Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) is reportedly in supply talks with several Big Tech companies, two years after moving into glass substrates. Seen as a next-generation breakthrough for advanced packaging as AI workloads surge, glass substrates are projected by MarketsandMarkets to reach KRW12 trillion (approx. US$8.4 billion) in market value by 2028.

Optical imaging solution supplier Ability Enterprises said tariff issues stemming from regional political tensions are gradually being resolved, allowing flexible adjustments across its manufacturing sites in China, Vietnam, and Taiwan based on customer demand.

Benefiting from the artificial intelligence (AI) boom driving strong semiconductor and server exports, Taiwan's economic growth forecast for 2025 has been revised up to 5.94% by the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER). Supply chains that caught the first wave of Nvidia-led AI demand have seen significant profit growth since the second half of 2023.

The memory buying surge escalated into the fourth quarter of 2025, sparking panic purchases across the supply chain. According to market sources, brands and system vendors such as Asus and MSI have been aggressively stocking up.

As 2025 nears its close, the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom is again prompting debate over whether the sector is entering speculative territory. From Silicon Valley to Wall Street and across China's tech and investment circles, comparisons with the 2000 dot-com bubble have intensified. With China now a central participant in the AI landscape rather than an observer, the debate has gained broader industry attention.

Known as one of Taiwan's most aggressive dealmakers, Yageo chairman Pierre Chen, has secured two major acquisitions in rapid succession. This strengthens the company's push to build a broader portfolio in power-related active and passive components.

SK Hynix is reportedly set to begin ordering equipment for its 12-layer sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) as early as November 2025. Considering the construction schedule of its Cheongju M15X plant in South Korea, the equipment is expected to start being installed gradually in early 2026.

Applied Materials reported US$6.8 billion in revenue for the quarter ended October 26 in FY25, a 3% year-over-year decline but still ahead of the US$6.68 billion market forecast. The company warned that widening US export controls could curb China's semiconductor equipment spending in 2026, creating the largest risk to its growth outlook.

SMIC posted stronger-than-expected third-quarter results as China's surging AI investment and state-backed chip localisation fuelled earnings. Beijing's push for semiconductor self-sufficiency, set against sharpening US-China competition in AI, continued to support demand across both advanced and mature manufacturing nodes.

As AI ASIC makers accelerate the release of next-gen chips to catch up with AI GPU leaders, industry observers expect a major shift in the AI chip landscape by 2026. This transformation is driving significant expansion in the backend chip testing market. With increasingly complex AI chip architectures, advanced testing durations and complexities have risen sharply compared to before.