The display industry is having a tough time this year thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. But makers in the upstream supply chain are having extra pressure from South Korean LCD panel vendors' moves to close production lines, reducing demand for glass...

Taiwan's makers of handset-use HDI boards have yet to feel the pinch of waning handset sales so far this year and are expected to enjoy stable shipments through second-quarter 2020, but they are cautious about prospect for the second half of the year, according to industry sources.

Apple is reportedly looking to incorporate ambient light sensors in new AirPods, with ASE Technology likely to land backend orders for packaging the ALS. ASE is poised to apply its SESUB-based...

The real target of the US sanctions against Huawei is its 5G equipment deployments, rather than its smartphone business, according to industry sources.

Apple is expected to incorporate ambient light sensors (ALS) in next-generation AirPods devices in the coming 1-2 years, and Taiwan's ASE Technology may handle the backend process for the new component, as it has moved to purchase more packaging machines, according to industry sources.

Sensor shipments for handset camera lens are expected to drop further in the second quarter of 2020, due to a plunge in end-market demand and excess inventory in the supply chain, according to industry sources.

NAND flash device controller specialist Silicon Motion Technology expects sales of all its three major product segments to continue rising in 2020, when its overall revenue will still be able to register an on-year increase.

LG Innotek, Sharp and O-film Tech reportedly have landed camera module orders from Apple for the vendor's new iPhone devices, all equipped with AMOLED screens, to be released in the second half of 2020, according to sources from Taiwan's handset supply chain.

Taiwan's major IC substrate makers Unimicron Technology and Nan YA PCB have stressed that their investments in capacity expansion and R&D for ABF substrates will not be affected by US tighter trade ban on Huawei/HiSilicon, reportedly a major ABF substrate client for both makers.

Prices for LCD and AMOLED panels for use in smartphones have all trended downward in May, as handset brands are adjusting their panel demand, while reeling from the adverse impacts of the pandemic, according to industry sources.

TSMC's 5nm fab to be built in the US may better serve its clients, including Apple, in the country and fall in line with the Trump administration's policy, but the foundry house's relationships with one of its biggest clients, namely Huawei,...

MediaTek has announced a new Dimensity chipset for smartphones, the Dimensity 820, supporting 5G and the latest multimedia and AI technologies. The new offering portends keen competition in the 5G mobile chipset segment as it comes just one week after rival player Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon 76...

Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) is highly unlikely to replace TSMC as the major foundry partner of Huawei even if TSMC stops shipping to the China-based client due to unresolved US-China trade tensions, according to market observers.

Taiwan-based OSAT firms will continue to fulfill chip orders from Huawei/HiSilicon in the third quarter of 2020, but are unsure about the orders in the fourth quarter as the Chinese client faces new trade restrictions from the US, according to industry sources.

TSMC already took 7nm and 5nm chip orders from Huawei in advance before stopping taking more orders from the China-based client in the wake of the US government's announcement of fresh sanctions on the Chinese tech giant, according to industry sources.

Active/passive optical filter maker Apogee Optocom has reported robust earnings growth for the first quarter of 2020, bolstered by increased shipments of its passive optical filters and an improvement of its products mix, according to company sources.

Global shipments of fingerprint-on-display (FoD) sensors expanded by nearly a factor of eight in 2019 as these devices increasingly replace conventional silicon-based capacitive chips in smartphones, according to Omdia.

Taiwan-based IC distributors have recently received an influx of short lead-time orders for CMOS image sensors (CIS) from the smartphone sector in China, with prospects of landing additional follow-up orders in the second half of May, according to industry sources.

Taiwan plays an increasingly important role for Micron Technology, which is ramping up production for its DDR4 DRAM chips built using 1znm process technology at its fab in Taichung. Meanwhile, robust demand for enterprise-use notebkks...

MediaTek has reported consolidated revenues of NT$20.55 billion (US$688.6 million) for April 2020, down 4.7% sequentially and nearly 10% on year.

China-based first-tier IC design house Unisoc is eyeing business opportunity in the tablet market sparked by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the company's vice president of consumer electronics business Lu Guixun.

An enhanced version of MediaTek's flagship Dimensity 1000 5G SoC series has been introduced, eyeing orders from China's first-tier smartphone vendors.

Alibaba's subsidiary Pingtouge has devoted much effort developing AI and server chips. Pingtouge has been as keen to develop ties with TSMC, and has the potential to become one of the foundry house's major clients. Meanwhile, Alibaba...

A number of Taiwan-based suppliers for Wi-Fi 6 chips are bullish about their shipment prospects for the second quarter 2020 and beyond, as the emerging stay-at-home economy is flaring up demand for end-market devices supporting 802.11ax, according to industry sources.

Chassis maker, as an important supplier for Apple, is mulling plans to move production to Southeast Asia, with rumors claiming the maker is looking to sell its plants in China. This may be an inidcation that Apple's supply chain partners...