Supply of HDI (high-density interconnect) boards has fallen short of demand in the second half of 2019, with Taiwan makers having to reschedule shipments to fulfill mounting orders. HDI boards, now mostly used in handsets, are expected to see a major rise in demand after entering the IoT era to support...

China's bid to increase semiconductor self-sufficiency will take a step further - albeit a small one, perhaps - as homegrown DRAM maker CXMT is ramping up 19nm production. CXMT's goal is to reach an output of 40,000 wafers monthly for the 19nm...

Nan Ya PCB has disclosed plans to invest an additional US$48 million in its factory in Kunshan, China, where the Taiwan-based company will expand ABF substrate production capacity to meet rapidly growing demand.

Taiwan's top PCB maker Zhen Ding Technology (ZDT) will budget a record high capex for 2020 and expects its revenues for the year to grow significantly from 2019 on stronger shipments of diverse product lines, according to company chairman Charles Shen.

Taiwan-based PCB suppliers Compeq Manufacturing and Tripod Technology have both disclosed strong earnings for the third quarter of 2019 and that tight capacity for any-layer HDI boards for smartphone applications may continue through the fourth quarter of 2019.

High-density interconnection (HDI) PCB specialists including Compeq Manufacturing and Tripod Technology are both scheduled to have their new production capacities come online in 2021 to satisfy demand for diverse consumer electronics applications enabled by 5G.

Taiwan-based Yageo and US-based Kemet have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which the former Yageo will acquire all of the outstanding shares of the latter's common stock for US$27.20 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at US$1.8 billion, including the assumption...

Wireless networking solution provider AboCom System has disclosed its monthly sales increased 19.78% on month and 20.55% on year to hit a record high of NT$163 million (US$5.36 million) in October, driven by shipments of its VCSEL chips.

Taiwan's niche-type compound semiconductors makers including Intelligent Epitaxy Technology (IntelliEPI), Transcom and Global Communication Semiconductors are poised to embrace significant growth momentum in 2020, driven by stronger demand for III-V components including diverse RF and other power devices...

Diode supplier Eris Technology, which has put increased focus on automotive electronics applications, has expressed caution about its sales outlook for the first quarter of 2020.

Server demand may have been slow in 2019 with clients adjusting inventory, but orders are expected to pick up in 2020. Major suppliers are eyeing different segments for server shipment growth. The year 2020 is promising not just for the...

Taiwanese PCB maker Zhen Ding Technology (ZDT) and Austrian peer AT&S are expected to together land at least 50-60% of substrate-like PCB orders for Apple's next iPhones to be launched in 2020, according to industry sources.

China has recently offered to allow Taiwan-based firms to join the country's 5G technology R&D, standards formulation, network construction and product test, but most Taiwanese semiconductor supply chain players have remained cautious and even silent in response.

Semiconductor players including TSMC, UMC as well as GaAs foundries and backend firms are seeing their production utilization rates picking up as demand from clients and emerging applications has been rising. Meanwhile, demand for chips used in TWS earphones is also expected to soar in 2020.

China's Dongshan Precision Manufacturing (DSBJ) has disclosed a plan to invest a total of CNY2.16 billion (US$307.9 million) in its new PCB capaciy expansion project.

Global shipments of TWS (true wireless stereo) earphones are expected to surge sharply to 150-200 million sets in 2020 from around 100 million sets estimated for 2019, providing strong revenue growth momentum for Taiwan's chips supply chain players next year, according to industry sources.

Taiwan CCL makers have a chance to land part of orders from their Japan counterpart Panasonic whose plant in northern Japan was seriously hit by floods caused by Typhoon Hagibis in mid-October and will take two months to fix and resume operation, but they do not expect much from the order transfer,...

Copper-clad laminate (CCL) specialist Iteq has reported net profits surged 79.3% from a year earlier and 23.9% sequentially to a record high of NT$715 million (US$23.5 million) in the third quarter of 2019, with EPS coming to NT$2.36.

CCL maker Elite Material (EMC) has reported its net profits climbed 47.3% from a year earlier to hit a record high of NT$960 million (US$31.5 million) in the third quarter of 2019 on total revenues of NT$6.97 billion, up 8% from a year earlier.

Robust shipments of rigid-flex boards - reportedly for AirPods 2 - boosted Taiwan-based PCB maker Unitech's third-quarter 2019 revenues to a new high of NT$6.204 billion (US$203.65 million), with net profit rising 32.93% sequentially to reach a seven-quarter high of NT$670 million.

Taiwan-based PCB maker Dynamic Electronics returned to profitability in the third quarter of 2019, with its net earnings skyrocketing 48.37 folds on year to NT$121 million (US$3.97 million) on revenues of NT$3.87 billion that increased 8.26% on year, according to company data.

Taiwan-based flexible PCB maker Flexium Interconnect expects its revenues from shipments of high-frequency MPI (modified polyimide) and LCP (liquid crystal polymer) antenna boards to surge to over 20% of its annual revenues for 2020.

Server demand was slow in the first half of 2019, but growth has resumed starting in the second half, with Facebook becoming the biggest client for Taiwan-based server ODMs in the third quarter, according to Digitimes Research's latest...

Taiwan's Kinsus Interconnect Technology and Nan Ya PCB are both reportedly among SiP (system in package) substrate suppliers for Apple's just-unveiled AirPods Pro series, which adopt SiP design to integrated related chip components to support new functions including noise cancellation and water resistance,...

Taiwan-based VCSEL sensing component maker HLJ Technology has been ramping up its shipments for true wireless (TWS) Bluetooth earbuds and other devices in the second half of 2019, according to industry sources.