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Dec 22, 14:17
TSMC's CoPoS equipment set for mid-2026; overseas suppliers shake up Taiwan firms
Benefiting from surges in AI GPU, and ASIC demand, both TSMC and non-TSMC camps have raised their 2026 CoWoS capacity plans. Notably, due to CoWoS supply shortages and Nvidia's requirements, TSMC's foundry orders are gradually spilling over to OSAT companies like Amkor and ASE, raising market concerns about a potential loss of TSMC's market share.
Samsung has recruited semiconductor veteran John Rayfield, formerly a vice president at AMD, to bolster its Exynos GPU and system IP roadmap, signaling a renewed effort to regain competitiveness in mobile and AI-focused SoC design.
Taiwan's Central Bank has sharply revised its economic growth forecast for 2025 to 7.31% from the 4.55% projected in September, citing the absence of US semiconductor tariffs under Section 232 and a stronger-than-expected surge in AI demand driving export momentum.
Pan Jit International Inc. signed a definitive agreement on December 18, 2025, to acquire a 95% stake in Torex Vietnam Semiconductor, a move aimed at expanding the Taiwanese firm's manufacturing footprint and scaling its automotive-grade chip production. The transaction follows an initial memorandum of understanding signed in February 2025 and initiates the formal equity transfer process between the companies.
India's tightening AI governance rules are no longer just shaping compliance strategies. They are beginning to influence where artificial intelligence workloads are deployed, pushing sensitive applications toward India-hosted and on-premise infrastructure.

Etron Technology founder Nicky Lu says the boom in AI is accelerating semiconductor innovation and restoring the momentum of Moore's Law, even as a global memory shortage threatens to persist through the first half of 2027. Speaking in Taipei as the industry closes a record-breaking year, Lu noted that the demand for high bandwidth and customized memory architectures is forcing a structural shift in how chips are designed and manufactured.

King Yuan Electronics (KYEC) is accelerating its expansion efforts in Taiwan and Singapore to address rising demand for AI chip testing services. The Taiwanese testing and assembly firm plans to establish its first overseas manufacturing base in Singapore, aiming to commence mass production by 2027, according to KYEC chairman C.K. Lee.
These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of December 15 to December 21, 2025.
AOI Electronics, a Japan-based semiconductor assembly and test provider, has entered into a business alliance with India's Kaynes Semicon Private Limited and Japan's Mitsui to support the establishment of a semiconductor back-end processing business in India.

Record-high precious metal prices upstream are tightening cost pressure across the passive components industry, but the impact on protection components has so far been contained. Thinking Electronic Industrial said silver prices have surged since 2025, yet supply-demand dynamics have limited immediate price pass-through, allowing product prices to stabilize after a prolonged period of decline.

India is bolstering its semiconductor ecosystem through strategic overseas acquisitions, potential integration into Apple's supply chain, and specialized domestic manufacturing, while navigating delays in major facility ramp-ups.
As the global memory industry enters a supercycle driven by structural supply shortages, BT substrates for memory chips are also tightening. Taiwan-based IC substrate makers Kinsus and Nanya PCB have secured rush orders, with customers willing to sign long-term supply agreements amid material constraints. This has sharply improved order visibility from the second half of 2025 and emerged as a key driver of Taiwanese PCB output growth in the third quarter.