Japanese semiconductor firms are pivoting toward advanced packaging and alternative lithography as TSMC extends its scale advantage in artificial intelligence chips. TSMC’s 3nm and 2nm capacity is largely locked in. Advanced packaging now contributes a growing share of sales. The company is on track to see annual revenue exceed US$250 billion around 2029 or 2030. That widening gap has pushed Japanese companies to focus on panel-level packaging and nanoimprint technologies. Both emerged at SEMICON Japan 2025 as key levers to bypass manufacturing bottlenecks and secure a foothold in the fast-expanding AI accelerator supply chain.

Asustek Computer has confirmed it will not launch any new smartphones in 2026, effectively scaling back its mobile device business. At the same time, the company emphasized that after-sales support, maintenance, software updates, and warranty services will continue as normal. The move comes amid intensifying global competition and supply chain challenges, with the company redirecting efforts toward emerging products like drones and smart glasses.

The global semiconductor market is projected to reach US$1 trillion as early as 2026, significantly ahead of previous industry forecasts targeting 2030. The World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) forecast, released in December 2024, expects growth to be driven predominantly by logic chips, including GPUs and AI accelerators. Memory markets are poised for the steepest increase.

ASRock is unveiling its next-generation 27‑inch OLED gaming monitors, bringing together the performance-focused Phantom Gaming lineup and the new Taichi series to showcase advances in ultra‑high refresh rates and cutting‑edge OLED panels. The Taichi family – represented by the TCO27QX, TCO27QXA, TCO27USA, and TCO27USA‑W – pairs 27‑inch WOLED and QD‑OLED options with 2K and 4K resolutions, pushing…