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Thursday 10 July 2025
Taiwan-Germany academic collab reportedly finalizes semiconductor research projects
Taiwan and Germany reportedly have finalized the semiconductor research projects that their academics will be collaborating on from 2026 to 2029.
Thursday 10 July 2025
South Korea's ESOL secures funding to challenge EUV supply chain dominance and boost domestic production
South Korean semiconductor extreme ultraviolet (EUV) equipment company ESOL recently announced the successful completion of a KRW74 billion (US$54.1 million) Series B financing round. Industry experts view this investment not only as a capital injection but also as an important signal that South Korea is accelerating the commercialization of subsequent products through technology localization in the core EUV process field.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
US tariff pressure puts Taiwan's industrial resilience to test
Is US President Donald Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" policy a serious threat or merely a high-stakes bluff? Taiwan finds itself excluded from the initial list of targeted economies, with the mood oscillating between cautious relief and mounting anxiety. One big question looms: Will key industries like semiconductors and pharmaceuticals soon find themselves in the crosshairs under Section 232?
Wednesday 9 July 2025
How China's trade-in policy is reviving South Korea's 8‑inch chip sector
In the escalating US-China tensions, China's aggressive drive to boost domestic semiconductor production—coupled with a sweeping "trade-in" subsidy program—has led to a surge of orders flowing to South Korean 8-inch wafer foundries, creating an unexpected boon for the nation's mature chip manufacturing sector.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
From copper to CoWoS: Douglas Yu retires from TSMC
Dr. Chen-Hua Douglas Yu, Vice President of Pathfinding for System Integration and the sole TSMC Distinguished Fellow, officially retired on July 8, 2025, closing a chapter in one of the most illustrious engineering legacies in Taiwan's semiconductor history. Revered as the "Final Knight" among TSMC's famed "Six Knights of R&D," Yu's pioneering contributions were instrumental in propelling TSMC to its global leadership in semiconductor manufacturing.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
IBM taps Samsung's 5nm process for Spyre AI chip in new Power11 servers
IBM has introduced its latest Power11 enterprise servers in Germany, featuring the Spyre accelerator chip designed for AI inference. The chip is manufactured using Samsung Electronics' 5nm process and is integrated into various server models aimed at multiple industries, including finance, healthcare, government, and manufacturing.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
South Korea's Hana cracks TGV glass substrate market with eye on AI chip boom
Hana Technology, a South Korean equipment maker formerly focused on battery solutions, has developed core Through Glass Via (TGV) technology for semiconductor glass substrates, signaling its move into advanced semiconductor packaging.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
TSMC's GaN market exit creates opening for Samsung, Asian chip race rage on
TSMC's recent decision to phase out its gallium nitride (GaN) foundry business is sending ripples through the compound semiconductor industry, opening the door for new contenders while underscoring rising geopolitical and pricing pressures.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
Ex-SEMI China head leads E-Town Semiconductor to explosive STAR Market debut
Beijing E-Town Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. (E-Town), a Chinese supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, went public on the Shanghai STAR Market on July 8, 2025. The listing marks a key milestone in the company's growth, driven in large part by its president and CEO, Allen Lu, the former head of SEMI China.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
T-Glass shortage chokes CoWoS substrate supply, Nittobo delays ramp-up
Since the end of 2024, a critical shortage of T-Glass has been disrupting the global supply chain for advanced chip packaging. This specialized glass fabric, prized for its low thermal expansion properties, is essential in producing CoWoS (Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate) substrates used in high-performance AI servers.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
Topco Scientific reports record 2Q25, 1H25 sales, driven by demand from advanced semiconductor processes
Topco Scientific has reported record sales for both the second quarter and first half of 2025, driven mainly by demand for semiconductor materials supporting advanced manufacturing processes.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
MA-Tek and MSScorps hit record-high June revenues
Semiconductor testing and analysis companies had delivered strong June financial results with Material Analysis Technology (MA-Tek) and MSScorps both achieving new monthly revenue records in June.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
Intel halts in-house glass substrate development as Tan avoids 'R&D trap'
Glass substrates are considered one of the key directions for advanced packaging development, especially showing significant potential in high-performance computing (HPC) and data center sectors. Advances in glass substrate technology have also attracted widespread attention across the semiconductor industry. Despite that, recent reports stated that Intel plans to stop self-developing and producing glass substrates, opting instead to use glass substrates supplied by external vendors.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
GlobalFoundries goes full-stack on AI chips with MIPS buy
GlobalFoundries has announced an agreement to acquire MIPS, a supplier of AI and processor intellectual property (IP). The acquisition aims to broaden GlobalFoundries' customizable IP portfolio and enhance its process technologies with integrated IP and software capabilities.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
Intel cuts over 500 jobs in Oregon as part of layoff plan
Intel Corp. is cutting more than 500 positions in Oregon as part of a layoff plan that's ultimately expected to affect roughly 20% of the chipmaker's staff.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
Rockchip sees 1H25 profit tripling on China's AIoT gold rush

Rockchip Electronics projects a sharp jump in first-half 2025 net profit, forecasting a year-on-year increase of 185% to 195% to reach CNY520–540 million (approx. US$71.5–74.2 million). The Chinese chipmaker also expects non-recurring net income to rise 186%–197% to between CNY505 million and CNY525 million.

Wednesday 9 July 2025
Hanmi's HBM4 tools go live, but is 2029 too late for hybrid bonding?
Hanmi Semiconductor has begun mass production of its thermal compression bonder (TCB) for HBM4, targeting the rapidly expanding high bandwidth memory market driven by AI workloads. But its delayed roadmap for hybrid bonding, essential for future HBM generations, has drawn criticism for lagging behind industry trends.
Tuesday 8 July 2025
US-China semiconductor standoff sees tactical shifts as rare earths and EDA tools enter the fray

Industry insiders said US-China relations have been flammable ever since the trade war ignited, especially in the high-stakes arena of semiconductors. But in recent weeks, a series of diplomatic signals suggests the two sides may be testing the boundaries of each other's political and economic endurance.

Tuesday 8 July 2025
Samsung, LG earnings slide amid trade pressures despite tariff deal with Vietnam
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, South Korea's two largest electronics manufacturers, are experiencing a modest reprieve after the US and Vietnam agreed to sharply lower reciprocal tariffs from 46% to 20%. The move comes as both companies reported disappointing second-quarter 2025 results, weighed down by sluggish demand and rising trade-related costs.
Tuesday 8 July 2025
Intel repositions chip strategy, scales back 18A in favor of 14A

Intel's once-touted 18A chipmaking process, which former CEO Pat Gelsinger emphasized as a critical factor for surpassing competitor TSMC by 2025, appears to have lost its position as the focal point of the company's strategic plans.

Tuesday 8 July 2025
China's semiconductor dreams stumble as another fab collapses
On June 13, 2025, Jiangsu Advanced Memory Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (AMS) announced that its restructuring plan had been abandoned. The planned investment from Huaxin Jiechuang Integrated Circuits Manufacturing (Guangdong) Co., Ltd. was canceled after multiple delays in fund transfers, leading both sides to terminate the agreement.
Tuesday 8 July 2025
India seeks deeper semiconductor, digital ties with Malaysia
India's High Commissioner to Malaysia, B N Reddy, has called for stronger collaboration between Indian and Malaysian companies in semiconductors and digital technology.
Tuesday 8 July 2025
Workplace lawsuit adds pressure to TSMC’s Arizona expansion
TSMC faces mounting legal challenges over its Arizona facility as a class-action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination and safety violations threatens to complicate the chipmaker's critical US expansion strategy.
Tuesday 8 July 2025
EDA tool ban lifted, China's PCB industry seizes strategic opening

As demand surges for AI, HPC, and high-speed communications, the PCB industry is entering a new phase of advanced innovation. Chinese PCB manufacturers are aggressively moving into the AI server and HDI segments, seizing the opportunity through technical breakthroughs, expanded capacity, and ambitious market expansion.

Tuesday 8 July 2025
China Resources takes control of Konka in bid to forge chip-to-device tech giant
In June 2025, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) approved China Resources (CRC)'s acquisition of Konka Group without conditions, marking a key move in CRC's expansion into consumer electronics and semiconductors. With the deal now confirmed, the focus shifts to CRC's biggest hurdle: reviving Konka's underperforming business through innovation and restructuring.