Advanced packaging crunch lifts ASE, KYEC to new highs

TSMC will hold its earnings call on January 15, 2026. Supply chain sources expect AI chip demand to remain strong in 2026, while TSMC’s advanced packaging and testing capacity continues to run short. As a result, outsourced backend orders are set to increase, with Taiwan’s two major IC testing and packaging firms — ASE Holdings and KYEC — emerging as key beneficiaries.

Continue reading

China lifts semiconductor equipment localization to 35%

China’s push to localize its semiconductor equipment supply chain has reached an unexpected milestone. Domestic tools accounted for 35% of chipmaking equipment used in 2025, up from 25% a year earlier and well above the government’s original 30% target. Data from Jiemian News, SCMP, and Cacnews show localization has risen from just 7% in 2020, a nearly 400% increase in five years. In key process steps such as etching and thin-film deposition, Chinese tools now exceed 40% adoption.

Continue reading

Ola Electric enters residential energy storage market with Shakti BESS launch

EV manufacturer Ola Electric has rolled out Ola Shakti, a residential battery energy storage system (BESS), from its gigafactory in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, marking the company’s formal entry into India’s residential energy storage market and an expansion beyond its core automotive business, according to ANI, PV Magazine, and the Economic Times.

Continue reading

Meta doubles down on AI smart glasses, shuts VR studios

Meta Platforms is reshaping its hardware and AI strategy. After reports of layoffs at its Reality Labs division, the US tech giant is now in talks with EssilorLuxottica to double the annual output of its AI-powered Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to 20 million units by the end of 2026, from an original target of 10 million. If demand remains strong, production could rise to 30 million units, though no final agreement has been reached.

Continue reading

Samsung will adopt South Korea-made mask blanks to EUV process to reduce reliance on Japan

Samsung Electronics is set to introduce South Korea-made mask blanks into its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) process starting as early as the second quarter of 2026. According to ET News and The Elec, Samsung is in the final evaluation stages of its EUV mask blanks with local supplier S&S Tech and is expected to be completed by January 2026, or by February at the latest. This is the first time Samsung will use domestically produced mask blanks in its EUV process.

Continue reading