The semiconductor industry has seen some major players committing significant sums for R&D, such as TSMC announcing to inject a record-high capex of up to US$28 billion in 2021 mainly for advancing its process node.

Samsung Electronics has announced its new 5G mobile processor series - Exynos 2100 - built using 5nm extreme ultra-violet (EUV) process technology.

Polytronics Technology (PTTC) has seen orders placed by China-based smartphone vendors ramp up substantially since the first quarter of 2021, according to the Taiwan-based protective component maker.

China-based Sunny Optical Technology has disclosed it shipped nearly 1.53 billion smartphone-use lens modules in 2020, increasing 13.9% on year.

TSMC has reported strong sales and profits for 2020, and the world's top pure-play foundry house expects to post another record revenue for first-quarter 2021. Tight foundry supply is creating shortages in the IC supply chain, and

HDI PCB manufacturers have seen a significant ramp-up in orders from Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi, who are seeking sufficient supply of components to support their expansion in the China handset market in 2021, according to industry sources.

Chinese handset vendors Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi (OVX) have stepped up their purchases of ICs and basic components for their smartphones as part of their efforts to expand presence in the China market in 2021, according to Taiwan-based IC distributors, which have seen their inventory levels drop as a...

MediaTek continues to enhance its ASIC and IP design capability through several acquisitions announced recently, while recruiting talent from the IP and IC design industry sectors, according to industry observers.

Touch panel maker General Interface Solution (GIS) is expected to lock in the first batch of in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor module orders from Samsung Electronics for usage in Korea-based brand's new flagship Galaxy S21 to be launched in 2021, according to industry sources.

MediaTek has reported revenue climbed 30.8% on year to a record high of NT$322.15 billion (US$11.5 billion) in 2020.

Taiwan's National Communications Commission (NCC) has yet to set a timetable for releasing a portion of the 5G spectrum supporting private 5G network applications.

TSMC is expected to allocate a record capex budget for 2011 as it fast advances its manufacturing processes. The foundry house's equipment and material suppliers will as a result see strong sales for the year. Taiwan's FPCB...

Taiwan's flexible PCB makers in the supply chain of Apple devices have posted hefty on-month revenue gains for December 2020 thanks to strong shipments supporting hot sales of iPhone 12 series and the vendor's launch of new devices in the fourth quarter, according to industry sources.

Smartphone-use lens module maker Largan Precision will become a supplier of VCMs (voice coil motors) for iPhones to be unveiled in 2021, with shipments to begin in second-half 2021, according to industry sources.

Suppliers in almost all sectors in the semiconductor ecosystem are raising prices to reflect tight capacity amid strong demand. But there have been concerns that the upward pricing trend may send end-device prices up, deterring consumers...

The fast growing TWS earphones/headphones market has boosted demand for button cells, prompting battery makers to expand production capacity, according to industry sources said.

Unfavorable macro conditions, including the US-China trade war and COVID-19, have been slowing down 5G deployments across the globe, but 5G will still play a crucial role in driving growth in the semiconductor market, according to industry sources.

Smartphone-use lens module maker Largan Precision has reported consolidated revenues of NT$4.911 billion (US$172 million) for December, decreasing 6.35% sequentially and 3.7% on year to reach the lowest monthly level since August 2020.

Time of flight (ToF) 3D sensors are emerging rapidly for massive consumer applications, prompting major semiconductor and optoelectronics players to join the supply chain and accelerating the formation of an AR application ecosystem, according to Digitimes Research.

Android-camp handset vendors including Samsung Electronics are expected to follow in the footsteps of Apple in incorporating direct time-of-flight (dToF) CMOS image sensors (CIS) into their new models in 2021-2022, and Taiwan's III-V semiconductor players including GaAs foundries Win Semiconductors...

Chip demand from China's white-box handset charger market will be rising robustly in 2021, according to industry sources.

First-tier smartphone brands such as Apple and Samsung Electronics have begun adopting time of flight (ToF) technologies in their new smartphones, which is expected to boost the penetration of filters supporting the technologies, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

Samsung Electronics is expected to incorporate in-house-developed ToF sensors into its own handsets in second-half 2021 at the earliest, as part of its efforts to sustain handset sales leadership in the 5G era despite its conservative shipment goal for the year, according to industry sources.

Some market observers believe iPhone 12 may see order momentum decline in second-quarter 2021, but Digitimes' study of Apple's ecosystem has come to a more optimistic outlook, with components orders for the iPhone 12 to remain strong...

Some market observers are predicting that related order dynamics for the iPhone 12 will peak in first-quarter 2021 before heading for a downward adjustment. But the messages that Digitimes has managed to gather from Apple's ecosystem show that such a downturn is unlikely.