Zhen Ding Technology, the world's largest printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer, announced that its Chinese subsidiary, Avary Holding, has approved a major investment plan for its Huaian campus. The company will invest CNY8 billion (approximately US$1.1 billion) between the second half of 2025 and 2028 to expand high-end PCB production capacity, targeting the fast-growing demand driven by artificial intelligence applications.

The acquisition contest for Shibaura Electronics, a maker of negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors, has intensified as Minebea Mitsumi and Taiwan's Yageo Corporation have matched bids of JPY6,200 (US$41.95) per share. Both firms are vying to secure control amid strategic industry significance.

China's copper-clad laminate (CCL) producers, pressured by surging raw material costs and intensifying competition, have issued new price increase notices. Kingboard, Meizhou Weilibang Electronic Technology, and Jiangxi Hongruixing are among the first to move, prompting expectations that Taiwanese counterparts may follow with adjustments in mid- and low-end materials.

Nan Pao Resins Chemical Group has been expanding into the semiconductor sector, with an eye on semiconductor adhesives and other electronic applications driving growth. Following its merger with Yunteh Industries, Nan Pao expects record-high revenue for 2025 even amid the turbulent economy this year.

Taiwan-based ASIC design firm Intelligo Technology, which specializes in AI-powered acoustics and speech recognition, posted solid gains in the second quarter of 2025 as consumer electronics demand picked up. The company booked consolidated revenue of NT$349 million (US$10.8 million), up 12.4% from the prior quarter and 94.7% year-over-year.

Taiwan's Yageo Corporation has extended the deadline for its tender offer bid (TOB) for Japan's Shibaura Electronics to August 28 amid a competitive price increase from rival MinebeaMitsumi. Both companies are vying for control of the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor manufacturer.

As China's semiconductor juggernaut gathers pace, a fierce contest for dominance in the silicon wafer market is becoming inevitable for global suppliers.

Topco Scientific (TSC) stated during an earnings call on August 14, 2025, that current semiconductor market conditions are on par with the first quarter of 2025, adding that advanced processes continue to grow, while demand for the mature 28nm process gradually recovers.

Despite TSMC's US$165 billion investment in the US, Taiwan does not appear to have any special favor from the United States. Taiwan faces a higher reciprocal tariff compared to Japan and South Korea, and US President Donald Trump has even threatened to impose a 300% tariff on semiconductors. However, companies that already have factories or plan to build them in the US are exempted.

Daxin Materials reported solid operational performance in the first half of 2025, with expectations for continued growth in the semiconductor and display materials sectors in the second half. The company is expanding production capacity and developing new products to meet rising demand driven by AI and high-performance computing (HPC).

Minebea Mitsumi has increased its tender offer bid (TOB) for shares of Shibaura Electronics to JPY6,200 (US$41.99) per share, matching the bid made by Taiwanese company Yageo Corporation. The TOB period has been extended to August 28, 2025.

In response to the global surge in large-scale AI computing power deployment, the usage and value of PCBs for AI servers have significantly increased. High-end copper-clad laminate (CCL) is evolving as next-generation AI servers upgrade their transmission architecture to 1.6 terabit rates. With increasingly stringent demands for high-frequency, high-speed, and low-loss materials, board requirements are expected to officially advance from M7 and M8 grades to the M9 grade.

On July 31, 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to adjust reciprocal tariff rates, setting the provisional tariff for Taiwan at 20%, effective from August 7, 2025. According to senior government officials in Taiwan, relief measures have been initiated, and affected businesses are urged to apply within the stipulated timeframe. For traditional industries, China faces tariffs exceeding 50% on related goods, which provides Taiwan with a competitive opportunity to gain market recognition.

Following South Korea's shocking announcement to invest US$350 billion in the US, with 90% of the profits staying in the US, Nvidia and AMD reportedly have agreed to pay 15% of their chip sales revenue from China to the US government. This equally astonishing arrangement secures export licenses from the US government for Nvidia's H20 and AMD's MI308 chips shipping to China.

Tongtai Machine & Tool Co. Ltd. reported first-half 2025 consolidated revenue of NT$2.8 billion (US$93.8 million), a 4% increase from a year earlier, supported by stable operations and gains from the sale of its second Kaohsiung plant in the Southern Taiwan Science Park during the second quarter. The transaction lifted non-operating income, offsetting forex losses and improving profitability over the same period in 2024.

Nvidia is reportedly collaborating with its supply chain to develop an advanced packaging architecture called Chip-on-Wafer-on-PCB (CoWoP) for its Rubin GPU platform. This new design replaces the conventional ABF substrate with a PCB board, potentially revolutionizing packaging methods for AI servers amid intense industry debate.

India has approved four additional semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), further strengthening the country's semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. These projects bring the total number of approved initiatives to ten, involving cumulative investments of approximately INR1.60 trillion (approx. US$18.27 billion) across six states.

Samsung Electronics is doubling down on its bet to regain leadership in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the ultra-fast chip architecture powering next-generation artificial intelligence. The company has begun major equipment investments to mass-produce sixth-generation 10-nanometer-class DRAM (1c DRAM) — the core component of its upcoming HBM4 chips.

Contract prices for memory chips have strengthened in the third quarter of 2025, but rumors have swirled surrounding Samsung Electronics slowing down the end-of-life (EOL) for DDR4 DRAM. The newly announced 100% US semiconductor tariffs pose significant uncertainties for the industry's growth in the second half of the year, especially in consumer electronics, which could be hit hardest.

During its earnings call on August 7, 2025, high-speed interface provider Parade stated that its second-quarter revenue grew steadily, and gross margin improved, mainly due to a better product mix. Among these, high-speed transmission products accounted for a far higher revenue share compared to other applications. Even though display and touch products showed weaker momentum, they still successfully supported overall operations.

Ichia Technologies reported a strong first half of 2025, with revenue climbing 20% above expectations. CEO Eric Tseng noted that while some consumer orders were pulled forward to the first half, third-quarter orders remained stable compared to the second quarter. Looking ahead, the company anticipates continued growth in the second half, targeting double-digit growth in full-year revenue. Revenue from smart cockpit-related PCBA now represents over 28% of total sales.

IC distribution giant WT Microelectronics' chairman Eric Cheng stated at the August 6, 2025, investor conference that strong AI demand will become the core growth driver for WT in the second half of 2025 and into 2026.

Asia Optical held an online investor conference on August 6, 2025, where chairman Yi-Jen Lai praised its second quarter performance. He shared that digital cameras and action cameras are showing promising growth. Due to its broad global deployment, Asia Optical is also confident in their response strategies to tariffs. However, it is paying special attention to the high 40% tariff rate in Myanmar.

Samsung Electronics will build a CMOS image sensor (CIS) production line at its Austin, Texas, semiconductor facility for Apple's next-generation iPhones, but the chips' back-end processing may still be handled in South Korea, according to industry sources.