LCD chemical material supplier Daxin Materials has disclosed plans to build a new plant at a cost of NT$550 million (US$18.1 million), which will focus on production of new key upstream and semiconductor materials after starting official run in the first quarter of 2021.

HDI PCB specialist Tripod Technology is on track to meet its revenue target of NT$54 billion (US$1.77 billion) for 2019, a new high compared to the previous record of NT$52.1 billion in 2018, as its shipments of anylayer HDI boards to Chinese handset vendors have remained robust in the fourth quarter,...

Pure-play compound semiconductor wafer foundry Global Communication Semiconductors (GCS) has enhanced its strategic partnership with Epistar by investing in Epistar's China-based foundry subsidiary Episky.

Taiwan-based PCB maker Unitech, having registered impressive revenues so far this year, expects stable shipments of HDI rigid-flex boards for AirPods 2 to persist into the first half of 2021 as a major growth driver, according to industry sources.

Taiwan-based PCB specialist Zhen Ding Technology has decided to enforce a capital increment of US$50 million at its second IC substrate subsidiary to build new capacity for advanced substrates for application to 5G handsets and wearable devices.

Apple is expected to launch 5G iPhones in 2020, and the next-generation phones may change its antenna board designs to facilitate mmWave transmission. Taiwan-based flexible PCB makers including Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect are gearing up to capture orders for flexible...

Taiwan-based flexible PCB makers including Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect are gearing up to capture orders for flexible antenna boards for 5G iPhones, especially those for LCP (liquid crystal polymer) boards likely to be used in Apple's new-generation offerings, according to industry...

Taiwan-based Nan Ya PCB is expected to double its 2020 capex from NT$3.5 billion (US$114.8 billion) in 2019 to expand capacity for ABF substrates for 5G network applications and SiP substrates for mobile devices, according to industry sources.

Modified polyimide (MPI) and liquid crystal polymer (LCP) materials for smartphone antennas are expected to coexist, with the former being adopted mainly for Android models, and the latter likely to be increasingly used by Apple for its iPhones from 2020 onwards, according to industry sources.

Notebook vendors are ready to adopt mini LED backlighting for their devices, paving the way for the technology to move beyond public signage to consumer electronics, according to industry sources.

The prospect of 5G definitely looks promising, but players in the supply chain have to make sure they have sufficient support from one another in order to fully enjoy the opportunities promised by the arrival of 5G. Chipmakers and their partners are gearing up to build key...

Taiwan-based inductor maker Cyntec will see its capacity increase by 40% in early 2020 when its new production lines become operational to fulfill ever-increasing orders, according to company chairman Steven Liu.

Mobile chipmakers are gearing up to secure stronger support from supply chain partners aiming to gain a greater presence in the market for 5G smartphones whose shipments are estimated to reach at least 200 million units in 2020, according to industry sources.

With the arrival of 5G's commercialization, Taiwan- and China-based makers of components including PCB and cooling modules, are expected to see rising orders from the segment, which will also improve their operations in 2020. Meanwhile, as true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds have grown popular among...

Panasonic has agreed to sell its semiconductor business to Nuvoton Technology, a Taiwan-based MCU specialist majority owned by memory chipmaker Winbond Electronics.

China's leading PCB makers Shennan Circuits and Wus Printed Circuit are expected to see their net earnings for 2019 double from 2018 on robust demand for high-layer-count (HLC) PCBs with higher margins for use in servers as well as 5G base stations that are under massive construction in China, according...

With its decision to sell its chipmaking operations to Taiwan's Nuvoton Technology, Panasonic will leave the chipmaking industry where it was once among the world's top-10 players in the 90s.

UMC may have quit the expensive race to advance manufactuing nodes, but it has been keen to develop specialty process. The latest development reportedly sees th pure-play foundry enter risk production for 5G FR switches at its 12-inch...

As motherboard upgrades at 5G smartphones are gaining momentum, Taiwan-based CCL maker is poised to compete with Japanese peer Panasonic to benefit more from the first wave of 5G application opportunities in 2020, especially those for anylayer HDI boards.

Chip-on-film (COF) substrate supplier JMC Electronics has seen orders for large-size display driver IC packaging slow down in the fourth quarter of 2019, for which the company is likely to post a 10-15% sequential decline in revenues, according to industry sources.

Leadframe specialist Chang Wah Technology (CWTC) plans to expand its offerings to include those for power devices in 2020 and is also set to kick off a NT$3 billion (US$98.38 million) capacity expansion project at its plant in southern Taiwan, according to industry sources.

PCB maker HannStar Board has posted the highest profit in 10 years in the third quarter of 2019, with gross margin nearing 20% and net earnings shooting up 62.17% on year to NT$1.514 billion (US$49.64 million) on total revenues of NT$11.82 billion, up 9.5% sequentially.

The memory market market is expected to recover next year, but suppliers remain cautious about expanding output. Samsung's bit growth for NAND flash output reportedly may drop to as low as 25%. In the foundry sector, China-based Wuhan...

China has set up a CNY147.2 billion (US$20.94 billion) national fund aimed at spurring transformations and upgrades at its manufacturing industries to turn the country into a smart production center, according to industry sources.

Major Taiwan-based flexible PCB specialists have had their respective production lines for LCP (liquid crystal polymer) antenna boards ready for commercial runs as they are eyeing the emerging business opportunities that is coming along with the 5G establishment, according to industry sources.