China's domestic lithography sector is entering another phase of internal restructuring, with AMIES Technology consolidating industrial assets originally spun out from Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (Group) Co., Ltd. (SMEE). Corporate filings and Shanghai Securities News show that AMIES has acquired 100% of Shanghai Weiyao Industrial Co. for CNY228.5 million (US$32.5 million), replacing SMEE as the sole shareholder. The transaction completes SMEE's exit from Weiyao while keeping the asset within the SMEE-origin corporate structure.

Materials test and analysis provider MSScorps continued its record-breaking revenue performance in December 2025, buoyed by active investments by customers in advanced processes and next-generation advanced packaging technologies. Robust demand from semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) customers fueled orders for materials analysis, as well as silicon photonics (SiPh) and AI inspection and testing services.

Taiwan-based semiconductor testing firm MA-tek announced December 2025 revenue of NT$501 million (approx. US$15.91 million), marking a 2.7% increase from November and a 10.65% rise compared to December 2024. The growth was mainly fueled by accelerated in-house ASIC development among cloud service providers (CSPs) and increased requirements for materials analysis (MA) and failure analysis (FA) testing amid advanced process development. For the full year, MA-tek achieved NT$5.545 billion in revenue, up 8.51% year-over-year.

TSMC reported solid year-over-year growth in December 2025 revenue, even as monthly momentum softened slightly toward the end of the year, underscoring resilient underlying demand led by advanced technologies while reflecting seasonal shipment patterns.

China has intensified pressure on Japan's supply chains. Following curbs on dual-use items and rare earth exports, the Ministry of Commerce has launched an anti-dumping probe into Japanese-origin dichlorosilane (DCS).

SAS subsidiary GlobalWafers reported consolidated revenue of NT$5.506 billion (US$173.9 million) in December 2025, up 16.86% month-over-month and 0.27% year-over-year, marking the third-highest historical level for the period. For the fourth quarter of 2025, consolidated revenue reached NT$14.502 billion, a marginal 0.06% quarter-over-quarter increase but an 11.27% decline from the previous year. Full-year 2025 consolidated revenue totaled NT$60.598 billion, down 3.24% year-over-year.

China's Ministry of Commerce said on January 7, 2026, that it has launched an anti-dumping investigation into Japanese-origin dichlorosilane (DCS). While framed as a routine trade-remedy case under existing rules, the decision reflects a more specific reality in the semiconductor materials supply chain: China now has domestic fallback capacity in this critical process material, allowing policymakers to act selectively at a sensitive juncture.

Niching Industrial, a supplier of semiconductor packaging materials, reported consolidated revenue of NT$128.37 million (approx. US$4.07 million) in December 2025, representing a 25% year-over-year and 16% month-over-month increase. The company's full-year revenue reached NT$1.275 billion, up 11% from 2024, marking its highest annual revenue in nearly 14 years.

As Taiwan's semiconductor and AI server industries rapidly expand—led by TSMC and major hardware manufacturers—the government is accelerating infrastructure planning to secure industrial land, water supply, and green energy, while balancing domestic capacity constraints with overseas investment.

China is testing the extent of support US President Donald Trump would extend to Japan by imposing export controls on the country, just months after Trump boasted that he had solved the rare earth issue for the whole world. Beijing has announced a ban on exports of all dual-use items that could potentially be used for military purposes. The move could impact approximately 40% of China's exports to Japan and pose a threat to its automotive industry, which relies heavily on rare earths. Shortly following this announcement, China launched an anti-dumping investigation into dichlorosilane, a key chipmaking material originating from Japan.

TSMC said on January 8 that it has acquired land in Arizona through its subsidiary TSMC Arizona, marking another step in expanding its overseas manufacturing footprint.

TSMC is rapidly expanding its global footprint, with facilities in Kumamoto, Japan; Arizona, the US; and Saxony, Germany. Facing a critical shortage of semiconductor equipment and management talent, the company is actively partnering with universities worldwide to cultivate skilled professionals.

India's backend semiconductor manufacturers are benefiting from a narrow window of materials comfort that is closely tied to the use of legacy packaging technologies.

Qualcomm is reportedly in talks with Samsung Electronics about contract manufacturing of next-generation 2nm chips, discussions that could support Samsung's efforts to revive its loss-making foundry business.

The Taiwanese Executive Yuan's 2026 Science and Technology Advisory Meeting concluded with Taiwan's top technology firms represented by new leaders, including TSMC's Cliff Hou and MediaTek's Rick Tsai. President Ching-te Lai emphasized that 2026 marks a critical year to strengthen Taiwan's semiconductor capabilities and advance AI projects alongside the biotech, defense, and SME sectors.

To overcome AI's limits, a bridge must be built between computer science and biology, according to Kea-Tiong Tang, a professor from Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) and a leading scholar in neuromorphic computing. Tang recently led a Taiwan team to the US for CES in 2026, demonstrating efforts to break from the traditional von Neumann architecture.

Win Semiconductors, the world's leading gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafer foundry, reported consolidated revenue of NT$1.61 billion (US$51.31 million) for December 2025, down slightly by 0.38% from the previous month but up 31.26% year over year. Consolidated revenue for the fourth quarter of 2025 reached NT$4.79 billion, marking a 6.83% sequential increase and a 29.37% rise compared to the same quarter last year. However, full-year 2025 consolidated revenue totaled NT$16.64 billion, reflecting a 4.69% decline compared with full-year 2024.

TSMC is undertaking significant upgrades at its existing 8-inch and 12-inch fabrication facilities that process chips at 90nm and above, while accelerating expansion for cutting-edge 2nm and below technologies. Semiconductor equipment suppliers confirm major reconstruction projects are underway at TSMC's Hsinchu 6-inch (Fab 2) and 8-inch fabs (Fab 3, 5, 6, and 8), reflecting the company's response to robust market demand.

US-based semiconductor process control and process-enabling technology leader KLA Corporation has inaugurated a new INR3 billion (approx. US$36 million) R&D and Innovation Hub in Chennai, marking a major expansion of its operations in India. The 311,000-square-foot facility is designed to accommodate up to 1,300 employees and will strengthen KLA's software engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), and process control capabilities.

Samsung Electronics reported a strong rebound in profitability in the fourth quarter of 2025, supported by rising memory chip prices and sustained global demand from AI data center operators, according to its preliminary consolidated financial results released under fair disclosure rules.

Taiwan-based passive component giant Yageo continues to be affected by and respond to price hikes. Following Kemet's two price increases for tantalum capacitors within six months in 2025, the group's magnetic components brand Pulse has now also announced price increases due to persistently elevated prices of key raw materials, including silver.

Apple has secured enough NAND flash memory to sustain production through the first quarter of 2026. But the iPhone maker is facing steep price increases for DRAM as artificial intelligence demand shifts leverage toward chipmakers, according to Morgan Stanley.

Benefiting from strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) smartphones and AI servers, IC testing giant Sigurd Microelectronics announced that its December 2025 revenue surpassed NT$1.8 billion (approx. US$57.21 million). The figure not only marked a record high for a single month, but also propelled the company's fourth-quarter 2025 and full-year revenues to new all-time highs.

TSMC sustained minor losses from the December 27, 2025, earthquake near Yilan, thanks to comprehensive seismic management implemented after the 1999 earthquake. These measures safeguarded costly equipment and support stable semiconductor output despite a magnitude 7.0 quake.