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Thursday 23 April 2026

Apollo Power secures backing from SEEC, Phison, and Gigabyte for AI data center power solutions

Apollo Power is targeting the behind-the-meter energy storage market in Taiwan through a partnership with Tesla to deploy the latter's Megapack enterprise-level energy storage systems (ESS), coupled with Apollo Power's proprietary software technology and power dispatch platform. Beyond its first corporate project at Phison Electronics, Apollo Power has received strong backing from major shareholders including Shihlin Electric (SEEC), Phison, and Gigabyte, and is positioning itself to become a leading energy solution provider for AI computing centers.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Innos lists on OTC market, leveraging probe card demand wave with three major growth engines

Probe card full-line automation equipment supplier Innostar Service (Innos) has been listed on the over-the-counter (OTC) market on April 22. Looking ahead, Innos stated that AI applications have stimulated semiconductor industry demand, driving expansion in the probe card market. The company has developed a full-line automation equipment expected to meet customer needs and propel strong revenue growth by 2026, while maintaining high gross margins.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Taiwan's three major polarizer makers undergo transformation in medical, semiconductor, and automotive businesses

Growing pressure from capacity expansion in China, price competition, and compressed profit margins for traditional display applications has prompted Taiwan-based polarizer manufacturers to accelerate their transformation. Companies including BenQ Materials, Cheng Mei Materials Technology (CMMT), and Optimax Technology are diversifying their roles across medical, semiconductor materials, and automotive applications. Their objective is to mitigate industry risk and obtain a second growth curve.

Wednesday 22 April 2026

Brightek posts March loss as Nantong plant ramps up in 2H26

LED packaging maker Brightek reported consolidated revenue of NT$161 million (US$5.1 million) in the first quarter of 2026, down 9.7% year on year, impacted by the transition period at its new Nantong plant in Jiangsu, China, which began operations at the end of 2025. The company posted a net loss after tax of NT$3.95 million for March alone, widening its losses from the same month last year, with a loss per share of NT$0.06.

Wednesday 22 April 2026

AI optical communication and automotive demand boost TXC, Taitien quartz component sales in 1Q26

Benefiting from strong AI high-frequency, high-speed transmission and communications infrastructure demand, TXC reported robust AI optical communication orders in the first quarter of 2026, driving its highest-ever quarterly revenue. The company's March 2026 revenue reached NT$1.1 billion (approx. US$35.3 million), up 2.7% year-over-year; cumulative revenue for the first three months of 2026 hit NT$3.3 billion, a 5.5% annual increase and a record for this period.

Tuesday 21 April 2026

Seiko Epson unveils long-term vision for sustainable growth

Seiko Epson, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2025, recently launched a long-term vision plan, the Engineered Future 2035, addressing AI, geopolitical shifts, and digital transformation challenges. The company emphasized using return on invested capital (ROIC) as a key management metric to optimize capital allocation, realign its business portfolio, and concentrate resources on growth sectors to enhance operational performance and core value.

Tuesday 21 April 2026

AI reshapes memory supply; Global Electronics Association warns that traditional procurement strategies will fail

The Global Electronics Association has released a report highlighting how AI demand is redistributing memory supply, causing extended lead times, rising prices, and increased market uncertainty for electronics manufacturers worldwide.

Monday 20 April 2026

Brands boost wearable device sales to offset smartphone shipment pressure

Rising prices for key upstream components such as memory have dampened global smartphone shipments, prompting brands to boost memory inventory, raise the share of mid- to high-end models, expand China-only flagships overseas, and accelerate sales of accessories like earphones and smartwatches to offset revenue losses and protect margins in the coming quarters.

Monday 20 April 2026

SDC's 8.6-gen OLED approaches 90% yield, expected to supply 2 million panels to Apple in 2026

According to industry sources cited by The Elec, Samsung Display's (SDC) 8.6G OLED line has recently surpassed an 85% yield rate, approaching the industry's "golden yield" threshold of 90%. The initial ramp-up of the line has stabilized, and sample production is currently underway. Mass production expected to begin in June–July 2026. The panels are slated for Apple's 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, with shipments potentially reaching around 2 million units in 2026.

Sunday 19 April 2026

Largan eyes FAU opportunity as smartphone downgrades loom

Optical lens giant Largan held its first quarter of 2026 earnings call on April 16, hosted by chairman En-Ping Lin. The company posted 7% year-on-year revenue growth — but headwinds are building as smartphone makers look to downgrade specifications.

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

Largan expects full capacity in 2H26; FAU customer details remain undisclosed

Leading optical lens manufacturer Largan Precision held its first-quarter 2026 earnings call on April 16, reporting consolidated revenue of NT$15.54 billion (approx. US$492.37 million) for the quarter. The company cited seasonal factors and market fluctuations for the roughly 10% decline from the fourth quarter of 2025, while noting 7% year-over-year growth.

Friday 17 April 2026

CPU shortage more acute than memory; industry awaits Intel 18A yield improvement

A global CPU shortage is disrupting PC and industrial-computing supply chains, as processors are out of stock even at premium prices, while memory is limited but purchasable. The scarcity threatens notebook and industrial PC availability worldwide and may persist for some time until Intel's 18A process yields improve, industry sources warn.

Friday 17 April 2026

Taiwan and Japan solidify lead in transmission component market for humanoid robots

The rise of new hardware designs for humanoid robots has created fresh opportunities across the supply chain, with linear actuators — which act as the muscles of robots that mimic human anatomy — now becoming key components in this evolution. Amid the ongoing reshuffling in the transmission component supply chain, the consensus among industry players is that Taiwanese and Japanese manufacturers are unlikely to yield their longtime dominant position in the field.

Thursday 16 April 2026

MCU demand pull-in lifts first-quarter sales, inflation risk clouds outlook

The traditional off-season for consumer electronics showed unexpected strength in the first quarter of 2026, with microcontroller (MCU) suppliers reporting a wave of early orders. Customers, facing rising costs and sharp increases in memory prices, have accelerated procurement due to concerns over future supply shortages. This front-loading of demand has effectively brought forward the peak season. Still, industry players caution that inflationary pressure linked to ongoing Middle East conflicts could weigh on end-market demand.

Thursday 16 April 2026

China's homegrown GPU startups gain ground in global AI chip race

China's domestic GPU industry is entering a new phase of rapid commercialization, as leading startups post strong revenue growth while intensifying investment in research, patents, and ecosystem development.

Wednesday 15 April 2026

Southern Taiwan Science Park eyes US$94 billion on AI tailwinds

Riding the artificial intelligence (AI) boom and strong demand for advanced semiconductor processes, the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) posted record-high revenue of NT$2.97 trillion (approx. US$94.13 billion) for 2025, up 34.26% from 2024. The figure fell just shy of the industry's original projection of NT$3 trillion, yet the park maintained its leading position among Taiwan's three major science parks.

Wednesday 15 April 2026

China Northern Rare Earth hikes 2Q26 rare earth ore prices over 44%, experts warn of demand destruction

China Northern Rare Earth, the leading player in China's rare earth industry, has raised its rare earth ore (REO) prices for the second quarter of 2026 by more than 44%. Amid geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions, this significant price increase has drawn strong attention across the sector.

Wednesday 15 April 2026

Taiwan, Japan team up on advanced materials to power next-gen chips and clean energy

Japan dominates the global market for semiconductor equipment and materials — a strategic chokepoint that its neighbors and partners have long sought to learn from, not just rely on. Taiwan, home to the world's most advanced chip fabrication ecosystem, has spent years building closer ties with Tokyo in materials science. Now, that partnership is entering a more ambitious phase.

Wednesday 15 April 2026

Cooling fan makers remain optimistic about 2026 operations

Record revenues and aggressive liquid-cooling rollouts at leading fan makers signal shifting global demand, with server and automotive needs underpinning growth while consumer-linked segments face supply-driven setbacks. The developments could reshape cooling supply chains worldwide, influence data center and EV thermal strategies, and affect component markets for PCs and gaming.

Tuesday 14 April 2026

Phison eyes US$1.4B fundraising to tackle severe NAND shortage in 4Q26

Phison Electronics founder and CEO Pua Khein-Seng warned that the current NAND Flash shortage will worsen significantly in the second half of 2026, with an acute supply crunch expected in the fourth quarter of 2026, where "even money can't buy stock." To secure inventory amid this tight market, Phison has broken its no-debt tradition by launching a syndicated loan in March and plans to issue US$800 million in Euro-convertible bonds (ECB), targeting over NT$43 billion (US$1.4 billion) in total fundraising for 2026.

Monday 13 April 2026

Apple reportedly tests four smart glasses designs ahead of 2027 launch

Apple is accelerating development of next-generation wearable hardware, with plans to launch its first smart glasses as early as 2027, Bloomberg reported. The initial product will not include a display, reflecting a focus on hands-free operation and ecosystem integration as the company moves into a market led by Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica.

Monday 13 April 2026

RFID maker Arizon expands market share despite 20% global market decline in 2025

Arizon RFID Technology saw its performance in 2025 impacted by a 20% contraction in the global RFID market last year, with the company posting full-year revenue of NT$3.953 billion (approx. US$124 million), down 14.3% year-over-year. Meanwhile, gross margin fell by 9.9% year-over-year to 22.3%, net profit after tax plunged 73.4% year-over-year to NT$225 million (approx. US$7 million), and earnings per share stood at NT$3.0. Despite the overall market shrinkage, however, Arizon increased its market share by roughly 2pp.

Monday 13 April 2026

Supreme Court ruling stalls Taiwan-US trade deal, zero-tariff car imports in limbo

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.

Monday 13 April 2026

Taiwan ramps up science park expansion as TSMC growth pushes capacity limits

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.

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