Dan Nystedt

AUO Chairman Paul Peng defended the use of Micro LEDs for co-packaged optics (CPO), saying the technology works well for short distances (10cm) inside server chassis, while consuming only 5% to 10% of the power used by copper wires, media report, adding that a new optical cable revealed by Credo at the OCP Summit last week proves the technology is a viable alternative to high-cost traditional lasers. Credo debuted a 1.6T ZeroFlap Active Light Cable using a micro-emitter architecture (supporting distances up to 50 meters) at OCP. $CRDO #CPO #semiconductors https://t.co/de6r2EHYim

Samsung has accepted Nvidia’s request to have TSMC manufacture the base die for NVHBM (Nvidia’s custom HBM based on next-gen HBM4E), a concession to the world’s biggest HBM buyer, media report. Samsung joins SK Hynix and Micron in using TSMC’s 3nm base die to ensure consistent performance and reduce validation work across suppliers. Among the three big memory chip makers, only Samsung has historically supplied its own base die for HBM and will continue to do so for standard products and other clients. It is also validating whether it can supply its own version of the NVHBM base die in case demand exceeds TSMC’s capacity. $NVDA $TSM $SKHY $MU…

Links: https://t.co/Dqev8jggir https://t.co/A9lrcKqa8h

TSMC’s 2nd fab in Kumamoto will open in December, 2028 and use 3nm production technology instead of the 6/12nm nodes originally planned, media report, adding the new 3nm production plan calls for 6,000 wafer per month (wpm) for phase 1 capacity. -TSMC’s total capex investment in Fabs 1 & 2 in Kumamoto is now seen over US$23 billion, up from a US$20B estimate from 2024. -A Japan govt subsidy for the 1st phase of investment has been set at ¥645.15 billion yen (US$4.1B), while total government support could meet or exceed the original ¥732 billion approved by Tokyo. -TSMC also modified the 1st fab production plan to focus solely on 22/28nm (drop…

Taiwan President William Lai implored Micron management and workers to resolve their differences ahead of a possible strike in Taiwan that could threaten memory chip supplies amid a severe shortage, media report. ("魚幫水、水幫魚") President Lai made the statement at the opening of a new Micron packaging plant in central Taiwan, where he highlighted the speed of local construction crews to have it up and running in just over a year, while also noting Micron’s continued commitment to Taiwan: NT$1.4 trillion (US$45 billion) invested over the past 30-years. One union says it already has enough votes to call a strike over Micron’s employee bonus schem…

AI server giant Wistron’s board approved 2 new capital spending projects and a plan to buy a factory from Coretronic Corp. for no more than NT$1 billion to convert for AI server production, media report. The 2 new capex projects are for NT$6.5 billion and NT$591.6 billion at plants in Kaohsiung and Hsinchu, Taiwan. The Coretronic plant is in Tainan. The new Kaohsiung plant will be done by end-2026 and begin production in early 2027, while the Hsinchu plant is being expanded with new equipment. Wistron said its capex will continue to rise in 2027. $AMZN $GOOGL $META $MSFT $NVDA #semiconductors #AIservers https://t.co/1CPlHtvMic

Nanya Technology’s gross margin hit 85.7% in the 3rd quarter as DRAM average selling prices (ASPs) rose 60% over the second quarter amid a severe DRAM shortage and rising prices, media report: Q3 revenue rose 61.9% over the 2nd quarter to NT$133.65 billion Q3 operating margin 80% Q3 net profit NT$87.63B, more than past 7-years combined EPS NT$25.4 Nanya will install equipment in new fab in the 1st quarter, aiming for 30,000 wafers per month (wpm) capacity by end-2027. Nanya said it will build an advanced packaging plant in Pingtung, Taiwan AI demand is crowding out other products for access to DRAM, as AI-related firms are willing to pay …

Microsoft’s self-developed Maia 200 AI chips are in production now and the manufacture of its next-generation Maia 300 will begin next year, media report, adding Maia 300’s compute tiles (chiplets) will be manufactured by TSMC on its 2nm process (N2). Microsoft plans to deploy several GigaWatts (GW) of Maia processing power for use in its internal AI data centers. $MSFT $TSM https://t.co/fzWtfIYXnB Microsoft: https://t.co/N5DCdxUQBJ https://t.co/ruPgctRIMQ

Chip Diplomacy: Taiwan and Slovakia signed a semiconductor deal targeting automotive (including EV) chips, chip packaging and module integration, media report, adding Taiwan is providing technology transfer, expertise, R&D infrastructure and training to help Slovakia build its semiconductor industry. #Slovakia #Taiwan #semiconductors https://t.co/nOa5SFNndz

Formosa Plastics is eyeing Texas for a major expansion in US semiconductor-related chemical production to supply TSMC and other US-based clients, media report, citing company Chairman WB Kuo. The company already operates a petrochemical mega-site in Texas. $TSM #semiconductors #FormosaPlastics #supplychain https://t.co/9WyPWGGlhN

Prices for advanced semiconductor testing are set to rise 10% - 30% as supply falls far short of demand, media report, calling upcoming price increases ‘the strongest in history.’ Chip testing times continue to lengthen as chips become more complex and demand booms as Cloud giants launch their own AI chips. Testing prices for rush orders for smaller clients have doubled, the report says, adding that ASE, KYEC, PTI and Ardentec are all benefitting from stronger pricing. $ASX $AMKR $TER $FORM $COHU #BESI #Advantest #TokyoElectron #ChromaATE https://t.co/IV0y8J1DyA

Taiwan AI power supply giant Lite-On Technology has inked a US$350 million (NT$11.06B) contract for construction of its plant in McKinney, Texas, aimed at high-voltage DC power racks and AI infrastructure production, media report, adding the contract is part of a US$919 million plan approved by Lite-On’s board in April. Lite-On’s 2026 capex plan is now NT$18 billion, versus NT$7 billion last year. #Texas #AI #liteon https://t.co/ynzNzPsmQV Related: Delta Electronics and other Lite-On rivals have also increased capex in response to explosive demand from AI data center and AI server makers, media report: Delta’s 2026 capex is now seen at NT$7…

The start of Nvidia Vera Rubin server production, mass Blackwell GB300 and B300 server production are fueling record high revenue at AI server giant Wistron, and AMD CEO Lisa Su’s recent visit to a new Wistron plant (Zhubei A1) point to continued strength with Helios server orders as well, media report. Wistron’s 3rd quarter revenue rose 102.4% year-on-year to an all-time-high NT$1.15 trillion, while January thru September revenue hit NT$2.9 trillion, up 97.3%. September revenue rose 87.2% to NT$380.81 billion. Wistron again beat out rival Quanta Computer for 2nd place in quarterly revenue among Taiwan AI server makers. Foxconn is No. 1. $NV…

TSMC supplier Gudeng Precision will begin operations at its first USA plant in Glendale, Arizona in the 4th quarter to supply semiconductor equipment to TSMC and other clients, as well as produce aerospace-related products, media report, adding Gudeng executives said Arizona has complete industrial clusters in both sectors. Gudeng’s top chip-related products include wafer carriers, advanced packaging carriers. $TSM #semiconductors #Arizona https://t.co/rBTdCfQ1s1

MediaTek's 3rd quarter revenue hit a record high NT$168.06 billion, up 18.2% year-on-year and up 10.2% over the 2nd quarter, media report, also exceeding the top end of guidance (NT$159.8B). MediaTek is benefitting from the launch of two powerful smartphone chips, Dimensity 9600M, made on TSMC 3nm, and Dimensity 9600 Pro, made on TSMC 2nm. The company has said it expects global smartphone shipments to fall around 15% this year, but its business has been boosted by new work in custom ASIC design. $GOOGL #mediatek #semiconductors https://t.co/3kH2WUl6KR

Taiwan's semiconductor exports in September rose 46.1% year-on-year to US$29.74 billion, raising January thru September to $220.0B, up 47.3%, and leading Taiwan exports to an all-time high for a single month in September. Overall exports rose 60.9% to $87.22 billion, led by expanding AI-related business opportunities and strong sales in the traditional peak season for technology goods, media report, while imports also hit a record high, rising 51.7% to $63.59 billion. IT and Audio/visual exports rose 103% to $39.13 billion, a category that includes AI servers, general servers, PCs, and graphics cards, while electronics component exports, in…

TSMC signed a US$2 billion multi-year supply deal with GlobalFoundries for silicon interposers, a vital component in TSMC’s CoWoS advanced packaging, media report, adding GlobalFoundries will expand capacity at its Malta, New York fab campus as the supply deal expands. $TSM $GFS #semiconductors https://t.co/GWx9vyHMVx GlobalFoundries: https://t.co/P6GPYTYe2x

It's made to sound like an accident, yet China was waiting to grab the parts as soon as they reached Hong Kong. Doesn't seem accidental at all.

TSMC’s 3rd quarter revenue rose to a record high NT$1.49 trillion (US$46.70B), beating the top end of guidance ($45.8 billion), on strong demand for AI chip production. The prior record was NT$1.27 trillion from the 2nd quarter this year. TSMC did not announce Q3 revenue. The figure is based on July-September monthly revenue. 1/3 $TSM $AAPL $NVDA $AVGO #semiconductors #semiconductor 2/3 TSMC’s September revenue rose 54.6% year-on-year to NT$511.86 billion, the 2nd highest monthly total ever, but down 0.6% from August. August was TSMC’s all-time high: NT$514.81 billion. $TSM $AAPL $NVDA $AMD $AVGO $QCOM #semiconductors #semiconductor 3/3…

Taiwan chip packaging firms Winstek Semi and Sigurd Micro both forecast strong 2027 sales due to AI-related demand, and Winstek more than doubled 2026 capex, media report, citing executives at a quarterly conference on Monday. Sigurd executives said 2026 capex could be increased soon. Winstek: NT$13.427 billion vs NT$5.648 billion previously Sigurd: NT$8.8 billion unchanged #semiconductors https://t.co/arABeMjDVH Also: https://t.co/9LE3ykyiXN https://t.co/EmPXzalloK

UMC’s sales in September rose 27.2% to a fresh record high NT$25.35 billion, media report, sending third quarter sales up 25.56% to NT$74.24 billion, the 2nd best quarter ever and a 4-year high. $UMC #semiconductors https://t.co/N330aTxitN

Taiwan Op-Ed: Elon Musk would not be a good partner for TSMC because he is pro-China for business reasons and “extremely unfriendly to Taiwan”, one media says, adding that if TSMC worked on TeraFab, other clients would likely be unhappy because they don’t have joint venture fabs with TSMC – not even Nvidia. $SPCX $TSLA $TSM $NVDA #semiconductors https://t.co/VgiVnVvcri

Taiwan prosecutors have indicted 10 company executives for allegedly re-selling US military-grade chips to China, media report, adding the chips, from Analog Devices and Texas Instruments, are used in a range of military hardware. Charges include fraud, forgery and money laundering. Prosecutors are seeking one to ten year sentences for the executives. $ADI $TXN #semiconductors https://t.co/OK4qc4ByfH

Micron is expanding at all four major locations in Taiwan: Taoyuan, Taichung, Tongluo and Tainan, media report, citing Donghui Lu, head of Taiwan operations. He said Micron has invested more than NT$1.6 trillion (US$50 billion) in Taiwan so far, about half the amount in just the past 4-years. The new production lines in Taoyuan and Tongluo will begin operations in 2027-28, while in Taichung, a 2nd advanced packaging plant will begin HBM testing & packaging in mid-October. $MU #semiconductors https://t.co/wzTZRuPNe8

TSMC is looking at Singapore for a potential investment, Bloomberg reports, in addition to the Texas location revealed earlier this week. Bloomberg puts the potential Texas deal at around US$20 billion, with an investment contingent on the US extending an advanced-manufacturing tax credit that is set to expire at end-2026. $TSM #Texas #Singapore #semiconductors https://t.co/R8Gf6bSusB Also: https://t.co/b6G1c71spz

NXP Semiconductors and joint venture partner Vanguard (VIS) held a grand opening ceremony for their first 12-inch fab in Singapore on Monday, media report, with executives saying a 2nd fab may be announced by end-2026 due to strong demand. The 44,000 wafers per month capacity in the first fab has already been booked, while AI related demand has already filled most mature-process 8-inch fabs, said VIS Chairman Leuh Fang, making further investment likely. The new Singapore operation, called VisionPower Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (VSMC) will use significant capacity for silicon interposers due to a shortage of the material critical to TSMC…

Rumor: TSMC plans to build a 2nd semiconductor manufacturing campus in the USA, with Dallas, Texas seen as a contender for six fabs, media report, citing chip equipment makers. The move is aimed at satisfying demand from customers for USA production, and reducing supply chain risks, the report says, adding TSMC declined comment. $TSM $NVDA $AAPL $GOOGL $AMZN $AVGO #semiconductors https://t.co/2u7vz8E8tY

Europe’s top semiconductor research center, IMEC (Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre) in Belgium, has joined TSMC’s Open Innovation Platform (OIP) alliance to help make it easier for European firms to access TSMC’s advanced fabs and packaging lines, media report, adding its commercial division, IC-Link, will become the first chip design service provider to offer Cloud-managed design services that support multiple EDA vendors – allowing teams to mix and match software tools from Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens. $TSM $SNPS $CDNS #imec #semiconductors https://t.co/Lf59fO9Gbu

There is no need to worry about China memory chip makers ramping up production as they are coming to rescue the market - the shortage of memory chips will likely persist into 2029, said Phison Electronics CEO K.S Pua, media report. https://t.co/Djv2D9U1SX

ABF substrate price hikes are boosting earnings, as Kinsus Interconnect reported its net income in August rose 353.9% year-on-year to NT$817 million, EPS NT$1.59, on record high revenue of NT$4.81 billion, media report, adding the company was asked by financial regulators to report August earnings. Kinsus has raised capex twice this year, NT$19.6 billion, in response to the severe ABF substrate shortage. https://t.co/wCHNr7DQTn