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Sep 16
Advanced processes have no ready-made answers, says TSMC's COO

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) chairman C.C. Wei and co-chief operating officer Y.J. Mii participated in the "Cross-Generational Dialogue: Questions and Answers for the AI Era" forum on September 15. Students asked how TSMC determines whether a technology is worth long-term investment when information is incomplete and the technological direction remains unclear, as well as how people can develop the ability to judge whether answers generated by artificial intelligence (AI) are true or false in the AI era.

Google's Humufish TPU project, scheduled to enter mass production by the end of 2027, is set to adopt Intel's EMIB-T advanced packaging technology with support from ASIC partner MediaTek. MediaTek has also stated during an earnings call that EMIB-T yields have reached levels capable of supporting stable mass production, expressing confidence in the project's 2027 production plans.
China's advanced semiconductor research has reached another milestone. The Institute of Microelectronics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has established a gate-all-around (GAA) device development path for advanced process nodes below 3nm that does not rely on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography as its core technology.

Foreign commitments timed around SEMICON India are moving deeper into the supply chain. In the three days before the 2026 edition opened on September 17, Lam Research, Applied Materials, and Fujifilm announced India plans worth a combined INR144 billion (US$1.50 billion), covering silicon components, chip equipment, and process chemicals rather than chip production itself.

Onsemi is seeking to capture more value from AI, electrification, and automation by expanding from individual semiconductors into integrated power systems. Its strategy for the next decade centers on improving power density: delivering more power in less space while managing heat, efficiency, and reliability.

Japan's Fujifilm plans to set up a greenfield semiconductor materials manufacturing facility in India with a total investment of approximately INR8 billion (US$83.33 million), the company said in a statement on September 16, 2026. Construction of the first phase is scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2026, with commercial production targeted for fiscal year 2028.

US-based semiconductor equipment maker Applied Materials will invest INR36 billion (US$375 million)) in the Indian state of Karnataka over the next 10 years, Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil said on September 15, 2026. The project, to be located in the Bengaluru Signature Business Park (BSBP) area, is expected to create around 1,000 jobs, according to Moneycontrol and PTI.
Lam Research plans to invest INR100 billion (approx. US$1.04 billion) in India over the next several years, adding its first silicon component manufacturing facility in the country and expanding its advanced research and development operations.
The broader high-tech landscape has wondered for years about the subtle transactions and movements unfolding underneath the enormous technology ecosystem Elon Musk has stitched together amid a rapidly expanding business reach across AI-driven industries.
SK Hynix is reportedly lining up US memory chip production and is in talks with Intel over possible cooperation, including leasing part of Intel's Ohio facilities. The move would give SK Hynix its first memory chip manufacturing base in the US as Washington steps up pressure on chipmakers to expand domestic investment.
China's rare earth export controls are changing the rules governing global critical mineral supply chains. For Taiwan, the real concern is not that China could suddenly halt all exports one day, but that export licensing, end-use reviews, price volatility, longer lead times, and "hidden dependencies" embedded in intermediate materials and components could gradually raise the cost and uncertainty of maintaining normal production.

AI-driven capacity expansion is pushing up demand for semiconductor equipment, and SK Hynix is strengthening supply chain management for equipment and components while shifting to a longer-term strategy.