
As AI computing workloads surge, demand for higher GPU and CPU performance is triggering exponential growth in data center power density and energy consumption. Nvidia's transition toward an 800V high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power architecture is driving hardware upgrades across sidecar power cabinets and battery backup units (BBUs), while spurring demand for customized high-voltage NP0 (C0G) multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs).
Semiconductor epitaxy maker Episil Precision said on September 22 that rising demand from AI data centers has created two main growth engines. Demand for silicon photonics optical communication modules is driving a surge in germanium silicon (GeSi) epitaxy demand, with the sector projected to grow 3.5- to 4-fold in 2027 and demand visibility extending to 2028.
Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys have achieved certification for key design flows on TSMC's A14 process, expanding the design ecosystem for the foundry's next full node ahead of risk production in 2027 and volume production in 2028.
European Union industry ministers are set to debate the proposed Chips Act 2.0 in Brussels on September 24, days after a senior ASML executive said the company is currently selling no chipmaking systems in Europe, highlighting the gap between the bloc's semiconductor ambitions and where industry investment is flowing. The policy debate is scheduled for about 11:30 a.m. Brussels time at the EU Competitiveness Council.
South Korea's major semiconductor, display, and electronics parts factories are staying open through the Chuseok holiday as AI-driven memory demand and new Apple iPhone panel production keep lines running. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are continuing output at key plants, while display and MLCC makers are also maintaining round-the-clock operations.

Advanced packaging remains one of the semiconductor industry's hottest technology areas in 2026. In Taiwan, terms such as co-packaged optics (CPO), chiplets, and glass substrates are increasingly common as packaging moves deeper into system-level design.

