DIGITIMES Semiconductors: IC manufacturing news

Home Tech Semiconductors IC manufacturing

Monday 30 March 2026

China's chip equipment and supply chain scale up on AI demand, look overseas

SEMICON China 2026 opened in Shanghai, highlighting how AI demand is reshaping the global semiconductor industry and accelerating China's domestic supply chain.

Monday 30 March 2026

Kioxia outlines supply strategy, stresses new 2027 capacity won't disrupt NAND market balance

As generative AI (GenAI) shifts from large-model training to large-scale inference, Japanese NAND giant Kioxia forecasts continued price increases for NAND and SSD products. Despite planned capacity expansions by various NAND manufacturers in 2027, Kioxia expects no risk of oversupply imbalance due to the rapid growth in AI demand.

Monday 30 March 2026

Samsung reportedly aims to begin silicon photonics mass production in 2028

Samsung Electronics plans to mass-produce silicon photonics starting from 2028, a move that could reshape global data-center networking, AI hardware integration, and foundry competition. The company is offering clients an integrated platform spanning photonics, AI semiconductors, advanced packaging, and HBM — a combination that could significantly alter supply chains and cost structures in the years ahead.

Monday 30 March 2026

Commentary: US chip security act ends China's special AI chip supply

The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs passed the Chip Security Act, signaling a decisive move to restrict high-performance computing exports amid rising tech tensions with China. Meanwhile, reports from within China indicate a growing consensus to halt imports of US-origin AI chips altogether.

Monday 30 March 2026

Toshiba, Rohm, Mitsubishi Electric, and partners begin talks on integrating Japanese power device and semiconductor businesses

Monday 30 March 2026

China's semiconductor capacity share to reach 32% by 2030

The global semiconductor industry is undergoing a structural transformation. SEMI estimates that in 2025, capital expenditures (CapEx) by the four largest US cloud service providers (CSPs) will reach US$400 billion, more than twice the total semiconductor industry CapEx. When including Chinese cloud providers and sovereign AI investments, global AI infrastructure spending could surpass US$1 trillion by 2027.

Monday 30 March 2026

Arm pushes beyond licensing with a new AI CPU platform

Since Arm formally launched its Arm AGI CPU platform and upended its long-standing business model, industry observers have been eager to understand both the mechanics behind the move and its long-term implications.

Monday 30 March 2026

Taiwan broadens strategic industry list to include AI, quantum, and SiPh

Taiwan's premier Cho Jung-tai has unveiled a new list of 13 strategic industries. The lineup includes silicon photonics (SiPh), quantum technology, and unmanned vehicles. Quantum technology currently remains confined to academic and research labs, with no established industry or startups in Taiwan. Even so, the announcement signals that industrial support programs may be on the way.

Monday 30 March 2026

Sumco shifts wafer strategy to equipment upgrades over new plant

Sumco has revised its semiconductor wafer supply plan to prioritize upgrading existing fabrication equipment over building new capacity, following approval from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

Monday 30 March 2026

Analysis: Terafab's scale raises market doubts; is Elon Musk aiming to dominate chip supply chain?

Elon Musk recently announced the launch of the "Terafab" project, aiming to expand compute production capacity to 1 TW per year, which is about 50 times the current global compute supply of around 20 GW. He plans to build advanced wafer fabs first in Austin, Texas. However, with the 1 TW scale revealed, market reactions have been relatively cautious.

Monday 30 March 2026

SEMICON China 2026: JCET CEO makes the case for atomic-level packaging to carry Moore's Law forward

Advanced wafer manufacturing is approaching physical limits near the 1nm node, according to Zheng Li, director and CEO of JCET Group.

Monday 30 March 2026

Weekly news roundup: AI, supply chains, new entrants intensify global chip race

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of March 23-27, 2026:

Monday 30 March 2026

Taiwan’s AI pivot: from chip factory to “silicon innovation island”

Taiwan is moving to cement its status as the "beating heart" of the global technology industry by transitioning from a hardware manufacturing powerhouse into what Acer founder Stan Shih calls a "silicon innovation island". The Taiwanese government plans to do this through a series of infrastructure projects, from power generation to supercomputing.

Monday 30 March 2026

Chipmakers race to secure helium as tensions disrupt supply, prices reportedly up 50%

Semiconductor manufacturers are racing to secure critical materials as Middle East tensions disrupt supply chains, with the risk of production disruption outweighing rising costs.

Monday 30 March 2026

Taipower files No. 3 nuclear power plant restart plan, launches safety inspections with Westinghouse

Taiwan Power (Taipower) officially submitted its plan to restart the Maanshan (No. 3) nuclear power plant to Taiwan's Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) for review on March 27.

Monday 30 March 2026

China foundry SMIC moves to capture growth beyond AI-led supply squeeze

SMIC on March 26 outlined an action plan to strengthen core operations and identify new growth drivers in 2026, targeting revenue growth above the industry average as it reinforces its role in China's semiconductor self-sufficiency strategy.

Monday 30 March 2026

SMIC accused of supplying chipmaking tools to Iran military, US officials say

SMIC, China's largest chipmaker, is accused by senior Trump administration officials of supplying chipmaking equipment to Iran's military, escalating tensions linked to the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Tehran.

Sunday 29 March 2026

Samsung's 2026 strike poses bigger challenges despite economic shift and tripled scale

Samsung Electronics is facing a looming labor strike in May as its memory and foundry businesses take off, marking a more complex challenge than the initial 2024 walkout. The upcoming strike reflects significant changes in industry conditions and union size, highlighting Samsung's structural difficulties with labor issues amid evolving laws and its broad business portfolio.

Sunday 29 March 2026

Taiwan lead frame supplier pushes China expansion alongside management overhaul

Chang Wah Technology (CWTC) approved a plan to build a new factory in Weihai, Shandong. It confirmed leadership changes as it presses on with overseas expansion to boost production capacity and operational growth. The board's extraordinary meeting authorized a tentative CNY1 billion (US$145.00 million) investment through a subsidiary.

Sunday 29 March 2026

Semicon China 2026: AI spending nears US$800 billion, IBS flags 2028 chip cycle risk

SEMICON China 2026 spotlighted the scale of the AI investment boom, with Handel Jones, CEO of International Business Strategies (IBS), estimating that global AI and data center capital expenditure has surged from about US$110 billion in 2020 to roughly US$600 billion in 2026.

Sunday 29 March 2026

Musk pushes Terafab as AI chip crunch intensifies

The surge in artificial intelligence demand is pushing the semiconductor industry toward a supply crunch, as Elon Musk outlined a plan to build what he described as the largest chip manufacturing effort in history.

Saturday 28 March 2026

Can Tesla's Terafab revive US semiconductor manufacturing?

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, announced in mid-March that he would launch the Terafab megafab project within seven days, and on March 21 confirmed that the facility will be built in Austin, Texas. While many remain skeptical, industry forum SemiWiki offers an alternative perspective. Fifteen years ago, Musk acquired the Fremont production line in California from General Motors and Toyota, transforming it from a struggling facility into a cornerstone of Tesla's electric vehicle production.

Saturday 28 March 2026

Taiwan pivots toward Europe and global democratic alliances as US-China AI race intensifies

As the global AI arms race intensifies, Taiwan is positioning itself as the primary AI partner for nations besides the US and China. Wedged between these two geopolitical giants, Taiwan is leveraging its dominance in AI servers and semiconductors to foster deeper collaborations with Germany, France, and neighboring nations.

Saturday 28 March 2026

Arm enters AI cloud CPU market with limited impact on IC design clients

Arm has officially launched its self-developed chip platform, the Arm AGI CPU, targeting data center applications. This move confirms earlier reports that Arm is stepping beyond its traditional role as an IP supplier to develop and directly offer chip products to customers.

Saturday 28 March 2026

Samsung bets on turnkey strategy as non-memory strength becomes critical

Samsung Electronics is aggressively pushing its semiconductor "super-gap" core strategy centered on a turnkey solution model. However, the success of this approach hinges on restoring and rebuilding competitiveness in its non-memory businesses.

More IC manufacturing coverage