China’s AMEC broadens chip equipment reach with Sizone acquisition

AMEC, China’s leading semiconductor equipment vendor, has sent its clearest signal yet that it no longer intends to remain a single-discipline specialist. Its planned acquisition of a controlling stake in Hangzhou Sizone Electronic Technology marks a strategic shift toward becoming a platform-scale equipment group, rather than a company defined by individual tools.

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Taipower pivots to small-scale green power as carbon pressure tightens on exporters

Corporate demand for green electricity is accelerating as Taiwan prepares to implement carbon fees in 2026 and as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) reshapes export requirements. Data from Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) show that direct supply of green power has risen sharply in recent years, a trend the utility expects to continue as net-zero pressures intensify across supply chains.

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Apaq Technology sees strong growth in solid capacitors driven by AI demand

Apaq Technology reported a sharp rise in demand for solid capacitors, fueled primarily by AI servers and AI PCs, during an investor briefing on December 17. General Manager ST Lin stated that existing production lines for V-Chip, CAP, and Hybrid capacitors are now operating at full capacity, contributing to record revenue and profitability in the third quarter of 2025.

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South Korea examines challenges in building a strong AI semiconductor industry

The National Academy of Engineering of Korea (NAEK) recently convened a seminar, gathering industry and academic experts to assess South Korea’s position in the AI semiconductor sector. The discussion underscored concerns about the country’s heavy focus on memory chips and drew attention to Taiwan’s comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem as a model.

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Column: 2D materials struggle to deliver on semiconductor scaling promise

The isolation of graphene in 2004 sparked widespread expectations that two-dimensional (2D) materials could fundamentally reshape electronic devices. Graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have since enabled progress in niche applications and research prototypes. Yet their impact on mainstream logic devices remains limited. The long-anticipated use of 2D materials to sustain Moore’s Law through transistor channel integration has yet to materialize at scale.

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AI servers now compete as much on heat management as on computing power

As AI workloads reshape data center design, performance is no longer defined solely by computing power. Thermal management has emerged as an equally decisive battleground. Unlike traditional CPU-centric systems, modern AI servers rely heavily on GPUs and specialized accelerators, each drawing hundreds of watts per chip. The resulting thermal density far exceeds the limits of conventional air-cooling, turning heat dissipation into a core infrastructure challenge rather than a peripheral engineering concern.

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Shihlin Electric expands production capacity to meet strong AI and grid demand

Shihlin Electric is experiencing robust growth driven by expanding AI computing power needs and accelerated investment in power infrastructure. At HCT Logistics’ smart electric vehicle (EV) launch event on December 18, 2025, Shihlin Electric showcased its commercial electric logistics fleet developed with CMC, alongside an integrated solar, charging, and energy storage power system.

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