23 Jun
Latest News and Trends

Nippon Sanso raises helium prices over 30% on Middle East instability-driven supply crunch

Industrial gas manufacturer Nippon Sanso Holdings announced it will raise prices for all helium products in the Japanese market starting in July 2026, with an average price increase of more than 30%. Affected products include helium used in key applications such as semiconductor front-end process wafer cooling and medical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment. The move is mainly driven by geopolitical instability in the Middle East.

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23 Jun
Latest News and Trends

AI data center buildout fuels optical interconnect race, but 6-inch InP wafers hit supply wall

Technology giants are continuing to expand AI computing infrastructure, driving demand for high-performance optical interconnect components. US optical communications leaders Coherent and Lumentum are actively developing 6-inch indium phosphide (InP) wafer production technology. Industry sources said 4-inch wafers remain the mainstream format, but fast-growing demand in optical communications is accelerating the shift toward 6-inch substrates. Supply constraints, however, persist, with substrate technology maturity and supply availability cited as the main bottlenecks.

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23 Jun
Latest News and Trends

Chinese Premier Li Qiang puts China’s advanced manufacturing agenda on display before Summer Davos

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend Summer Davos 2026, to be held from June 23 to 25 in Dalian, Liaoning province. The forum, formally the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, will feature a speech by Li. Ahead of the event, Li visited Dalian on June 22 to inspect local heavy industry and advanced equipment manufacturers, signaling China’s continued policy support for advanced manufacturing.

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23 Jun
Latest News and Trends

Smartphone demand and chip supply pressures cloud 2H26 peak season outlook

Market sentiment toward the smartphone industry remains subdued. On the demand side, global smartphone sales have declined for several consecutive weeks during the second quarter of 2026, with only Apple and Huawei showing relative resilience thanks to their strong brand appeal. On the supply side, chip shortages continue to intensify, expanding beyond memory products to include both advanced-node and mature-node semiconductors.

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23 Jun
Latest News and Trends

Kaori’s Kaohsiung plant targets 2027 output for AI cooling and green energy demand

Kaori Heat Treatment held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new plant at Kaohsiung’s Ciaotou Science Park on June 23. Chairman Dr. Allen Wu led the management team at the event, joined by government representatives and industry partners. Total investment in the Ciaotou Science Park plant is expected to be capped at NT$3.25 billion (approx. US$103 million), making it Kaori’s largest production base, with a development scale exceeding the combined size of its existing sites.

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23 Jun
Latest News and Trends

Trump signs executive order to accelerate US quantum tech leadership

US President Donald Trump has signed Executive Order 14411, titled “Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation,” launching a broad federal initiative aimed at strengthening America’s leadership in quantum computing, sensing, and networking technologies. The order outlines a whole-of-government strategy to accelerate commercialization, expand research capabilities, and safeguard national security as global competition in quantum technology intensifies.

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