IC Insights has released its list of the world's top-15 semiconductor suppliers in the first half of 2019, and identified Sony as the only company registering year-over-year growth during the six-month period.

A ramp-up in orders for NAND flash memory will boost revenues at backend houses ChipMOS Technologies and Orient Semiconductor Electronics (OSE) in the second half of 2019, according to industry sources.

Growing chip demand for 5G- and AIoT-related applications will boost TSMC's revenues for 2020, which are expected to climb over 10% on year, according to industry sources.

Taiwan received export orders with total value of US$40.53 billion in July 2019, increasing 5.3% sequentially but decreasing 3.0% on year, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

Taiwan-based IC designer house MediaTek reportedly is on track to roll out its first 5G SoC series, codenamed MT6885, in fourth-quarter 2019, ready for commercial production in first-quarter 2020. The 5G market may see explosive growths...

Foundry chipmaker Powerchip Technology has reported net losses of NT$2.69 billion (US$85.7 million) in the first half of 2019. EPS was negative NT$0.85 for the six-month period.

Unsatisfactory yield rates at Samsung's 7nm EUV process may affect production for the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 7250 mobile SoC, but MediaTek's development of 5G chips, with support from TSMC, is on schedule with volume production to kick off in the first quarter of 2020, expected according to industry...

While Moore's Law is approaching its physical limits, only a few could still afford the expensive game of process shrink. And when the post-Moore's Law era comes, semiconductor firms, though lost in Moore's Law, may realize that there is another solution: chiplets, according to Shang-yi Chiang, CEO...

Nvidia's dominance in the discrete graphics card market is expected to see strong challenges from Intel and AMD beginning from 2021, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

Demand for GaN-based RF components and power amplifiers (PAs) is heading for long-term growth along with the establishment of 5G networks, according to industry sources.

Taiwan-based and foreign applicants applied for 35,534 patents during first-half 2019, increasing 0.68% on year, according to Intellectual Property Office (IPO).

NAND flash wafer prices have been rising in the third quarter of 2019, and have exceeded manufacturers' cash cost levels, according to industry sources.

Taiwan's economic growth for second-quarter 2019 has been re-estimated at 2.40%, 0.01pp lower than 2.41% forecast at end-of-July according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

Apple is expected to launch its new iPhones soon, but it seems few would expect strong sales or major spec upgrades for the new phones. News from the supply chain has claimed that PCB order momentum ahead of the new iPhone launch has...

CMOS image sensor (CIS) packaging specialist Xintec has put increased focus on high-profit segments of healthcare, industrial control and automotive CIS applications, and expects to see its GaN power components and RF devices packaging business start contributing revenues in the second half of 2020,...

GaAs foundry Win Semiconductors, and backend houses Xintec and ShunSin Technology have started ramping up shipments for structured light 3D sensing components in the third quarter of 2019, according to industry sources.

Micron Technology has unveiled a new NAND flash fab in Singapore with commerical run to start later this year focusing on 96-layer and beyond 3D processes, as it seeks to rely on technology advancements to increase bit-output. The company...

Chip-on-film (COF) substrate supplier JMC Electronics has enjoyed robust demand for semi-additive tape COF packaging services, boasting clear order visibility through the first half of 2020, according to industry sources.

China-based pure-play foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) expects to have its more-advanced 14nm FinFET process ready for volume production by the end of 2019.

Toppan Photomasks and Globalfoundries have entered into a multi-year supply agreement in which Toppan will provide GF with photomasks and related services currently supported by GF's Burlington, Vermont US photomask manufacturing operation, according to the companies.

The board of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has approved capital appropriations of about US$6.5 billion for the construction of new fab facilities, installation, expansion and upgrade of advanced technology capacity, as well as installation of specialty technology capacity.

The manufacture of under-display optical fingerprint sensors for use in 5G-enabled phones will require wafer-level backend services. Suppliers capable of providing wafer-level backend services will find their role more important than that of module assemblers when making 5G devices, according to industry...

ShunSin Technology, Foxconn Technology Group's IC backend service affiliate, is expected to see revenues and profits hit the year's highs in September and October, bolstered by robust shipments for optical transceiver modules, face identification modules and 5G SiP (system in package) modules, according...

Taiwan-based Gudeng Precision Industrial, a semiconductor front-end equipment manufacturer specializing in mask solution products and wafer handling equipment, saw its revenues climb 51.9% on year to NT$173 million (US$5.5 million) in July 2019.

Taiwan's top backend house Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) has decided to purchase a new factory building in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan to provide more space for warehousing chemical materials and flexible capacity support for flip-chip packaging and high-end testing operations, according...