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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
United Microelectronics (UMC) held its earnings call, where market focus centered on its recent price increases, progress in silicon photonics (SiPh) and advanced packaging, and speculation about entering memory foundry services.
China's Wingtech Technology is entering a critical phase marked by a sharp deterioration in financial performance, regulatory scrutiny, and operational disruption tied to its contested control of Nexperia. The convergence of these pressures is not merely a balance sheet issue — it reflects how geopolitical intervention and corporate restructuring are reshaping China-linked semiconductor groups with overseas operations.
China's Cambricon Technologies reported a sharp rise in first-quarter 2026 earnings, driven by surging AI compute demand, while intensifying competition and shifting investor positioning reshape the domestic AI chip market.
Packaging leadframe maker Chang Wah Technology Co., Ltd. reported that it achieved NT$3.672 billion (US$116 million) in revenue in the first quarter of 2026, its fourth-highest quarterly result, and set a monthly record with NT$1.327 billion in March. The firm said customers maintained steady demand, and it was targeting a challenging double-digit percentage growth for the second quarter, driven by strong shipments of EMC LED leadframes.
ASE Technology Holding Co. raised its 2026 capex plan to as much as US$8.5 billion as demand for advanced packaging and testing services exceeded expectations, the company said.
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