Powerchip chairman Frank Huang, who spent much of his career mirroring the trajectory of Taiwan's memory and foundry industries and was set to ride the AI boom into profitability in 2026, has passed away. His passing has revived memories of a 1999 attempt to block UMC's aggressive bid for Powerchip, when Huang sought help from TSMC founder Morris Chang and eventually saw Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) invest in Powerchip to counter UMC.

Suppliers locked supply and price floors through 2030. The collateral protecting them runs out first — and that is when procurement leverage comes back.

China's State Council has released a revised version of the regulations on the protection of IC layout designs, set to take effect on October 15, 2026. It is the first full overhaul since the rules were issued in 2001, adding protection for photonic and quantum IC designs, increasing punitive damages for intentional infringement, and improving systems for layout design registration, licensing, and rights enforcement.

Wah Hong Industrial Co. said that in the first half of 2026, it accelerated development of high-value-added products, new technologies and new application markets while continuing to protect its core businesses. The Taiwan-based materials maker also reported that net profit rose nearly 12% year over year, while earnings per share increased 16.83% during the period.

Zhen Ding Tech (ZDT) said July revenue reached its highest level so far in 2026, supported by strong momentum across mobile communications, servers, optical modules and IC substrates. Its mobile communications business maintained double-digit year-on-year growth, while combined revenue from servers, optical modules and IC substrates sustained triple-digit growth, accelerated from the previous month and reached another monthly record. The gains were mainly driven by customers moving high-end AI products into adoption and mass production as planned, lifting ZDT's related shipments.