US-based xMEMS Labs has developed the XMC-2400 µCooling™, a single-chip (SoC) air-cooled all-silicon active cooling solution utilizing semiconductor micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. This innovative chip, acting like an "ice jacket" for AI chips, can be customized in size and intelligently controlled to meet specific cooling needs.

SEMICON Taiwan 2024 is set to take place from September 4-6 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, spotlighting key industry themes such as the AI value chain, advanced processes, heterogeneous integration, compound semiconductors, and silicon photonics.

Apple's iPhone sales slipped 1% year-over-year in the April-June quarter of 2024, primarily due to continued weak shipments in Greater China. The tech giant's ability to reignite iPhone demand with AI features will significantly impact Taiwan's supply chain partners.

Over the past two years, the semiconductor industry has undergone a dramatic transformation, shifting its focus to AI development. This shift has driven chipmakers to significantly reallocate resources, diverting investments from consumer applications to AI computing and encouraging employees to transition into AI-related roles.

Aided by its outstanding capabilities in building Fab 4.0 smart factories, Grade Upon Technology Corp (GUTC) has successfully penetrated the supply chains of leading wafer foundries and American memory chipmakers within just seven years of its establishment, with its business growing steadily year by year.

Taiwanese panel giant AUO is undergoing a significant transformation to diversify its business and reduce reliance on the cyclical display panel market. The company is focusing on three core operating structures: smart mobility solutions, vertical solutions, and display technology.

Epitaxial wafer manufacturer LandMark Optoelectronics expects its product mix improvement to drive revenue and profit growth in the third quarter, as US silicon photonics customers begin to pull shipments of 800G (Gigabits per second) or even 1.6T (Terabits per second) networking solutions targeting AI applications and data centers.

The US-based Avnet, a distributor of IC products and electronics components, is supporting Taiwan's Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) in venturing into the global automotive market through a comprehensive global alliance.

LG Energy Solution (LGES) has officially joined the development of semi- and all-solid-state batteries with a bipolar structure.

BOE Technology, the largest Chinese display panel manufacturer, is reportedly placing equipment orders for its 8.6-generation (8.6G) OLED panel plant under construction in China. Many South Korean equipment makers, including Sunic System, Avaco, Shinsung E&G, and DMS, are expected to benefit as potential suppliers.

Taiwan's CyberLink, a specialist in multimedia software and AI facial recognition technology, has joined the AI PC bandwagon and is set to finalize new collaborations with PC manufacturers in the second half of 2024 to capitalize on the generative AI (GenAI) surge.

While foreign semiconductor companies have grabbed most of the spotlight at Computex 2024, Taiwanese IC design companies, such as MediaTek, Realtek Semiconductor, and Elan Microelectronics, have also made a strong showing at the event, impressing attendees with their latest cutting-edge technologies and innovations.

Taiwanese companies are striving to explore the new market of AI-related solutions while continuing to solidify their advantages in traditional hardware domains.

If Taiwan does not have enough power supply, the semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence (AI) industries will not stay in Taiwan, commented Kuo Jyh-Huei, the new minister of economic affairs.

Samsung Electronics has recently expanded its workforce deployment at its new packaging R&D base in Yokohama, Japan, to expedite construction and support the development of next-generation semiconductor packaging technologies.

TSMC has started producing Tesla's next-generation Dojo AI training tiles with its InFO_SoW (Integrated Fan-Out System-on-Wafer) technology, aiming for a 40x increase in computing power by 2027 with a more complex wafer-level system, according to company sources.

The world's first 10th-generation LCD panel factory, located in Japan's Sakai and operated by Sharp subsidiary Sakai Display Products (SDP), is set to cease production by September 2024. The impending closure has ignited industry concerns regarding how major customers, including Shenzhen MTC, Samsung Electronics, and LG Electronics, will reassess their supply partnerships for transferring orders.

Malaysia and Singapore are expected to finalize the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), signed in January 2024, into an official project agreement by the end of 2024.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) is reportedly expediting the development of its semiconductor packaging-use Glass Core Substrate (GCS) business by advancing the construction of a glass substrate trial production line by one quarter, aiming to stay competitive in the semiconductor materials market.

Japan's Rohm Semiconductor is seeking to strengthen business integration with the recently delisted Toshiba, particularly in power semiconductors.

Japan's semiconductor foundry startup Rapidus, now on a mission to mass produce 2nm chips by 2027, is developing advanced packaging and chiplet technologies, with a particular focus on interposer technology crucial for connecting chips with substrates. However, Rapidus is also tackling the challenge of improving production yield to win more advanced-packaging customers.

Apple's latest release of the brand-new iPad series brings a fresh outlook to the long-stagnant tablet market and is expected to serve as a revenue booster for the main assembler, Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn), in the months ahead. However, according to supply chain sources, Foxconn's overall revenue contribution from the new iPad series could still be affected by off-season effects in the second quarter of the year.

Japan's semiconductor foundry startup Rapidus, now on a mission to mass produce 2nm chips by 2027, is developing advanced packaging and chiplet technologies, with a particular focus on interposer technology crucial for connecting chips with substrates. However, Rapidus is also tackling the challenge of improving production yield to win more advanced-packaging customers.

Apple's latest release of the brand-new iPad series brings a fresh outlook to the long-stagnant tablet market and is expected to serve as a revenue booster for the main assembler, Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn), in the months ahead. However, according to supply chain sources, Foxconn's overall revenue contribution from the new iPad series could still be affected by off-season effects in the second quarter of the year.

Bolstered by strong sales of its first AI smartphone, the Galaxy S24 series, which debuted earlier this year, Samsung Electronics Mobile eXperience (MX) division achieved remarkable results in the first quarter of 2024 despite the contraction of the smartphone market.

Taiwan's top memory backend specialist Powertech Technology (PTI) has decided to sharply raise its capital expenditure for 2024 from the original NT$10 billion (US$307.22 million) to NT$15 billion, some 60% of which will be used for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) products to capture lucrative opportunities in AI applications, according to company sources.

As the AI boom gains momentum, the High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) sector emerges as a pivotal battleground, with three major memory chipmakers vying to reshape the industry landscape. Despite the sixth-generation HBM4 not expected to enter mass production until 2026, the alliance formulation race for dominance in the AI sector is well underway.

Taiwan's major panel specialist Innolux is poised to wow the audiences at the upcoming Touch Taiwan 2024 by showcasing the industry's first color conversion MicroLED display technology alongside other pioneering MicroLED innovations and applications.

To penetrate the Chinese mobility market, Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions Division is poised to attend the upcoming Beijing International Automotive Exhibition for the first time.

Intel's Fab 52 in Arizona is likely to miss its original target of starting commercial production by the end of 2024, and its prospective rollout of 2nm chips at the plant might not occur until the second half of 2025, as suggested by the company's recent updates on its major construction projects worldwide.

The consumer electronics market has remained sluggish since 2023, with no evident signs of recovery even after the first quarter of 2024, whether for smartphones, notebooks, or consumer networking devices. Market observers attribute this prolonged downturn to persistently high inflation rates in Europe and the US.

In a fierce race with TSMC and Intel to develop next-generation chipmaking processes, Samsung Electronics is reportedly accelerating its adoption of BackSide Power Delivery Network (BSPDN) technology, aiming to integrate the technology into its 2nm process by 2025, a move that could reshape the foundry market landscape.

India has been trying hard to strengthen the development of its manufacturing industries since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2024, highlighted in its slogans ranging from "Make in India" to "Self-Reliant India." In particular, its promotion of ICT and automotive industries aligns with Taiwan's current industrial development trend, which will inevitably bring huge market opportunities for Taiwanese manufacturers if they can grasp the trend well.

Following a significant drop in sales of BT substrates and midrange ABF substrates in 2023 amid sluggish post-pandemic consumer electronics demand, Taiwan's Unimicron Technology is expected to recover growth momentum in 2024 from the surging demand for high-end ABF substrates used in AI chips packaging.

Taiwan's machinery and electronics manufacturing sectors are rapidly integrating into a "mechatronics supply chain," with a dedicated "precision machinery zone" to be launched at SEMICON Taiwan 2024 and slated for early September. The initiative aims to facilitate Taiwanese machinery manufacturers' entry into the semiconductor industry, initially focusing on supplying semiconductor backend process machines and inspection and measurement equipment, with the long-term goal of achieving import substitution, according to the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI).

It was previously reported that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman aims to raise US$5-7 trillion to fortify the AI chip supply chain. The venture includes establishing a global network of fabrication plants, sparking intense debates. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and renowned chip architect Jim Keller seem to prioritize the "quality" of chips, emphasizing chip performance over the "quantity" of chip production.

Several Japanese semiconductor equipment manufacturers are witnessing a surge in sales, particularly in equipment catering to generative AI and power semiconductors. Despite a downturn in chip equipment investment for devices like smartphones, these segments drive growth for companies like Canon, Disco, Lasertec, and Advantest.

The Longtan Science Park's third-phase development project, located in Taoyuan, northern Taiwan, intended for TSMC's 1.4nm wafer fab but abandoned for numerous reasons, is now slated for implementation, with potential opportunities for compound semiconductor manufacturers, according to the Hsinchu Science Park Bureau overseeing the park's administration.