TSMC is reportedly planning another wafer foundry price increase, with supply chain sources saying its order visibility now extends to 2030. According to the sources, the company plans to adjust wafer prices from January 2027 across different processes, with hikes of about 3-6% as tight capacity and strong AI demand keep customers in line.
Semiconductor epitaxy maker Episil Precision said on September 22 that rising demand from AI data centers has created two main growth engines. Demand for silicon photonics optical communication modules is driving a surge in germanium silicon (GeSi) epitaxy demand, with the sector projected to grow 3.5- to 4-fold in 2027 and demand visibility extending to 2028.
European Union industry ministers are set to debate the proposed Chips Act 2.0 in Brussels on September 24, days after a senior ASML executive said the company is currently selling no chipmaking systems in Europe, highlighting the gap between the bloc's semiconductor ambitions and where industry investment is flowing. The policy debate is scheduled for about 11:30 a.m. Brussels time at the EU Competitiveness Council.
South Korea's major semiconductor, display, and electronics parts factories are staying open through the Chuseok holiday as AI-driven memory demand and new Apple iPhone panel production keep lines running. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are continuing output at key plants, while display and MLCC makers are also maintaining round-the-clock operations.
Qualcomm used the second day of its Snapdragon Summit 2026 to underline a broader shift for Snapdragon-powered PCs, announcing Linux support for the Snapdragon X2 Series while highlighting Googlebook laptops powered by the Snapdragon X Elite. The moves signal growing momentum for Qualcomm's PC business across operating systems and new AI-focused form factors.
Advanced packaging remains one of the semiconductor industry's hottest technology areas in 2026. In Taiwan, terms such as co-packaged optics (CPO), chiplets, and glass substrates are increasingly common as packaging moves deeper into system-level design.
