Li Auto's chip and domain controller subsidiary, Mahe Xin Technology, has entered a first-round equity financing agreement worth CNY 1.625 billion (approx. US$243.33 million). The fundraising follows the automaker's recent opening of its in-house technologies to external customers, mirroring similar moves by other Chinese EV companies.

Japan's Murata Manufacturing has developed the world's smallest NTC thermistor, the 008004 NCU01 series, measuring 0.25mm × 0.125mm. Compared with Murata's previous smallest 01005-inch thermistor, measuring 0.4mm × 0.2mm, the new product cuts mounting area by about 60% while maintaining equivalent temperature-sensing performance, with both resistance and B-constant tolerances at ±1%.

Rapid advances in AI and high-performance computing (HPC) are driving printed circuit boards (PCBs) toward higher layer counts, greater density, and higher-performance materials, triggering an open-ended shortage of upstream materials and equipment. Key suppliers of copper-clad laminates (CCL), copper foil and drill bits are launching capacity expansion plans covering the next 3-4 years.

The 27th Taiwan Printed Circuit Industry International Exhibition (TPCA Show 2026) opened in Nangang on October 20, with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim calling on the PCB industry to seize opportunities created by the AI boom. Taiwan's PCB industry is expected to generate more than NT$1 trillion in output for the first time in 2026 as AI infrastructure drives demand across the technology supply chain.

DIGITIMES observes that as AI servers and high-speed networking equipment continuously pursue higher data transmission rates, printed circuit boards (PCBs) are being upgraded through higher layer counts and lower-loss materials. In this transition, via structures have become critical bottlenecks affecting signal integrity. When high-frequency signals route between layers in a multilayer board, residual barrel copper can impair transmission, generating robust demand for high-precision backdrilling equipment.

PCB manufacturer Zhen Ding Technology (ZDT) Group is exhibiting at TPCA Show 2026 under the theme "One ZDT, Next AI," highlighting its latest technology and R&D achievements in AI servers, high-speed optical communications, and AI terminal devices. The company is presenting comprehensive PCB solutions spanning AI infrastructure and smart terminals.

Topoint Technology is positioning its precision PCB drilling business for rising demand from AI servers, high-performance computing, and high-speed transmission applications. At TPCA Show 2026, the company presented tools and processing technologies for advanced materials, including ABF substrates, quartz cloth, and PTFE, while outlining its capacity expansion in Taiwan and China.

TPCA Show Taipei 2026, organized by the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA), opened on October 20. Unimicron Technology chairman S.C. Chien delivered a keynote at the opening ceremony, discussing key opportunities for printed circuit board (PCB) industry development in the artificial intelligence (AI) era.

TPCA Show 2026 officially opened, with Unimicron Chairman Shan-Chieh Chien saying in his opening address that solving the three major challenges facing AI accelerators in high-performance computing (HPC) will require more than semiconductor process scaling. Advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration technologies must be introduced in parallel, significantly raising the technical requirements for the PCB and substrate industries.

Tongtai Machine & Tool said it had order visibility for its printed circuit board (PCB) drilling equipment through the end of 2027 as AI infrastructure demand increased pressure on high-end board production. The Taiwan-based machine tool maker presented its latest solutions at the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association Show 2026, highlighting CCD high-precision drilling machines and an unmanned drilling-station system for AI server boards and IC substrates.

AUO is tailoring its glass core substrate specifications specifically to semiconductor process requirements rather than competing on panel dimensions with Innolux, according to Chairman and CEO Paul Peng. The company aims to leverage its glass-processing expertise to supply critical components and technologies to outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) leaders such as ASE Technology Holding and Powertech Technology.

AI servers are driving demand for power components, transient voltage suppressors (TVS), and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection devices. Yea Shin Technology, a subsidiary of Eris Technology, will begin trading on Taiwan's emerging stock market on October 23 and plans to raise the share of 6-inch wafers in its capacity from 35% to more than 50%, as its TVS products enter the international AI server supply chain.

South Korean substrate maker Daeduck Electronics is accelerating development of ceramic core substrates (CCS) to address warpage and thermal-management challenges as AI semiconductor packages grow larger. The company is conducting performance and internal reliability assessments, plans to advance samples and customer evaluations in 2027 and 2028, and is targeting mass production in 2029, with ceramic cores serving as a material alternative to glass cores for next-generation large-area packages.

AI computing is pushing packaging density to its limits, with accelerator substrates expected to exceed 100x100mm and expand beyond 120x120mm within the next three to five years. As substrate sizes, layer counts, I/O and power requirements rise, the industry's key bottleneck is shifting from design capabilities to manufacturing capacity.

TPK Holding has completed a pilot production line for glass-substrate through-glass via (TGV) technology at its Zhongli plant and started joint development and validation of early-stage samples with semiconductor packaging companies. Under its stated plan, it targets core technology validation by the end of 2027 and mass production in 2028.

Zhen Ding Technology Holding announced that it, Elite Material (EMC), Taliang Technology, and Topoint Technology will jointly invest a total of NT$60 million (approx. US$1.85 million) in collaboration with Taiwan's National Central University (NCU) to establish the "Advanced PCB Talent Development Program." The initiative will combine interdisciplinary research capabilities and industry resources to build a long-term industry-academia collaboration platform focused on cultivating talent in advanced printed circuit boards (PCBs) and supporting the industry's development in the artificial intelligence (AI) era.

Market reports have recently suggested that MediaTek's tensor processing unit (TPU) v9 project with Google could face delays in volume production as Google reportedly revises the chip's design. Industry observers expect MediaTek may address some of these concerns during its earnings conference in late October.

Generative AI is pushing chip power consumption and heat flux to unprecedented levels, driving AI packaging thermal management requirements from several hundred watts to the kilowatt (kW) scale. Heat sink specialist Jentech Precision points out that package lids are evolving beyond conventional solid-state heat conduction toward phase-change heat spreading and microchannel liquid cooling, with TIM-less architectures representing the next horizon.

Spanish semiconductor metrology startup Wooptix, whose technology originated in astronomical observation, is accelerating efforts to enter the supply chains of leading semiconductor foundries.

SEMI's latest 12-inch fab outlook projects double-digit annual growth in equipment spending from 2026 through 2029, with forecasts revised upward from its previous edition. However, Clark Tseng, senior director of market intelligence at SEMI, said external constraints involving funding, electricity, and politics are emerging as potential downside risks. He added that this could prevent the AI-driven expansion from overheating.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) faces potential equipment procurement bottlenecks in its KRW6.78 trillion (approx. US$5.1 billion) expansion of semiconductor substrate production for AI servers, as machinery manufacturers struggle with component shortages and longer delivery times. The South Korean company maintains that its investment is proceeding as planned. No production delay has been confirmed.

Taiwan-based microcontroller (MCU) manufacturer Holtek Semiconductor unveiled its 2026 product roadmap on October 15, focusing on four core areas: smart protection, green energy and intelligent control, edge AI computing, and general-purpose applications.

Chinese display manufacturer BOE has made further progress in advanced semiconductor packaging, extending its panel manufacturing expertise to glass-core packaging substrates. At an investor relations event on October 15, BOE said it had completed the full manufacturing process for glass-core substrates, producing 24-layer samples measuring more than 100 × 100mm. The samples have been delivered to customers and passed multiple reliability tests, with further validation underway.

LG Innotek expects to begin supplying glass substrates for advanced semiconductor packaging around 2028 and sees its chip substrate business improving in 2027, as the South Korean components maker seeks to reduce its reliance on smartphone camera modules and expand into automotive technologies.

Nvidia showcased the latest developments in its MGX server platform ecosystem at the OCP Global Summit 2026, unveiling for the first time a switch board sample using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and naming seven supply-chain partners. Taiwan's Flexium Interconnect and Taiflex Scientific joined Chinese suppliers Victory Giant Technology, Shennan Circuits, Shenzhen Kinwong Electronic, Shengyi Technology, and US-based TTM Technologies on the partner list.