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Aug 4
Interview: Rising material costs and FOUP shortages threaten semiconductor supply chains
AI-driven demand, new fab construction, and conflict-led raw material inflation are combining to squeeze semiconductor suppliers in 2026, according to Topco Scientific Co. senior CEO Dennis Chen. He said higher upstream costs are flowing through the industry, while shortages in wafer front-opening unified pods (FOUPs) are adding another layer of strain as manufacturers expand capacity and compete for inventory.

Mitsubishi Electric is establishing a cooling-equipment production company in Ohio, joining Daikin Industries in bringing manufacturing closer to US data center customers as delivery times, tariffs and local service become more important competitive factors.

Foxconn reported consolidated revenue of NT$946.51 billion (approx. US$29.37 billion) for July 2026, up 15.18% from the previous month and 54.19% from a year earlier. The result marked a record monthly high and the first time the group's revenue exceeded NT$900 billion. In US dollar terms, July revenue rose about 13.6% month on month and 43.1% year on year.

Infineon said demand for its AI data center power semiconductors continues to exceed available supply, prompting leading customers to sign multi-year capacity reservation agreements that give the chipmaker greater visibility while securing future supply for hyperscale AI deployments.

The US-China technology and supply chain conflict has spread to product certification, opening a new front beyond semiconductors and telecom equipment.

Furukawa Electric said on August 4 that it will invest approximately JPY100 billion (approx.US$630 million) in total to expand production capacity for optical fibers and optical fiber cables, citing sustained growth in demand for high-quality optical fiber cables driven by hyperscale data center buildouts.
LG Electronics reported consolidated revenue of KRW23.83 trillion (US$16.7 billion) and operating profit of KRW1.58 trillion (US$1.1 billion) in the second quarter of 2026 as AI cooling, automotive, and subscription businesses expanded. The South Korean company said the results reflected efforts to move beyond its traditional appliance base and into broader smart life solutions.
Taiwan is moving from early-stage research into commercialization of next-generation communications technologies after the Executive Yuan approved a NT$27 billion (US$833 million) development program running from 2025 to 2030. The initiative will support commercialization of 6G and satellite applications, deployment of test networks and expansion of the domestic communications ecosystem, building on groundwork completed in 2025.

Naver is considering an asset-light structure for a US$10 billion data center expansion under which a Brookfield-led investment vehicle would own GPUs and other infrastructure. At the same time, a Naver subsidiary would sell computing capacity and related services to customers.

Airoha sees faster growth ahead as AI infrastructure, optical networking, and wireless edge products expand across global supply chains. The chip designer said its 2026 product mix is shifting structurally, with addressable markets broadening in wired and wireless businesses. Revenue momentum is being driven by demand from cloud providers, telecom operators, and enterprise customers.

Anthropic's US$10 billion computing agreement with seven-month-old startup Volta Infra Holdings Ltd. is the latest sign that the Claude developer is treating compute procurement less like a vendor relationship and more like a hedging strategy.

Infineon Technologies reported record quarterly revenue for its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, fueled by booming demand for power semiconductors used in AI data centers, and raised its full-year guidance on stronger-than-expected growth.