SEMICON Taiwan 2025 gathered a wide range of packaging and test equipment suppliers, all unveiling their latest technologies and solutions. Central to the event was the emerging "advanced test interface battle," as companies sought to overcome bottlenecks in high-frequency and high-speed testing, thermal control, accuracy, reliability, and cost performance.

In response to US export controls and to reduce reliance on ASML, China has begun testing its first domestically manufactured deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machine. According to media reports, SMIC is currently testing immersion-type DUV equipment developed by a Shanghai-based startup, which can support chip production down to 7nm technology nodes.

Taiwan's AI server exports have doubled, with manufacturers' GPU and graphics card production capacity fully booked, driving remarkable export growth for the country. Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin stated on September 16 that the success of Taiwan's technology industry is not accidental.

On July 30, 2025, US President Donald Trump announced that the US would reduce the "reciprocal tariff" rate imposed on South Korea from 25% to 15%. In return, South Korea pledged to invest US$350 billion in the US, with 90% of the investment profits returning to America. However, by mid-September, hundreds of South Korean workers were handcuffed and detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to visa violations. Could this incident severely damage Trump's "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) agenda?

Samsung Electronics' foundry business is quietly expanding its client roster after securing a landmark US$16.5 billion contract with Tesla in July 2025 to manufacture AI chips. Analysts believe the deal could mark a turning point for the company starting in 2026.

Robots and self-driving cars are driving the emergence of "physical AI," a new era of on-device processing that's shifting focus away from cloud-based large language models. According to South Korean startup Maum AI, this trend is creating new demands for semiconductors.

Chinese chip equipment maker Piotech said on September 12 its unit Piotech Jianke (Haining) Semiconductor Equipment has kicked off a new funding round at a CNY2.5 billion (approx. US$350 million) pre-investment valuation, seeking to raise as much as CNY1.04 billion. The deal drew in China's Big Fund Phase III, marking the state-backed vehicle's first publicly disclosed investment since its launch.

Dutch chipmaker NXP Semiconductors plans to complete its CEO transition by October 2025. Current CEO Kurt Sievers, who will remain in the position until then, made what is likely his final visit to Taiwan as chief executive during SEMICON Taiwan 2025. Incoming CEO Rafael Sotomayor also attended the event and met with Taiwanese partners as part of the planned leadership change.

TSMC's successful establishment of a chip manufacturing plant in Arizona has reignited semiconductor development efforts in countries including India, Vietnam, and Qatar. Industry sources note that while the US, Europe, and Japan maintain leadership in semiconductor manufacturing through strong government support, emerging regions are increasingly seeking cooperation with Taiwan's semiconductor ecosystem to advance their own industries.

Taiwan's green energy market is confronting a severe electricity shortage, raising concerns among renewable energy providers and large enterprises, particularly in the semiconductor industry. Despite rising commitments to sustainability through the RE100 initiative, insufficient green power supply threatens to derail companies' environmental targets and potentially cause significant order shifts to overseas competitors.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is making a big U-turn on quantum computing. After years of downplaying the technology's timeline, the tech titan is now pouring money into quantum startups.

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) held its 14th Laureate Ceremony on September 15, 2025. Five new academicians were awarded honors, spanning semiconductor, engineering construction, and biomedical fields. The honorees include TSMC executive vice president and co-chief operating officer Y.J. Mii and former senior vice president of Corporate Strategy Development at TSMC Wei-Jen Lo.

At SEMI-e 2025 in Shenzhen, Navitas Semiconductor outlined its push beyond consumer chargers, highlighting its progress in solar inverters, motor drives, and artificial-intelligence data centers.

Dutch semiconductor equipment maker ASML Holding has made a significant investment of EUR1.3 billion (approx. US$1.52 billion) in French artificial intelligence (AI) startup Mistral AI, signaling a notable shift toward Europe's independent AI development capabilities amid global geopolitical tensions. This move highlights growing synergies between European industrial firms and emerging AI ventures.

The magnetic pull of TSMC is making waves, as the upcoming SEMICON West exhibition scheduled for October 7, 2025, at the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona, is poised to reach record scale. The number of Taiwanese companies participating will be the highest ever —over 200 global semiconductor firms are on the waiting list—mirroring the bustling crowds that just concluded SEMICON Taiwan.

MediaTek announced on September 16, 2025, that it has completed the tape-out of its first flagship system-on-chip (SoC) using TSMC's 2nm process, becoming one of the earliest adopters of the advanced node. Mass production is expected by late 2026. The companies have a long history of collaboration across smartphones, automotive, computing, and data center chips, with MediaTek calling the achievement a major milestone in its strategic partnership with TSMC.

On the evening of September 8, 2025, Xiaomi issued an internal notice that abruptly ended Wang Teng's rapid nine-year rise within the company. The under-40 executive, who had served as general manager of Xiaomi's China marketing division, was officially terminated for "leaking confidential company information" and "conflicts of interest."

Tata Electronics' plan to roll out its first semiconductor chip from its Dholera, Gujarat plant by mid-2027 may face delays if India fails to secure sufficient supplies of rare earth and critical elements, according to Mint, citing unnamed sources.

The United Kingdom demonstrated a prominent presence at SEMICON Taiwan 2025 last week, reinforcing its position as a key player in innovative technology. The UK Department for Business and Trade and Innovate UK, the national innovation agency, led a delegation of over 30 emerging companies across semiconductor manufacturing, design, testing, and materials sectors to the event.

The Trump administration has officially reduced the tariff rate on passenger cars imported from Japan from 27.5% to 15%, effective from 12:01 a.m. on September 16, 2025 (1:01 p.m. Japan time), according to documents released by the US Department of Commerce. However, ambiguity remains over whether Japan's semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries will receive most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment under the agreement.

Intel Corp. has completed the sale of a controlling stake in its Altera programmable chip unit to private equity firm Silver Lake, marking a significant step in the company's ongoing efforts to streamline operations and concentrate on core businesses.

Power semiconductors, particularly silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), emerged as key themes at SEMICON Taiwan 2025. The toughest competition was in SiC equipment, with Chinese, US, and Japanese suppliers all aggressively fighting for market share.

Samsung's ambitious US expansion faces an unexpected obstacle that could derail its 2026 production timeline. A mounting visa crisis, triggered by immigration raids on South Korean workers, is creating ripple effects across the semiconductor industry's most critical supply chains.

A new phase in the global race for silicon carbide (SiC) dominance is unfolding—one shaped as much by geopolitics as by market forces. As Chinese manufacturers make rapid strides in low-cost SiC wafer production, the strategic consensus around this next-generation semiconductor material is beginning to fracture.