Taiwan and Germany reportedly have finalized the semiconductor research projects that their academics will be collaborating on from 2026 to 2029.

In the escalating US-China tensions, China’s aggressive drive to boost domestic semiconductor production—coupled with a sweeping “trade-in” subsidy program—has led to a surge of orders flowing to South Korean 8-inch wafer foundries, creating an unexpected boon for the nation’s mature chip manufacturing sector.

Dr. Chen-Hua Douglas Yu, Vice President of Pathfinding for System Integration and the sole TSMC Distinguished Fellow, officially retired on July 8, 2025, closing a chapter in one of the most illustrious engineering legacies in Taiwan’s semiconductor history. Revered as the “Final Knight” among TSMC’s famed “Six Knights of R&D,” Yu’s pioneering contributions were instrumental in propelling TSMC to its global leadership in semiconductor manufacturing.

Hana Technology, a South Korean equipment maker formerly focused on battery solutions, has developed core Through Glass Via (TGV) technology for semiconductor glass substrates, signaling its move into advanced semiconductor packaging.