United Microelectronics (UMC) has agreed to make a one-time payment of an undisclosed amount to Micron Technology according to a settlement agreement reached between the two. As part of the deal, the companies will also withdraw their complaints globally against the other party.

Taiwan-based equipment suppliers engaged in the PCB and IC substrate sectors have seen order visibility extended to the second half of next year, thanks to their clients increasing capital investments in capacity expansions, according to industry sources.

Taiwan-based IC design houses particularly second-tier players are poised to see their profits eroded by rising foundry costs in 2022, as their customers are increasingly reluctant to accept higher prices, according to industry sources.

Better-than-expected TV sales during China's Double 11 online shopping festival signals that global demand for TVs is beginning to pick up, and LCD TV panel prices will rebound in the first or second quarter of 2022, acording to Frank Ko, president and COO Frank Ko at panel maker AU Optronics (AUO).

Tyntek will invest NT$600 million (US$21.5 million) to expand production capacity for Si-based sensor chips by 30% in 2022, with the revenue proportion for Si-based sensors expected to rise from 55% currently to over 60% in 2022, according to company president Will Chou.

Samsung Display (SDC) is poised to expand production capacity for TV-use QD-OLED panels or IT-use OLED panels in South Korea, according to local media.

China's first-tier lithium battery makers will raise contract quotes by 20% next year, according to industry sources.

Electric vehicles (EV) have been one of the most talked-about topics of 2021. In Taiwan, in addition to Foxconn's MIH Alliance recently surpassing 2,000 members, Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (PSMC) chairman Frank Huang began preparations for establishing the Taiwan Advanced Automotive Technology Development Association (TADA) in 2020. TADA reportedly has already received backing from key EV supply chain members Pegatron, AU Optronics (AUO) and the Taiwan Computer Association.

How related supply chain companies in Taiwan will seize the business opportunities presented by the electric vehicle (EV) market has received great interest. In fact, the annual growth rate for EV sales is expected to reach double digits by 2025 and the market penetration rate is expected to surpass 30%.

Welltend Technology has discloed it had about 40% of third-quarter 2021 wire harness and cable assembly revenues coming from four factories in Thailand and the Philippines, with these factories becoming a main source of sales growth.

Demand for PC and flat-panel TV in Japan continues to go down as the stay-at-home economy loses momentum. Domestic PC shipments dropped 39.9% on-year to 468,000 units in October, while shipments of flat-panel TV decreased by 13% to 369,000 units, according to statistics from the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA).

Mitac Holdings has expressed optimism about its operations next year, thanks to robust orders for servers, as well as recovery in demand for automotive and industrial tablets.

Huawei has kicked off volume production for its next-generation foldable smartphone since November, according to industry sources. The model will be rivaling Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Flip 3 and is expected to come with a lower price tag.

Thailand's smartphone shipments decreased 14% on-year in the third quarter this year but shipments of 5G models hit a new high, according to Counterpoint Research. COVID infection also peaked in the third quarter in Thailand.

Huawei has projected that 5G network will increase to 16% penetration rate next year in Thailand, according to Bangkok Post. The China-based tech company plans to train 100,000 digital workers by 2023 in 5G, cloud, AI, big data, and blockchain and plans to invest US$50 million to cultivate 500,000 digital talent in the Asia-Pacific.