April 13, 2026

TSMC Posts 35% Jump in Revenue to New Record High as AI Chip Demand Stays Strong TSMC posted record first-quarter revenue of NT$1.13 trillion, rising 35% year-on-year, driven by strong AI chip demand from customers like Nvidia and Apple. March revenue jumped 45%, as higher prices and AI infrastructure spending boosted growth. CNBC

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ASE plans to invest more than US$3.1bn in new fab ASE Technology plans to invest over NT$100 billion in a new advanced chip testing facility in Kaohsiung to meet AI-driven demand, expand capacity, and hire thousands of workers, as it accelerates construction amid booming semiconductor packaging and testing growth. Taipei Times

Alpha Particle Emissions: An Overlooked Risk for Soft Errors in Advanced Packaging As advanced packaging density increases, alpha particle emissions present a growing reliability risk. This article examines soft error mechanisms and solutions to mitigate failures in AI, HPC, and high-density packages. Technical Paper

Sponsor Current Characterization of Various Cu RDL Designs In WLP This study evaluates copper redistribution layer fusing currents in WLP through experiments and simulations, finding that silicon thickness significantly improves heat dissipation and fusing performance. Amkor Technology

Intel Foundry Achieves Breakthrough with World's Thinnest GaN Chiplet Technology Intel Foundry unveiled a 300 mm GaN-on-silicon chiplet with a 19 μm ultra-thin base and integrated digital control, improving power efficiency and speed. The design enables faster switching, high-frequency RF use, scalable production, and proven real-world reliability. 3DInCites

Samsung-Backed Vertical Die Research Reportedly Targets 10x I/O and 4x Bandwidth Gains for HBM Samsung-backed researchers advance "Vertical Die" packaging that reorients chips upright to break HBM limits. The design boosts I/O density up to 10× and bandwidth 4×, cuts latency, and adds novel cooling and glass-based interconnects, targeting next-gen AI and HPC systems. TrendForce

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Technical Papers Alpha Particle Emissions: An Overlooked Risk for Soft Errors in Advanced Packaging Revolutionizing IC Packaging with High-Density RDL Technology EOTPR Fine pitch probing for die-to-die interconnect failure analysis in chiplet devices Die-on-Tab for Compound Semiconductors: Enabling Advanced RF Power Systems Package Assembly Design Kits: The Future of Advanced Package Design Novel Molded FCBGA Package Platform For Highly Reliable Automotive Applications Eliminating Interfacial Delamination in High-Power Automotive Devices MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

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Amazon Weighs In-House Chip Sales as Unit Set to Exceed $20B Annually; Anthropic Explores Custom Silicon Major tech firms accelerate in-house chip efforts as AI demand surges. Amazon weighs selling chips and full racks externally, targeting massive growth, while Anthropic explores custom silicon amid shortages, signaling a shift away from reliance on NVIDIA. TrendForce

Terahertz Waves Spy on a Chip's Internal Activity Researchers at the University of Adelaide harness terahertz waves to remotely monitor transistor activity inside fully packaged chips without disrupting operation. The in-situ, non-invasive approach could scale, reducing reliance on X-ray imaging and electronic probing methods. IEEE Spectrum

Sponsor "Build Up" I/C Packages -- USA Fabrication High layer counts. Low CTE material sets. 20µm Dielectrics /12µm Traces - ITAR Approved - 50um "Stay Flat" Cores. Learn more. Advanced Component Labs, Inc.

ASML CEO Warns: Nexperia Conflict Exposes Fragile Chip Supply Chain Geopolitical tensions rise in the global chip industry after the Netherlands–China clash over Nexperia. ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet urges open communication, warning fragile supply chains need proactive dialogue to stop disputes from escalating into wider crises. National Today

The Magic of Agentic AI Will Come From a Holistic Approach to Chip Design Agentic AI is reshaping electronic design automation, driving 2–5× productivity gains. Yet experts say it remains early and siloed, warning real breakthroughs will require unified, end-to-end chip design systems, not incremental workflow automation. EE Times

Sponsor Is copper sintering the future of WBG semiconductors? Silver dominates today, but copper is catching up fast. Explore the cost, reliability, and sustainability shifts reshaping GaN and SiC die attach technology. Henkel AG & Co.

TSMC sales beat estimates despite the conflict in Iran TSMC reported a 35% quarterly revenue surge to NT$1.13 trillion, beating forecasts and signaling resilient AI chip demand despite Middle East conflict concerns. Strong sales of advanced nodes highlight sustained investment in AI data centers and devices. Taipei Times

PQC Timelines Provide Direction, but Not Action UK and EU outline post-quantum cryptography timelines but don’t mandate action, leaving many organizations unprepared. As "harvest now, decrypt later" threats grow, slow adoption, fragmented standards, and weak readiness expose long-lived data to rising cyber risk. EE Times

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No Fear to Fail: Secrets Behind Southchip's Rapid Growth Since its 2023 IPO, Southchip has delivered 12 consecutive quarters of year-over-year revenue growth, ranking among China's top three analog chip firms in 2025, while expanding into automotive and industrial computing markets through root technologies and innovation culture. EE Times

Sponsor Hermetic Microelectronic Package Seam Seal Technical paper on technology that delivers a pristine internal atmosphere for hi-rel microelectronic components. Process automation, including AI, and standard tooling utilized in die and wire bonding is standard. MicroCircuit Laboratories, LLC