Taiwan built the last computing era by manufacturing other people's designs. Ching-Ray Chang wants it to try the same trick with quantum computing, and he is arguing the window is open now because nobody has claimed the position yet.

Indium phosphide (InP) is emerging as one of the tightest supply constraints in AI data-center optical interconnects. Lumentum CEO Michael Hurlston has said publicly that the supply-demand imbalance for InP has become more severe than the shortages seen in DRAM and NAND memory, making the material a potential bottleneck as data centers scale high-speed optical links.

Sonix Technology expects consumer IC and MCU sales to keep growing in the second half of 2026, but memory shortages could slow imaging-product shipments. AI-driven demand is also squeezing wafer foundry and packaging and testing capacity, leaving the MCU market undersupplied through the end of 2026.

AI is reshaping demand well beyond chips, and GlobalWafers chair Doris Hsu said this shift is lifting the strategic importance of silicon wafers across the semiconductor supply chain. She said the industry is entering a new growth phase driven by AI, advanced packaging, and broader material changes, rather than a simple cyclical rebound.

Taiwan's semiconductor materials suppliers are seeking gains from square packaging and co-packaged optics as advanced manufacturing evolves. The changes could help local firms move higher up the global chip supply chain, especially as specifications are still taking shape and adoption decisions remain open among international customers.

The European semiconductor push is moving beyond factory construction toward demand, design support, and talent building, according to TSMC. For global readers, the shift matters because Europe's chip ambitions could influence supply chains for cars, industrial equipment, and future high-performance computing systems far beyond the region.

SEMICON Taiwan 2026 will draw more than 1,300 companies and 4,300 booths to Taipei from September 2 to 4, setting new records as the industry show expands beyond chipmaking into packaging, smart fab, quantum technology, and system integration. SEMI said the event reflects how artificial intelligence is reshaping the global semiconductor supply chain.

As interconnect traffic in AI hyperscale data centers climbs, optical modules are moving toward the 1.6T and 3.2T generations. United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), Taiwan's second-largest contract chipmaker, is expanding its silicon photonics (SiPh) efforts and focusing on thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) as a core technology for overcoming key bottlenecks, while its SiPh platform has moved into 12-inch production.

Apple has unveiled new Mac mini and Mac Studio models, equipped respectively with its first 2-nanometer chip, the M6, and the four-die M5 Ultra. Most notably, the latest 2-nanometer process is used only in the entry-level Mac mini, while the 3-nanometer M5 Ultra is officially billed as the "most powerful M-series chip yet."

Industry players say Taiwan's push to localize semiconductor materials did not begin in 2026. The real turning point came in 2019, when the Japan-South Korea semiconductor trade dispute exposed a structural risk: even as Taiwan concentrated manufacturing at home, key raw materials remained controlled by overseas suppliers.

Japan's Panasonic has raised PCB material prices for the second time in 2026, broadening the increases to copper-clad laminate (CCL), pre-preg (PP) and other products, including IC substrate materials. Some items will rise by as much as 30%, with the new pricing taking effect on shipments starting September 1.