.0% year on year. Gross margin reached 26.4%, rising 0.7pp from the previous quarter but falling 2.2pp from a year earlier. Operating profit declined 13.1% sequentially and 11.7% year on year to NT$310 million.

Broadcom loses final appeal over Samsung chip supply deal

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 08:53:59 GMT

South Korea's Supreme Court has upheld a KRW18.664 billion (approx. US$13.9 million) fine against Broadcom for pressuring Samsung Electronics into a long-term smartphone component purchasing agreement by disrupting supplies, bringing the US chipmaker's legal challenge to an end.

Onsemi to buy Ferric for US$600M to strengthen AI processor power delivery

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 08:47:00 GMT

Onsemi has agreed to acquire Ferric, Inc., a developer of integrated voltage regulator (IVR) technology, for US$600 million in cash plus up to US$175 million in contingent consideration tied to revenue milestones, the company announced on November 2, 2026. Alongside the deal, Onsemi raised its 2030 AI data center revenue target by US$500 million to more than US$3 billion.

Weblink International posts record 3Q26 profit on AI demand

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 08:45:00 GMT

Weblink International Inc. reported record profit for both the third quarter of 2026 and the first three quarters, driven by growing enterprise AI adoption and sales of new products. The company's board approved its third-quarter 2026 financial report on November 3.

Pegatron chairman says AI crisis fears after Democratic midterm win are overblown

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 08:32:40 GMT

Pegatron Corp. Chairman Tung Tzu-hsien said on November 4 that claims AI is in crisis because the Democratic Party won the US election are somewhat overblown, adding that the narrative could be the work of short sellers.

Global chip sales top US$500 billion in a single quarter for first time

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 08:15:00 GMT

Worldwide semiconductor revenue reached US$517.7 billion in the third quarter of 2026, a 24.1% increase from the prior quarter, according to data released by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) on Tuesday.

Taiwan advances virtual asset governance as FSC unveils new regulatory framework

Willis Ke — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 08:06:22 GMT

Taiwan has taken a major step toward regulating its virtual asset market, with the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) announcing supporting rules for the Virtual Asset Services Act on November 3. As the regulatory framework takes shape, stablecoins, digital asset custody and blockchain-based financial services are emerging as potential drivers of financial innovation, although industry leaders and regulators warn that security and risk management remain critical to market development.

Marvell's Lumentum deal gives optical DSP rivals until 2028 to court its customers

Levi Li — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 07:54:57 GMT

Marvell's proposed all-stock acquisition of Lumentum faces a challenge beyond a shrinking takeover premium: whether optical module makers will shift orders away from its dominant optical digital signal processor (DSP) business.

CHT expands Google partnership with AI services

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 07:45:34 GMT

Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) is expanding its partnership with Google beyond Google One, YouTube Premium and Pixel smartphone sales to include GenAI services. On November 4, CHT announced plans to introduce Google's latest AI offerings through its channels, while Google Taiwan said the partners will launch more initiatives in 2027 to promote AI-enabled living.

Intel reportedly targets DDR4 upgrades with Raptor Lake Next

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 07:22:47 GMT

DDR4 memory, once gradually fading from the market, is regaining popularity as tight DRAM supply drives DDR5 prices higher. Following AMD's revival of processors supporting the AM4 platform, Intel is reportedly preparing to extend its Raptor Lake architecture to target the DDR4 PC upgrade market.

GCS Holdings welcomes Marvell's Lumentum deal, locks in 2027 InP supply

Lily Hess — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 07:17:59 GMT

Marvell Technology and optical communications laser maker Lumentum announced on November 2 that they had signed a definitive agreement for Marvell to acquire Lumentum in an all-stock transaction. Compound semiconductor maker GCS welcomed the deal, saying it will give Marvell's optoelectronics business a more complete product portfolio.

Why defense's blue ocean is no smooth sailing for automakers

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 06:59:00 GMT

Although the defense market has emerged as a new blue ocean for the auto industry, entering it is far from smooth sailing. The main concern remains the national security sensitivities inherent in defense work. Amid international rivalry, automotive supply chains moving into defense can easily become targets, raising the risk that defense gains could shake companies' core automotive businesses. In addition, small, customized defense orders may offer limited profit margins, posing another concern for automakers.

Samsung to reportedly make AMD, Nvidia HBM base dies at second Texas fab

DIGITIMES — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 06:57:15 GMT

Samsung Electronics plans to produce high-bandwidth memory (HBM) base dies for AMD at its second foundry plant in Taylor, Texas, with the US chipmaker accounting for most of the facility's planned output, South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper reported on November 3, citing industry sources. The report said the plant would also supply Nvidia, although Samsung has not confirmed either customer's orders.

PC slump hits Darfon, but MLCCs, green energy keep 2026 growth on track

Jingyue Hsiao — Wed, 4 Nov 2026 06:50:00 GMT

Affected by weak notebook and PC demand, Darfon Electronics reported third-quarter 2026 consolidated revenue of NT$7.011 billion (US$214 million), up 7.8% year-over-year but down about 6.7% quarter-over-quarter. The company said notebook and PC demand weakened after higher raw material and component costs pushed up end-product prices, dragging down its IT peripherals business, which accounts for about 40% of revenue. Although its green energy and integrated components businesses maintained year-over-year growth, they were not enough to offset the decline.