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Tong Hsing Electronic, a Taiwanese semiconductor packaging and substrate manufacturer specializing in CMOS image sensors, said on Monday that optical communication modules have become its fastest-growing business, helping drive demand across RF components, ceramic substrates, and automotive and mobile imaging products, positioning the company for stronger-than-expected revenue growth in 2026....

Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC) plans to build two additional fabrication plants, alongside a third facility nearing completion — a move that would more than double its production capacity once all three sites are operational, according to people familiar with the matter....

Chinese top-3 server exporter, the New H3C, is seeing server export value expand, leveraging two major export routes to target ASEAN and Central Asian markets....

Rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are stoking concerns over semiconductor materials supply chains, as key inputs such as helium and bromine face potential disruptions amid ongoing conflict in the region....

Hyperscaler Nscale has agreed to rent data center capacity to Microsoft at its campus in Narvik, Norway. Located in the Arctic Circle, the site was previously intended for OpenAI as part of its Stargate initiative — a project that has also recently been put on hold in the UK....

Nvidia is accelerating the commercial rollout of silicon photonics (SiPh) technology, marked by the launch of its Rubin Ultra platform and the gradual establishment of co-packaged optics (CPO) architecture. This milestone signals a new technological turning point for the semiconductor industry....

Samsung Electronics' union has sharply raised bonus demands after the company reported its best-ever performance in the first quarter of 2026, raising the prospect of strikes that could disrupt global semiconductor supply, alter chip prices, affect international competitors and South Korea's tax revenues, and undermine long-term investment plans and growth, according to outlets including Maeil Business Newspaper and New Daily....

ASML reported first-quarter 2026 results in line with expectations, signaling continued momentum from surging artificial intelligence (AI) demand and strengthening semiconductor industry fundamentals....

The Stanford University Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Institute (HAI) released its 2026 AI Index Annual Report, highlighting a pivotal shift in the global AI race. The report reveals that the performance gap between China and the US in AI model capabilities has significantly narrowed, with both countries now entering a phase of "parallel competition." However, this progress comes alongside sharply rising capital and resource costs....

China's Tsinghua Unigroup reported full-year 2025 revenue of CNY96.75 billion (US$13.4 billion), up 22.43% year on year, with net profit rising a more modest 7.19% to CNY1.69 billion, reflecting continued investment in AI infrastructure and cloud platforms....

Japan is accelerating efforts to build domestic AI capabilities, with SoftBank and major industrial partners forming a new company focused on physical AI to power robots, vehicles, and factory systems. Referred to as the Japan AI Foundation Model Development, the new venture was established by SoftBank, NEC, Honda Motor, and Sony Group, each holding stakes of more than 10%, according to Nikkei Asia and TechWire Asia. Additional investors include Nippon Steel, Kobe Steel, and major Japanese banks such as MUFG, Sumitomo Mitsui, and Mizuho, reflecting broad backing from Japan's industrial and financial sectors....

Amazon said on April 14 it would acquire Globalstar for US$90 a share, in a deal valued at about US$11.57 billion, accelerating its push into space-based communications and sharpening its competition with SpaceX in the race to deliver internet and mobile connectivity from orbit....

China is preparing to shift the focus of its energy strategy from building power plants to transforming how energy is consumed, as leaders seek to reduce reliance on imported fuels and strengthen national security....

AI workloads are scaling faster than traditional CPU architectures were ever designed to handle, exposing clear limits in performance per watt. SiFive's latest funding round highlights a shift in industry thinking, with RISC-V moving from niche alternative to a credible option for next-gen computing....

PX Mart, Taiwan's retail leader, is accelerating its electronic shelf label (ESL) deployment, raising its investment from NT$3-4 billion (US$95-127 million) and shortening the rollout from three years to 2.5 years to achieve nationwide coverage by June 2028. The company frames the move as part of a broader push toward smart retail....

CyberTAN, a networking hardware maker, reported strong revenue growth in March 2026, supported by a stronger product mix and solid shipment contributions. Consolidated revenue reached NT$374 million, up 30.9% year-over-year, while first-quarter 2026 revenue totaled NT$1.112 billion, a 27.85% increase from the same period a year earlier....

Flipping an egg takes less than two seconds, but every step involves continuous sensing, judgment, and force control; spreading jam and arranging plates are the same. The difficulty of these atomic skills does not lie in executing fixed trajectories, but in performing correctly in complex environments....

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEM) is reportedly planning to invest KRW1.8 trillion (US$1.22 billion) in Vietnam to expand ABF substrate production capacity. As AI drives a surge in demand for semiconductor substrates, the move aims to alleviate supply bottlenecks and further strengthen its competitive position. According to Korean media Herald Business and Bloomberg, SEM plans to inject around KRW1.8 trillion into its Vietnam manufacturing subsidiary to expand production of high-value-added ABF substrates. Data from Vietnam's Foreign Investment Agency shows that SEM has obtained an investment registration certificate, with the project targeting the production of ABF substrates for robotics, autonomous vehicles, and AI applications. The project is known as "SEM Vietnam Phase 2."...

SK Hynix is reportedly considering reducing its planned 2026 shipments of high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) to Nvidia by about 20-30%, amid delays in ramping up Nvidia's next-generation Vera Rubin platform, according to ZDNet Korea....

Samsung SDI is in advanced talks to supply batteries for next-generation electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, in what could mark the South Korean company's first entry into the German automaker's EV lineup....