Oct 23, 2026 Foundries and OSATs Increasingly Overlap Foundries and outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) companies are expanding into each other’s territories as AI drives advanced packaging demand. Capacity constraints push more packaging work toward OSATs, which invest in equipment and new technologies. Semiconductor Engineering

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Chip Scaling Moves Beyond The Transistor SEMICON West 2026 highlighted surging chip demand, with projections exceeding $2 trillion by 2030. Leaders urged system-level co-optimization across design, packaging, memory, photonics, power, cooling and manufacturing to deliver scalable, reliable solutions. Semiconductor Engineering

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 the whitepaper. Technical Paper

Sponsor Proven Flip-Chip Flux for AI Packages WS-641 is a proven high-performance flip-chip flux for 2.5D packaging, trusted by leading OSATs to deliver consistent results & reliability in advanced CoW applications. Indium Corporation

Stacked-Die Multi-Chip Architectures: The Tradeoff Between Scaling And Power Delivery Intel Foundry is advancing integrated voltage regulators that move voltage conversion closer to computing components, reducing current density, boosting efficiency and strengthening power integrity in multi-chip and stacked-die designs for AI and HPC systems. Semiconductor Engineering

TSMC seeks factory-equipment alternatives TSMC is exploring rare earth-free motors for factory automation to reduce dependence on Chinese supplies and prevent production disruptions. The initiative remains preliminary as Taiwan and the US pursue alternative sources and strengthen critical-mineral supply chains. Taipei Times

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Technical Papers ■ The Future of Flip Chip Bonding: How R-LAB and R-LTC Enable Next-Generation AI and HPC Packaging ■ Selective Alkaline Wet Etching of Al and AlCu Using a Phosphoric and Nitric Acid Free Formulation ■ 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 MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Contamination Control Balazs™ provides technical expertise in identifying and controlling Airborne Molecular Contamination (AMC) and Surface Molecular Contamination (SMC) for improving process and product yields. Balazs Nanoanalysis

Millions of hacking attempts amid rush to patch PHP Companies and governments rushed to patch critical PHP flaws after researchers reported millions of hacking attempts. Attackers exploited the vulnerabilities, forcing some organizations to suspend online services and exposing the challenges of protecting digital infrastructure. Taipei Times

Nvidia's Jensen Huang says he sees no sign of a 2029 memory glut: 'You can always use more' Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang dismissed concerns about a memory glut by 2029, citing sustained AI demand for HBM & other memory technologies. He acknowledged China's growing semiconductor capabilities and warned that U.S. export restrictions accelerated domestic chip manufacturing. CNBC

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says neocloud demand is 'off the charts' but capital is scarce Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says neocloud demand is surging, but capital shortages and limited energy threaten growth. He urges Europe to build AI infrastructure, while Nvidia expands regional investments despite investor concerns over debt and profitability. CNBC

Beyond The EPE Budget: Building The Next Generation Of Computational Lithography SPIE experts stress edge placement error's growing impact on semiconductor scaling, urging collaboration across lithography, masks, metrology and EDA. They advocate explainable AI, physics-based models and targeted measurements to improve precision and yield. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor Technical Resources for Semiconductor Engineers Looking for practical information on component tinning, gold mitigation, BGA reballing, tin whiskers, and high-reliability rework? Explore a library of technical papers and engineering resources. Circuit Technology Center

PVTW: Extending Silicon Characterization From PVT To Real-World Workload Semiconductor engineers are combining automated test equipment with system-level testing to advance PVTW characterization. By adding workload as a key variable, they expose performance margins, power-delivery issues and subsystem interactions under realistic operating conditions. Semiconductor Engineering

What Breaks When Packaging Moves From Wafer To Panel? Semiconductor manufacturers are shifting advanced packaging from wafers to panels to improve chip yields and reduce waste as AI packages grow larger. However, equipment limitations, process uniformity, defects, and yield risks complicate adoption and threaten potential savings. Semiconductor Engineering

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NVIDIA-Linked Groq Reportedly Eyes Shift From SRAM to 3D-Stacked DRAM for Next-Gen AI Chips Groq is exploring 3D-stacked DRAM to expand memory capacity beyond its SRAM-centric AI chips. The shift could improve inference performance as model sizes outpace SRAM growth, while Cerebras pursues a similar architecture for future systems. TrendForce

Sponsor Dedicated Tool for Process Development Advanced plating capability at Uyemura Tech Center: Process Development, UBM, pilot production. ENIG, ENEPIG, EPIG/EPAG, RAIG immersion gold; all substrates. On-site analysis. Uyemura

Trump says Pentagon will invest $1.5B into North Carolina chip production President Trump announced a $1.5 billion Pentagon investment to expand semiconductor production in North Carolina. He also revealed Sibelco's plans for a quartz manufacturing plant, aiming to strengthen domestic chip supply chains and reduce reliance on Taiwan. The Hill