LG Group is sharpening its focus on data centers, robotics, semiconductor materials, and enterprise AI as the South Korean conglomerate refines how it allocates capital across businesses moving toward commercialization at different speeds.

Semiconductor epitaxy maker Episil Precision said on September 22 that rising demand from AI data centers has created two main growth engines. Demand for silicon photonics optical communication modules is driving a surge in germanium silicon (GeSi) epitaxy demand, with the sector projected to grow 3.5- to 4-fold in 2027 and demand visibility extending to 2028.

Cadence Design Systems and Synopsys have achieved certification for key design flows on TSMC's A14 process, expanding the design ecosystem for the foundry's next full node ahead of risk production in 2027 and volume production in 2028.

European Union industry ministers are set to debate the proposed Chips Act 2.0 in Brussels on September 24, days after a senior ASML executive said the company is currently selling no chipmaking systems in Europe, highlighting the gap between the bloc's semiconductor ambitions and where industry investment is flowing. The policy debate is scheduled for about 11:30 a.m. Brussels time at the EU Competitiveness Council.

South Korea's major semiconductor, display, and electronics parts factories are staying open through the Chuseok holiday as AI-driven memory demand and new Apple iPhone panel production keep lines running. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are continuing output at key plants, while display and MLCC makers are also maintaining round-the-clock operations.

TSMC is reportedly planning another wafer foundry price increase, with supply chain sources saying its order visibility now extends to 2030. According to the sources, the company plans to adjust wafer prices from January 2027 across different processes, with hikes of about 3-6% as tight capacity and strong AI demand keep customers in line.

Powertech Technology expects stronger memory packaging and testing demand, higher average selling prices (ASPs), and ramping high-end through-silicon via (TSV) DDR5 production in the fourth quarter of 2026 to drive sequential growth throughout 2026 and lift revenue to a new record. Its Taiwan fan-out panel-level package (FOPLP) line, already booked by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), is set to add revenue from 2027 and open another growth chapter for both sales and profit.

Microsoft is changing how companies evaluate their generative AI investments, as the technology evolves from its beginnings as a productivity tool into deeper uses in core business workflows. In addition to token consumption and model costs, Microsoft Taiwan general manager Sean Pien points out that corporations are also examining how AI actually benefits workflows and innovation, making return-on-investment (ROI) evaluations harder to judge solely on the basis of time or labor savings.

Japan's Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Center (LSTC) is building a public-private-academic framework around Rapidus, which plans to mass-produce 2-nanometer chips in 2027, to advance next-generation semiconductor research and talent development and give Japan a unique edge in the global race for advanced process technology.

Biwin Storage Technology plans to invest CNY4.5 billion (approx. US$672 million) in the third phase of its wafer-level advanced packaging and testing project, expanding 2.5D integration and compute-memory co-packaging capacity as AI and high-performance computing lift demand for advanced packaging.

Archie Hwang, the founder and chairman of Hermes-Epitek, appeared before the media alongside Hermes Testing Solutions Inc. (HTSI) executives. The company outlined a major push into silicon photonics (SiPh) co-packaged optics (CPO) testing and said related revenue is expected to begin contributing in 2027.

Nexperia China is accelerating production on its domestic 12-inch wafer platform as it rebuilds a locally controlled semiconductor supply chain spanning design, wafer production, packaging, and testing.

Taiwan's export orders topped US$100 billion in August 2026, reaching US$102.96 billion, up US$5.02 billion from the previous month, according to statistics released by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on September 22. Export orders for September are forecast to be between US$106 billion and US$109.1 billion, representing year-over-year growth of 50.7% to 55.1%.

DeepSeek CEO Liang Wenfeng said during a call with investors that he aims to rely on Huawei chips to train the startup's models in the future, and that a batch of training chips from Huawei are set to begin arriving at his company as early as the fourth quarter of 2026.

The labor dispute at Micron Taiwan continues to escalate after Micron and the Taiwan Taoyuan Union failed to reach agreement at a second mediation meeting on September 21, 2026. The union said the company has not presented a concrete profit-sharing plan and announced it will launch a strike vote under the Act for Settlement of Labor-Management Disputes, while Micron said it will keep talking and coordinating but must still go through board procedures.