October 3, 2025

Huawei to boost AI chip output despite additional US curbs Huawei is ramping up its AI chip ambitions, aiming to double Ascend 910C output to 600,000 units in 2026 and produce 1.6 million dies overall. The company plans four new Ascend chips, leveraging self-developed HBM technology amid U.S. sanctions. Asia Times

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From chip power to state leverage Taiwan briefly imposed export controls on 47 products, including semiconductors, to pressure South Africa over its office relocations, then lifted them after Pretoria sought talks, demonstrating Taipei's ability to leverage its semiconductor dominance as a strategic diplomatic tool. Taipei Times

In situ hydrogen plasmas — A New Paradigm for Advanced Packaging In situ hydrogen plasmas are critical for developing 3D chips with dense interconnects and high signal speeds. Atmospheric pressure hydrogen plasma offers a reliable, flux-free method for oxide removal before thermocompression bonding. Technical Paper

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Chip export controls show fangs Taiwan imposed export controls on 47 semiconductor products to South Africa after Pretoria downgraded its office, pressing it to resume talks. The move shows Taiwan's tougher sovereignty stance and shift toward technology-driven diplomacy. Taipei Times

Global chipmakers gain US$200bn in record rally Global chipmakers surged as AI enthusiasm fueled a tech rally, lifting valuations by over US$200 billion. Deals involving OpenAI, Intel, and South Korean firms drove gains, while investors' FOMO overshadowed bubble concerns, pushing stocks to record highs worldwide. 3DInCites

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Technical Papers Novel Molded FCBGA Package Platform For Highly Reliable Automotive Applications Eliminating Interfacial Delamination in High-Power Automotive Devices RAIG Minimizes Corrosion, Allows Higher Gold on ENEPIG A Universal AI-Powered Segmentation Model for PCBA & Semiconductor Peer viewpoint: semiconductor innovation for telecommunication networks Current Characterization of Various Cu RDL Designs In Wafer Level Packages (WLP) Peer viewpoint: AI data centers are driving a semiconductor revolution MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

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OpenAI officials tour Samsung Electronics' chip plant OpenAI executives toured Samsung's Pyeongtaek fab after signing a collaboration LOI to source low-power memory for its Stargate project. Samsung pledged support for soaring AI demand, with capacity to supply up to 900,000 DRAM wafers per month. Yonhap News Agency

Smarter Packaging: How AI is Reshaping Assembly and Materials Control Advanced packaging is turning to AI to reduce defects, predict equipment failures, and trace faults across multi-die assemblies. By blending sparse process data with equipment telemetry, AI enables predictive maintenance, excursion control, and faster, more accurate yield optimization. Semiconductor Engineering

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Why current AI models won't make scientific breakthroughs, according to a top tech exec Hugging Face co-founder Thomas Wolf said current AI models like ChatGPT are unlikely to deliver major scientific breakthroughs, arguing they predict likely words rather than novel ideas. He envisions AI serving as a research "co-pilot" for human scientists instead. CNBC

Taiwan rejects U.S. proposal for ’50-50′ chip production, says trade talks focused on tariffs Taiwan rejected Washington's proposal to split semiconductor production 50-50, insisting talks focused on tariffs and export levies. Officials defended Taiwan's chip dominance, warning the plan could undermine TSMC, the island's "Silicon Shield," critical to its global and defense standing. CNBC

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Accounting for uncertainty to help engineers design complex systems MIT researchers have developed a new framework that helps engineers design complex systems—like drones or autonomous vehicles—by modeling interconnected components under uncertainty, capturing tradeoffs and likely outcomes to create more robust, reliable designs. MIT News

Samsung, SK Hynix shares leap after OpenAI chip deal Shares of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix surged after partnering with OpenAI to support its Stargate AI data center project. Samsung hit a four-year high, SK Hynix reached an all-time peak, boosting their combined market value by $37 billion. Reuters

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OpenAI Meets Foxconn, TSMC, Heads to Korea to Explore Samsung, SK hynix OpenAI CEO Sam Altman visited Taiwan to discuss the U.S. "Stargate" AI project with Foxconn and TSMC, covering AI server supply and in-house chip production. Plans include five U.S. data centers and expanded semiconductor ties with South Korea. TrendForce

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