Kyocera is committing JPY650 billion (approx. US$4 billion) to its components businesses through fiscal 2031, as AI data center investment and semiconductor equipment spending lift demand for ceramic parts, optical communication packages, and advanced semiconductor packaging materials.

LG Chem is discussing whether to expand production of copper-clad laminate, or CCL, a core material used in semiconductor packaging, as demand tied to artificial intelligence chips accelerates, Herald Business reported.

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Corning is studying South Korea as a possible manufacturing base for semiconductor glass substrates, a sign that the US specialty glass and optical materials maker is looking to extend its AI exposure beyond data-center connectivity into advanced chip packaging.

Global helium supply is under renewed strain. Nippon Sanso, Japan's largest industrial gas supplier, announced it will raise prices across its helium product line by an average of more than 30% starting July 2026, citing persistent tightness in global supply driven in part by rising geopolitical risks in the Middle East.

Optical film and nano-coating materials developer Victory For Technology (VFT) is focusing on three key areas — AI and semiconductor processes, foldable displays, and key new-energy materials — as it deepens R&D and product deployment to capture emerging opportunities in the global supply chain.

At VivaTech 2026 in Paris last week, Philippe Keryer, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Thales, identified Europe's core quantum challenge in a single observation: "The problem is not really how we invent, it's really how we scale."

Dutch semiconductor metrology specialist Nearfield Instruments has secured US$380 million in Series D funding, marking the largest fundraising round ever completed by a deep-tech company in the Netherlands.