April 17, 2026

Musk asks suppliers to move at ‘light speed’ on Terafab project Elon Musk’s team contacts major chip equipment suppliers for his planned Terafab, seeking rapid quotes and capacity. The ambitious project aims to build massive AI chip production, despite industry skepticism, targeting pilot manufacturing by 2029 and challenging TSMC. Taipei Times

Sponsor What drives the AI transformation? AI delivers headlines, but for Senior ASIC Leader at Cisco Systems Vishal Kirti, blazing new tech trails begins with the one element that makes it all possible: silicon. Henkel AG & Co.

TSMC projects over 30% sales growth TSMC raised its revenue growth forecast above 30% this year, citing surging AI chip demand, increased capital spending to US$56 billion, and global 3nm expansion, while reporting record profits and strong outlook driven by cloud service provider orders. Taipei Times

The Evolution of Inspection and Metrology in the AI Era AI's rise drives demand for advanced processors, shifting the industry to chiplet architectures with high-bandwidth memory. This transformation introduces new challenges in semiconductor manufacturing, especially in inspection and metrology. Technical Paper

Sponsor FSO Seam Seal Hermetic Packages with AI. Particle free, purified environment inside the hermetic package with low temperature exposures to all feedthroughs and devices. Precision processing with assembly design assistance and prototyping all provided by MicroCircuit Laboratories. MicroCircuit Laboratories, LLC

Quantum stocks on pace for a massive week after Nvidia debuts AI models to boost the tech Quantum stocks surged this week as Nvidia unveiled its Ising open-source AI models to accelerate quantum computing. IonQ jumped over 50%, while D-Wave and Rigetti rose more than 30%, driven by optimism around AI-enabled error correction and scaling breakthroughs. CNBC

TSMC and ASML post-earnings stock moves could be a sign of what’s to come from chip companies TSMC and ASML reported strong earnings driven by surging AI chip demand, with TSMC posting a 58% profit jump and record results, yet both stocks fell as Wall Street’s high expectations and concerns over future growth overshadowed solid performance. CNBC

Sponsor SQ7000+TM Multi-Function for 3D AOI, SPI & CMM The SQ7000+ with MRS® sensor technology delivers high-resolution, high-speed inspection and metrology, uniquely combining AOI, SPI, and CMM in one in-line system. Nordson Test & Inspection

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

Sponsor Die-on-Tab for Compound Semiconductors This white paper explains why die-on-tab is critical for GaN and GaAs RF power devices, improving heat dissipation, reliability, and system life. Download now. StratEdge Corporation

Panel-Level Packaging’s Second Wave Meets Engineering Reality Semiconductor makers accelerate shift from wafer to rectangular panel packaging as AI and HPC chips grow larger and cost pressures intensify, but glass brittleness, thermal stress, and microcracks force co-engineered material and process innovations to secure yield and reliability. Semiconductor Engineering

Chiplet Standards Aim For Plug-n-Play Industry groups advance chiplet standardization to enable interoperable, off-the-shelf chiplets. Efforts like UCIe, BoW, and OCP frameworks define interfaces, system architectures, and compliance levels, aiming to unify chiplet ecosystems from physical interconnects to software and enable modular computing platforms. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor UV DIE Bonding Special Technology Liquid adhesive is cured using ultraviolet (UV) light. In contrast to epoxy, the UV adhesive remains in the liquid state until it is exposed to high-energy UV radiation with UV DIE Bonding technology. Tresky Automation

Breakthrough Thin GaN Chiplet Technology Researchers at Intel Foundry demonstrated a gallium nitride (GaN) chiplet on 300 mm GaN-on-silicon wafers at IEDM 2025, advancing compact high-performance computing. They integrated ultra-thin 19 μm silicon and monolithic digital control circuits to boost power, speed, and efficiency. Semiconductor Engineering

Advancing Autonomous Fabs The semiconductor industry is moving toward autonomous fabs as process complexity, rising equipment costs, and stability demands grow, making preventive maintenance automation a core driver of productivity and resilience, while 2025 research highlights systemic challenges across technology and standards. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor Copper Stud & CTE Nano Tech Underfill AIT's proven flip-chip and BGA multi-level underfills offer both 18 ppm/°C copper CTE matching fine-pitch & nano-pitch with 10 µm & 0.3 µm respective cut-off particles. AI Technology, Inc.

The Thermal And Power Realities Of The AI Era The rapid growth of AI is driving unprecedented energy demand, pushing data centers and toward chiplets, 3D stacking, and advanced packaging. Engineers face major thermal and power challenges, prompting industry-wide collaboration through SEMI’s APHI coalition to enable efficient computing. Semiconductor Engineering

TSMC first-quarter profit rises 58%, beats estimates as AI demand fuels record run TSMC reported a 58% surge in first-quarter profit, driven by strong AI chip demand, beating estimates and hitting record revenue. It forecast robust 2026 growth, raised capital spending, and expanded capacity while signaling resilient supply chains amid global concerns. CNBC

Sponsor Fusion and Hybrid Bonding Experts EVG's industry-leading process solutions, expertise and HI Competence Center accelerate the development and implementation of heterogeneous integration technology. EV Group

ASE to buy Innolux Tainan plant to boost semiconductor packaging capacity ASE will invest NT$14.85-billion to acquire Innolux’s Southern Taiwan Science Park fab, expanding advanced semiconductor packaging for AI and high-performance computing. The company is also investing heavily in new plants, hiring staff and strengthening Kaohsiung as a hub. Taiwan News

Sponsor SEMIEXPO Heartland — April 29–30, 2026, Detroit, Michigan Explore Smart Manufacturing & Mobility in the Midwest, a growing semiconductor hub with $44B+ in investments. Connect, innovate, & lead the future! Click here to register. SEMI