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Jun 18, 11:52
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.

Demand in the passive components market is recovering significantly, lifting operating momentum at Taiwan's two leading suppliers, Yageo and Walsin Technology. Average book-to-bill ratios at both companies have risen above 1.3, placing industry conditions near their highest levels in recent years and reinforcing expectations for sequential growth through 2026.

Taiwan's electronics industry is stepping up its global ambitions as AI, data center infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing reshape supply chains. Speaking at the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce (CNAIC) on June 18, 2026, Foxconn chairman and Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA) chairman Young Liu outlined a strategy that combines overseas industrial parks, AI-driven transformation and next-generation factory automation.

Backlight module maker Darwin held its shareholders' meeting on June 17, 2026, and said it remains cautiously optimistic about 2026 revenue as its new businesses continue to gain traction. The company cited fresh commercial display orders in the US market and said organ-chip partner Anivance AI is also listed on an "Nvidia backdrop," adding momentum to its medical technology push.

Imec and Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony) have jointly presented a new integration method for connecting the front and back sides of semiconductor wafers, a step the two organizations say could support future 3D chip-stacking designs for logic and memory devices.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit Assam in northeastern India in early July 2026. According to Nikkei, more than 50 Japanese companies and business groups, including Suzuki, Itochu and Toyota Tsusho, are expected to accompany the delegation, with market attention focused on cooperation in semiconductors and infrastructure.

MPI Corporation, a major probe card supplier, said AI demand is tightening supply across the probe card market and extending order visibility, with the company considering a prepayment mechanism to guarantee customers priority access to capacity.

Taiwan's listed semiconductor manufacturers reported strong May revenue figures, with a sweeping recovery in DRAM prices and rising artificial intelligence infrastructure spending lifting most of the sector's 27 tracked companies to double-digit year-on-year gains.

As AI chip technology advances, larger chip sizes and heterogeneous integration packaging are driving bigger package dimensions, pushing semiconductor makers to adopt FOPLP over FOWLP and improve manufacturing efficiency by "replacing round with square." DIGITIMES believes that panel makers have an edge because their existing glass substrates are larger than those used by OSATs, making FOPLP development more favorable.

The global semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing landscape continues to undergo structural realignment. An increasing number of Chinese technology and semiconductor companies are adopting a dual-location strategy, establishing corporate entities in Singapore while locating manufacturing operations in Malaysia in an effort to reduce their association with the "Made in China" label.

Nichicon raises e-cap prices as supply tightens, costs increase
Jun 18, 10:16
Japanese capacitor manufacturer Nichicon has announced a broad price hike for aluminum electrolytic capacitors (e-cap), as order volumes for some products have exceeded the company's existing production capacity. The announcement comes amid another round of price increases in the passive components industry.
Samsung Electronics is reportedly working with multiple partners to develop production equipment for its seventh-generation 10nm-class (1d) DRAM process. The company aims to begin tool installation as early as the second quarter of 2027, with initial volume production expected by the end of that year.