AI infrastructure is increasingly dependent on light, and more of that technology is being built in Texas. Coherent's new Sherman expansion, backed by public and private funding, could strengthen global supply chains for the lasers and optical components that connect data centers, chips, and servers worldwide.
EssilorLuxottica and Applied Materials have agreed to a long-term partnership to speed development of intelligent optical systems for augmented reality and AI-powered smart eyewear, a move that could help shape future consumer devices used by people around the world. The companies said the effort aims to make advanced display glasses lighter, more capable, and easier to manufacture at scale.
The global appetite for AI chips is putting new strain on materials suppliers, turning one of Ajinomoto's lesser-known products into a pressure point for advanced semiconductor packaging.
Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing (PSMC) announced on June 16 that, effective from May 22, 2026, it purchased semiconductor production facilities and machinery from Lam Research for use in wafer production, in a transaction totaling NT$1.04 billion (approx. US$32.94 million). The move comes as the company steps up investment in equipment and new technologies to seize artificial intelligence (AI) opportunities.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Amkor Technology have signed a 10-year agreement to jointly expand advanced semiconductor packaging capacity in Arizona, a move that would bring a more complete chip supply chain onto American soil.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) is rapidly gaining ground in the silicon capacitor market as AI infrastructure investment and technology upgrades accelerate demand. After landing its first major silicon capacitor order, the company is in talks with additional potential customers, while its multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) business is also expanding and operating profit is expected to hit a record high.
Singapore-based Galatek Technologies is expanding into scarce advanced packaging equipment as it builds localized manufacturing capacity in Malaysia, aiming to capture demand from a shifting global semiconductor supply chain.
Huawei has notified partners and channel distributors that it will raise end-customer prices across its Intelligent Collaboration product line from July 1 this year, as the AI computing buildout tightens chip and component supply across the global semiconductor chain. The move follows Lenovo's earlier price increase and underscores mounting cost pressure on enterprise devices.
Nvidia launched a sale of US$25 billion worth of high-grade bonds on June 15, ultimately garnering up to US$85 billion in orders, or more than triple the bond's original size. This is one of several debt offerings this year from tech giants, which are responding to investor excitement and a need for cash to capitalize on the AI boom.
ASML, TSMC, and imec have demonstrated a major advance in the effort to bring two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor materials from research laboratories into high-volume semiconductor manufacturing. At the 2026 IEEE/JSAP Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circuits, the partners unveiled a 300mm wafer integration flow that produced both n-type and p-type 2D-material transistors at a 50nm contacted poly pitch (CPP), marking the first time such scaled devices have been demonstrated using an industry-compatible process.
Global semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales reached a record US$36.55 billion in the first quarter of 2026, driven by AI-related investment in advanced logic, DRAM, and advanced packaging capacity, according to the latest Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics report from SEMI.
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