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Feb 13
TSMC and memory makers boost capex to offset China export restrictions impact
TSMC raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to US$52-56 billion, driving strong demand in the global semiconductor supply chain amid AI growth. Memory giants SK Hynix, Micron, Nanya Technology, and Winbond also expanded capacity plans.
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won recently traveled to the US for a series of high-level meetings with CEOs from Nvidia, Broadcom, Microsoft, Meta, and Google. The strategic focus extends beyond expanding high-bandwidth memory (HBM) sales; it aims for a head start in the design phase collaboration for next-generation AI chips, aiming to capture key leadership in future AI accelerator architectures.
On February 19, India formally joined the US-led Pax Silica coalition at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, signalling closer strategic cooperation with Washington on semiconductors, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence supply chains.
On February 19, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Tata Electronics announced a collaboration under which Tata Electronics will manufacture Qualcomm Automotive Modules in India, marking a step toward localising advanced automotive electronics production.
India's most ambitious semiconductor project, a Tata Group-led wafer fabrication plant in Gujarat, is reportedly facing further delays, raising questions about the pace of the country's push to build a domestic chip industry.
The AI infrastructure boom has entered a full-scale arms race in 2026, with US cloud giants dramatically ramping up capex. Taiwanese chipmakers and server suppliers are emerging as key beneficiaries as orders for advanced silicon and AI systems surge.
The rules of winning in AI are changing, and one of the semiconductor industry's most prominent executives is calling time on the old playbook.
When chipmakers spend big, it is usually the machines that cost the most. Process equipment — the lithography tools, deposition systems, and etch chambers that define the bleeding edge of semiconductor manufacturing — has historically commanded the largest share of TSMC's capital budget. Facilities and civil construction matter, but they have rarely led the bill. That conventional wisdom is now being tested.
Taiwan's AI server supply chain started 2026 on firmer footing, according to January revenue data from 14 PCB, CCL, ASIC design, and IC testing firms. Year-over-year growth confirms continued AI server demand, while month-over-month shifts point to shipment timing, project concentration, and base effects rather than a change in end demand.
Global medical technology is rapidly shifting from hospital settings to everyday life, advancing toward precision medicine and long-term health management. Driving the boom in wearable medical devices are four key components that industry experts expect will unlock new blue-ocean opportunities in healthcare technology.
A proposed US tariff and duty-exemption framework could force Korean memory suppliers to accelerate US fab investments or risk losing AI server market share, according to DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin, speaking on a DIGITIMES podcast.

Singapore maintained its position as the world's fourth-ranked financial center in the 2025 Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), reflecting a strategy centered on capital security, rule of law stability, and long-term industrial positioning.