LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker Epistar expects its shipments in May to be impacted by COVID lockdowns in China, but shipments will return to be normal in June, according to the company.

ASE Technology has landed big orders from Qualcomm and MediaTek for processing their Wi-Fi-Fi SoCs with its unique aQFN (advanced quad flat no-lead) technology, and is actively seeking additional supply of related packaging materials including leadframes to faciliate order fulfillments, according to industry sources.

Semiconductor is a high-tech industry that requires continuous investment in the development of cutting-edge technologies to create new economic value. With the advantage of entering the market early, leading semiconductor companies can generate significant profit and use that profit to develop more advanced manufacturing processes to extend their lead. By increasing their capital spending, they can build up stronger economies of scale. This virtuous circle is the winning formula for businesses competing in high-tech industries.