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.

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Iluvatar CoreX sets three-generation GPU plan, eyes H200 performance

As China’s domestic GPU developers accelerate public listings and expand both technological and capital investment, competition is shifting toward next-generation computing power. Iluvatar CoreX said it will unveil a three-generation GPU roadmap on January 26, 2026, outlining a new GPGPU architecture, cloud-based AI training and inference products, and high-performance computing infrastructure plans.

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SK Hynix reportedly trims consumer memory, shifts focus to servers

Surging demand for AI hardware is prompting memory makers to reassess their product portfolios as resources shift toward higher-margin enterprise and data center markets. Following Micron’s decision to exit its Crucial consumer business late last year, market speculation has emerged that SK Hynix may also be reviewing its exposure to consumer-grade memory products.

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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.

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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.

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