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Monday 23 March 2026
AI chip boom drives surge in demand for testing at Chunghwa Precision Test
Chunghwa Precision Test, a supplier of semiconductor testing interfaces, is seeing a surge in demand driven by high-performance computing and mobile application processors, as orders for advanced testing solutions continue to accelerate.
Monday 23 March 2026
India's FDI reset opens controlled door to Chinese participation in semiconductor supply chains
India's decision to ease foreign direct investment (FDI) restrictions for neighboring countries marks a calibrated shift in policy that could reshape its electronics and semiconductor supply chains, even as geopolitical sensitivities remain intact.
Monday 23 March 2026
Samsung reportedly in talks with Google, Microsoft on long-term memory supply agreements

Samsung Electronics is reportedly in discussions with Google and Microsoft to establish long-term memory semiconductor supply agreements, in what could become the first binding contracts of their kind in the memory industry, according to Korean media reports.

Monday 23 March 2026
Explainer: Why Nvidia's Groq LPU runs on Samsung silicon— Groq's scale and inference strategy
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang highlighted at GTC 2026 that AI has shifted from early model training to an era defined by inference and agent computing. To meet growing inference demands, Nvidia integrated its strategic acquisition of Groq and launched the Groq 3 LPU Rack as a token accelerator designed for ultra-low latency inference tasks, with Huang announcing that the LPU chip is manufactured by Samsung Electronics.
Monday 23 March 2026
Advanced Echem expands DUV, packaging, and optical materials to serve global chip progress
Advanced Echem Materials' (AEMC's) expansion in DUV photoresists, advanced packaging, and optical materials signals increased global supply capacity for cutting‑edge semiconductor processes, potentially easing material constraints and supporting fabs moving beyond 3nm. The company's R&D growth and factory plans aim to meet rising demand from global chipmakers and device makers.
Monday 23 March 2026
China's AI GPU self-sufficiency to hit 80% by 2030 highlights growing challenges for Nvidia
Recent reports indicate that the Trump administration planned to tighten export controls on AI chips to China but has since withdrawn new proposals. While these regulatory pressures make it difficult for US-based AI chipmakers like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), China's AI GPU market is not standing still waiting for Washington's approval.
Monday 23 March 2026
China moves into high-end photoresist production: Dinglong ramps up, YMTC lends support
As geopolitical tensions and energy transport risks heighten volatility in the global semiconductor supply chain, the stability of upstream critical materials — particularly photoresists — is coming back into focus.
Monday 23 March 2026
Samsung chairman joins Beijing forum as China seeks foreign chip investment

Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong is attending the China Development Forum (CDF) in Beijing on March 22-23 and is expected to meet major Chinese business partners following the event, according to Asiae and Korea Times.

Monday 23 March 2026
Nvidia pushes deeper into AI inference to counter custom chip rivals
At its GTC 2026 conference, Nvidia showcased a slate of technologies and new products squarely aimed at the next wave of artificial intelligence inference. With the integration of Groq's LPU technology, Nvidia's portfolio appears markedly more competitive on the inference side — widely seen as a strategic effort to defend its market share and discourage customers from turning to application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs.
Monday 23 March 2026
TSMC supports local suppliers to reduce supply chain risks
Jeng-Ywan Jeng, a professor from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), recently highlighted TSMC's efforts to nurture domestic semiconductor-related industries during a lecture at the Intellectual Property and Commercial Court. He noted that local companies entering TSMC's semiconductor manufacturing supply chain not only drive growth in related sectors but also help lower supply chain risks.
Monday 23 March 2026
SK Hynix plans TSMC 3nm adoption for HBM4E edge over Samsung
SK Hynix is reportedly evaluating the use of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) 3-nanometer process for producing the logic die in its seventh-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4E).
Monday 23 March 2026
Weekly news roundup: geopolitics, AI memory, racing for semiconductor control
Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of March 16-22, 2026:
Monday 23 March 2026
Can Elon Musk's Terafab turn chip independence into reality—or is it too ambitious to succeed?
Elon Musk has unveiled one of his most ambitious industrial visions yet: a "Terafab" that would allow Tesla and SpaceX to design and manufacture their own semiconductors for artificial intelligence, robotics, and even space-based data centers. While the project reflects Musk's sweeping vision of a vertically integrated, AI-driven future, analysts and industry realities suggest the plan may face formidable technical, financial, and structural obstacles.
Monday 23 March 2026
India roundup: India eyes key hub for semiconductors, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing

India is rapidly positioning itself as a strategic hub for semiconductors, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing. Japanese and domestic chipmakers expand local operations, the 2026 budget offers tax and import incentives, solar wafer sourcing is mandated, and Reliance secures a US$3 billion green ammonia deal with Samsung, highlighting supply chain and energy transitions.

Sunday 22 March 2026
Samsung union votes to strike, risking Nvidia HBM4 supply disruption
Samsung Electronics' labor union has voted overwhelmingly to initiate dispute proceedings following a breakdown in wage negotiations, raising concerns over potential disruptions to the supply of HBM4 memory for Nvidia's next-generation AI accelerators.
Sunday 22 March 2026
TSMC chairman C.C. Wei on why the robotics future is forged in silicon, not stunts
TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei contrasted viral videos of acrobatic robots from China with the functional requirements of high-performance service robotics, noting that mechanical agility remains "just for show" without the advanced silicon "brains".
Saturday 21 March 2026
Taiwan legislature blocks science budget; Minister defends industry
The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) held its 20th committee meeting on March 18, 2026, where industry players expressed concerns over the science research budget being stalled in the Legislative Yuan.
Saturday 21 March 2026
AMD-backed Upstage targets 10,000 GPUs in Korea AI expansion
Advanced Micro Devices is expanding its presence in South Korea's artificial intelligence market through a deepened partnership with local startup Upstage, as plans for large-scale GPU deployment and surging compute demand underscore the country's growing importance in AI infrastructure.
Saturday 21 March 2026
Analysis: Samsung's Exynos chip rebounds with mixed performance in 2nm era
Samsung Electronics' self-developed mobile application processor (AP) series, Exynos, long criticized for poor performance and overheating issues, is showing signs of revival. The new Exynos 2600, built on the advanced 2nm second-generation process (SF2), has delivered unexpectedly strong performance results compared to its previous chips, laying a foundation for the once-struggling chip line to bounce back.
Saturday 21 March 2026
MA-tek secures top 3 global SiPh orders, eyes US-Japan growth in 2026
With silicon photonics (SiPh) demand surging, MA-tek chairwoman Yong-Fen Hsieh announced the company has secured major orders from the world's three largest customers, driving revenue contributions. Following the booming AI chip market, SiPh and co-packaged optics (CPO) are set to become the next strong growth engines. Although the SiPh boom still requires time to mature, MA-tek expects its testing business revenue to double over the next three years, with overall operations targeting double-digit growth in 2026.
Friday 20 March 2026
Analog Devices activates Thailand plant to boost global manufacturing resilience
Analog Devices has officially launched its advanced manufacturing facility in Thailand, aiming to enhance the company's advanced manufacturing and testing capabilities while promoting a more resilient and sustainable semiconductor production footprint across the Asia-Pacific region.
Friday 20 March 2026
Samsung reportedly secures OpenAI HBM4 supply deal, shifts foundry capacity
Samsung Electronics is reportedly set to exclusively supply sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) to OpenAI while reallocating more than half of its advanced foundry capacity to internal production, according to Hankyung and industry sources. The move underscores the South Korean chipmaker's drive to meet surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI) components as orders from major customers — including Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) — continue to accelerate.
Friday 20 March 2026
Malaysia chipmakers monitor helium supply risks as Middle East tensions weigh Qatar output
Malaysia's semiconductor industry is closely monitoring helium supply risks amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, though companies have not yet reported operational disruptions.
Friday 20 March 2026
Samsung plans over KRW110 trillion investment in AI semiconductor facilities and R&D for 2026
Samsung Electronics announced it will invest more than KRW110 trillion (approx. US$73.4 billion) in facilities and R&D by 2026 to secure a leading position in the AI semiconductor era. This marks the first time its annual investment surpasses the "KRW100 trillion" threshold.
Friday 20 March 2026
Nvidia and AWS strike massive GPU supply deal through 2027

On March 19, senior executives at Nvidia said the company has reached an agreement with the cloud computing division of Amazon to supply large-scale GPU infrastructure through 2027.