For Samsung Electronics' two loss-making logic businesses, OpenAI's declaration that it is jointly producing and researching next-generation chips with the Korean company matters less as a new logo on the customer list than as a sign of where Samsung's advanced wafers actually go. Samsung Foundry has spent 2026 accumulating leading-edge design wins, and System LSI is narrowing its losses behind an in-house application processor. But the most advanced commercial node Samsung sells to outside customers is now more than half consumed by Samsung's own memory division — which means an OpenAI relationship built on high-bandwidth memory may tighten, rather than relieve, the constraint on the foundry's external business.

Jin Lian Cheng Resources completed an upgrade to its desulfurization production line as demand increased for lead-acid battery recycling tied to high-spec uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems used by semiconductor plants. The Taiwanese waste lead-acid battery processor said the upgrade restored normal operations while improving sulfur oxide treatment, real-time monitoring, and environmental management.

Ample Electronic Technology said strong demand for passive components and artificial intelligence (AI) server-related products is boosting business momentum, as multi-layer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) customers ramp up copper paste purchases.

Washington has converted the largest federal bet yet on quantum computing from a promise into a contract, and it is taking ownership in return. On Sept. 8, the US Department of Commerce announced the signing of final awards with five companies under the CHIPS and Science Act: up to US$375 million for GlobalFoundries and up to US$100 million each for Rigetti, D-Wave, PsiQuantum, and Quantinuum, according to five separate announcements posted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Together, the five deals commit US$775 million, and each carries a minority, non-controlling government equity stake as a condition of the money.

Amkor Technology's latest Arizona expansion underscores how advanced packaging capacity is becoming a strategic issue for the US semiconductor supply chain. The larger campus aims to meet rising demand for advanced packaging, strengthen domestic production, and support next-generation devices worldwide.

China has imposed provisional anti-dumping measures on Japanese dichlorosilane (DCS), a semiconductor material used in thin-film deposition, potentially accelerating Chinese wafer fabs' shift toward domestic suppliers.

Asia Vital said August 2026 revenue rose to NT$512 million, up 29.10% year over year, as shipments of ASIC servers to a US cloud service provider customer continued to increase. The Taiwan-based supplier said revenue stayed above NT$500 million for a third straight month, while demand for the customer's next-generation products remained strong.

Axcelis Technologies plans to invest US$35 million in a new semiconductor equipment manufacturing facility in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, a move that could help strengthen global chip supply chains. The project underscores how leading suppliers are expanding production capacity to meet rising demand from manufacturers worldwide.

The 27th China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE) opened at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, taking place alongside the International Integrated Circuit Innovation Expo (IICIE) and the 23rd Shenzhen International Electronics and Embedded Exhibition (elexcon). Together, the co-located events highlight the accelerating convergence of AI, photonics, and semiconductor technology.

Huawei is emerging as a central organiser of China's effort to build a domestic semiconductor equipment supply chain, backing critical lithography suppliers and helping connect them with major chipmakers including SMIC.

HCLTech has opened a new semiconductor laboratory in Bengaluru, a move that could matter for chipmakers and device makers worldwide as they look for faster testing, qualification, and failure analysis. The facility is designed to shorten development cycles, support production quality, and strengthen India's role in the global semiconductor ecosystem.

Capacity for advanced semiconductor processes and packaging remains tight, while mature-node chips required for AI-related peripheral applications are also facing mounting supply pressure. IC design houses and semiconductor industry sources generally expect the current capacity constraints to last longer than the chip supply crunch that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apple's fall product event will begin at 1 a.m. Taiwan time on September 10, with the company set to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro series and its first foldable phone, tentatively called iPhone Ultra. Market watchers said Apple may postpone the standard iPhone 18 until the first quarter of 2027, using older models to support sales in the fourth quarter.

ASML's groundbreaking at Brainport Industries Campus North commits Europe's most valuable company to a build-out that could eventually hold up to 20,000 workplaces in a single Dutch metropolitan region, against a current global workforce of more than 44,500.

As glass substrates emerge as a next-generation semiconductor packaging material, they have become the centerpiece of the display industry's cross-sector transformation. Although South Korean panel makers have turned their attention toward glass substrates and advanced packaging, their overall strategy remains exploratory. Compared to rivals in Taiwan and China, South Korea's leading players face a double-edged sword: their parent conglomerates already maintain established semiconductor and packaging divisions, a structure that enables cross-technology synergy but can also constrain new business expansion.

To receive 12-inch (300mm) advanced-process R&D and pilot-line equipment donated by TSMC, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the National Development Council (NDC) are jointly funding ITRI's new advanced semiconductor pilot production laboratory. The facility is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027 and will begin phased activation in the first quarter of 2028.

Semiconductor test interface maker WinWay said AI-related orders drove August 2026 revenue to NT$1.706 billion (US$53.8 million), up more than 2x year-over-year and a record high for a single month. The company also posted its fifth straight month of month-over-month growth, its third consecutive monthly revenue record, and said cumulative revenue for the first eight months of 2026 rose nearly double, beating expectations.

IQE said first-half 2026 results came in better than expected on an AI data-center buildout boom, but the UK compound semiconductor epitaxy maker also warned that China's grip on indium phosphide, or InP, could become a major industry risk. Bloomberg and Reuters reported that surging demand for next-generation optical communications chips helped IQE post core profit of GBP6 million (about US$8.1 million) in the first half of 2026, swinging the company back into the black.

Samsung Electronics' Taylor foundry fab in Texas has reportedly reached full booking before 2nm volume production begins, signaling stronger demand for the company's incoming US advanced-node capacity as the site moves toward trial operations.

LCD panel supply could tighten around 2028 as Taiwan manufacturers exit the segment faster than expected, while China uses profits from LCD to ramp OLED investment. The shift is being driven by shrinking LCD line capacity, rising demand for advanced semiconductor packaging, and continued growth in large-screen TVs.

This week, DIGITIMES heads to Shenzhen to cover an expo showcasing the world of optoelectronics, a class of technologies that serves as the link between electricity and light. In today's era of pervasive digital connectivity, from smart glasses to cars to phones, this event is expected to give us a glimpse into the hardware supply chain behind these devices, and increasingly behind the global AI infrastructure build-out.

Samsung Electronics has moved to accelerate its silicon photonics push by using the same test partners selected by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. for key validation work, according to The Elec. The effort is aimed at completing wafer-level testing for photonic integrated circuits, or PICs, by 2026 and preparing for silicon photonics foundry services planned for 2027.

Chinese DRAM maker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) expects global memory supply to remain tight through the second half of 2026, with AI-driven demand supporting prices while the company expands capacity, upgrades processes and pushes further into server memory.

ChenFull Precision has expanded rapidly in recent years from traditional precision manufacturing operations such as welding and surface treatment into the semiconductor process equipment supply chain. Its overall business portfolio is also shifting increasingly toward semiconductors, with the company formally reclassified as a semiconductor stock on the Taipei Stock Exchange in 2025.

ASML issued joint statements with Intel Foundry, TSMC and Samsung Electronics on September 8, converging the three leading-edge chipmakers on a transition from the semiconductor industry's decades-old 6-inch photomask to a larger 12-inch format for High NA EUV lithography. Only TSMC attached a schedule to it.