AUO is tailoring its glass core substrate specifications specifically to semiconductor process requirements rather than competing on panel dimensions with Innolux, according to Chairman and CEO Paul Peng. The company aims to leverage its glass-processing expertise to supply critical components and technologies to outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) leaders such as ASE Technology Holding and Powertech Technology.

AI servers are driving demand for power components, transient voltage suppressors (TVS), and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection devices. Yea Shin Technology, a subsidiary of Eris Technology, will begin trading on Taiwan's emerging stock market on October 23 and plans to raise the share of 6-inch wafers in its capacity from 35% to more than 50%, as its TVS products enter the international AI server supply chain.

South Korean substrate maker Daeduck Electronics is accelerating development of ceramic core substrates (CCS) to address warpage and thermal-management challenges as AI semiconductor packages grow larger. The company is conducting performance and internal reliability assessments, plans to advance samples and customer evaluations in 2027 and 2028, and is targeting mass production in 2029, with ceramic cores serving as a material alternative to glass cores for next-generation large-area packages.

AI computing is pushing packaging density to its limits, with accelerator substrates expected to exceed 100x100mm and expand beyond 120x120mm within the next three to five years. As substrate sizes, layer counts, I/O and power requirements rise, the industry's key bottleneck is shifting from design capabilities to manufacturing capacity.

TPK Holding has completed a pilot production line for glass-substrate through-glass via (TGV) technology at its Zhongli plant and started joint development and validation of early-stage samples with semiconductor packaging companies. Under its stated plan, it targets core technology validation by the end of 2027 and mass production in 2028.

Zhen Ding Technology Holding announced that it, Elite Material (EMC), Taliang Technology, and Topoint Technology will jointly invest a total of NT$60 million (approx. US$1.85 million) in collaboration with Taiwan's National Central University (NCU) to establish the "Advanced PCB Talent Development Program." The initiative will combine interdisciplinary research capabilities and industry resources to build a long-term industry-academia collaboration platform focused on cultivating talent in advanced printed circuit boards (PCBs) and supporting the industry's development in the artificial intelligence (AI) era.

Market reports have recently suggested that MediaTek's tensor processing unit (TPU) v9 project with Google could face delays in volume production as Google reportedly revises the chip's design. Industry observers expect MediaTek may address some of these concerns during its earnings conference in late October.

Generative AI is pushing chip power consumption and heat flux to unprecedented levels, driving AI packaging thermal management requirements from several hundred watts to the kilowatt (kW) scale. Heat sink specialist Jentech Precision points out that package lids are evolving beyond conventional solid-state heat conduction toward phase-change heat spreading and microchannel liquid cooling, with TIM-less architectures representing the next horizon.

Spanish semiconductor metrology startup Wooptix, whose technology originated in astronomical observation, is accelerating efforts to enter the supply chains of leading semiconductor foundries.

SEMI's latest 12-inch fab outlook projects double-digit annual growth in equipment spending from 2026 through 2029, with forecasts revised upward from its previous edition. However, Clark Tseng, senior director of market intelligence at SEMI, said external constraints involving funding, electricity, and politics are emerging as potential downside risks. He added that this could prevent the AI-driven expansion from overheating.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) faces potential equipment procurement bottlenecks in its KRW6.78 trillion (approx. US$5.1 billion) expansion of semiconductor substrate production for AI servers, as machinery manufacturers struggle with component shortages and longer delivery times. The South Korean company maintains that its investment is proceeding as planned. No production delay has been confirmed.

Taiwan-based microcontroller (MCU) manufacturer Holtek Semiconductor unveiled its 2026 product roadmap on October 15, focusing on four core areas: smart protection, green energy and intelligent control, edge AI computing, and general-purpose applications.

Chinese display manufacturer BOE has made further progress in advanced semiconductor packaging, extending its panel manufacturing expertise to glass-core packaging substrates. At an investor relations event on October 15, BOE said it had completed the full manufacturing process for glass-core substrates, producing 24-layer samples measuring more than 100 × 100mm. The samples have been delivered to customers and passed multiple reliability tests, with further validation underway.

LG Innotek expects to begin supplying glass substrates for advanced semiconductor packaging around 2028 and sees its chip substrate business improving in 2027, as the South Korean components maker seeks to reduce its reliance on smartphone camera modules and expand into automotive technologies.

Nvidia showcased the latest developments in its MGX server platform ecosystem at the OCP Global Summit 2026, unveiling for the first time a switch board sample using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and naming seven supply-chain partners. Taiwan's Flexium Interconnect and Taiflex Scientific joined Chinese suppliers Victory Giant Technology, Shennan Circuits, Shenzhen Kinwong Electronic, Shengyi Technology, and US-based TTM Technologies on the partner list.

ByteDance is in advanced talks with MediaTek to purchase custom data center chips, with the companies potentially reaching an agreement soon, according to people familiar with the matter. A deal would help ByteDance secure critical chip supplies while expanding MediaTek's data center business and intensifying competition with Qualcomm and other chipmakers.

South Korea's LG Innotek expects its semiconductor substrate business to improve in 2027 as it pursues long-term supply agreements (LTAs) with major technology companies and prepares to enter the high-end AI accelerator market. Under this strategy, the company aims to secure customer commitments before expanding production capacity as it seeks to diversify beyond smartphone camera modules.

Touch Taiwan 2027 will take place on April 21–23, 2027, and will expand its scope with two dedicated co-located shows: the Advanced Packaging & Testing Expo and the Silicon Photonics Technology Applications Expo. Spurred by surging demand for AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and high-speed data transmission, the new additions will run alongside the established Smart Manufacturing and Smart Display exhibitions, creating a unified platform spanning semiconductor technologies, optical communications, intelligent manufacturing, and end applications.

South Korean inspection equipment manufacturer Hanwool Semiconductor has secured an order to supply ultrasonic inspection equipment for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) to a subsidiary of Taiwan's Delta Electronics Group.

Chemical and solvent distributor Yuan Jen Enterprises is actively expanding its electronic materials business. Company chairman Yuan-Jen Hsu stated that Yuan Jen established a dedicated Electronic Materials Division in September 2025 to focus on semiconductor peripheral materials. Alongside its existing portfolio of electronic-grade hydrogen peroxide, electronic-grade isopropyl alcohol (IPA), and acetone, the company is actively seeking opportunities in next-generation semiconductor materials, prioritizing advanced packaging and specialty wiring materials as its main growth vectors.

First-generation Taiwanese entrepreneurs are retiring or leaving their businesses, driving a clear rise in second- and third-generation succession in recent years. At Chimei, for example, Chia-Chang Shi has become chairman of the company his father, Wen-Long Shi, had founded. Similar transitions are becoming increasingly common among small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Following stronger-than-expected demand for its Galaxy Z Fold8, Samsung Electronics submitted an expedited wafer production request to United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) that was ultimately turned down. As a result, Samsung scaled back its September 2026 component production volume by 10%. Amid persistent capacity tightness at mature process nodes, Samsung is now evaluating GlobalFoundries (GF) as a secondary foundry partner for its OLED smartphone DDIs, with potential adoption set for late 2027 at the earliest.

The rapid expansion of AI and data center chip package sizes is accelerating the adoption of glass substrates, with SEMI's Beth Keser now forecasting market entry around 2028, two years earlier than she previously expected. Beth Keser, SEMI's vice president of technology coalitions, said package dimensions are growing too quickly for the industry to wait until around 2030, her earlier forecast.

Topco Scientific (TSC) is evaluating a new base in Boise, Idaho, as the US enters a fresh wave of chip manufacturing expansion and Micron ramps up advanced memory investment. The company already operates service bases in Phoenix, Arizona, and Dallas, Texas, and plans to strengthen its local technology, engineering, and supply chain capabilities to pursue memory and advanced-process opportunities.

Kingboard Laminates Holdings (KB Laminates), a leading Chinese manufacturer, announced its eighth price increase of 2026 on October 13, raising prices by 15% for laminates and prepreg (PP) made with style 2116 or thinner fiberglass fabrics.