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Friday 16 October 2026

Holtek targets higher-value MCU markets with AI server cooling orders set to lift 2027 revenue

Taiwan-based microcontroller (MCU) manufacturer Holtek Semiconductor unveiled its 2026 product roadmap on October 15, focusing on four core areas: smart protection, green energy and intelligent control, edge AI computing, and general-purpose applications.

Friday 16 October 2026

Cloud AI absorbs resources as non-AI semiconductors face prolonged downturn

Investment in AI data centers remains strong, but semiconductor growth is becoming increasingly concentrated in cloud AI, while the long-running decline in consumer technology prices has come to an abrupt halt. At a SEMICON West 2026 industry outlook session, Duncan Meldrum, an economist at Hilltop Economics, warned that the shift is putting additional pressure on the broader semiconductor market.

Friday 16 October 2026

Interview: The AI economy needs US$6T in funding — but from where?

AI is clearly making an enormous impact on the global economy, with capabilities extending from language chatbots to agentic teams and the physical realm within just a few years. A new report by consulting firm Bain takes stock of AI's effects on businesses so far and projects how it could shape the near future.

Thursday 15 October 2026

Luxnet posts record 3Q profit as capacity expansion fuels growth

Optical communications maker Luxnet reported a September 2026 net profit attributable to parent-company owners of NT$103 million (US$3.21 million), up 110.2% year-over-year, with earnings per share (EPS) of NT$0.72. September EPS exceeded half of the second-quarter 2026 EPS of NT$1.29, signaling strong momentum in the second half of the year.

Thursday 15 October 2026

Changing iPhone 18 Pro supplier orders show shift to higher-end models

Conflicting signals have emerged regarding the production of Apple's newest iPhone models, particularly the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Media reports on the volume changes appear to reflect an entrenchment of the company's premium segment during a year of rising component costs and sliding smartphone sales across the sector.

Thursday 15 October 2026

Taiwan suppliers target OCP power, cooling, 1.6T integration

The Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit 2026 recently took place in San Jose, California, as Taiwan suppliers joined the global AI infrastructure race with offerings spanning power systems, servers, connectors, networking, and optical communications. The event highlighted a shift from standalone server performance to integrated systems focused on 800VDC power, liquid cooling, and 1.6T networking.

Wednesday 14 October 2026

BOE struggles with glass breakage at US$9.4 billion OLED plant as it seeks Apple iPad orders

China's BOE has spent approximately six months trying to resolve recurring glass substrate breakage at its Gen 8.6 OLED plant in Chengdu, raising concerns about production stability as the display maker seeks approval to supply panels for Apple's iPads.

Wednesday 14 October 2026

Largan chairman casts doubt on Micro LED links for AI data centers

Largan Precision chairman En-ping Lin has questioned the viability of Micro LED-based optical links for AI data centers, citing concerns over power consumption, size, and transmission efficiency. Industry sources interviewed by DIGITIMES counter that while individual Micro LEDs transmit data more slowly than lasers, using hundreds of parallel channels could reduce overall system power consumption by simplifying the transmission architecture.

Wednesday 14 October 2026

PMIC vendors diverge as PC exposure drives revenue gap

Taiwanese power management IC (PMIC) vendors reported their September and third-quarter 2026 revenue, with results diverging as PC exposure widened the performance gap. Global Mixed-mode Technology and Leadtrend posted both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year growth in the third quarter, while Anpec Electronics and uPI Semiconductor reported declines from the previous quarter, amid weak PC supply-chain demand.

Tuesday 13 October 2026

Taiwan panel makers enter semiconductor fight as structural challenges persist

Entering the fourth quarter of 2026, panel makers face pressure from rising component costs and weakening demand. However, price hikes and production cuts led by Chinese panel manufacturers are expected to prevent panel prices from falling further, while weak third-quarter revenue at AUO and Innolux highlights the need for Taiwanese manufacturers to accelerate their transformation.

Tuesday 13 October 2026

Nvidia and Cisco unveil new optics design to help scale AI factories

Nvidia and Cisco have introduced a new pluggable optics form factor to expand AI infrastructure without sharply increasing power use or network complexity. For global cloud operators, enterprises, and sovereign AI projects, the design could support denser, more efficient data center builds as demand for AI computing continues to rise.

Tuesday 13 October 2026

Global PC shipments plunge 20% in 3Q26

Global PC shipments, including desktops, notebooks, and workstations, fell more than 20% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2026 as inventory pressure and weak demand hit the market. The decline reflects how the AI infrastructure boom is squeezing component supplies for consumer electronics while driving up prices.

Monday 12 October 2026

Microsoft's Maia 300 rack: 96 accelerators, HBM4, mostly liquid-cooled

Microsoft has released architecture details for Maia 300, its third-generation Azure AI accelerator. The design pairs 96 accelerators per rack with a two-tier network that links up to 12,288 accelerators into a single superpod. The company says the system is built for cloud-scale agentic inference, and that it co-designed the software, silicon, rack infrastructure, networking, and data centers to run as one platform.

Monday 12 October 2026

South Korea's Nucode targets US drone identification market with Realtek-based module

South Korean wireless communications module maker Nucode has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with US drone identification and airspace intelligence provider Zing Drone Solutions to develop and supply electronic component modules for ultra-small and small-scale solutions. Nucode's NU87 module, which uses a Realtek chip, is among the products submitted for evaluation.

Monday 12 October 2026

Cook makes first post-CEO visit to China, lauds Guangdong's role in Apple supply chain

Apple Executive Chairman Tim Cook made his first visit to China since stepping down as Apple CEO. He visited Guangdong Province, a manufacturing hub that contains much of the iPhone maker's supply chain ecosystem as it rolls out the iPhone 18 Pro series and its first foldable smartphones.

Monday 12 October 2026

AI doubles Aker differential oscillator mix; 312.5MHz sample set for 4Q26

Aker Technology said AI and electric vehicle demand are driving faster shipments, with automotive products accounting for 51.88% of sales in the first half of 2026. The quartz component maker also said its 312.5MHz product is scheduled to sample in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Monday 12 October 2026

Baso Optical eyes steady performance in 2027 with focus on high-margin AOI, semiconductor, aerospace applications

Baso Precision Optics held its latest online earnings call on October 7, during which the company acknowledged short-term pressures on its gross margin, due to ongoing adjustments to its product mix, resulting in higher upfront costs and initial production yields that could still see improvement. Looking ahead to 2027, the company expects generally stable revenue and gross margin, with potential for additional growth depending on the validation of new products or pilot production breakthroughs in the semiconductor and automated optical inspection (AOI) segments.

Monday 12 October 2026

Neweb Information lifts 2Q26 net profit 118% on IT upgrade demand

System integration provider Neweb Information, which is set to list on October 23, reported September 2026 revenue of NT$77.02 million (approx. US$2.41 million), up 33.48% year-over-year, as demand rose for enterprise core system replacements, network and cybersecurity upgrades, and AI infrastructure.

Monday 12 October 2026

ICT inflation impact limited as supply shock falls short

Prices for electronic components such as memory, advanced copper foil, glass fiber cloth, and ABF substrates have been rising for some time as makers pass on costs amid tight supply. For the US, even if Apple raises retail prices for its core products, the impact on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is limited and the supply-side shock has been less severe than expected.

Friday 9 October 2026

MediaTek 3Q26 revenue beats forecast, maintains peak-season momentum

MediaTek reported its September and third-quarter 2026 revenue results, with September revenue of NT$55.40 billion (approx. US$1.74 billion), down 13.69% from the previous month and up 1.97% from a year earlier. Third-quarter revenue reached NT$168.06 billion, up 10.43% quarter over quarter and 18.27% year over year, beating the upper end of its revenue forecast by about 5.2% and allowing the company to deliver the performance typically expected during the traditional peak season.

Friday 9 October 2026

Ample revenue slips in September as passive component demand stays strong

Ample Electronic, a supplier of conductive paste materials for the passive components industry, reported September 2026 revenue of NT$304 million (approx. US$9.6 million), down 0.4% from August but up 76.3% from a year earlier. The company said strong demand for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) and related parts continued to support results, while third-quarter 2026 revenue rose to NT$879 million, up 23.6% quarter-over-quarter and 82% year-over-year.

Thursday 8 October 2026

Acer Synergy Tech expands OT push, builds IT-OT integration

Acer subsidiary Acer Synergy Tech reported consolidated revenue of NT$265 million (approx. US$8.3 million) in September 2026, up 158% year-on-year and a monthly record. Third-quarter consolidated self-reported revenue reached NT$550 million, also a quarterly high, as rising semiconductor demand boosted orders for information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) solutions.

Wednesday 7 October 2026

Apple Watch sensor demand and InP supply tightness lift TASC's 2H26 outlook

Taiwan-Asia Semiconductor Corporation (TASC) expects a stronger second half of 2026 as new Apple Watch demand lifts sensor orders. The company said weak consumer electronics demand has not materially affected its business, with smartwatch and earphone orders arriving faster than expected. More sensors per device and seasonal demand should lift fourth-quarter performance above the third, making the second half clearly stronger than the first.

Wednesday 7 October 2026

Seagate, Toshiba reportedly compete for TDK's HDD head unit, a key AI storage link

Seagate Technology and Toshiba are reportedly competing to acquire TDK's hard-disk-drive magnetic-head business, a deal that could reshape one of the most concentrated supply chains in AI data-center storage.

Wednesday 7 October 2026

Repon revenue slips in September as Vera Rubin, ASIC slide rail shipments ramp up

The AI server supply chain is poised for a stronger quarter as Nvidia's Vera Rubin and AWS's Trainium 3 gradually ramp up, with momentum expected to strengthen across the supply chain from ODMs to component suppliers.

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