The board of directors of United Microelectronics (UMC) has authorized a capital budget execution of NT$27.406 billion (US$889.4 million) for capacity deployment.

Taiwan-based GEM Services, dedicated to packaging MOSFET and other semiconductor power devices, is expected to tap deeper into the sectors of automotive-use and industrial-control MOSFETs carrying higher gross margins in 2019, with the sectors to contribute well over 20% of the firm's revenues for...

Worldwide sales of new semiconductor manufacturing equipment are projected to increase 9.7% to US$62.1 billion in 2018, exceeding the historic high of US$56.6 billion set last year, according to SEMI.

Taiwan-based IC fabrication and packaging material distributors including Topco Scientific, Niching Industrial and Wahlee Industrial are expected to end 2018 with impressive annual revenue increases, thanks to robust demand for advanced chip fabrication process at TSMC and SiP (system in package) and...

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is looking to expand its 8-inch fab capacity to meet strong chip demand for automotive electronics, IoT and industrial automation applications.

CMOS image sensor (CIS) backend service firm Kingpak Technology has seen its order visibility extend to the first half of 2019, and will see its capacity utilization rate rebound to over 80% in December from 60-70% in the preceding months, according to industry sources.

Taiwan-based backend firms have seen orders from MediaTek fall around 10% sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2018, but expect them to start rebounding in January with substantial increases in second-quarter 2019, according to industry sources.

Government-run Hsinchu Science Park (HSP), Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) and Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) generated revenues totaling NT$2,109.441 billion (US$68.43 billion) in January-October 2018, growing 5.57% on year, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

JMC Electronics, an affiliate of Chang Wah Electromaterials (CWE) specializing in the manufacture of chip-on-film (COF) packaging substrates, has announced consolidated revenues for November 2018 rose 15.1% sequentially and nearly 84% on year to a record high of NT$237 million (US$7.67 million).

Taiwan-based Phoenix Silicon International (PSI) has indirectly tapped into the supply chains of major China telecom equipment makers by providing wafer thinning service for radio frequency (RF) devices used in 5G base stations, according to industry sources.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and United Microelectronics (UMC) have reported sequential decreases in November consolidated revenues of 3.1% and 8.1%, respectively, while revenues at Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) increased 2.4% on month.

The government in Taiwan, quite concerned about the future development of small- and medium-sized IC design houses in the country, is seeking to leverage academic forces to help them develop AI edge technologies and foster first-class design talent in the next few years through a US$132 million Taiwan...

Taiwan's exports totaled US$27.81 billion in November 2018, dropping 5.9% sequentially and 3.4% on year, while the month's imports reached US$23.16 billion, falling 11.6% sequentially but rising 1.1% on year, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

Chances are not high for leadframe suppliers to score double-digit revenue increases in 2019, and China leadframe supply chain can hardly emerge to threaten Taiwan peers, according to CN Huang, chairman of Taiwan's leadframe maker Chang Wah Technology.

MediaTek showcased at the China Mobile Global Partner Conference in Guangzhou on December 6 its first 5G baseband chipset Helio M70, which was launched in mid 2018.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has disclosed plans to build a new 8-inch wafer fab at its manufacturing site in Tainan, southern Taiwan to satisfy robust customer demand.

Qualcomm's new 7nm, 5G-ready Snapdragon 855 mobile SoC will power a number of new smartphones slated for launch in the first half of 2019, according to the company.

Second-tier IC foundries intend to cut their quotes in order to vie for more orders in the first half of 2019, according to industry sources.

Compound semiconductor firms are conservative about order visibility for the first quarter of 2019 due partly to Apple cutting orders amid weaker-than-expected sales of new iPhones, according to industry sources.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is unlikely to see its 7nm process capacity fully utilized in the first half of 2019, due to a cutback in orders placed by Apple, HiSilicon and Qualcomm, according to a recent Chinese-language Commercial Times report.

South Korea's dominance in the manufacture of DRAM memory seems solid, given that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix together control three quarters of the global DRAM market, but China, eager to improve its semiconductor self-sufficiency, is not ready to give up.

Trade tensions between the US and China may not seem to have a direct impact on the semiconductor industry, but subsequent developments of the row - if the two giants fail to make peace - will certainly have profound impact on the chipmaking sectors in both countries, Digitimes Research believes.

The trade war between the world's two economic giants has lasted over a year since the US Trade Representative Office initiated in August 2017 a Section 301 investigation into imports from China. But it is difficult for both sides to resolve the trade conflicts, judging from the differences between...

ASML expects some delay in deliveries during the start of 2019, due to a fire at one of its suppliers of electronics components and modules.

Worldwide sales of semiconductors reached US$41.8 billion for the month of October 2018, up 12.7% compared to year-ago levels and 1% sequentially, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). Monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization...