According to industry sources, the inauguration ceremony for TSMC's new advanced fab site in Arizona, US, has been abruptly put on hold. TSMC has notified the invited guests that the opening ceremony has been deferred and may be rescheduled until after Donald Trump assumes office in January, contingent upon prevailing circumstances. The event was initially scheduled for December 6.
Following its recent establishment of a wafer fab in Japan, TSMC aims to attract PhD talent in the region to advance its semiconductor research and development.
The global semiconductor shortage that plagued automotive chips from 2020 to 2022 has subsided, as electric vehicle (EV) demand in Europe and the US falls short of projections. While this eases immediate supply concerns, major industry players are reassessing their strategies amid new challenges.
India's semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem is experiencing rapid growth, with projections indicating the creation of 1 million jobs across various segments. According to a report by talent solutions provider NLB Services cited by the Press Trust of India, 300,000 positions will emerge in foundry operations and 200,000 in Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging (ATMP). The remaining positions will span chip design, software development, system circuits, and manufacturing supply chain management.
Investment demand for chips used in generative AI is benefiting several Japanese semiconductor equipment manufacturers, with Tokyo Electron (TEL) raising its full-year profit outlook.
Grand Process Technology Company (GPTC), a Taiwan-based semiconductor equipment company involved in the supply chain for TSMC's CoWoS packaging, aims to leverage the rising demand.
Leading Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturers, including ACM Research (Shanghai), AMEC, and Naura, have boosted their R&D investments to accelerate the development of high-end manufacturing processes, broaden their product lines, and establish platforms incorporating their tools and systems.
The semiconductor industry began in the early 1970s and is now the largest segment among Zeiss's four major divisions. Under President Andreas Pecher's arrangement, I met CTO Thomas Stammler at a factory producing semiconductor EUV equipment, along with Quanta's Vice President of Corporate Quality, JJ Wei.
During his US presidential campaign trail, President-Elect Donald Trump vowed to overturn key Biden administration policies. Now, with his election victory, the tech sector awaits significant policy shifts that could reshape multiple industries.
Each low-numerical aperture (NA) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system costs over US$100 million, making it one of the most expensive semiconductor manufacturing tools in history. This raises a key question: How many of these advanced EUV systems does TSMC possess, especially considering that the foundry giant is taking a measured approach toward next-generation high-NA EUV equipment?
TSMC's board of directors has approved capital appropriations of approximately US$15.48 billion for the primary purposes of new fab construction, the installation of fab facility systems, and advanced technology capacity deployment.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pledged more than US$65 billion of fresh support for the nation's semiconductor and artificial intelligence sector as Tokyo looks to keep up with a global spending spree on cutting-edge tech.
Taiwan-based display driver IC (DDI) manufacturer Fitipower Integrated Technology reported that its revenue for the third quarter reached nearly a nine-quarter high. The growth of mobile device DDIs has been a significant driving force; however, an increase in the shipment proportion of mobile device chips during the third quarter negatively impacted the overall product mix, leading to declines in gross margin and profitability.
Recently reports have emerged that the Biden administration has proposed a controversial plan to bolster Intel by merging its chip design division with AMD's corresponding departments. While both companies have established collaborative foundations, this speculation appears worrisome from both the market and technical perspectives.
Amidst China's raging AI boom, Kai-Fu Lee, Chairman of Sinovation Ventures and CEO of 01.AI has gone on record criticizing the structure of the AI ecosystem while outlining where he believes the direction of the AI evolution may go.
Nvidia is gearing up to debut its next-gen "Rubin" GPU in 2025, featuring eight HBM4 chips, with a Rubin Ultra version to follow, packing twelve. In a strategic bid to reclaim HBM market share, Samsung Electronics is betting on sixth-generation HBM4 and has hinted at a potential production collaboration with foundry rival TSMC, according to South Korean media outlet Newsis.
AI, biomedicine, quantum computing, innovative semiconductor materials, and advanced semiconductor manufacturing are shaping up as pivotal areas for Taiwan's future research and development, with profound implications for defense and industry applications. This critical juncture was highlighted by Professor Chuu Chih-sung's groundbreaking creation of the world's smallest quantum computer at National Tsing Hua University's Department of Physics and Center for Quantum Technology.
On November 11, specialty IC foundry Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) encountered a 24-minute power interruption at Fab 3 in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan. The cleanroom was swiftly evacuated, and all personnel have been confirmed safe.
In response to circulating online rumors that SpaceX has requested its Taiwanese suppliers to relocate manufacturing operations abroad, Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) promptly contacted relevant Taiwanese manufacturers. According to those suppliers, it is standard practice to adjust manufacturing schedules to meet global clients' customized needs. They further emphasized that during the recent US election period, there were no requests from SpaceX to move production facilities overseas. The MOEA strongly encourages the public not to misinterpret or exaggerate this matter, and reminds everyone to verify the accuracy of their information sources.
TSMC has reportedly notified Chinese customers that shipments of AI-related chips made with 7nm or below processes will be halted. Additionally, any AI chip projects initiated after November 11 must be approved by the US Department of Commerce and other relevant agencies.
Sigurd Microelectronics, an IC testing firm, conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new facility in Zhudong, northern Taiwan, on November 11. The construction project, which includes civil engineering and electromechanical work, will cost NT$2.6 billion (approx. US$80.1 million) and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027.
As we enter the era of artificial intelligence, major companies such as Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, AWS, and Tesla are seizing vast resources, aiming for market dominance. However, as long as the market remains stable, two types of companies will still profit within the global technology industry.
The Semiconductor Assembly Test Automation and Standardization Research Association (SATAS), a consortium of over 20 Japanese companies, has secured up to JPY20 billion (US$130 million) in subsidies from the Japanese government. The funding aims to develop advanced back-end processing technologies, with implementation targeted for fiscal 2028.
A recent annual forum for the chipmaking equipment and materials sectors was hosted in Tainan, southern Taiwan, bringing together executives from TSMC and its ecosystem partners including Grand Process Technology (GPTC), All Ring Tech, Gallant Micro Machining (GMM), and AblePrint Technology.
