DIGITIMES: News and Insight of the Global Supply Chain

GaAs gains ground in short-reach AI optics as InP constraints mount

Sherri Wang — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 04:39:35 GMT

As AI workloads push data center interconnects from 800G toward 1.6T, indium phosphide (InP) has become a critical material for high-speed optical links, particularly for longer-distance transmission. But crystal growth challenges, supply constraints and high costs are prompting the industry to explore gallium arsenide (GaAs) as a partial alternative for shorter-reach connections, with the technology expected to become clearer by 2028.

Intel signals memory push after hiring former SK Hynix CEO

Sherri Wang — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 04:15:20 GMT

Intel is signaling a broader push into next-generation memory technologies, with CEO Lip-Bu Tan revealing that the company is exploring new memory architectures after hiring former SK Hynix CEO Seok-Hee Lee.

Hanmi pulls ahead of Hanwha as HBM4 orders rebound

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:51:21 GMT

South Korea's Hanmi Semiconductor is pulling ahead of rival Hanwha Semitech in thermal compression (TC) bonders for high-bandwidth memory (HBM), as HBM4 equipment orders rebound and Hanmi's growing business with Micron helps reduce its reliance on SK Hynix, according to Chosun Biz.

Univacco reports record 2Q profit and revenue as 3Q demand builds

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:45:00 GMT

Univacco Technology posted record second-quarter and first-half 2026 revenue and profit, driven by its expanding global distribution network, an improved product mix and stronger demand in North America. The vacuum metallized film and precision coating maker also said July revenue stayed at a historically high level, setting a solid tone for the third quarter, which it described as the industry's peak season.

India's state of Odisha sweetens chips, renewable energy incentives to court ISM projects

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:45:00 GMT

Odisha's state cabinet has approved a third amendment to its Semiconductor Manufacturing and Fabless Policy, adding fresh capital support to attract projects backed by India's national chip-making push, according to state officials cited by regional outlets on August 12, 2026.

Lightmatter white paper targets fragmented supply chain, barriers to photonic interconnect deployment

Scarlett Yu — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:38:07 GMT

Bijan Nowroozi, Head of Ecosystem Development at Lightmatter, announced at the OCP APAC Summit 2026 that the company has released an infrastructure white paper aimed at building a more unified, less fragmented supply chain for photonic interconnects.

Siemens EDA unveils AI-Native Design strategy in South Korea

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:32:16 GMT

Siemens EDA has introduced an AI-Native Design strategy in Seoul, aiming to help chipmakers and system designers manage rising complexity while reducing the risk of AI errors. The move could shape how semiconductor tools evolve worldwide, as companies seek faster, more reliable automation across increasingly global supply chains.

Commentary: Shut out of Nvidia and AMD, Compal charts a different path to AI servers

Charlene Chen — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:30:00 GMT

Compal chairman Ray Chen said the company was still a newcomer to AI servers two years ago but has now moved into the middle tier and wants to keep closing the gap with the leaders. However, opportunities to break into Nvidia and AMD's supply chains remain difficult to win, whereas enterprise OEM business offers a more promising opening for Compal to catch up with front-runners.

Synopsys pushes into system design as Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom move up the stack

Sherri Wang — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:23:41 GMT

Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom are moving beyond chip-level design into subsystems and complete systems, a shift that is increasing the need to account for thermal, electrical, mechanical and other physical effects earlier in the design process, according to Synopsys executives.

NXP expands Malaysia factory to bolster global chip supply resilience

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:20:00 GMT

NXP Semiconductors has begun expanding its Petaling Jaya assembly and test site in Malaysia, a move that could support semiconductor supply chains worldwide by adding capacity, automation, and geographic diversification. The project is part of a broader effort to improve manufacturing resilience as global demand and supply risks continue to shape the industry.

Nvidia's compute financing push signals a new phase for AI spending

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:18:07 GMT

Nvidia's plan to assemble more than US$500 billion in third-party capital for AI infrastructure could reshape how the industry pays for compute. By bringing major Wall Street firms into the deal, the chipmaker is effectively turning AI capacity into a financeable asset class, with implications for cloud providers, investors, and credit markets.

Foxconn buys new land for optical communications expansion

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 02:55:00 GMT

Foxconn approved the purchase of an industrial property in New Taipei City's Tucheng District for NT$1 billion (US$31.08 million), the company said on the 12th. The site will support future planning in optical communications, ultra-precision molds and precision molding.

Nvidia seeks to ease credit risk concerns over US$500B AI financing plan

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 02:45:05 GMT

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has sought to reassure investors over the chipmaker's exposure to a newly announced initiative designed to mobilize more than US$500 billion in third-party capital for artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Sodium batteries get 28-month tax window in China

Lily Hess — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 02:45:00 GMT

Chinese authorities have announced that sodium-ion batteries will be exempt from consumption tax from September 2026 through the end of 2028, while lithium batteries will once again gradually face a 2% to 4% consumption tax. The new policy creates a 28-month "lithium-sodium tax gap" of about 2% to 4%, accelerating commercialization of sodium-ion batteries and drawing previously cautious downstream buyers into the market.

Taiwan manufacturers call for faster nuclear restart to keep pace with AI, chip growth

Eifeh Strom — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 02:25:00 GMT

The Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI), a major industrial and manufacturing association in Taiwan, called for the government to speed up the restart of nuclear power on the island and addressed three major industry concerns, amid the rapid expansion of the artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor sectors.

OCP APAC 2026: Intel sees agentic AI shifting bottlenecks toward CPUs, memory

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 02:14:26 GMT

Intel sees agentic AI changing the balance of AI servers, as CPU orchestration, memory capacity and data movement emerge as performance constraints even when more GPU capacity is available.

409.6T switches could push industry toward CPO, Arista says

Sherri Wang — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 02:01:33 GMT

Co-packaged optics (CPO) has become a major focus of the optical networking industry, but pluggable modules remain the mainstream choice for optical interconnects. At a silicon photonics forum during the 2026 OCP APAC Summit, panelists said vendors have little incentive to abandon a mature and proven pluggable ecosystem before technical or economic constraints make a shift necessary.

Samsung to expand 2026 TV LCD buys from BOE as TCL orders drop

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 02:00:00 GMT

Samsung Electronics is set to increase its TV LCD panel purchases in 2026, even as global shipments of TV LCDs are forecast to decline. The buying shift will favor BOE Technology Group and reduce Samsung's reliance on TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology (TCL CSOT), according to ZDNet Korea, citing market research firm Omdia.

Exclusive: US makers accelerate sodium battery plans as shared lithium-ion lines draw investment

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 01:58:21 GMT

US battery makers are moving more quickly into sodium-ion technology to gain production flexibility, fresh capital, and reduced exposure to lithium supply shocks. Industry sources say the chemistry still trails lithium iron phosphate in scale and economics, but its long-term appeal is rising as material costs climb and policy support shifts.

Lenovo Capital backs Niobium Optoelectronics in Series B funding for TFLN chips

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 01:47:21 GMT

Jiangsu Niobium Optoelectronics Technology, a Chinese maker of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic chips, has closed a Series B funding round worth several hundred million yuan as demand for AI data center interconnects rises. Lenovo Capital joined the investor lineup through its Shanghai Lenovo Future Venture Capital Partnership, adding a technology-sector backer to the round.

TSMC-Sony image sensor venture pushes Japan chip investment to JPY6 trillion

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 01:46:00 GMT

TSMC said on August 11 that it will invest in CMOS image sensor development and mass production with Sony Group in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, adding to a wave of foreign chip spending backed by Japanese subsidies. According to Nikkei Asia, Japan's total foreign investment in semiconductor plants has now reached JPY6 trillion (US$380 billion).

Yangtze Memory-backed capital expands into FD-SOI specialty process investment

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 01:38:00 GMT

Changcun Capital, the investment arm backed by Yangtze Memory Technologies Co., has completed a strategic investment in RuiLiPingxin Microelectronics (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., according to the source material.

Can diamond rewrite the rules of AI chip cooling? Wiwynn is putting it to the test

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 01:29:35 GMT

As AI processors become more powerful, one of the industry's most stubborn constraints is becoming increasingly physical: there is only so much heat conventional materials can move away from an increasingly concentrated piece of silicon.

Naver backs Anthropic in broader AI push

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:10:45 GMT

Naver has reportedly invested in US artificial intelligence developer Anthropic, adding another global AI company to a widening network that now spans frontier models, AI agents and large-scale computing infrastructure.

India's L&T transfers data center and cloud business to Vyoma.AI for INR14 billion

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:10:20 GMT

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has agreed to transfer its data center and cloud services business to Vyoma.AI, a wholly owned subsidiary, for INR14 billion (approx. US$146.7 million) in a slump sale on a going-concern basis, according to Business Standard and the Economic Times. The consideration will be settled by issuing fully paid-up equity shares in Vyoma.AI rather than cash, thereby keeping the business under L&T's indirect ownership.

From lab bench to IPO: How Taiwan's top university aims to turn professors into founders, campus into a unicorn factory

Lily Hess — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:09:41 GMT

National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), one of Taiwan's leading research universities, has spent more than a decade cultivating a campus culture of professor-led startups — a track record that has already produced companies such as eMemory Technology, Heron Neutron Medical, Advanced Ceramic X (ACX), Apex Biotechnology (ApexBio), and Finesse Technology. Building on that history, the university announced on August 10 that it will expand the scale of its "NTHU Accelerator."

Taiwanese makers see humanoid robot supply-chain gains as technical hurdles linger

Jingyue Hsiao — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:09:22 GMT

The humanoid robot market is opening new AI supply-chain opportunities for Taiwanese manufacturers, while lifting broader robotics demand worldwide. Yet industry players say large-scale deployment remains distant, as companies focus on practical machines for specific jobs and wait for humanoid systems to become more reliable, affordable, and adaptable.

Japan's H3 rocket launches Michibiki 7 into orbit

Lily Hess — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:08:47 GMT

Japan's H3 rocket No. 9 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at around 4:23 a.m. on August 11, successfully placing Michibiki 7, part of the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), into orbit. QZSS is often called Japan's GPS. The mission marked H3's first successful launch of a major operational satellite since its failed launch in late 2025.

Vietnam opens Haiphong free trade zone to court semiconductor investment

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:08:02 GMT

Vietnam has launched the Haiphong Free Trade Zone to draw high-value investment into northern port city of Haiphong, with semiconductors, precision manufacturing, and other strategic industries at the center of the plan. Officials said the new zone is part of a broader effort to make the port city a globally competitive coastal hub for logistics and the marine economy.

South Korea widens chip strategy beyond Samsung and SK Hynix with KRW5 trillion ecosystem fund

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:07:44 GMT

As market momentum spirals into an intensifying race over AI infrastructure buildouts, the global landscape has entered a more aggressive round of AI-centered investment, with national-scale projects taking shape across many of the world's major technology economies.

Longsys profit soars 715-fold on AI memory boom, enterprise storage, 5nm chips

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:07:17 GMT

Chinese memory supplier Longsys reported a dramatic earnings rebound for the first half of 2026, benefiting from rising memory prices, stronger AI data center demand, and a shift toward higher-value storage products.

AgiBot overtakes Unitree as China expands its lead in humanoid robots

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:06:59 GMT

Global humanoid robot shipments nearly quadrupled in the first half of 2026, with Chinese suppliers accounting for more than 97% of the market and AgiBot moving ahead of Unitree Robotics, according to Bloomberg, citing data from market researcher Smart Analytics Global. China also remained the largest demand market, responsible for more than 85% of global demand.

Hengs revenue surges 178% as solar EPC projects reach recognition peak

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:06:37 GMT

Solar and energy storage systems provider Hengs Technology reported a strong rebound in the first half of 2026, with revenue rising as large engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) projects entered their peak revenue-recognition period. The company said the momentum that began in the second quarter was driven by progress on major solar and storage contracts in Taiwan and overseas.

Taoyuan plans AI manufacturing park in Guanyin to support server supply chain

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:06:16 GMT

Taoyuan is moving to develop Guanyin into an AI computing park as demand for AI servers drives heavier power requirements and a new round of factory expansion. The city said it had coordinated with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Taiwan Power Company to make full use of the Datan Power Plant and CPC's Third liquefied natural gas receiving terminal to support AI industry development.

Progate posts record profit on TSMC, Synopsys ecosystem gains

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:05:42 GMT

Progate Group Corporation posted record second-quarter and first-half 2026 revenue and profit, as stronger operations and deeper ties with the TSMC, Synopsys, and ASE ecosystems boosted results. The Taiwan-based design services provider said demand from U.S. customers and advanced-process projects also supported its performance.

Anli-KY lifts July revenue on AI server and drone product shipments

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:05:16 GMT

Anli International reported its first-half results on August 11 after announcing the previous day that increased shipments of AI server and drone-related products had pushed July consolidated revenue to NT$199 million, its highest level of 2026 and up 15.38% from a year earlier. The Taiwanese precision metal parts maker said new-product momentum was building and that second-half operations were expected to outperform the first half.

Inventec posts record second-quarter profit as notebook margins narrow

DIGITIMES — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:04:53 GMT

Inventec reported record net profit and earnings per share in 2Q26, even as gross margin declined and supply constraints intensified. The Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer said server products accounted for more than half of revenue in the quarter, while a higher proportion of rack-level shipments pressured profitability.

Apogee turns profitable in 2Q26 on AI data center demand

Eifeh Strom — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 00:04:29 GMT

Optical communications filter manufacturer Apogee Optocom turned a profit in the second quarter of 2026, reporting net income of NT$86 million for the quarter, up 207% from the previous quarter, and reversing a loss from the same period in 2025. Earnings per share (EPS) came to NT$2.22. The company said continued expansion in artificial intelligence (AI) data center construction has kept its book-to-bill ratio healthy, while market supply and demand remain relatively tight.

Foxconn's profit growth outpaces capex; no equity raise planned for 2027 buildout

Joseph(C) Chen — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:03:03 GMT

Foxconn told investors on August 12 that its earnings are now growing faster than the spending required to expand AI server capacity — and that it can fund a bigger 2027 buildout without issuing new shares.