Co-packaged optics (CPO) is forcing chipmakers and equipment suppliers to rethink where testing should take place, as long optical test times and the high cost of downstream failures raise the importance of screening optical engines before final package integration, according to Chroma ATE.
Trustworthy supply chain concerns are extending beyond semiconductors to drones and other autonomous systems, now emerging as national strategic industries. At a Semicon Taiwan 2026 side forum, defense and industry experts from Taiwan and the US called for stronger production capacity, standardized interfaces, testing infrastructure and predictable government procurement to turn Taiwan's supply chain strengths into a globally trusted base for unmanned systems.
South Korea is turning a semiconductor-driven tax windfall into a broader technology investment push, directing record fiscal firepower toward chips, Nvidia's Vera Rubin computing platform, AI data centers, robotics and the power and water infrastructure needed to support them.
Samsung is expanding its Vietnam footprint beyond smartphones, with semiconductor testing, high-end chip substrates, OLED displays and R&D emerging as the next pillars of its presence in one of its largest global manufacturing bases.
MSScorps saw August 2026 revenue post a new single-month high, as global artificial intelligence (AI) computing power continues to expand, driving demand for advanced process technologies, high-performance computing (HPC), advanced packaging, and high-speed optical interconnects, further raising the importance of semiconductor analysis services.
Trusval Technology is riding AI- and high-performance computing-driven semiconductor expansion overseas, but Taiwan's fab engineering firms face tougher labor shortages, regulations, materials constraints and rising costs abroad. Co-CEO Chu-chiao Kung said the company is turning years of high-spec project execution for leading advanced-process customers into global competitiveness.
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The global semiconductor industry is hitting a physical wall. As artificial intelligence demands push architectures toward three-dimensional packaging, high-bandwidth memory (HBM) stacks, and complex hybrid bonding, traditional inspection tools are going blind.
Chunghwa Precision Test Technology said demand for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) is driving a surge in advanced testing interface business, while ASIC revenue is set to grow rapidly and catch up with GPU sales. CEO Shui-Ke Huang said GPU products remain the mainstream in the HPC chip market and the company's main revenue source, with US customers also serving as its largest clients.
Singapore-based semiconductor packaging equipment maker Kulicke and Soffa (K&S) said AI demand is spreading into adjacent applications, lifting 2026 orders for wire bonding equipment and driving shipments to a record high, while the company continues to expand its advanced packaging business.
Montage Technology is accelerating its move beyond traditional DDR memory interfaces, with CXL 3.2, DDR6 and PCIe products positioning the Chinese interconnect chipmaker deeper in AI data center infrastructure.
To meet next-generation high-speed optical interconnect demand, fiber array units (FAU) are moving from traditional one-dimensional layouts to high-density two-dimensional (2D) architectures, raising the bar for hole positioning accuracy, micro-hole size, packing density, and process stability. At SEMICON Taiwan 2026, semiconductor equipment maker E&R Engineering unveiled a new ultra-high-precision laser micromachining platform with integrated high-precision motion control, laser drilling, and micromachining technologies.
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