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Wednesday 21 January 2026

Samsung reportedly exploring ASMPT for TCB supply

Samsung Electronics is reportedly diversifying its supply chain for thermal compression bonders (TCB), a critical tool in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production, by engaging Singapore-based equipment maker ASMPT in supply discussions.

Wednesday 21 January 2026

Memory shortage impacts Chinese smartphone supply; mid-to-low-end models and SoCs face challenges in 2026

Due to memory shortages and price hikes, Chinese smartphone brands are expected to reduce their 2026 inventory by at least 10%, mainly affecting cost-sensitive mid-to-low-end models and related SoCs.

Wednesday 21 January 2026

Google Chromebook aims for steady 2026 shipments despite memory supply challenges

Supply chain sources report that Chromebook shipments have stabilized under Google's support. Despite facing a memory market turmoil, Google has set a full-year shipment target of 19.5 million units for 2026, matching 2025 levels. Intel, Qualcomm, and MediaTek remain optimistic about Chromebook demand and continue launching new platforms to expand their market share.

Wednesday 21 January 2026

China's semiconductor equipment leaders push HBM autonomy as US tightens restrictions

US export restrictions on advanced semiconductor equipment to China have become the biggest obstacle to China's domestic production of high-bandwidth memory (HBM). It has been reported that Chinese companies have begun investing heavily in equipment localization. For example, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is moving towards mass production of more advanced HBM in 2026, and other related equipment vendors are making all-out efforts to build an HBM equipment ecosystem.

Wednesday 21 January 2026

A 100% tariff threat puts Taiwan’s memory makers on notice

US secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick recently announced that memory manufacturers not producing in the US could face tariffs of up to 100%. In addition to naming major South Korean players, foreign media reports said that Taiwanese players Nanya Technology and Winbond could also be among the companies potentially affected.

Wednesday 21 January 2026

China races to catch up with memory chip leaders in LPDDR6

China's semiconductor supply chain is accelerating plans to bring sixth-generation low-power DRAM, known as LPDDR6, into commercial use in 2026, seeking to close a long-standing technology gap with global memory leaders as edge AI raises demand for higher bandwidth and lower power consumption.

Tuesday 20 January 2026

AI server watch: AI servers lift Taiwan supply chain broadly in 2025, gains center on ODM/EMS, cooling, optical

Taiwan's AI server supply chain delivered broad-based growth in 2025, fueled by surging generative AI and cloud data center spending, but the biggest gains clustered around two areas: system-level integration led by original design manufacturer (ODM)/electronics manufacturing services (EMS) manufacturers, and a set of high-power, AI-specific components—especially thermal solutions, rack hardware, and high-speed optical interconnect.

Tuesday 20 January 2026

PowerTech and ChipMOS report robust November profits amid strong memory demand

Memory packaging and testing firms PowerTech Technology and ChipMOS Technologies recorded significant profit increases in November 2025, reflecting robust demand in the memory sector. PowerTech posted a net profit after tax of NT$786 million (US$24.85 million), up 16.27% year over year, while ChipMOS reported NT$255 million, a 240% increase compared to the previous year.

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Incentives out, tariffs in: Why Micron's New York megafab matters far beyond memory chips

The global contest for semiconductor leadership took a confrontational turn this week. US officials used Micron Technology's groundbreaking in upstate New York to deliver blunt warnings to foreign rivals.

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Micron's DRAM licensing to Powerchip reshapes DDR4 supply

After more than two months of negotiations, Micron has signed an exclusive letter of intent (LOI) with Powerchip, agreeing to acquire the latter's 12-inch wafer fab (P5) in Tongluo, Miaoli, for US$1.8 billion in cash. In addition to the acquisition, Micron will assist Powerchip's niche DRAM foundry business, a move expected to significantly impact DDR4 memory supply and demand dynamics.

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Nanya Technology posts 4Q25 profit over NT$10 billion, plans NT$50 billion capex in 2026

Memory maker Nanya Technology reported a strong rebound in the fourth quarter of 2025, driven by a more than 30% rise in DRAM average selling prices compared with the previous quarter and a 10% to 15% increase in sales volume. This boosted the quarterly gross margin to 49%, improving approximately 30.5pp from the third quarter. Fourth-quarter net profit after tax surged to NT$11.08 billion (US$351.08 million).

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Memory supply constraints and rising costs force China's smartphone brands to scale back 2026 shipment forecasts

China's major smartphone manufacturers are revising their 2026 shipment forecasts downward amid tightening memory supply and surging prices, according to Jiemian News. Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Transsion have reportedly reduced their full-year smartphone shipment forecasts amid escalating upstream material costs that are increasingly pressuring mid- to low-end device segments, particularly those targeting overseas markets.

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Samsung Device Solutions eyes 47% bonuses after profit surge

Samsung Electronics on January 16 announced payout ratios for its 2025 excess profit performance incentive, with the Device Solutions (DS) division set to receive bonuses equivalent to 47% of annual base salary. The level represents a sharp rebound from 14% for 2024 and zero in 2023.

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Rising memory prices threaten consumer electronics growth, squeezing smartphone, notebook, and TV markets

Memory price increases are significantly affecting consumer electronics, with smartphones and notebooks facing the greatest challenges, while TVs experience milder but still notable impacts. The surge in memory costs is not only driving up production expenses but also compressing profit margins for vendors and system integrators globally.

Monday 19 January 2026

SSD controllers face five challenges as NAND shortage drives sky-high prices

NAND flash prices have increased dramatically. Supply and demand are unlikely to ease this year as AI technology giants and large cloud service providers (CSPs) aggressively purchase high-capacity SSDs. At the same time, a severe shortage of fiberglass cloth has also emerged, which is expected to push SSD controller prices upward as well. The NAND shortage will be severe enough to set new record highs for market prices, potentially creating five major challenges for controller manufacturers, who must accelerate their strategies to compete in AI and enterprise server markets.

Monday 19 January 2026

Micron sets 1γ as mainstream node for 2026 as HBM and SOCAMM2 ramp

With shipments of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and XPUs expected to rise sharply in 2026, AI accelerators are set to continue relying on fifth-generation high-bandwidth memory, or HBM3E. Micron said at a recent earnings call that while demand for sixth-generation HBM4 is strong, it is also responding to additional growth in HBM3E demand.

Monday 19 January 2026

TSMT bets on DRAM modules to fuel 2026 growth as consumer demand cools

Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology Corp. said revenue returned to growth in 2025 after two consecutive years of decline, though rising prices and tight supply of key components are expected to weigh on overall end-market demand. The surface-mount technology provider said it remains cautious on consumer electronics while seeing clearer growth momentum in DRAM modules and automotive applications in 2026.

Monday 19 January 2026

China's Innosilicon launches LPDDR6 IP with commercial shipments

As AI smartphones and AI PCs surge, end devices demand unprecedented memory bandwidth. Recently, Chinese interface IP provider Innosilicon announced that its self-developed LPDDR6/5X combo IP has successfully shipped to major customers.

Monday 19 January 2026

Weekly news roundup: memory shortages, packaging power, TSMC's global pivot

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories of the week of January 12-18, 2026.

Monday 19 January 2026

Advantest ATE lead times remain tight as AI and memory markets expand

As demand strengthens in markets such as GPUs and high-bandwidth memory (HBM), Japan-based Advantest said orders for semiconductor automated test equipment (ATE) remain stable, with average product lead times exceeding six months. The company expects that once the newly expanded assembly capacity is fully in place in 2026, order backlogs will be further alleviated.

Monday 19 January 2026

Ardentec utilization rate rises through 2025 on chip testing demand from networking, automotive, and storage sectors

Semiconductor testing company Ardentec reported steady utilization growth through 2025, driven by strong chip-testing orders from the networking, automotive, and storage markets. The firm's fourth-quarter revenue reached an annual high, slightly exceeding its own guidance provided in the previous quarter.

Sunday 18 January 2026

SK Hynix reportedly completes 1a DRAM upgrade at Wuxi plant in China

SK Hynix has reportedly finished converting its key DRAM production facility in Wuxi, China, to the fourth-generation 1a process. The company reached the manufacturing milestone despite US export controls that limit exports of advanced semiconductor equipment to China.

Sunday 18 January 2026

South Korea signs IP pact again, China-linked tech leaks still dominate

South Korea's Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on intellectual property cooperation with China's National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) during a China-South Korea leaders' meeting in Beijing in January 2026. It was the third such agreement, following earlier MOUs in 2013 and 2021.

Sunday 18 January 2026

SK Hynix accelerates advanced packaging from Korea to Indiana

SK Hynix plans to invest KRW19 trillion, about US$12.9 billion, to build an advanced semiconductor packaging plant in Cheongju, South Korea, as it moves to secure capacity for AI-driven memory demand. The investment would add to existing packaging operations in Icheon and a planned facility in Indiana, creating a network spanning South Korea and the US.

Saturday 17 January 2026

Internal memo reveals Micron has locked in PSMC HBM capacity through prepayment

Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) has provided new details on its planned sale of the Tongluo P5 fabrication plant to Micron Technology, confirming that the transaction is paired with a broader cooperation framework that includes prepaid reservations for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) back-end wafer manufacturing capacity.

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