Dan Nystedt

Winbond agreed to buy Infineon’s NOR Flash and F-RAM business in an all-cash deal valued at US$1.12 billion (NT$35.6B), Infineon said, adding the business serves customers across automotive, industrial and infrastructure markets. The deal is targeted to close in the 2nd half of 2027. Winbond plans to bring back the “Spansion” brand name for NOR Flash. The deal is set to make Winbond the biggest NOR Flash maker in the world, with around 30% market share. $IFFNY 2344 Links: https://t.co/4CPncIH8Sn https://t.co/AJahihIs1d https://t.co/6owvt6LJr1 https://t.co/CLjQ6rXEKK TrendForce: prices of high-capacity NOR Flash will rise 90%-110% in the …

Taiwan’s economic growth could hit 12% this year amid booming AI-related business by TSMC and Taiwan’s big AI server makers, said National Development Council Minister Chun-Hsien Yeh, adding order visibility extends through 2027. The government’s current official economic growth forecast is 11.05% for 2026. $TSM #Foxconn #Quanta #Wistron #Wiwynn #Inventec #Gigabyte https://t.co/R8x2QVVK63

MediaTek launched its latest flagship smartphone chips, media report: -Dimensity 9600 Pro, built on TSMC’s 2nm process, for high-end smartphones -Dimensity 9600, on TSMC’s 3nm process, for standard models The Pro version was redesigned from the ground up with TSMC to boost performance and focus on agentic AI. $TSM #mediatek Links: https://t.co/6L7BOOiA7U https://t.co/qNeYaywiXs MediaTek: https://t.co/8pVdx0MpOt

Micron Taiwan is set for fresh negotiations with union leaders seeking a long term deal for employees to share 15% of operating profits, media report, with meetings scheduled for Sep. 18 and 21. Union officials said failure to reach a consensus could ultimately lead to a strike. Micron has said its bonus offer is already the biggest in company history. Micron’s rivals, Samsung and SK Hynix, both agreed to massive bonuses for employees as their memory chip profits soared, a key reason the issue hit Taiwan. $MU #semiconductors https://t.co/20VprgDcEm

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang answers a call from President Trump on stage at The All-In Summit: Jensen: “How do we put it him on? …Mr. President, you are now talking to the planet.” President Trump: “The great thing about life is that Jensen can develop the most complex computer chip in the world that nobody can copy for 10-years, but he can’t figure out how to put me on speaker.”

Compal will sign a letter of intent with Exascale Labs to build a next-gen GPU test platform in the US, media report, adding it will use solid-state transformers (SSTs) and native 800V DC power to see how GPU systems perform inside a fully integrated AI data center. They will pair Compal’s production-grade servers and liquid cooling with Exascale’s modular data-center and power setup. https://t.co/teSM597PQK

An executive from Murata Manufacturing, the world’s biggest maker of MLCCs (Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors), said demand growth for MLCCs used in AI servers will continue at least through 2028, media report, adding Murata plans to invest ¥80 billion (US$520 million) over 2-years to expand MLCC capacity by more than 20%. The company is also reviewing a more aggressive 2nd wave of expansion, including larger plants in Japan and overseas. https://t.co/6IS6buFk5E

Rumor: Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei (任正非) and his family have fled China ahead of new regulations that begin Sept. 15 and would restrict entry and exit to China, media report, adding some reports allege he escaped China by sea from the Dapeng Peninsula. Others say there is a heavy police presence at Huawei’s headquarters. Huawei has so far made no official statement. 1/3 #huawei 2/3 One media said there’s not enough evidence to support the rumor that Mr. Ren absconded, adding that the rumor started from this X account: https://t.co/ooFhs60zrv 3/3 Now, multiple media outlets have picked up the story, which has reportedly gained widesp…

Shortages continue for TSMC’s top production processes, 3nm and 2nm, and CoWoS advanced packaging, media report, mostly locked up by Nvidia and Apple. Amazon AWS has won more 3nm capacity recently, while MediaTek continues to seek more 2nm/3nm capacity and CoWoS-S/L packaging for smartphone chips and Google TPUs. MediaTek is said to be on the short end of capacity allocation from TSMC due to Google’s TPU v9, which will split packaging orders between TSMC's CoWoS-L and Intel's EMIB-T. The MediaTek-assisted 3nm TPU v8t is to enter mass production in the 4th quarter and scale up further in 2027 AWS continues to scale up orders for next-gen ch…

Calls for an AI slowdown hit stocks in Asia: KOSPI (South Korea): -3.3% TAIEX (Taiwan): -0.7% Nikkei 225 (Japan): -0.6% (As of 2:40pm Taipei time)

Failure to comply with US regulations could see Taiwan firms banned from its supply chains over China-made components, a problem that recently put Unimicron at the center of a Taiwan investigation, media report. The tech giant has been accused of putting ‘Made-in-Taiwan’ labels on some printed circuit boards from its China factories. Taiwan firms have long had supply chains in China, but US tariffs and supply chain regulations have caused changes. The report says Taiwan customs caught 428 violations of the rules as of the end of August, up from 168 at the same time last year, a big increase but mainly due to stricter enforcement. https://t.co…

TSMC’s fabs in the Nanzih District of Kaohsiung City turned the area into one of the hottest property markets in Taiwan, but worries surfaced after no new residential building projects were launched during the “928” sales season, media report, noting that over the past 2-years, the value of new projects exceeded NT$10 billion. Builders are holding off on new projects as they sell existing inventory, while media note purchases have fallen 90% in 2026 to 197 presale homes, from a 2024 peak of 2,098. Prices continue to hold up, for now. $TSM https://t.co/RXrFZRjNd2

TSMC could create a new “Moore’s Law for CPO,” doubling bandwidth every two years as it accelerates the rollout of co-packaged optics (CPO) to meet the soaring bandwidth requirements of AI data centers, according to a media report. TSMC will focus on three areas to scale CPO: • Per-lane speed: Increase single-channel speeds from 200G today to 400G and beyond • Optical channel density: Expand channel counts from 16 today to 32, then 64 and beyond • WDM (wavelength-division multiplexing): Enable each optical fiber to carry more wavelengths simultaneously The report forecasts that doubling bandwidth every two years could take CPO bandwidth from …

Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be the first products in the hands of consumers with chips made on TSMC’s 2nm process inside, media report, adding Apple’s A20 Pro chip went into mass production in early 2026. Apple has been first to market with chips made by the latest TSMC technology for at least a decade. $AAPL $TSM #iPhone18Pro #A20Pro https://t.co/hNBvIiJKbJ https://t.co/q2TiGD0Nux

Micron Taiwan’s union at its Taoyuan plant rejected a package including an NT$1 million “appreciation bonus” for all workers and threatened to strike, media report, saying it wants a 15% profit-sharing system for when the company is profitable and reasonable safeguards during down cycles. Union officials were reportedly unhappy that Micron issued a press release about its proposed package instead of reaching a deal via talks. $MU #semiconductors https://t.co/z7W35plezR

Google recovers its costs on TPUs in 1-year, while its overall payback period for AI servers is 2-years, media report, citing Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, and adding that Google TPUs have found new customers across financial, biotech, government and scientific sectors in addition to AI labs. TPU strength is a boon to Broadcom and MediaTek, which both see their competition for Google’s chip design business as big enough for everyone to keep growing, even if new design rivals enter the market. $AVGO $GOOGL $NVDA #mediatek #semiconductors https://t.co/b1s8a060d1

TSMC 2nm and 3nm capacity expansion shows why revenue will hit new record highs in 2027, media report: - 2nm capacity to rise 22% to 110,000 wafers per month (wpm) by mid-2027, from 90,000 at end-2026 - 3nm capacity will rise ~70% to 210,000wpm by mid-2027 vs end-2025: 2026-end: 180,000wpm 2025-end: 120,000 – 130,000wpm $TSM $NVDA $GOOGL $AAPL #semiconductors https://t.co/eGJj3nmTZ6

The global IC substrate market will rise 32.3% year-on-year to US$19.51 billion in 2026 due to strong AI-related demand, media report, citing the Taiwan Printed Circuit Board Association. Last year, the market rose 18.5% to $14.75 billion, led by ABF substrates, vital for the GPUs inside AI servers, at $7.72 billion and BT substrates at $7.03 billion. #semiconductors #substrates https://t.co/hTjUMr4NXx

Taiwan plans to invest NT$300 billion (US$9.5B) to fund advanced semiconductor research and testing production lines, shared labs and the development of next-generation chip design software through 2033 to help support startups, academic researchers and small & medium sized firms, media report, citing Premier Cho Jung-tai. #semiconductors https://t.co/67aZ0eNgzx

Amazon and Taiwan’s Wiwynn will invest US$1.6 billion to expand Wiwynn’s AI server plant in Texas to strengthen its supply chain and boost AI server output, media report. The US will account for 20% of Wiwynn’s global output next year, compared to current capacity: 70% in Mexico, 20% in Malaysia and 10% in Europe. Wiwynn plans to spend US$942 million (NT$29.8B) in the 2nd half of 2026 on capex, up from NT$12.1 billion in the 1st half of the year, CFO Harry Chen said. Capex will be even higher next year, with new facilities planned for Taiwan and Malaysia. $AMZN $GOOGL $META $MSFT #server https://t.co/S3mxJHNu40

MediaTek’s monthly revenue soared to a record high NT$64.2 billion (US$2.01B) in August, up 30.4% over July and 44.1% versus the same time last year, boosted by its custom ASIC chip design business and high-end smartphone chip sales, media report. 2nd best month: 2026 March NT$63.2 billion 3rd: 2022 March NT$59.2 billion #semiconductors #mediatek

Amkor raised its Arizona advanced packaging plant investment to $12 billion from $7 billion earlier, and $2 billion originally – a sign of how much demand has grown in a short time. Amkor said it already has customer commitments for the first phase of the plant, 33,000 sq. meters of space, and the new expansion will raise the total to 93,000 sq. meters. Construction of phase 2 of the plant is to start in late 2027 and finish by end-2029. $AMKR #Arizona #semiconductors Amkor 2026: https://t.co/ONbkzAlVsU 2025: https://t.co/JLRDrUPOef 2023: https://t.co/aYKXuXAZ8H

Japan’s Murata plans to end production of certain MLCC (Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor) products for consumer, industrial and automotive products to focus on high-end markets like AI servers and advanced automotive electronics, media report, adding that customers will likely shift orders to other MLCC makers, like Taiwan’s Yageo, Walsin Tech, Holy Stone, Prosperity Dialectrics and others. Murate is the world’s biggest maker of MLCCs, parts used in all electronics to stabilize the flow of electricity. https://t.co/iGP7j4tIzj

Taiwan media have misinterpreted a speech by President Trump to mean big new tariffs are coming for semiconductors. They aren't. His numbers were rhetorical – arguing what past presidents should have done, not a warning of what he's planning. He also indicated the tariffs had do to with Intel, which had "lost its way" and asked him for help, and framed the 10% stock deal as protection money. Here’s the text, and a link to the speech below: President Trump: "Intel. Intel is a good, really good company. But what happened is, stupid presidents allowed the chip business to leave our country and go to Taiwan. And, stupid. All they had to do is…

Two Taiwan AI server makers are in a race for 2nd place, after totaling January through August revenue: Quanta: NT$2.64 trillion (US$83.6 billion), up 102.6% year-on-year Wistron: NT$2.51 trillion (US$79.4 billion), up 98.9% Both companies reported August revenue hit all-time-highs: Quanta: NT$424.0 billion, up 177.5% year-on-year due to a “change in product mix” Wistron: NT$460.1 billion, up 166.48%, on “increased customer demand compared to the same time last year.” Foxconn, the world’s biggest AI server maker, is No. 1 Jan-Aug: NT$6.51 trillion (US$206.4 billion). August: NT$921.8 billion, up 52.0% year-on-year, “mainly due to conti…

TSMC’s revenue rose 53.3% year-on-year in August to a fresh record high NT$514.81 billion (US$16.09B), the 4th consecutive monthly high amid robust global AI-related demand. The previous record was NT$467.58 billion in July. TSMC did not provide a US$ figure. The figure is based on its forex guidance for the 3rd quarter. 1/3 $TSM $AAPL $NVDA $AMD $AVGO $QCOM #semiconductors #semiconductor 2/3 TSMC’s January through August revenue rose 39.3% year-on-year to NT$3.39 trillion, continuing to track near full-year guidance of “slightly above 40%” growth. $TSM $AAPL $NVDA $AMD $AVGO $QCOM #semiconductors #semiconductor 3/3: The Taiwan Stock Exc…

Wistron, the AI server giant, said August revenue rose 166.5% year-on-year to NT$460.1 billion on increased customer demand, a record high for a single month, media report, adding Jan-Aug revenue rose 99.0% to NT$2.51 trillion, already beating full-year 2025. The company’s board approved US$224 million in additional spending to expand capacity and after-sales service, including $146 million in Westport, Texas and $59.05 million for a plant in Vietnam.

TSMC may be in 1.4nm mass production by end-2027, a year earlier than planned, media report, adding the chip giant could begin commissioning equipment by April. Construction on its 1.4nm fab cluster near Taichung, central Taiwan, is in full acceleration mode, with the steel framework on the first fab (P1) already done. TSMC has applied to the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP) to build 2 temporary offices at the site, a sign production will begin early, the report says. Concrete is being poured for the 2nd fab at the site (P2), and construction could be done by October-2027. A building permit for the 3rd fab has already been granted, and TSMC…

Real FeRAM work, and a strong Intel/Micron/Berkeley/Cornell team. The pitch is AI memory without EUV. I’ll believe it when the parts qualify. Too many “next memory” stories die on yield, volume, and integration – the same problems that held classic FeRAM back.

The Taiwan supply chain rumor early this year was that Google might replace Nvidia as TSMC's biggest customer. Hard to believe then, less so now.