DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

Interview: Resonac maps five PLP hurdles, eyes 510x515mm pilot line

Charlene Chen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 21:45:00 GMT

Advanced packaging is reshaping the semiconductor value chain, making materials innovation a key source of technical breakthroughs. As large-format panel-level packaging (PLP) gains traction, Resonac CTO for semiconductor materials Hidenori Abe told DIGITIMES that the company sees five major materials challenges: warpage, plating, coating, bonding, and polishing.

Luxshare eyes AR glasses breakthrough through car HUD model

Charlene Chen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 18:48:00 GMT

At the 2026 China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE), Luxshare and its lens module unit Luxvisions jointly showcased multiple optical and sensing technologies, including automotive camera modules, robot vision modules for autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), as well as tracking modules and waveguide display components for augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and extended reality (XR) wearables. The display underscored the group's push for vertical integration in optics.

Charts: Taiwan's AI supply chain growth moves from cooling to rack hardware

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 16:05:00 GMT

King Slide Works posted the fastest revenue growth in August among the 50 Taiwan-listed AI supply chain companies tracked by DIGITIMES, with sales up 318% from a year earlier. It marked the fourth consecutive month that the server rail kit maker more than doubled its revenue, following gains of 161% in May, 200% in June and 315% in July.

Why Chinese automakers' aggressive push only further tightens CATL's grip

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:48:54 GMT

Supply diversification has long been a recurring — and difficult — issue confronting the high-tech manufacturing ecosystem. But efforts to diversify component and materials sourcing have proved particularly challenging for automakers, which remain tied to a relatively concentrated upstream battery market.

ASE to buy AOI, AVI equipment from Machvision for NT$334M

Charlene Chen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:52:03 GMT

ASE announced at a news briefing on September 11, 2026, that ASE's board had approved the purchase of equipment, including automated optical inspection (AOI) and automated visual inspection (AVI) systems, from related company Machvision to meet capacity expansion needs. The cumulative pretax transaction value for the past year and future purchases, based on the quotation and negotiation process, came to NT$334 million (US$10.6 million).

Kioxia eyes US listing amid NAND profit rebound

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:25:37 GMT

Kioxia's planned US listing could broaden the Japanese memory maker's access to global institutional investors as a sharp recovery in NAND profitability coincides with stronger data-center demand and a new round of capacity investment.

Apple phones drive premium upgrade wave for carriers

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:21:11 GMT

Apple's newly unveiled iPhone 18 Pro series and the company's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, have prompted Taiwan's three major telecom operators to roll out pricing plans and preorder schedules, targeting the first wave of upgrade demand. Taiwan Mobile and FarEasTone said demand for high-end iPhones has continued to rise in recent years, and they expect the Pro series to be the first choice at launch this year, while the iPhone Duo could trigger a new round of upgrades among Apple fans.

Taiwan unfazed by Trump's renewed chip tariff threat as MOU already locks in preferential US treatment

Eifeh Strom — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:20:30 GMT

Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's expected visit to the US on September 24, US President Donald Trump has again discussed the issue of bringing chip manufacturing back to the US. Although he did not repeat his previous claim that Taiwan "stole" America's chip industry, Trump said Taiwan's chips should have been subject to heavy tariffs long ago, with tariffs of 100% or even 200%.

ficonTEC breaks CPO test bottleneck, teams with Hermes Testing

Charlene Chen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:19:25 GMT

German silicon photonics (SiPh) test equipment maker ficonTEC has broken through a major bottleneck in co-packaged optics (CPO) "electrical-in, optical-out" testing and launched what it calls the industry's first Insertion 2 automated optical test solution. As demand for photonics-integrated testing rises, the company expects equipment requirements to become more diverse and shipments to top 1,000 systems in the next 18-24 months.

Chipmaking equipment spending could hit US$270 billion by 2030, Futurum says

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:59:33 GMT

Global wafer fab equipment (WFE) spending could reach about US$270 billion in 2030 as data center expansion drives demand for advanced logic, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), DRAM and advanced packaging capacity, according to Futurum Group.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics, LG Innotek vie in AI package substrates

Yunnie Cheng — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:41:32 GMT

At South Korea's recent KPCA Show 2026, Samsung Electro-Mechanics and LG Innotek showcased their next-generation package substrate technologies. As AI semiconductors evolve toward higher performance, increased density, and larger footprints, both companies are competing for dominance in this high-value-added advanced packaging market.

Memory makers gain the upper hand as Apple's iPhones pay the price

Sherri Wang — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:26:08 GMT

Apple has raised prices on both its new iPhone 18 Pro series and older models, including the iPhone 17, as rising memory costs push up component expenses.

Enflame enters public markets with Nvidia alternatives in its sights

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:17:30 GMT

Chinese AI chipmaker Enflame Technology made a striking debut on Shanghai's STAR Market on Friday, with its shares opening 188% above the IPO price after raising CNY6.12 billion (US$912 million). The listing gives the Tencent-backed company fresh capital to fund its next generations of AI processors and large-scale computing systems, while sharpening attention on China's effort to build alternatives to Nvidia.

Huawei stakes out the AI optics rulebook with 7.2Tbps NPO

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:15:00 GMT

Huawei Technologies has unveiled a 7.2-terabit-per-second near-packaged optics (NPO) module for AI data centres, coupling a high-bandwidth product launch with an effort to shape emerging optical-interconnect standards as AI clusters strain the limits of copper connectivity.

AUO, Innolux accelerate shift from displays to AI, CPO, advanced packaging

Willis Ke — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:09:11 GMT

Taiwan's panel makers posted mixed August results as the industry's strategic focus shifts beyond monthly revenue toward AI, advanced packaging and co-packaged optics (CPO). AUO and Innolux, the island's two largest panel makers, are accelerating capacity reductions and asset sales while redirecting capital and technology toward higher-growth businesses. For smaller and mid-sized players, however, the path beyond displays remains far less defined.

CPO startup Ayar Labs raises 2026 funding to US$650 million, adds Wiwynn as investor

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 07:52:50 GMT

Ayar Labs, a co-packaged optics (CPO) startup, has raised an additional US$150 million, bringing the primary capital it has raised so far in 2026 to US$650 million. The company says it will use the money to move its CPO products into high-volume manufacturing.

Beyond Earth's orbit: how Besxar, Space Forge, Varda, BioOrbit, Voyager are industrializing space

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 07:27:42 GMT

A pioneering cohort of space startups is betting that the key to unlocking next-generation technology lies off Earth. Armed with millions in private capital and backing, these ventures are leveraging the unique conditions of low Earth orbit to manufacture semiconductor materials and pharmaceutical compounds with degrees of purity and structural perfection that can be difficult or impossible to achieve on Earth.

Innolux factory shift could reshape InnoCare's supply chain and growth mix

Jingyue Hsiao — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 07:14:00 GMT

InnoCare Optoelectronics is preparing for a major supply-chain adjustment as Innolux Corporation restructures its factories, with the parent company's second plant scheduled to close in September 2026. President Eric Lee said InnoCare has already built inventory, expanded outsourcing, and lined up a new production line to limit disruption, while also using the transition to strengthen its product mix and expand into semiconductor-related inspection work.

China's DRAM supply chain clears another materials hurdle

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 07:12:20 GMT

China's semiconductor localisation effort has reached another upstream materials milestone. Jiangsu Pacific Quartz Co. has secured qualification for high-purity quartz products at a domestic DRAM manufacturer capable of large-scale production.

CIOE: Hitachi relies on partnerships, not proprietary tech, to ride China's optical boom

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 06:40:07 GMT

At an optoelectronics trade expo in China, Hitachi High-Tech used its booth not to unveil a flagship product of its own, but to showcase a growing web of partnerships. This is a strategy the company says reflects both its late entry into the photonics race and its long-term goals in the region.

Samsung's Exynos gains ground as Galaxy S26 lifts share to 9%

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 06:18:45 GMT

Samsung Electronics is regaining ground in the global smartphone processor market, with its Exynos share rising to 9% in the second quarter of 2026 from 7% in the previous quarter as the Galaxy S26 brought Samsung's in-house chips back to its flagship lineup.

Taiwan govt boosts EDA R&D to target global gaps

Charlene Chen — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 06:04:00 GMT

Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) briefed Premier Jung-tai Cho on September 10, 2026, at an Executive Yuan meeting on the Chip-Driven, Taiwan-wide semiconductor core facility buildout and advanced chip design software development initiative, with the biggest focus on breakthroughs in Taiwan's next-generation electronic design automation (EDA) tools. Taiwan's academic and research community is targeting emerging EDA gaps that international giants have not yet fully developed or adequately supported, while building critical tools for heterogeneous integration, advanced packaging and system-level design.

CIOE 2026: Automotive optical-module demand could rival FTTx shipments by 2030

Sherri Wang — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:45:00 GMT

Automotive optical-module demand could approach the scale of the established FTTx market by around 2030 as increasingly data-intensive vehicles shift high-bandwidth connections from copper to fiber, according to Bai Qiang, deputy director for the automotive market at Xiamen UX IC Co. (UXIC).

China's energy storage capacity surges 50-fold in five years, sparking crackdown on lithium battery expansion

Scarlett Yu — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:40:00 GMT

China's energy storage industry has expanded at breakneck speed since the launch of the 14th Five-Year Plan, growing 50-fold in just five years. The government is now applying the brakes, as local government support has helped spawn large numbers of speculative "energy storage cockroaches"—companies that secure project rights without actually building the projects—causing planned capacity on paper to soar while actual construction lags far behind.

AI packaging turns to glass, with TGV metallisation persisting as key technical hurdle

Levi Li — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:35:00 GMT

Taiwan supply-chain sources said low-CTE glass fibre cloth used in high-end substrates remains tight, while glass-core substrates for next-generation packaging are still in technical validation and supply-chain development. Key challenges include material brittleness and inconsistencies in through-glass via (TGV) metallisation processing and reliability.

Apple cracks mmWave with C2, weakening Qualcomm's last big iPhone modem edge

Levi Li — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:20:16 GMT

Apple has introduced its new in-house C2 modem in the iPhone 18 Pro, and the US specifications list support for the n258, n260 and n261 mmWave bands, marking the first time Apple's C-series modem has crossed the mmWave threshold.

Micron brings forward record pay amid Taiwan strike threat

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 04:25:48 GMT

Micron has announced its FY26 pay package for more than 60,000 employees worldwide, the largest in the company's history. For the first time, every employee will receive merit-based stock awards, making the entire workforce shareholders.

Nvidia expands Australian AI factory push as global demand rises

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 04:21:43 GMT

Nvidia's latest partnerships in Australia could reshape where AI capacity is built and who can access it. The plan links power, data centers, and open models to local innovation, while also signaling a broader shift in how countries compete for compute, investment, and AI sovereignty worldwide.

Apple's new chip packaging boosts A20 Pro AI power, pushing MediaTek, Qualcomm to follow suit

Scarlett Yu — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 04:21:20 GMT

Apple has unveiled its latest iPhone 18 Pro and the A20 Pro, its first 2nm chip. According to Apple's official specifications, the A20 Pro features a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU, and two 16-core Neural Engines totaling 32 cores.

CIOE 2026: Smartphone camera market faces deeper slump as Apple draws attention in Shenzhen

Jingyue Hsiao — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 04:19:50 GMT

The smartphone camera market drew renewed attention at CIOE 2026 in Shenzhen, but the focus did not signal a broad recovery. For readers worldwide, the outlook matters because weak handset demand, higher component costs, and slower replacement cycles could continue to pressure suppliers across Asia, Europe, and North America.

Altera eyes $2B IPO, from Intel carve-out to public debut

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 04:15:42 GMT

Chipmaker Altera is laying the groundwork for an initial public offering (IPO) that could raise over US$2 billion as early as late 2026. According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters, the San Jose, California-based company is preparing to submit a confidential IPO filing in the coming weeks. If finalized, the transaction would mark Altera's official return to the public markets and rank among the largest semiconductor listings since Arm Holdings raised nearly US$5 billion in 2023.

SK Hynix raises cash portion of bonuses after 25-vote union rejection

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 03:59:13 GMT

SK Hynix has increased the cash portion of its profit-sharing bonus in a revised tentative wage agreement, after production workers rejected an earlier stock-heavy proposal by just 25 votes.

Huawei, Xiaomi, Apple take different bets on foldables

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 03:30:19 GMT

Competition in the foldable smartphone market is intensifying as Huawei, Xiaomi, and Apple roll out or prepare next-generation foldable phones, each taking a different design path. The three brands are battling over screen size, body thickness, battery life, chips, and AI features.

Global drone supply chain accelerates de-China shift, Taiwan wins

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 03:13:17 GMT

Foreign drone makers are increasingly turning to Taiwan as a hub for non-China drone supply chains, drawn by the island's component strengths and the global push to build alternative sourcing networks. US drone companies have stepped up their presence in Taiwan, while a Swiss drone maker is now considering relocating production there.

FCC closes a chip-level loophole while media debate another White House retreat

DIGITIMES — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 03:06:12 GMT

A rule published in the Federal Register on September 11 pushes US communications supply-chain restrictions past the finished device and into the parts inside it, exposing contract manufacturers, router vendors, and e-commerce platforms to a compliance test that begins 30 days after publication.