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Tuesday 27 October 2026
Anthropic's IPO filing puts TSMC, HBM, direct leasing at the center of AI compute risk
In its preliminary IPO registration statement filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Anthropic describes how much of its capacity depends on a small group of chip and memory suppliers, most of them in East Asia.
Tuesday 27 October 2026
Tamil Nadu adds independent chip subsidy route as Indian states vie for investment
India's semiconductor drive has largely been led by New Delhi, which selects projects for large central incentives while state governments add their own packages of land, infrastructure and financial support. Tamil Nadu is now giving semiconductor investors another route.
Tuesday 27 October 2026
Amkor turns to customer prepayments as global packaging investment accelerates
Amkor Technology is using customer prepayments and longer-term commitments to support an expanding manufacturing network across the US, South Korea, and Vietnam, as demand for advanced packaging outpaces the consumer electronics recovery. Management said those arrangements provide greater visibility for investments that will keep capital spending elevated for several years.
Tuesday 27 October 2026
Amkor gross margin climbs to 18.3% as computing mix offsets consumer weakness
Amkor Technology's latest quarter shows how a shift toward advanced packaging can strengthen profitability even when overall sales barely grow. Computing and automotive demand lifted the value of the company's production mix, while smartphone and consumer electronics headwinds kept the revenue recovery uneven.
Tuesday 27 October 2026
Cheng Mei develops materials for advanced packaging glass substrates
As advanced packaging shifts toward large-size glass substrates, Cheng Mei Materials Technology is developing materials to address warpage, heat resistance, and drilling challenges. Its cutting and grinding tapes have entered customer validation and small-volume testing, while its anti-warpage film and heat-resistant tape remain in development.
Monday 26 October 2026
Taiwan wafer-testing supplier Hermes Testing Solutions commits more than US$215 million to advanced chip testing expansion
Hermes Testing Solutions Inc. (HTSI), a semiconductor wafer-testing solutions provider, is expanding its Taiwan operations. Its board approved budget authorisations on October 22 for a new R&D centre in Hsinchu and a manufacturing centre in south-central Taiwan, with total investment expected to exceed NT$7 billion (approx. US$215 million).
Monday 26 October 2026
Podcast highlights: TSMC's 3nm demand story, Samsung HBM shift, and A14 ramp
Following TSMC's third-quarter 2026 earnings call, DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin provided in a podcast additional analysis of several details that received limited attention in market coverage, including a new 3nm fab at the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP), the transfer of Nvidia-related high-bandwidth memory (HBM) base die orders to TSMC, and whether demand for A14 includes Intel server CPUs.
Monday 26 October 2026
India roundup: India's tech build-out opens new markets, but foreign suppliers are first in line
India's tech push opens markets unevenly: foreign suppliers get first crack at Tata's fab, Lam courts local vendors, Jio's IPO tests its 5G pitch, and CleanMax powers AI data centers.
Sunday 25 October 2026
Texas Instruments sees up to $1,000 in chip content per humanoid robot as analog supply tightens
Texas Instruments (TI) held its latest earnings call this week, projecting fourth-quarter 2026 revenue of US$5.8 billion to US$6.3 billion. The midpoint of its guidance is broadly in line with third-quarter revenue, outperforming the seasonal declines typically seen in the fourth quarter.
Sunday 25 October 2026
Tesla-SpaceX merger tests whether Musk's technology empire is worth more together
Since Elon Musk publicly confirmed that Tesla and SpaceX are evaluating a potential merger, the prospect has stirred widespread speculation over what could become the largest corporate transaction in history—and whether combining two of Musk's biggest technology platforms would actually create value beyond the sprawling ecosystem they already share.
Friday 23 October 2026
Japan targets 2nm medical AI chip with IBM design, Rapidus eyed for foundry
Japan's Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Center (LSTC), Hokkaido University, Fujifilm Corporation, GE HealthCare Japan, and imec announced a joint initiative in Tokyo on October 20 to develop a next-generation medical imaging system powered by a dedicated 2nm AI inference chip. The initiative aims to dramatically accelerate image processing efficiency and enable real-time computing directly on medical equipment.
Friday 23 October 2026
First chip-level device on the list: US FCC bans two devices with Huawei HiSilicon chips under new rule
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has banned two electronic devices from entering the US market because both contain surveillance chips made by Huawei's HiSilicon. The move marks the first time the FCC has used a new rule targeting devices whose chipmakers are deemed national security risks.
Friday 23 October 2026
Samsung reportedly orders final tools for first Taylor fab as Texas site nears 2nm output cap
Samsung Electronics has ordered additional equipment to fill the remaining space at its first foundry fab in Taylor, Texas, a move that would lift the plant's 2nm capacity to 20,000 wafers per month in the second half of 2027, ZDNet Korea reported on October 23, citing industry sources.
Friday 23 October 2026
TSMC advances CoPoS packaging at Taoyuan Longtan site
TSMC's Longtan Science Park Phase 3 in Taoyuan is restarting after nearly three years of delays, with Taiwan's National Development Council approving its development plan on September 17, 2026. The 104.65-hectare site is expected to focus first on advanced packaging technologies such as CoPoS, joining TSMC's Chiayi AP7 and Southern Taiwan Science Park AP8 facilities as the company expands capacity to meet surging AI demand.
Friday 23 October 2026
Rapidus courts US AI customers ahead of planned 2H27 2nm mass production
Rapidus chairman Tetsuro Higashi said the Japanese chipmaker remains broadly on track to begin mass production of 2nm chips in the second half of 2027. Winning customers remains a key challenge, and initial demand is expected to come mainly from the United States, where demand related to artificial intelligence is strong.
Friday 23 October 2026
FCC grants Intel a waiver to foreign robot ban to prevent chip disruptions
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted Intel a waiver to its ban on foreign-made mobile robots, which will allow it to update its fleet of autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs). Intel had earlier petitioned the agency for an exemption, saying that not doing so would threaten chip production in the country.
Friday 23 October 2026
JCET's AI profit surge sets up US$2.73 billion advanced packaging expansion
JCET Group lifted third-quarter revenue 13.53% year-over-year to CNY11.43 billion (approx. US$1.71 billion) and net profit attributable to shareholders 59.99% to CNY773 million. For the first nine months of 2026, revenue rose 7.96% to CNY30.95 billion, while net profit climbed 69.58% to CNY1.62 billion. Profit excluding non-recurring gains and losses increased 99.17% to CNY1.56 billion.
Friday 23 October 2026
US signs up to US$389 million in CHIPS R&D deals for power chips and fusion
The US Department of Commerce has signed letters of intent with four companies to provide up to US$389 million in federal research and development awards under the CHIPS and Science Act, targeting the semiconductors and materials used to control, convert, and deliver power. The department announced the agreements on October 22, 2026.
Friday 23 October 2026
Taiwan sits out global chip selloff, thanks to typhoon
Taiwan doesn't stop often. On Friday, October 23, Typhoon Champi made it stop.
Friday 23 October 2026
TSMC reportedly surveys suppliers on rare-earth-free motors as China's export-control pause nears legal expiry
The world's largest contract chipmaker is weighing whether the motors inside its factory-automation equipment can run without rare-earth magnets, a sign that China's grip on rare earths now reaches the machinery that keeps fabs running, just as a key Chinese export-control pause approaches its legal expiry date.
Friday 23 October 2026
Apple's iPhone Duo and touchscreen MacBook could accelerate OLED TDDI adoption
Apple's iPhone Duo has gone on sale, with pre-orders in several key markets reportedly exceeding the company's expectations. Delivery dates have stretched to late 2026 and even early 2027. The strong initial response could partly offset weaker-than-expected sales momentum for the iPhone 18 Pro series, pointing to growing consumer interest in foldable smartphones.
Friday 23 October 2026
AI cuts chip R&D cycles to 9 months, says Etron chair
AI-driven growth will push the semiconductor industry past the US$1.6 trillion mark in 2026, while accelerating chip development cycles to one new product every nine months, Etron Chairman Nicky Lu said. He warned that the next 3 to 5 years will be critical for Taiwan, which risks facing intense competition unless it builds stronger software, system, and architecture advantages.
Friday 23 October 2026
Why is TSMC suddenly looking at Texas?
TSMC is scouting Texas for possible new US capacity, even as it builds out its advanced-process fabs in Arizona. Chairman C.C. Wei confirmed that a team has been sent to Texas to assess expansion opportunities. TSMC is also discussing cooperation with Elon Musk's Terafab, on the condition that it keeps operational control. Together, the moves could shift TSMC's US strategy from expanding existing sites to choosing new locations and exploring capacity partnerships.
Friday 23 October 2026
Interview: TI sees liquid cooling shift to tray-level control in AI data centers
Liquid cooling in AI data centers is moving toward more granular control architectures. Patrick Zeng, general manager of data center thermal management at Texas Instruments (TI), told DIGITIMES that as next-generation GPU computing power and rack power continue to rise, thermal management will shift from centralized control by a CDU to independent control for each server tray, a shift that will increase the use of sensors, drivers, MCUs, and other components within each rack.
Friday 23 October 2026
Samsung Foundry targets automotive, edge AI chips with 8LPU+
Samsung Electronics' foundry business will extend its 8-nanometer process, now more than eight years old, into another generation with the launch of the second-generation 8LPU+ platform in 2026. The move targets demand for automotive electronics, robots, and edge AI chips while leveraging existing deep ultraviolet (DUV) production lines to control wafer costs.