DIGITIMES Asia: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

China unveils CPU-only exascale supercomputer plan, targets 2 ExaFLOPS without GPUs

DIGITIMES — Fri, 1 May 2026 03:02:33 GMT

China's National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen has launched the LineShine supercomputer project, aiming to break into the exascale tier with a CPU-only architecture that excludes both GPU accelerators and foreign components, challenging the current global trajectory of supercomputing design.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics weighs MLCC price hike of 5–10% as supply tightens

DIGITIMES — Fri, 1 May 2026 03:02:04 GMT

Samsung Electro-Mechanics is considering raising prices for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) by about 5% to 10% as demand from artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure tightens supply, according to Korean media reports and industry sources.

Column: Designing safety for VLA robots in commercial deployment

Jingyue Hsiao — Fri, 1 May 2026 03:01:17 GMT

The deployment density of service and mobile robots in commercial environments has surged over the past three years. What began as narrowly defined automation—inspection units in factories or delivery bots in controlled settings—has expanded into restaurants, retail stores, hospitals, warehouses, and even outdoor logistics. Yet despite this rapid proliferation, most of these machines still operate on rigid rules and pre-programmed workflows, closer to moving appliances than adaptive systems.

Hardware bottlenecks emerge as humanoid robotics race intensifies

Jingyue Hsiao — Fri, 1 May 2026 03:01:01 GMT

Competition in humanoid robotics has intensified in recent years, with advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning often cited as the main drivers of progress. However, attention is increasingly turning to hardware limitations—particularly actuators used in robotic hands and arms—which some industry participants argue remain the key barrier to achieving human-level dexterity and commercial viability.

Macronix eyes steady growth from 1Q26 amid eMMC supply gap

Lily Hess — Fri, 1 May 2026 03:00:47 GMT

Memory maker Macronix (MXIC) is emerging from an operational slump in the first quarter of 2026, driven by explosive revenue growth in embedded multi-media cards (eMMCs) as major global players exit the multi-level cell (MLC) NAND segment. The company reported a quarterly increase of 94% and an annual surge of 3,993% in eMMC sales.

Samsung strike threat highlights rising labor risk to AI chip supply chain and corporate pay models

DIGITIMES — Fri, 1 May 2026 03:00:28 GMT

Samsung Electronics is facing its largest labor escalation in years after unions representing tens of thousands of workers voted to authorize strike action. The dispute centers on compensation structures, particularly performance-based bonuses linked to semiconductor profits, which workers argue have become increasingly opaque and insufficient relative to the company's record earnings in the AI-driven chip cycle.

KLA 3Q26: AI chip demand drives process control, guidance fails to clear bar

DIGITIMES — Fri, 1 May 2026 02:30:58 GMT

KLA Corporation's fiscal 3Q26 results underscore a familiar pattern in the current semiconductor cycle: strong execution tied to AI infrastructure demand, but investor expectations are rising even faster.

SanDisk 3Q26: AI demand lifts NAND, long-term deals reshape profit model

DIGITIMES — Fri, 1 May 2026 01:05:56 GMT

SanDisk's fiscal 3Q26 results point to a decisive shift in the NAND industry, with AI-driven data center demand lifting both performance and pricing, while new long-term supply agreements begin to reshape the sector's historically cyclical model.

Apple earnings call signals a supply-constrained handoff to the Ternus era

DIGITIMES — Fri, 1 May 2026 00:35:19 GMT

Apple's fiscal second-quarter earnings call was less about the beat and more about positioning the next phase of leadership. The message was controlled and deliberate: demand is strong, constraints are external, and incoming CEO John Ternus represents continuity with sharper hardware and AI execution.

Apple's fiscal 2Q in numbers: iPhone surge, China rebound, margins hold

DIGITIMES — Fri, 1 May 2026 00:00:27 GMT

Apple Inc. beat Wall Street expectations in its fiscal second quarter, with strong iPhone demand, resilient Services growth and a rebound in China driving a broad-based earnings outperformance.

Commentary: Honor's robot win highlights thermal edge in robotics

Levi Li — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:05:00 GMT

The Beijing Humanoid Robot Half Marathon has concluded, but its outcome has ignited a wider industry debate. Rather than a leading robotics specialist, smartphone maker Honor emerged as the unexpected winner — raising questions over whether the company's success reflects genuine technological strength or exposes lower-than-expected barriers in the humanoid robotics sector.

AGI, Inc. advances on-device agentic AI strategy as it targets cross-platform automation

DIGITIMES — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:03:50 GMT

AGI, Inc., also known as The AGI Company, is a San Francisco–based applied AI startup developing what it describes as "on-device superintelligence" for smartphones, computers and browsers. In the emerging agentic AI era, the company focuses on systems that go beyond generating responses and instead execute real-world tasks on behalf of users.

Hengs Technology secures NT$7.6B in orders, expands solar EPC into energy storage and EV charging

Emily Kuo — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:03:32 GMT

As Taiwan's energy transition enters a critical phase, the stability of power supply and the quality of renewable energy infrastructure have become key industry concerns. While numerous solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) providers operate in the market, only a handful offer fully integrated capabilities. Hengs Technology stands out for its comprehensive approach, extending beyond solar EPC to include AI-driven data management, as well as expansion into energy storage EPC and EV charging infrastructure. Chairman Heng-Hao Chou stated that Hengs currently holds more than NT$7.6 billion (US$239.6 million) in orders, which are expected to be gradually recognized as revenue over the next two to three years. The company has set clear targets for 2026, aiming to deploy more than 100MW of solar capacity during the year.

Google's split TPU chips signal shift from universal to specialized AI accelerators

Lily Hess — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:03:20 GMT

Google has unveiled its eighth-generation Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) by splitting them into two distinct chips: the training-focused TPU 8t and the inference-optimized TPU 8i. This move goes beyond simply designing two chips; it reflects Google's capability to break down bottlenecks across different stages of the model lifecycle, restructuring chip design, interconnects, memory, scheduling, and software stacks.

Taiwan OSAT Powertech lifts capex to US$1.6bn, targets AI packaging growth

Levi Li — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:32:41 GMT

Memory packaging and testing provider Powertech Technology posted net profit of NT$1.84 billion (US$57 million) for the first quarter of 2026, its second-highest for the same period, and raised its full-year outlook. The company increased its planned 2026 capital expenditure from NT$40 billion to NT$50 billion and expects broad price increases for logic and memory products in the second quarter of 2026, supporting sequential revenue gains and high single-digit to low double-digit annual growth.

SpaceX's IPO gives Musk unchecked control via 'Texas fortress' strategy

DIGITIMES — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:30:14 GMT

As SpaceX prepares for a public debut at a valuation targeting US$1.75 trillion, new regulatory filings have revealed a corporate governance structure that positions Elon Musk as an unassailable leader. According to Reuters, the company's IPO filing includes a provision stating that Musk cannot be removed from his roles as CEO and chairman of the board without his own consent.

ASE Technology sees seasonality fade as AI demand drives steady 2026 growth

Eifeh Strom — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:24:57 GMT

Global outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) leader ASE Technology Holding (ASEH) held an earnings call on April 29, reporting a robust first quarter of 2026 that broke from the traditional seasonal slowdown. Growth was driven primarily by sustained strong demand for leading-edge advanced packaging (LEAP) technologies, alongside a simultaneous rebound in wire bonding orders — together fueling an 87% year-on-year surge in quarterly net profit after tax, the second highest on record for the period.

Korea's 'father of HBM' sees 1,000x AI memory surge as Google's TurboQuant faces real-world tests

Willis Ke — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:12:53 GMT

Alphabet's Google has unveiled its KV cache quantization compression technology, TurboQuant, promising dramatic reductions in memory usage for AI inference. While the innovation has captured global attention, South Korea's academic and industrial sectors remain skeptical about its practical feasibility, even as they firmly expect AI inference to continue driving substantial growth in memory demand.

CIRC pursues dual-track drone strategy targeting domestic tenders and overseas markets

Kevin Wang — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:07:47 GMT

Coretronic Intelligent Robotics Corp. (CIRC), a subsidiary of Coretronic Corp., has long attracted attention for its drone business. Although the company is facing delays with Taiwan's largest-ever drone procurement project, other government agencies — such as the Coast Guard, police, and fire departments — estimate their combined drone demands at around NT$1 billion (US$31.7 million).

MetaX GPU revenue jumps 75%, losses narrow on AI demand

DIGITIMES — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:40:37 GMT

China-based GPU developer MetaX reported a solid start to 2026, underscoring how domestic high-performance GPUs are beginning to translate technical progress into tangible commercial traction.

Meta's 1Q26 earnings redraw the AI hardware map

DIGITIMES — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:38:43 GMT

Meta Platforms' first-quarter 2026 earnings delivered one of the most consequential procurement signals in recent memory for Asia's technology supply chain.

Microsoft's capex plans draw scrutiny as Azure demand outstrips capacity

DIGITIMES — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:33:37 GMT

Microsoft executives defended the company's rising capital spending after reporting stronger-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, saying demand for Azure, Copilot, and AI infrastructure continues to exceed available capacity.

Memory crunch squeezes smartphone SoC market as Samsung gains share

DIGITIMES — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:25:23 GMT

Global smartphone system-on-chip (SoC) shipments fell 8% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026, as a prolonged memory shortage weighed on handset makers and chipset vendors, according to Counterpoint Research.

Samsung memory buyers lock in longer deals as 2027 demand comes early

DIGITIMES — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:16:37 GMT

Samsung Electronics executives said major memory customers are seeking longer-term supply commitments and pulling forward demand for 2027, underscoring how tight supply is reshaping negotiations across DRAM, HBM, and server storage.

Taiwan wafer maker Episil triples capex to scale silicon photonics for AI

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:14:27 GMT

Episil Precision will reallocate production toward larger-diameter silicon epitaxy and silicon photonics to improve profitability and meet AI supply chain demand, the company announced. The move includes cutting lower-margin small-wafer lines and expanding capex to scale capacity for 2027 and 2028.

Alphabet's AI surge, by the numbers: Cloud, search and subscriptions rewire growth

DIGITIMES — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:11:12 GMT

Alphabet's first-quarter 2026 results point to a company increasingly defined by AI-driven momentum across search, cloud, and subscriptions—with CEO Sundar Pichai framing the quarter as evidence that its "full-stack" AI strategy is beginning to translate into measurable business performance.

Quanta eyes strong 2026 server demand as general-purpose orders surge

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:10:33 GMT

Quanta Cloud Technology's expected 2026 server momentum could reshape global data center supply chains, as rising demand for both AI and general-purpose servers — highlighted by surging orders from Alphabet's Google — may tighten processor supplies, alter ODM margins, and influence procurement strategies across cloud, enterprise, and edge markets worldwide.

Intel kills three projects in two months as Kechichian launches multi-year reset

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:06:58 GMT

Intel's reorganization under Kevork Kechichian, backed by CEO Lip‑Bu Tan, aims to reposition amid Nvidia's AI dominance and Arm's rise, signaling a shift to CPU-centric orchestration alongside GPUs and ASICs—an opportunity with major worldwide implications for data-center economics, AI deployment strategies, and competition in the next two to three years.

Automotive architecture innovation raises chip barriers, boosting semiconductor content amid vehicle sales slump

Charlene Chen — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:06:20 GMT

Recent financial reports from leading European and American IDM companies, Texas Instruments (TI) and NXP Semiconductors, reveal that although growth in automotive chips remains modest, the continued increase is notable given the overall global automotive market downturn. Industry insiders note that the rising semiconductor content in vehicles is accelerating fast enough to offset weak vehicle sales, supporting a positive outlook for automotive chips.

Chunghwa Precision Test raises capex as HPC probe card orders hit 30% of sales

DIGITIMES — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:05:05 GMT

Chunghwa Precision Test Tech reported that strong demand from high-performance computing chip customers drove first-quarter 2026 revenue to NT$1.357 billion (US$43 million) and operating profit to NT$342 million, with earnings per share reaching 10.43 despite seasonal headwinds. The firm said probe card sales tied to HPC workloads surged, lifting full probe card revenue to NT$405 million and accounting for nearly 30% of total sales in the quarter.

Unisplendour, H3C gain from AI buildout, monetization in focus

DIGITIMES — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:04:15 GMT

China's AI infrastructure race is entering a phase where scale alone is no longer enough. As large models move from training to real-world deployment, the focus is shifting toward cost efficiency, system integration and application delivery. Against this backdrop, Unisplendour is emerging as a key beneficiary of the buildout, though its long-term trajectory will depend on how effectively it converts infrastructure strength into sustainable commercial value.

Delta Electronics posts 34% revenue growth in 1Q26, invests NT$12.1B to expand Taoyuan plants

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 07:02:11 GMT

Delta Electronics reported strong first-quarter results and approved NT$12.1 billion (US$380 million) in plant investments, moves that signal expanded production capacity for AI servers and data center infrastructure worldwide. Global customers and suppliers may face shifts in supply chains and competition as the company ramps up local manufacturing and overseas funding for growth.

South Korea's OLED share rebounds to 68.7% in 2025

Charlene Chen — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 06:58:23 GMT

South Korea's global OLED market share increased by 1.5pp to 68.7% in 2025, marking its first rise in a decade and drawing widespread attention. According to Chosun Biz, the Korea Display Industry Association (KDIA) cited Omdia data showing South Korean companies regained ground in the OLED sector after years of decline.

NB plans plan to cut NRE and tooling fees, Chinese ODMs expand manufacturing footprint

Emily Kuo — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 06:50:08 GMT

Sources from the notebook (NB) supply chain stated that Taiwanese ODM manufacturers that once stood at the forefront of the market are gradually stepping back, with Chinese ODM manufacturers beginning to take over. This shift is built on three conditions: first, shortages and rising prices of key components have pushed brand vendors to take aggressive measures to protect profits; second, the capabilities of Chinese manufacturers have improved; and third, Taiwanese ODMs are redirecting resources toward higher-growth AI opportunities such as servers.

China Electric manufacturing bets on AI to revive growth

Elaine Chen — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 06:49:17 GMT

More than 70 years after its founding, China Electric Manufacturing Corporation has built a steady market position under its "TOA" lighting brand. Now, the company is turning to artificial intelligence in an effort to revive growth.