China is preparing a new round of large-scale investment and industrial upgrading centered on AI infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and strategic emerging industries, according to a briefing by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) at a State Council Information Office press conference on April 17.
National Silicon Industry Group (NSIG) reported full-year 2025 revenue growth driven by higher 300mm wafer shipments, though pricing pressure and high fixed costs weighed on margins.
European efforts to advance sovereign AI and chip autonomy are gaining momentum, but European AI chip startups say they still primarily rely on TSMC for high-performance computing chips. With the European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) yet to offer advanced process technologies, most high-end chips from Europe are produced within Taiwan's semiconductor ecosystem.
TSMC chairman C.C. Wei emphasized persistent capacity shortages during the company's earnings call, noting that 3nm technology accounted for about 25% of first-quarter 2026 revenue. New 3nm production capacities will come online sequentially in Taiwan, the US, and Japan between 2027 and 2028. Wei also revealed plans for CoPoS for the first time.
Taiwan's outsourced semiconductor assembly and test industry is expanding rapidly, driven by AI, high-performance computing, and memory demand. Global supply chains may face tighter advanced-test capacity, higher prices, and accelerated investment as Taiwanese OSATs boost capital spending and capacity, significantly affecting chipmakers and device makers worldwide into 2026 and beyond.
A year-old Hsinchu startup is heading to Silicon Valley. Fluidiconic Bio will join four other Taiwanese companies at the Plug and Play Silicon Valley Summit this May, pitching a high-throughput tumor-on-a-chip platform its founders believe can do what decades of animal testing cannot: accurately predict how a cancer drug behaves inside a human tumor.
Intel, which is working to scale its outsourced chip manufacturing business, has hired Samsung Electronics executive Shawn Han to strengthen its foundry operations and customer engagement strategy, according to reporting from Bloomberg and Oregon Live.
ASML delivered first-quarter 2026 results that exceeded expectations, prompting management to raise its full-year guidance despite a cautious outlook for the second quarter. The company announced plans to expand its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) manufacturing capacity to meet strong demand expected in 2027. The updated outlook suggests stronger momentum in the second half of 2026.
ASML's confirmation that memory-chip demand underpinned its stronger-than-expected results for the first quarter of 2026 — along with its updated EUV roadmaps — has broad implications for global chip supply and manufacturing capacity.
Japan has announced government support for Sony's image sensor expansion project in Kumamoto, underscoring the strategic importance of semiconductor supply chains for artificial intelligence (AI) and automotive applications.
Tongfu Microelectronics posted strong 2025 results, supported by AI and automotive chip demand, while reinforcing its position in the global semiconductor packaging supply chain alongside key customer AMD.
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