TSMC is advancing its silicon photonics (SiPh) advanced packaging platform, Compact Universal Photonic Engine (COUPE), shifting from development to commercial mass production. TSMC vice president and co-chair of the SEMI Silicon Photonics Industry Alliance (SiPhIA), K.C. Hsu, said that over the past 3-6 months, the industry has gradually reached a consensus on the technology roadmap and direction for the next 3-5 years. SiPh has also been designated by the government as a key policy focus in this new era.

India is stepping up its semiconductor ambitions as a new domestic plant begins production, underscoring efforts to build a resilient supply chain and position the country as a global chip manufacturing hub.

At GTC 2026, Nvidia introduced three new systems simultaneously: the Groq LPX inference rack, the Vera ETL256 CPU rack, and the STX storage reference architecture. These launches extend Nvidia's portfolio beyond its traditional GPU compute core into low-latency inference, CPU orchestration, and storage layers, signaling a systematic redefinition of AI infrastructure boundaries.

Under a push to localize capacity, China's leading domestic foundries are well-positioned to leverage their home market and policy advantages to replicate TSMC's growth trajectory. This momentum is fueled by a virtuous cycle of massive orders supporting substantial R&D and capital expenditure, which is accelerating domestic substitution toward advanced process nodes.

Samsung's Exynos 2600 application processor (AP), built on the company's 2nm process, lags in battery endurance behind Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — a 3nm chip — by about 30%, according to a recent test. This gap has had a tangible impact on Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S26 series, with battery life varying significantly across regions depending on which AP the device uses.

Europe is tightening its semiconductor research links with Taiwan's manufacturing engine, with French research institute CEA-Leti positioning itself as a primary gateway between the two ecosystems.

The semiconductor industry has formally entered the Foundry 2.0 era, a phase defined by the deep integration of manufacturing, assembly, and testing, profitably driven by the global AI boom. According to Counterpoint Research's latest Foundry Market Supply Tracker, the global Foundry 2.0 market's revenue grew to US$320 billion at 16% year-over-year.

Samsung Electronics is aiming to launch its 1nm semiconductor process by 2030 as part of a direct technological competition with rival TSMC. The move seeks to secure leadership in the next-generation semiconductor market.

Flex said it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Electrical Power Products (EP2), a specialist in engineered-to-order electrical control and protection systems, as it expands its footprint in critical power infrastructure.

Taiwan's automotive industry is undergoing a profound transformation, shifting away from traditional mechanical assembly toward what analysts describe as a semiconductor- and ICT-driven "digital core" of smart mobility. The scale of that structural change is now visible in the data.

Huawei has recruited a leading scientist from a German research institute, raising concerns among the German government and academic circles. According to Nikkei Asia, Martin Schell, formerly director of Germany's Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), announced his departure and moved to the UK in March to become research director at Huawei's Bragg Research Center.

Samsung Electronics is embroiled in a deepening labor dispute after intensive negotiations between management and workers — which began on March 26, 2026 — broke down without an agreement on employee treatment across its business units. Talks were suspended on March 27, stoking growing concerns over a potential full-scale strike in May involving up to 17,700 employees.

On a recent podcast, DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin spotlighted Elon Musk's Terafab as a retro IDM bet with major funding questions, while arguing CPUs are resurging in the AI era as inference demand tightens supply and reshapes semiconductor priorities.

Amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) convened an electricity price review committee on March 27. Taking into account the need to stabilize consumer prices, the committee decided not to adjust electricity rates, keeping the average price at NT$3.78 (approx. US$0.12) per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently appeared on the popular Lex Fridman Podcast for a deep, over two-hour discussion covering AI scaling laws, compute and power bottlenecks, AI factories, and the future impact of AI on society. Among the topics drawing strong attention from Taiwan's market was Huang's revisit of his 2013 decision to decline an offer from TSMC founder Morris Chang to become CEO. He further analyzed the core factors enabling TSMC's sustained leadership in the semiconductor industry.

As global semiconductor supply chain prices continue to rise, China's analog chip industry is undergoing a structural shift. Several domestic players have recently raised product prices, aligning with international giants like Texas Instruments (TI) and Analog Devices in reflecting cost pressures, with some products seeing hikes as high as 85%.

While the barriers to entry in cloud AI ASICs remain out of reach for many chip designers, demand for specialized chips at the edge is rising sharply. Across a widening range of applications, customers are seeking greater control at the silicon level, aiming to reduce their reliance on traditional chip giants.

SEMICON China 2026 opened in Shanghai, highlighting how AI demand is reshaping the global semiconductor industry and accelerating China's domestic supply chain.

As generative AI (GenAI) shifts from large-model training to large-scale inference, Japanese NAND giant Kioxia forecasts continued price increases for NAND and SSD products. Despite planned capacity expansions by various NAND manufacturers in 2027, Kioxia expects no risk of oversupply imbalance due to the rapid growth in AI demand.

Samsung Electronics plans to mass-produce silicon photonics starting from 2028, a move that could reshape global data-center networking, AI hardware integration, and foundry competition. The company is offering clients an integrated platform spanning photonics, AI semiconductors, advanced packaging, and HBM — a combination that could significantly alter supply chains and cost structures in the years ahead.

The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs passed the Chip Security Act, signaling a decisive move to restrict high-performance computing exports amid rising tech tensions with China. Meanwhile, reports from within China indicate a growing consensus to halt imports of US-origin AI chips altogether.

Toshiba, Rohm, Mitsubishi Electric, and partners begin talks on integrating Japanese power device and semiconductor businesses

The global semiconductor industry is undergoing a structural transformation. SEMI estimates that in 2025, capital expenditures (CapEx) by the four largest US cloud service providers (CSPs) will reach US$400 billion, more than twice the total semiconductor industry CapEx. When including Chinese cloud providers and sovereign AI investments, global AI infrastructure spending could surpass US$1 trillion by 2027.

Since Arm formally launched its Arm AGI CPU platform and upended its long-standing business model, industry observers have been eager to understand both the mechanics behind the move and its long-term implications.