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Monday 27 April 2026

Thailand's PCB industry moves upmarket, local supply gaps persist

Thailand is fast emerging as a critical hub for high-end electronics manufacturing, as global supply chains shift and demand for AI computing power accelerates.

Monday 27 April 2026

TSMC's refusal of ASML's expensive High-NA EUV equipment, explained

ASML has launched its 0.55 High Numerical Aperture Extreme Ultraviolet (High-NA EUV) in an effort to extend Moore's Law. The market had originally expected TSMC to adopt it first, but the company has held back. TSMC Senior Vice President of Global Business Kevin Zhang stated at the North America Technology Symposium that there are currently no plans to introduce High-NA EUV before 2029, mainly because "it's too expensive!" This decision also reflects how TSMC is shifting competition focus from equipment to process integration and cost efficiency.

Monday 27 April 2026

Weekly news roundup: Micron's Sanand ramp shifts India chip debate; Qualcomm Chief reportedly seeks deals in South Korea

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of April 20-27, 2026:

Monday 27 April 2026

Innolux enters leading tier of advanced packaging with new RDL and TGV technology

Innolux is expanding into the advanced semiconductor packaging sector, leveraging display technology as its core platform to accelerate integration with semiconductor and IoT technologies. Building on its strengths in Thin-Film Transistors (TFTs), the company continues to enhance hardware performance while aggressively deploying in Mini LED, Micro LED, and advanced semiconductor packaging. Through technological iteration and capacity optimization, it aims to strengthen its market competitiveness.

Friday 24 April 2026

TSMC CoPoS equipment orders face reshuffle with legal turmoil at Taiwanese equipment maker

The semiconductor packaging equipment sector is experiencing order shifts linked to significant executive changes at a key Taiwanese supplier, raising concerns over TSMC's chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) and chip-on-panel-on-substrate (CoPoS) advanced packaging equipment orders. Industry sources indicate that ASE Technology Holding's equipment orders may also be affected as the supply chain undergoes potential realignment.

Friday 24 April 2026

AI PCB supply crunch squeezes margins on rising materials and energy costs

A tightening supply of high-end materials is emerging as a key constraint just as PCB specifications and manufacturing processes move into a new upgrade cycle. Shortages span from T-glass fiberglass cloth for IC substrates to longer lead times for copper-clad laminates (CCL), with prices for multiple upstream inputs rising in tandem.

Friday 24 April 2026

Zhen Ding to invest CNY40 billion in Huai'an to expand high-end PCB capacity

Zhen Ding Technology has broken ground on its HD campus at the Huai'an Technology City in China, as it accelerates investment to expand high-end printed circuit board (PCB) capacity targeting artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

Friday 24 April 2026

MCU supplier Artery weighs price hikes on AI capacity squeeze, new applications drive growth

Microcontroller supplier Artery Technology (Arterytek or Arterychip) delivered a strong start to 2026, posting first-quarter consolidated revenue of NT$653 million (approx. US$20.1 million), a record high for a single quarter. Full-year revenue is projected to grow by up to 60%, driven by a combination of new product launches and expanded demand from existing customers.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Zhen Ding will build 10 new factories for global expansion

Taiwan-based PCB maker Zhen Ding Tech has stated that as customers' next-generation product platforms gradually enter mass production starting from the second quarter of 2026, its IC substrate, server, and optical communications businesses are entering a new round of high-speed expansion. The company targets mid-to-high double-digit revenue growth for the full year of 2026 and is optimistic that shipment momentum will follow a quarter-on-quarter growth trend.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Zhen Ding breaks ground on new China site; Zhongji Innolight chairman attends to show support

Taiwanese printed circuit board (PCB) giant Zhen Ding Technology Group held a groundbreaking ceremony for the HD Campus of the "Zhen Ding Technology Group Huai'an Tech City" in Huai'an, China, on April 22. The new park plans to build facilities for high-density interconnect (HDI), modified semi-additive process (mSAP), and high-layer count (HLC) PCBs. Upon completion, the group's total number of factories across four major local parks will reach 23, further strengthening its manufacturing scale in the advanced PCB sector.

Wednesday 22 April 2026

Powerchip DRAM foundry price hike to boost June revenue; IPD to drive Intel demand in 2H27

Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing (PSMC) held an earnings call on April 21 to address developments in memory and logic foundry services, as well as its future business outlook. PSMC president Martin Chu stated that DRAM foundry prices had significantly increased in March. However, due to the impact of the tape-out cycle on pricing, the price hike is expected to contribute to revenue starting in June.

Wednesday 22 April 2026

ASM International reports 16% growth in 1Q26 revenue driven by booming AI market

ASM International reported a high revenue in the first quarter of 2026, driven by surging AI demand and its need for advanced chips. The Dutch maker of deposition equipment in the chip-making process said that this, in turn, has led semiconductor manufacturers to continue investing in equipment amid a period of tight chip-making capacity.

Wednesday 22 April 2026

Nvidia-linked Chinese PCB maker jumps on Hong Kong stock debut, targets AI expansion

Victory Giant Technology, a China-based PCB maker and Nvidia supply chain partner, debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on April 21, with its shares rising as much as 60% on the first day of trading. Founder and chairman Chen Tao said order momentum remains strong, with proceeds from the listing primarily earmarked for capacity expansion in China.

Wednesday 22 April 2026

Powerchip returns to profitability in 1Q26 following fab sale to Micron

Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing (PSMC) reported revenue of NT$13.57 billion (approx. US$432 million) in the first quarter of 2026, up 6% from the previous quarter and 22% year over year, benefiting from the disposal gains related to the sale of its Tongluo fab in Taiwan to Micron Technology. Net profit after tax reached NT$14.23 billion, with earnings per share (EPS) of NT$3.36, ending 10 consecutive quarters of losses.

Tuesday 21 April 2026

APAC advances CPO positioning: ELSFP beings small-volume shipments, in-house COC line set for 3Q26 completion

Optical communications company APAC Opto Electronics reported that its inventory digestion phase is nearing completion, with market demand showing a clear rebound. Looking ahead to its co-packaged optics (CPO) strategy, the company noted that its external laser small form-factor pluggable (ELSFP) is becoming increasingly critical within the overall architecture. Small-volume shipments have begun in 2026, with volume ramp-up expected in 2027, positioning the product as a key future growth driver.

Tuesday 21 April 2026

Semiconductor materials supply shifts to risk sourcing under price and geopolitical pressure

In 2026, critical semiconductor materials face a perfect storm of rising prices, shortages, and geopolitical disruption. Lead times for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) and power devices are stretching, while helium supply risks from Qatar are mounting. Topco Scientific CTO Tina Ding says companies must sharpen capabilities in long-term contract locking, flexible pricing negotiations, strategic stockpiling, and risk-based sourcing — all while tracking costs in real time and staying in close step with customers.

Tuesday 21 April 2026

Foxconn Industrial Internet to mass-produce CPO all-optical switches in 3Q26 with over 10,000 units target

Brand Cheng, chairman of Foxconn Industrial Internet (FII), a cloud networking business under Foxconn, recently announced ongoing advancements in technologies, including co-packaged optics (CPOs), liquid cooling, power architectures, and PCB technology. Notably, FII completed prototype shipments of its CPO all-optical switch in the first quarter of 2026 and plans to begin mass production starting in the third quarter of 2026.

Monday 20 April 2026

AI chip rivalry escalates: ABF substrate sells out for Unimicron, Kinsus, Nan Ya PCB

AI GPUs, CPUs, and ASICs are driving demand for increasingly larger sizes and higher layer counts in substrate technology. The supply-demand gap for high-end ABF substrates continues to widen, and over the next three years, the industry is expected to enter a capacity expansion cycle.

Monday 20 April 2026

Zhen Ding plans Hong Kong listing for subsidiary to boost global IC substrate presence

Printed circuit board (PCB) giant Zhen Ding Technology held a board meeting on April 17 and approved plans for its subsidiary, Leading Interconnect Semiconductor Technology (LIST), to apply for a listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The proposal will be submitted for review at the upcoming annual general meeting. The company stated that the move aims to unlock the standalone value of its high-growth business and strengthen the group's global competitiveness in core infrastructure in the artificial intelligence (AI) era.

Monday 20 April 2026

Taiyo Yuden raises MLCC prices, Murata takes the lead, Samsung to follow suit

Japanese electronic components maker Taiyo Yuden recently issued a price increase notice, announcing that it will raise prices on some products starting in May, specifically in the multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) market.

Sunday 19 April 2026

Corning leads glass substrate race as South Korea's KCC and LX Glass face steep challenges

Glass core substrates, valued for their low dielectric loss and warpage reduction, are key to next-generation advanced semiconductor packaging. In South Korea, traditional glass makers KCC Glass and LX Glass have entered R&D efforts to capture market opportunities.

Sunday 19 April 2026

ASE's CoPos advanced packaging accelerates as Skytech and CMIt boost equipment deliveries

AI and high-performance computing (HPC) are driving increasingly stringent chip performance demands, marking a pivotal shift in advanced packaging technology from traditional wafers to large-size panels. Semiconductor equipment leader Skytech's CEO George Yi announced that its self-developed 310x310mm panel-level packaging physical vapor deposition (PLP PVD) system, a world first, has completed delivery and been successfully integrated into production lines at major OSAT firms including ASE Technology Holding.

Saturday 18 April 2026

VLSI TSA 2026 explores quantum architecture and AI healthcare innovations

The 2026 International Symposium on VLSI Technology, Systems and Applications (VLSI TSA) kicked off on April 14, gathering over 800 semiconductor professionals worldwide. The conference focused on next-generation core areas including GenAI inference acceleration, wafer-level computing, and terahertz wireless communication, while also delving into quantum computer system architectures and extending the reach of semiconductors to AI-driven cardiac analysis and other smart healthcare applications.

Saturday 18 April 2026

bEMC advances Micro LED optical transmission with key POC validation

The surge in AI data center demand is rapidly accelerating the need for high-speed data transmission, prompting LED manufacturers to target opportunities in optical communications. best-Epitaxy Manufacturing's (bEMC) CEO Evan Wu said the company has focused on data transmission since its inception and recently began proof-of-concept (POC) testing with a leading cloud service provider (CSP). Their short-distance Micro LED transmission currently reaches speeds of 4Gbps, aiming to achieve 8Gbps per chip in 2026.

Friday 17 April 2026

MLCC, inductor prices climb as AI demand meets cost pressure

Global passive component prices are rising, led by Japanese suppliers, with the trend spreading across China and Taiwan. Higher raw material costs and AI-driven demand are tightening supply and shifting pricing dynamics across the electronics supply chain.

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