Novatek Microelectronics, Taiwan's top display driver IC (DDI) supplier, held its earnings call with CEO Steve Wang outlining the company's market outlook. He said the stronger New Taiwan dollar, tariff uncertainties, and weak demand in consumer electronics and PCs have led panel makers to reduce capacity to keep prices steady, softening typical peak-season demand in the third quarter of 2025.
The ongoing surge in artificial intelligence (AI) investments has deepened the reliance of the four major US cloud service providers (CSPs) on Taiwan's AI chips and servers, significantly widening Taiwan's trade surplus with the US, according to Chien-yi Chang, president of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER).
Hua Hong Semiconductor, one of China's top wafer foundries, reported a steep profit drop for the first three quarters of 2025, citing higher costs from new production lines and rising R&D expenses. Third-quarter revenue rose 21.1% year-over-year to CNY4.566 billion (approx. US$640.9 million), while net profit plunged 43.5% to CNY177 million. For the first three quarters, revenue totalled CNY12.583 billion, up 19.8%, but profit tumbled 56.5% to CNY251 million.
Memory prices have sharply rebounded in the third quarter of 2025, supported by increases in both volume and unit prices, boosting financial results for leading memory module manufacturers. Companies including Transcend, Innodisk, and Apacer Technology reported substantial year-on-year and sequential growth in revenue and net profit.
Flexible printed circuit (FPC) manufacturer Flexium Interconnect said its challenging business transformation phase was approaching completion after a difficult 2025. The company highlighted growing momentum for orders related to its MetaLink technology, anticipating stronger performance in 2026.
Chinese AI chipmaker Cambricon Technologies is facing a massive legal battle. The company's former chief technology officer, Liang Jun, has filed a lawsuit seeking CNY4.3 billion (US$590 million) in compensation for losses tied to a share incentive plan.
Memory design IC firm AP Memory reported consolidated revenue of NT$1.495 billion (US$48.3 million) in the third quarter of 2025, up 17.3% year-over-year, driven by multiple interposers with silicon capacitor (S-SiCap) projects entering mass production. The company also set a new quarterly net profit record attributable to the parent at NT$706 million.
The surge in AI computing has led to a significant price increase in DRAM and NAND Flash, with major manufacturers raising prices by up to 30% in late 2025, putting cost pressure on Chinese smartphone brands and retailers.
Edge AI startup Anaflash has unveiled a new AI microcontroller built on Samsung Electronics' 28nm foundry process. The move marks another design win for Samsung as it works to revive its contract chipmaking business.
China's DRAM maker CXMT plans to start mass production of fourth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM3) in 2026 using mass reflow molded underfill (MR-MUF) packaging, the same technology employed by South Korea's SK Hynix, now the global HBM leader.
Touch panel maker TPK Holding announced plans to acquire a 23.83% stake in IC design firm Ilitek for NT$5.807 billion (approx. US$188 million), at NT$49.5 per share, making TPK the largest shareholder of Ilitek. The board approved signing a share transfer agreement with MagiCapital and Achi Capital, with the transaction to be settled in equivalent US dollars through offshore transfers. Completion is expected by January 2026.
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