CONNECT WITH US
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.

Friday 20 March 2026
Samsung foundry shows signs of stabilization as Nvidia, Tesla orders underscore AI chip capabilities

Samsung Electronics' foundry business is showing signs of stabilization after a sustained period of market share decline, as new orders from Nvidia and Tesla underscore its ability to manufacture high-value artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors, according to Maeil Business News Korea and EBN.

Friday 20 March 2026
When secrets walk out the door: TSMC's cross-border IP battle tests Taiwan's legal reach
TSMC built its dominance not just on cutting-edge fabs, but on closely guarded know-how that rivals cannot easily replicate. Now, that edge is at the center of a high-stakes legal fight. Former senior vice president Wei-jen Lo stands accused of walking out with the crown jewels — key parameters and trade secrets tied to the chipmaker's most advanced processes — before crossing the Pacific to join rival Intel. The case has landed in Taiwan's Intellectual Property and Commercial Court, and the outcome could set a precedent for how the island defends its most valuable technological assets.
Friday 20 March 2026
Commentary: Nvidia sees Groq as its next Mellanox
Since the start of 2026, Jensen Huang has twice drawn a striking parallel: likening a potential deal involving Groq to Nvidia's 2020 acquisition of Mellanox Technologies. He first made the comparison during a late-February earnings call, and again in an interview following his keynote at GTC 2026 in March.
Friday 20 March 2026
MediaTek on cruise control as chipmakers scramble for next-gen silicon photonics standards
Nvidia GTC 2026 and the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) have underscored the growing importance of optical communication in cloud AI, with chipmakers playing an increasingly critical role in the ecosystem.
Friday 20 March 2026
Samsung signals AI memory shift with HBM showcase at 2026 shareholders meeting
Samsung Electronics held its 57th annual shareholders meeting on March 18 in Suwon, South Korea, where it unveiled advanced memory products, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), signaling a strategic push to strengthen its semiconductor competitiveness.
Friday 20 March 2026
UK-Taiwan R&D ties scale up with Foxconn, Turing Space, NSYSU
Taiwan has long leveraged its manufacturing strengths to carve out a place in the global supply chain. Now, it is going further. With research and development reach expanding overseas, the country is shifting from contract manufacturing to joint innovation. The UK-Taiwan Innovative Industries Programme (I2P), run under the British Office Taipei and ITRI, has hit a record scale in 2026, with 17 research and development teams taking part in bilateral exchanges.
Friday 20 March 2026
AI tailwinds and global reach put Topco on track for double-digit growth in 2026
Driven by AI applications boosting advanced processes, HBM, and packaging technologies, demand for key materials like silicon wafers and photoresists has surged. Topco Scientific (TSC) has announced plans to focus on high-growth sectors such as AI, automotive, and data centers in 2026, targeting sustained double-digit growth.
Friday 20 March 2026
Commentary: Taiwan's display panel makers are quietly becoming chip companies
Taiwan built its technology identity on two pillars: semiconductors and display panels. One has thrived. The other is reinventing itself.