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Wednesday 8 April 2026
DIGITIMES analyst discusses Apple's Siri evolution, AI agent trends, and Samsung's 2nm reality
In his podcast, DIGITIMES senior analyst Luke Lin discussed Apple's upcoming evolution of Siri. The new version is expected to integrate Google's Gemini and allow users to select their preferred chatbot, including ChatGPT, Claude, or xAI's Grok. While some market analysts suggest Apple may use this approach to control distribution and charge listing fees, Lin is skeptical of that interpretation.
Wednesday 8 April 2026
US-China tech clash over chips intensifies ahead of summit, with global supply-chain implications
As US and Chinese leaders prepared for a mid-May summit, proposed US export controls on semiconductor equipment under the MATCH Act and China's sharp state-media rebuttal signaled heightened tech tensions with far-reaching global supply-chain implications. Analysts have characterized the moves as pre-summit leverage that could reshape chip manufacturing and trade flows.
Wednesday 8 April 2026
Taiwan warns of Beijing's covert push to poach AI and chip talent

According to the latest report submitted by Taiwan's National Security Bureau to the Legislative Yuan, China is increasingly targeting Taiwan in an effort to circumvent international technological restrictions. Beijing has set its sights on Taiwan's high-tech sectors—particularly artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and precision machinery—seeking to lure companies to establish operations or maintain a presence in China under the framework of its 15th Five-Year Plan.

Wednesday 8 April 2026
Commentary: US MATCH Act tightens chip tool controls as China builds local supply chain
At SEMICON China 2026, Applied Materials and ASML kept a low profile under tightening US export controls, while domestic Chinese suppliers dominated visibility and floor presence.
Wednesday 8 April 2026
Rising gallium costs force price increases across GaAs chip supply chain

Prices for gallium arsenide (GaA) substrates — a key material used in power amplifiers for wireless communications — are rising, driven by surging costs for gallium, a critical upstream metal. After months of sustained increases in raw material prices, industry executives say a reversal appears unlikely.

Wednesday 8 April 2026
Analysis: ASML earnings preview; SK Hynix and TeraFab already facing EUV capacity difficulties
Compared to short-term geopolitical turbulence, the AI megatrend represents a once-in-a-generation business opportunity. In the past, TSMC often took the lead during earnings season in releasing industry outlooks. This time, ASML will hold its earnings call for the first quarter of 2026 a day earlier on April 15, and is expected to outline how memory manufacturers and new large-scale logic foundries will reshape the semiconductor manufacturing landscape.
Wednesday 8 April 2026
Broadcom, Google, and Anthropic alliance faces MediaTek competition
Broadcom recently announced two major partnership developments. The first is with Google on its Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), with the collaboration set to extend through 2031. This means that Broadcom will continue to generate related revenue from multiple future generations of Google's TPU products.
Wednesday 8 April 2026
Intel and Musk's Terafab revive IDM collaboration as chipmaker pushes turnaround
Intel's industrial ecosystem is converging on a vertically integrated chip model, as Intel joins the Terafab project led by SpaceX, xAI, and Tesla—marking both a revival of the IDM approach and a potential turning point in Intel's turnaround strategy.
Wednesday 8 April 2026
China export controls spark global InP supply concerns for AI high-speed transmission
Indium phosphide (InP), a critical material for long-distance optical communication, has become essential for AI-driven high-speed data transmission. However, China's export restrictions have triggered a shortage of InP substrates, creating a bottleneck in manufacturers' capacity expansion worldwide. The supply chain acknowledges that due to China's export curbs and the technical challenges of producing InP substrates, major international players remain cautious about increasing investments. The timeline for resolving this shortage remains uncertain.
Tuesday 7 April 2026
Quobly moves quantum chips into volume production

French quantum chip startup Quobly has continued to report progress while expanding its partnership network. The company has set up a new presence in Canada and gained recognition at the American Physical Society meeting, where it was identified as a potential key player in the emerging quantum computing era.

Tuesday 7 April 2026
Intel challenges TSMC CoWoS as Amazon, Google reportedly explore alternatives

AI-driven demand is pushing advanced chip packaging to its limits, exposing constraints in TSMC's CoWoS capacity and forcing hyperscalers to seek alternatives, leaving Intel as the only credible challenger with its EMIB platform.

Tuesday 7 April 2026
US MATCH bill targets China chip equipment, services

US lawmakers are moving to tighten semiconductor restrictions, with a bipartisan proposal targeting both equipment exports and downstream controls on advanced chips.

Tuesday 7 April 2026
Korean chip suppliers face second year of price cuts despite AI boom

Samsung and SK Hynix delivered record performance in 2025, driven by strong investment in AI infrastructure. Yet the gains have not flowed upstream. Materials and component suppliers are facing a second consecutive year of price cuts, with contract terms for 2026 again revised lower.

Tuesday 7 April 2026
Global AI chip suppliers compete as TSMC remains top foundry partner
As the artificial intelligence (AI) era advances, approximately 133 companies are actively developing or selling AI chips, according to a SEMIEcosystem report citing Jon Peddie Research. Major suppliers include Nvidia, AMD, Broadcom, and Google, alongside numerous startups focusing on edge AI solutions.
Tuesday 7 April 2026
MSScorps targets CPO demand with in-house silicon photonics test platform

MSScorps has expanded its silicon photonics (SiPh) testing capabilities in recent years and will debut its in-house "MSS HG" platform at the Electronic Production Equipment Exhibition on April 8.

Tuesday 7 April 2026
MediaTek, Qualcomm reportedly cut smartphone AP orders with TSMC
Amid soaring memory prices, manufacturers have repeatedly lowered 2026 shipment targets for smartphones, PCs, and other consumer electronics, triggering a ripple effect across the supply chain. Recently, reports emerged that major Chinese smartphone brands are scaling back purchases of processors, forcing MediaTek and Qualcomm to reduce their subsequent orders with TSMC, with estimated cuts of 10-15% in wafer starts on 4/3nm processes.
Tuesday 7 April 2026
Google's chip revisions raise questions for MediaTek's growth plans

Recent reports suggest that Google has once again made engineering changes to its Tensor Processing Unit, or TPU, pushing the chip's tape-out to around mid-2026. The product in question—known as the v8x and designed by MediaTek—has raised fresh concerns about whether MediaTek can scale its application-specific integrated circuit, or ASIC, business as planned this year.

Tuesday 7 April 2026
Weekly news roundup: China's special AI chip supply ends; TSMC plans 12 fabs in Arizona
Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of March 30-April 5, 2026:
Tuesday 7 April 2026
Samsung's eightfold profit jump signals AI spending immunity to geopolitical risk
Samsung Electronics reported a record-shattering eight-fold leap in quarterly profit, as insatiable demand for artificial intelligence (AI) memory chips outweighed growing concerns over geopolitical instability in the Middle East.
Tuesday 7 April 2026
Anthropic secures 3.5 GW of next-gen compute via landmark alliance with Google and Broadcom

Anthropic, Google, and Broadcom today announced a massive expansion of their strategic partnership, unveiling a multi-year roadmap that secures approximately 3.5 gigawatts (GW) of next-generation AI computing capacity for Anthropic.

Tuesday 7 April 2026
Formosa Plastics denies cutting PE supply amid US-Iran conflict, confirms March output increase
Impacted by the conflict in the Middle East, Taiwan has recently reported a shortage of plastic bags, raising questions about whether Formosa Plastics Group deliberately reduced production and stockpiled raw materials to drive up prices in the plastic pellet market.
Monday 6 April 2026
China 2.5D packaging demand surges, supporting Korean backend equipment growth
China's semiconductor equipment market is emerging as a critical growth engine for South Korean suppliers, driven by accelerating AI deployment and tighter restrictions on US vendors. Demand for advanced packaging tools is running ahead of expectations, with high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and 2.5D packaging advancing in tandem as central pillars of future growth. At the same time, Beijing's push for supply chain localization is reshaping competitive dynamics and limiting foreign access.
Monday 6 April 2026
India roundup: India ramps up electronics and chip ambitions with new approvals, local fabs, and supply chain curbs

India is accelerating its push to build a self-reliant electronics and semiconductor ecosystem, approving new component projects, supporting local display and chip manufacturing, and tightening market access for Chinese products, as rising investments, policy incentives, and global partnerships position the country as an emerging hub in the global supply chain.

Sunday 5 April 2026
Samsung and SK Hynix to reportedly bolster helium supply chain as Iran conflict risks rise
Facing the risk of a prolonged Iran conflict, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have reportedly begun strengthening their helium supply chain management for semiconductor manufacturing. Both companies plan to diversify suppliers beyond the Middle East and adjust import ratios by country to maintain stable supply chains.
Saturday 4 April 2026
How second-tier powers are bypassing big tech via Taiwan

The global AI narrative is often reduced to a struggle between US- and China-based tech giants. However, a quieter yet more significant movement is emerging among second-tier industrial powers. During a recent lecture, DIGITIMES chairman Colley Hwang spoke about how nations such as Germany, Japan, France, and Canada are increasingly focused on building sovereign AI.