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Wednesday 9 September 2026

Ample Electronic hits 120% utilization as MLCC customers step up copper paste orders

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.

Wednesday 9 September 2026

LG Innotek tackles glass substrate microcrack issue as 2028 production race heats up

LG Innotek is applying internally developed artificial intelligence to semiconductor glass substrate manufacturing, targeting microcracks, one of the technology's toughest yield challenges. The move comes as industry forecasts and supplier roadmaps increasingly point to around 2028 as an early window for initial glass-core substrate production.

Wednesday 9 September 2026

Exclusive Interview: WG Tech sees a faster route for TGV beyond displays

WG Tech (Jiangxi) Group is accelerating its shift from display glass into semiconductor applications, targeting through-glass via (TGV) substrates for optical communications and advanced packaging as AI demand expands.

Wednesday 9 September 2026

Lotte Energy Materials pivots from EV weakness to AI, ESS copper foil

Cooling electric vehicle demand is forcing South Korean copper foil makers to rethink capital and capacity. Lotte Energy Materials has sold a 90% stake in its architectural exterior contracting subsidiary Lotte EcoWall for KRW170.8 billion (approx. US$120 million), and is redirecting the proceeds into its core copper foil business.

Tuesday 8 September 2026

PCB maker Zhen Ding tops US$634M August revenue on AI server, optical module demand

PCB maker Zhen Ding Technology (ZDT) said business momentum is accelerating as demand strengthens during the traditional peak season. In addition to continued stocking for new mobile communications products, combined revenue from servers, optical modules, and IC substrates more than tripled from a year earlier, with growth accelerating further and lifting August revenue above NT$20 billion (≈US$634 million).

Tuesday 8 September 2026

What to expect at CIOE, Shenzhen's optoelectronics mega-expo

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.

Tuesday 8 September 2026

ChenFull Precision expands from defense and semiconductor equipment into quantum computing

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.

Tuesday 8 September 2026

Intel CPU prices reportedly rising 10% again as Qualcomm and MediaTek target IPC and IoT gaps

Intel's PC CPU prices have continued to rise since the end of 2025, and supply chain sources said the company is expected to raise them by another 10%. Its low-margin small-core line is likely heading toward end-of-life (EOL) as CEO Lip-Bu Tan reshapes the business to cut low-margin products and lift overall profitability.

Tuesday 8 September 2026

ViTrox rides AI demand, expands Taiwan push as Malaysia semiconductor base grows

After several years away from SEMICON Taiwan, Malaysia-based inspection equipment maker ViTrox returned to the show this year and has already confirmed plans to exhibit again next year, signaling a renewed push into a market where AI and advanced packaging are raising the stakes for equipment suppliers.

Tuesday 8 September 2026

Interview: California companies highlight synergy between the state and Taiwan

This year's SEMICON Taiwan saw companies worldwide flock to Taipei to learn new industry developments and score potential business opportunities. Many came from elsewhere in Asia, but some came from as far as California, where business leaders highlighted the complementary relationship between the state's research and start-up ecosystem and Taiwan's manufacturing capabilities.

Monday 7 September 2026

JM-Applied sees gas equipment demand surge on AI expansion, order book exceeds NT$3 billion

JM-Applied, a Taiwanese semiconductor gas equipment manufacturer and supply chain member for Micron and TSMC, said on September 4 that revenue in the first half of 2026 exceeded NT$600 million (approx. US$18.98 million), up more than 50% year-over-year. Growth was driven by the continued demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC), which is driving global semiconductor expansion and boosting demand for gas supply systems and equipment at wafer fabs.

Monday 7 September 2026

Wah Lee sees faster growth in 2027 as supply stays tight

Wah Lee Industrial expects growth to accelerate in 2027 as advanced packaging capacity comes online and foundries continue building overseas fabs, while tight supplies of semiconductor materials and manufacturing equipment are likely to keep pricing elevated.

Sunday 6 September 2026

Hiwin Mikrosystem targets SiPh inspection gear as capacity expands 20%, order visibility extends to 2Q27

Driven by the shift from copper to optical interconnects, silicon photonics (SiPh) and co-packaged optics (CPO) are moving rapidly toward mainstream adoption, fueling demand across the broader semiconductor equipment supply chain. Highlighting the trend at SEMICON Taiwan 2026, Hiwin Mikrosystem, in collaboration with the Hiwin Group, unveiled its next-generation precision positioning platform for SiPh inspection. Spurred by accelerating market adoption, order visibility for the platform now extends into the second quarter of 2027.

Sunday 6 September 2026

I-Chiun eyes Nvidia Vera Rubin supply chain as thermal business nears half of sales

I-Chiun Precision Industry is accelerating its shift from LED lead frames into high-end thermal solutions, with thermal products now accounting for 40-45% of revenue. The company expects the share to exceed 50% as early as the second half of 2026 or in 2027 and to rise above 60% over the medium to long term.

Sunday 6 September 2026

Tongtai doubles semiconductor orders on AI data-center demand

Facing rapid demand expansion across the semiconductor and AI industries, Tongtai Group (TT Group) has aggressively promoted an import-substitution and localization strategy in recent years. The group is extending its traditional machine tool expertise into hard and brittle material processing, advanced packaging, and smart manufacturing production-line solutions required for semiconductor fabrication.

Sunday 6 September 2026

Podcast highlights: SoIC vs CoWoS, HBM5 hybrid bonding, and EMIB-T's yield problem

In a podcast, DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin said hybrid bonding is drawing fresh attention at SEMICON Taiwan 2026 and could become a key driver of advanced packaging capacity expansion in 2027 to 2028.

Saturday 5 September 2026

Taiwan semiconductor output targets NT$8 trillion

As Semicon Taiwan kicked off at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced that, based on forecasts compiled from multiple research institutions, Taiwan's semiconductor industry output could top NT$8 trillion (approx. US$252.6 billion) in 2026. Advanced equipment and materials, historically local industry weak points, are also making remarkable gains, with domestic equipment output projected to reach NT$270 billion (US$8.5 billion).

Friday 4 September 2026

Samsung turns to chips, OLED for next phase of Vietnam expansion

Samsung is expanding its Vietnam footprint beyond smartphones, with semiconductor testing, high-end chip substrates, OLED displays and R&D emerging as the next pillars of its presence in one of its largest global manufacturing bases.

Friday 4 September 2026

K&S targets CPO, CoPoS growth with expanded TCB advanced packaging roadmap

Singapore-based semiconductor packaging equipment maker Kulicke and Soffa (K&S) said AI demand is spreading into adjacent applications, lifting 2026 orders for wire bonding equipment and driving shipments to a record high, while the company continues to expand its advanced packaging business.

Friday 4 September 2026

CPO high-density optical interconnects drive E&R's submicron 2D FAU breakthrough

To meet next-generation high-speed optical interconnect demand, fiber array units (FAU) are moving from traditional one-dimensional layouts to high-density two-dimensional (2D) architectures, raising the bar for hole positioning accuracy, micro-hole size, packing density, and process stability. At SEMICON Taiwan 2026, semiconductor equipment maker E&R Engineering unveiled a new ultra-high-precision laser micromachining platform with integrated high-precision motion control, laser drilling, and micromachining technologies.

Friday 4 September 2026

Taisic unveils p-type SiC substrate for ultra-high-voltage grid, rail applications

Taisic Materials, a compound semiconductor company under the Kenmec Group, unveiled a p-type silicon carbide (SiC) substrate on September 2, targeting ultra-high-voltage power applications, including smart grids, rail transportation, and high-power electrical systems.

Thursday 3 September 2026

Exclusive: China 6-inch SiC substrate supply tightens, prices set to rise

China's 6-inch silicon carbide (SiC) substrate market is undergoing a structural supply-demand reversal. Driven by strengthening downstream demand and limited production restarts, supply has turned tight. In addition to refusing orders beyond existing contracts, suppliers are set to formally raise prices once current contracts are fulfilled.

Thursday 3 September 2026

Broadcom says CPO fits scale-out better than scale-up

Broadcom Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Core Switching Group Asad Khamisy said at the Semicon Taiwan 2026 master forum that co-packaged optics (CPO) is not necessarily the best answer for scale-up networking, arguing that scale-out applications offer higher value and can cut power consumption by about 70% compared with pluggable optical modules.

Thursday 3 September 2026

AI substrate shortages widen as Unimicron signals capacity support through 2029

Unimicron chairman SC Chien said the company is working to ease the tightening shortage of AI substrates as MediaTek seeks capacity support for the next three years, during a public appearance at Semicon Taiwan 2026. Chien appeared alongside ASE Technology CEO Tien Wu, TSMC senior vice president and deputy co-chief operating officer Cliff Hou, MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai and Foxconn chairman Young Liu.

Thursday 3 September 2026

Samsung Electro-Mechanics eyes 30% MLCC price hikes, ABF up too

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO) is set to expand the scope of its price increases, with market reports saying the company will raise direct-supply prices for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) sold to OEMs and ODMs in the fourth quarter of 2026, while ABF substrate prices are also climbing. With supply constrained and demand for AI servers strong, further price increases are likely in the near term.

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