Nvidia's next-generation AI superchip, Vera Rubin, has become the center of industry debate following comments by CEO Jensen Huang at CES 2026, where he said the product had entered the production phase. The statement has drawn scrutiny from the semiconductor supply chain, particularly memory makers, as questions emerge over the readiness of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) for commercial deployment.
Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has designated the silicon photonics (SiPh) co-packaged optics (CPO)-AI ecosystem as a core focus for the next decade, aiming to advance key AI computing infrastructure and technologies. This move aligns with the government's new AI-driven initiatives under the "New Ten Major AI Construction Projects," which include unmanned vehicles, smart robots, SiPh, and quantum technology development. The NSTC's decision comes amid a stalled 2026 budget proposal totaling NT$299.2 billion (US$9.5 billion), which includes funding for these critical tech sectors. If the 2026 plan is interrupted, continuation will depend on securing support beyond 2027 to maintain momentum in this strategic area.
AMEC disclosed on January 8, 2026, that its founder and chairman, Gerald Yin, plans to reduce his personal shareholding over the next three months to meet tax obligations following his restoration of Chinese citizenship. The filing shows that Yin plans to sell up to 290,000 shares via centralized bidding starting 15 trading days after the announcement, with the sale window running from January 30 to April 29, 2026. The transaction represents 0.046% of AMEC's total outstanding shares.
Shanghai Iluvatar CoreX Semiconductor, a Chinese general-purpose GPU developer, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Main Board on January 8, 2025. Shares were priced at HKD144.6 (US$18.5), raising about HKD3.7 billion (US$474 million). The stock jumped 31.5% at the open to HKD190.2, lifting its debut valuation above HKD47.5 billion, signalling investor demand for China's domestic compute hardware.
China's domestic lithography sector is entering another phase of internal restructuring, with AMIES Technology consolidating industrial assets originally spun out from Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (Group) Co., Ltd. (SMEE). Corporate filings and Shanghai Securities News show that AMIES has acquired 100% of Shanghai Weiyao Industrial Co. for CNY228.5 million (US$32.5 million), replacing SMEE as the sole shareholder. The transaction completes SMEE's exit from Weiyao while keeping the asset within the SMEE-origin corporate structure.
Materials test and analysis provider MSScorps continued its record-breaking revenue performance in December 2025, buoyed by active investments by customers in advanced processes and next-generation advanced packaging technologies. Robust demand from semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) customers fueled orders for materials analysis, as well as silicon photonics (SiPh) and AI inspection and testing services.
Taiwan's passive component industry is experiencing another round of price increases. Joyin, a circuit protection components brand under Walsin Technology, has issued price increase notices to customers, announcing increases of 20-25% for varistors and 15-20% for negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors. The new prices will take effect for shipments starting January 16, 2026.
Taiwan-based semiconductor testing firm MA-tek announced December 2025 revenue of NT$501 million (approx. US$15.91 million), marking a 2.7% increase from November and a 10.65% rise compared to December 2024. The growth was mainly fueled by accelerated in-house ASIC development among cloud service providers (CSPs) and increased requirements for materials analysis (MA) and failure analysis (FA) testing amid advanced process development. For the full year, MA-tek achieved NT$5.545 billion in revenue, up 8.51% year-over-year.
TSMC reported solid year-over-year growth in December 2025 revenue, even as monthly momentum softened slightly toward the end of the year, underscoring resilient underlying demand led by advanced technologies while reflecting seasonal shipment patterns.
China has intensified pressure on Japan's supply chains. Following curbs on dual-use items and rare earth exports, the Ministry of Commerce has launched an anti-dumping probe into Japanese-origin dichlorosilane (DCS).
Optical lens maker Largan Precision held an earnings briefing on January 8, 2026, during which chairman Adam Lin expressed a wary smartphone industry outlook. Surging memory prices are squeezing smartphone bills of materials (BOM), making customers more hesitant to pursue lens specification upgrades. Visibility for the full year of 2026 remains unclear, with only the first quarter confirmed to be affected by the traditional off-season, during which capacity utilization will be lower than in previous years.
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