In recent weeks, chip companies ranging from major players to small and medium-sized firms have issued price increase notices or begun renegotiating product prices with select customers. These moves aim to pass on steadily rising manufacturing costs across the supply chain as outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) costs surge faster than even foundry price increases.

Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has released preview versions of its latest models — DeepSeek-V4-Pro and V4-Flash — marking a closer integration with domestic chipmaker Huawei and intensifying competition with US developers, including OpenAI and Google.

The semiconductor packaging equipment sector is experiencing order shifts linked to significant executive changes at a key Taiwanese supplier, raising concerns over TSMC’s chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) and chip-on-panel-on-substrate (CoPoS) advanced packaging equipment orders. Industry sources indicate that ASE Technology Holding’s equipment orders may also be affected as the supply chain undergoes potential realignment.

Amid rising electricity demand driven by geopolitical tensions and AI growth, Formosa Smart Energy Tech (FSET) is advancing its battery recycling and energy storage strategy to build a localized circular supply chain. The company plans to establish Taiwan’s first waste battery recycling line in Changhua County, targeting completion by the fourth quarter of 2027 with an initial capacity of 720 tons.