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Apr 13, 12:31
MediaTek revenue hits record on AI chip demand, TPU orders key
Taiwan-based chip designer MediaTek reported record monthly revenue in March 2026, highlighting how new growth drivers are helping cushion a weakening smartphone market.

Worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment sales rose 15% to a record US$135.1 billion in 2025 from US$117.1 billion a year earlier, driven by investment in advanced logic, memory, and AI-related capacity expansion, SEMI, the global semiconductor industry association, said.

Japan is accelerating efforts to rebuild a domestic advanced semiconductor ecosystem, with Rapidus at the center of a state-backed push spanning 2nm logic, advanced packaging, and AI chip demand creation.

Taiwan's Gudeng Precision Industrial is set to sustain double-digit revenue growth in 2026, buoyed by robust demand for EUV reticle pods and FOUP wafer carriers as advanced-node production and AI-driven applications accelerate across global semiconductor markets.
The headline numbers for Taiwan's listed tech companies in the first quarter of 2026 are strong, but a sector-by-sector breakdown of 238 companies reveals a story far more nuanced than the AI-server narrative dominating the financial press. Growth is heavily concentrated, structurally bifurcated, and in some cases, arithmetically misleading.

Taiwan's exports rose to a record high in March, supported by demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and memory-related products, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Taiwanese display driver IC (DDI) manufacturers have reported broadly declining revenues for the first quarter of 2026, reflecting ongoing challenges in the small- and mid-size segments. Novatek posted NT$23.145 billion (US$728 million), down 14.7% year over year; Raydium recorded NT$5.437 billion, down 6.7%; Fitipower had NT$4.501 billion, down 3.4%; Ilitek reported NT$3.918 billion, down 14.4%; and FocalTech saw NT$2.474 billion, down 17.3%. Only Sitronix bucked the trend, posting a robust 23% year-over-year increase to NT$5.329 billion.

Taiwan's semiconductor supply chain posted stronger-than-expected results in the first quarter of 2026, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand accelerated the adoption of advanced nodes and advanced packaging, lifting both foundries and equipment suppliers.

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of April 6-April 13, 2026:
Taiwan and the US signed the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) on February 13, 2026, capping 10 months of negotiations. The deal set a reciprocal tariff of 15% without stacking and secured Taiwan the most favorable terms yet under Section 232 for semiconductors. But the US Supreme Court's invalidation of most of President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs has since frozen the agreement. Taiwan's Executive Yuan cannot submit it to the Legislative Yuan for review, and the prospect of zero-tariff US car imports has stalled along with it.
Powered by surging semiconductor investment—led by TSMC—Taiwan's science parks are nearing full capacity, accelerating government efforts to expand land, infrastructure, and next-generation industry clusters.
Touch panel maker TPK is partnering with semiconductor packaging giant ASE to enter the advanced through-glass via (TGV) packaging technology sector, focusing on developing glass substrates for high-end computing ICs. This move marks TPK's expansion into advanced semiconductor packaging, aiming to become a new long-term growth engine. TPK has invested about NT$500 million (US$15.7 million) in capital expenditure for this initiative. Its pilot production line in Zhongli is scheduled for completion in July 2026, with sample delivery and validation set to begin shortly thereafter.