Oct 13, 2026 Applied Materials Bets $5B on a New Model for Chip Innovation Applied Materials opened its $5 billion EPIC Center in Silicon Valley, uniting chipmakers, designers, universities and equipment suppliers to streamline research, integrate manufacturing processes and accelerate commercialization of advanced technologies for AI computing. EE Times

Sponsor Dicing Die-Attach Film (DDAF) or Dicing Die-Attach Tape (DDAT) AI Technology pioneered the use of flexible die-attach film and paste adhesives for larger chip and die bonding. We now have extended our adhesive line. See more AI Technology, Inc.

SIA Report Highlights Strategies for Strengthening Supply Chains Supporting the U.S. Chip Ecosystem The SIA warns that vulnerable upstream supply chains threaten U.S. semiconductor leadership. It urges policymakers to expand domestic capacity, stockpile critical materials, strengthen allied partnerships and fund R&D to build resilient, diversified supply chains. Semiconductor Industry Association

EOTPR Fine pitch probing for die-to-die interconnect failure analysis in chiplet devices Debugging D2D I/O failures in heterogeneous packages is increasingly difficult due to limited access and test granularity. This paper shows how EOTPR accurately isolates chiplet interconnect defects with minimal prep, validated by a case study. Technical Paper

Sponsor Number 1 in bond testers Sigma is the best bond tester the market has to offer. It comes with game-changing automation capabilities for operator-free loading, testing, and analyzing. Learn more. xyztec

TSMC's $2B Silicon Interposer Deal with GF Could Fast-Track U.S. Packaging to 1H28, Free Up Fab Capacity TSMC's $2 billion GlobalFoundries deal could accelerate U.S. advanced packaging to 1H28, while outsourcing interposers frees capacity for leading-edge chips. Meanwhile, UMC and PSMC are expanding interposer and packaging roles amid AI demand. TrendForce

CPU Price Hike Wave: Intel Reportedly Up to 20%, Qualcomm 10%, AMD May Join as TSMC Costs Climb Intel and Qualcomm have raised CPU prices amid surging AI demand and rising manufacturing costs, while AMD reportedly plans increases. TSMC's anticipated foundry hikes in 2027 could further pressure chipmakers and notebook manufacturers. TrendForce

Sponsor Oxide Reduction for Reliable Power Electronics Manufacturing As power densities increase and components become smaller, oxide layers and surface contamination become critical manufacturing risks. Discover practical approaches for oxide reduction, cleaning and activation in power electronics production. Download here. Plasmatreat GmbH

Technical Papers ■ Hybrid & Fusion Bonding: from Heterogeneous Integration to 3D Front-End of Line Technologies ■ Why Metal TIM Warpage Simulations Fail—and How to Fix Them ■ Oxide Reduction for Reliable Power Electronics Manufacturing ■ Bond front velocity in lubrication-mediated bonding of flexible substrates ■ How AI Could Cut Semiconductor Package Design Cycles from Months to Days ■ 5X Faster Die Sorting Accelerates U.S. Semiconductor Manufacturing ■ A New Optical Ball Grid Array Package Development for Automotive Optical Sensor MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

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FCC product testing ban deepens US-China tech decoupling The FCC plans to ban Chinese laboratories from testing electronics for the US market by December 2028, prompting Beijing to threaten further retaliation. The move could shift manufacturing to Southeast Asia and increase costs for electronics companies. Asia Times

Meet the Anthropic Engineer Keeping Its AI Agent Trustworthy Anthropic engineer Gurmeet Saran develops infrastructure to improve AI transparency, reliability, and privacy in Claude. Drawing on experience at Yahoo and Intuit, he applies data standardization and privacy-focused architecture to strengthen AI safety and trustworthy outputs. IEEE Spectrum

Sponsor 1 of 10 Applications: Eutectic Bonding Swiss made Tresky die bonders can be fitted with temperature controlled chucks and protective gas suited to eutectic die bonding of chips with AuSn bumps for opto-electronic components. Dr. Tresky AG

Memory crunch goes on: Nanya Nanya Technology expects DRAM prices to rise further this quarter amid severe supply shortages and surging AI demand. Record margins and soaring profits strengthen its outlook, while longer-term customer contracts and planned capacity expansions support future growth. Taipei Times

Microsoft to rely more on homegrown AI chips, reducing dependence on Nvidia Microsoft plans to expand its in-house Maia AI chips to reduce reliance on Nvidia, improve data-center efficiency and lower operating costs. Maia 300 production starts in 2027, targeting higher performance, while Nvidia remains vital for model training. CNBC

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Mapping US chip supply chain: China accounts for far more than it appears, report says China supplies just 5% of U.S. chipmaking equipment and materials by manufacturing origin but dominates critical inputs such as gallium and rare earths. The Semiconductor Industry Association urges stockpiling and supply chain diversification to reduce risks. South China Morning Post

Intel, Broadcom CEOs warn capital crunch could become AI's biggest bottleneck Intel and Broadcom CEOs warned that rising capital costs could constrain AI infrastructure expansion more than chip, memory or power shortages. Despite strong demand through 2030, companies must demonstrate meaningful returns to sustain long-term investment. CNBC

Sponsor Die Attach Material Comparisons Packaging high-power GaN devices? This study compares CuW and CMC bases with H20E and AuSn, revealing 34.5°C cooler junctions with CMC/AuSn. Revolutionize GaN efficiency/reliability. StratEdge Corporation

Security Becomes a Sign-off Item Europe's Cyber Resilience Act will require chipmakers to demonstrate hardware security through auditable evidence and independent assessments. With technical standards arriving close to the 2027 deadline, the law could accelerate AI-driven verification while increasing compliance costs. EE Times

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

China's CXMT unveils 'key progress' on chip structure pursued by Samsung, SK Hynix ChangXin Memory Technologies reported progress on its 4F square memory architecture, which increases DRAM density through vertical transistors. The Chinese chipmaker plans to launch DDR5 server memory using the technology by late 2026, challenging Samsung and SK Hynix. South China Morning Post