Microcontrollers (MCUs), widely used across industrial automation, medical devices, and consumer electronics, are experiencing longer delivery times as both wafer fabrication and semiconductor packaging lead times continue to extend. Industry suppliers said customers accelerated orders and pulled in shipments during the first half of 2026 amid rising prices across the supply chain, with urgent orders also on the rise.
Infineon has secured a final US import ban against Innoscience after the US International Trade Commission's May 7 ruling was upheld following the presidential review period, confirming that the Chinese GaN power semiconductor maker infringed an Infineon patent. The decision blocks the import and sale of Innoscience's infringing gallium nitride (GaN) products in the US market.
Onsemi is selling two manufacturing facilities in the Philippines and the US to cut fixed costs, streamline its global production network and improve gross margins under its Fab Right strategy.
Nvidia does not make robots, but it is becoming a key force behind embodied intelligence companies. At Automate 2026, North America's largest industrial automation show, on June 22, Deepu Talla, vice president of Nvidia's robotics business, said on stage that the company hired 18,600 man-years of engineers to bring the safety architecture of autonomous driving to robots.
Chinese 3D vision sensor maker Orbbec is expanding its global manufacturing network with a new production base in Vietnam, as robotics suppliers increase overseas capacity to strengthen supply chain resilience and serve international customers.
As industrial automation and robotics evolve at breakneck speed, major global automakers and Tier 1 suppliers are swiftly transforming their production lines into testing grounds for cutting-edge AI and humanoid robots.
