South Korea should tie government support for new semiconductor fabs to commitments that benefit domestic chip designers, equipment makers, and packaging suppliers, a state-funded researcher proposed on November 2, a move that could influence chipmakers' sourcing decisions if adopted.

US semiconductor intellectual property (IP) provider Ceva has expanded its NeuPro neural processing unit (NPU) portfolio into AI infrastructure for the first time. At a November 2 press conference in Taiwan, chief strategy officer Iri Trashanski said the company was not seeking to compete with Nvidia or other major chipmakers, but to meet demand for a common architecture spanning edge AI and cloud computing.

Onsemi reported stronger-than-expected third-quarter 2026 results, driven by accelerating demand for power management solutions in AI data centers and industrial applications, as the semiconductor supplier continued to improve profitability through operational restructuring and higher-value products.

The AI infrastructure boom has driven up memory prices across consumer electronics, dampening sales of smartphones and notebooks while hitting upstream system-on-chip (SoC) developers. With memory prices projected to keep climbing through 2027, industry observers generally expect end-market sales to remain sluggish, testing the resilience and strategy of players across the entire value chain.

A Japanese electronics distributor has stopped accepting new customers because it cannot fully supply its existing ones, Nikkei reported, as demand from AI data centers tightens supply of the conventional DRAM used in PCs.

Memory IC designer Elite Semiconductor Microelectronics Technology (ESMT) expects shipments and gross margin to remain stable in the fourth quarter of 2026 despite higher memory wafer procurement costs, while its average selling price (ASP) will rise from the third quarter of 2026. The company also expects tight DDR2 and DDR3 supply-demand conditions to keep prices stable in 2027 as it continues securing foundry and OSAT capacity to meet customer demand.

Geopolitical tensions, volatile crude oil prices, and tightening sustainability requirements are reshaping the global chemical industry, creating new challenges and opportunities for Taiwan's specialty chemicals sector. Against this backdrop, the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) forecasts that Taiwan's specialty chemicals output will reach NT$185.7 billion (US$5.7 billion) in 2026, up 10.9% from 2025, partly driven by higher oil prices pushing up specialty chemical prices.

South Korea plans to bring new semiconductor fabs into operation at least two years ahead of schedule by speeding up construction approvals and infrastructure development, as the government seeks to support KRW1,600 trillion (approx. US$1.2 trillion) in planned private investment, Yonhap reported on November 2.

Samsung Electronics plans to shut down its remaining 8-inch foundry lines by the end of 2030, forcing South Korean chip designers to seek alternative manufacturing capacity as competing foundries operate near full capacity, The Elec reported.

The printed circuit board (PCB) shortage that Indian electronics makers expect to worsen in the coming months is part of a global squeeze. AI servers are absorbing high-end laminate, glass fiber cloth, and Ajinomoto Build-up Film (ABF) capacity; the war in West Asia has cut off a key resin; and equipment for new capacity can take up to 30 months to deliver. Supply chain estimates cited in Taiwan suggest the tightest materials will ease only gradually, from the second half of 2027 through 2028.

China's memory chip industry heads into the final quarter of 2026 riding a global supply shortage: its leading DRAM maker booked more than CNY54 billion (US$8.11 billion) in third-quarter profit, and its chip designers are still lifting sales on tight supply. The same third-quarter results also show where risks are accumulating — rapid capacity expansion, swelling inventories, and a US policy debate that could reach the equipment domestic fabs depend on.