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Jun 18
Samsung, SK Hynix weigh first chip packaging plants in South Korea's Honam region

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are each reviewing locations in South Korea's Honam region for new semiconductor packaging plants, according to The Elec and Hankyung, citing industry sources, as the two companies look for ways to add back-end capacity beyond their existing manufacturing hubs.

Taiwan's investment office, InvesTaiwan, under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, has approved expanded Taiwan investment plans from four companies, led by MSScorps, which will invest NT$1.5 billion (US$47.4 million) and is filing for the third time. The company plans to add production lines and adopt AI technology at its Hsinchu, Tai Yuen Hi-Tech Industrial Park, and Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) facilities.

Semiconductor testing and analysis service provider Hongkang held its annual shareholders' meeting on June 18. Chairperson Hsieh Yung-fen said the company has begun investing in a silicon photonics wafer-and-chip optoelectronic analysis platform in anticipation of growing demand for silicon photonics. The first system is expected to be installed before August 2026, followed by a second and third system by the end of 2026 and early 2027, respectively.

Taiwan-based Tongtai Machine & Tool is accelerating its transformation toward high-value manufacturing, leveraging growing opportunities in AI servers, semiconductors and aerospace. At its annual general meeting on June 17, shareholders approved all proposals and elected a new board that includes several aerospace industry veterans, underscoring the company's commitment to expanding into advanced manufacturing sectors despite a challenging operating environment.

Amid growing localization efforts across China's supply chain, FineMat Applied Materials has seen its metal mask business continue to shrink and is accelerating its transition into AI cooling, semiconductors, and drones. The company's liquid-cooling cold plates for AI applications have already been sampled by end customers and are expected to begin shipping in the second half of 2026. Once volume production ramps in 2027, cooling products could account for more than 50% of total revenue, becoming a key growth driver.
High-speed transmission IC design company ASMedia Technology held its annual shareholders meeting on June 17, completing a full board reshuffle. ASMedia president Che-Wei Lin stated that 2025 revenue surpassed NT$10 billion (approx. US$316.5 million) for the first time, while earnings per share (EPS) reached NT$72.7. However, amid structural changes in the industry driven by the continued expansion in artificial intelligence (AI) server demand, the PC and motherboard sectors have faced severe crowding-out effects.

Taiwan's memory chip designers are heading into a sharply stronger 2026 as rising memory prices and a wave of AI-driven demand push the industry away from consumer electronics and toward higher-value data center and AI applications.

The Trump administration has confronted ASML with concerns that one of the Dutch company's most advanced chip-making machines may have made its way into China in violation of US-led export restrictions, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

As AI computing continues to scale, power systems are facing sharper load swings, along with rising requirements for power density and reliability.

Efinix, a Cupertino-based FPGA startup founded in 2012, is making a push into edge AI with its newly launched Titanium Edge series — a family of chips the company says addresses longstanding power and security limitations in programmable logic devices.
SK Hynix is reported to have held a private meeting with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Allison Hooker, with industry sources speculating the discussions covered high-bandwidth memory cooperation with major U.S. technology firms and potential semiconductor investment expansion.
China's semiconductor supply chain is showing fresh signs of pricing strain, with microcontroller unit (MCU) makers and passive component suppliers facing rising costs, tighter capacity, and surging demand from AI servers.