The “Silicon Shield” describes the idea that Taiwan’s central role in advanced semiconductor manufacturing raises the economic and strategic cost of military action against the island. The shield is not a literal defense system. It is a form of structural deterrence created by technological concentration: governments and… Read More
TSMC CoWoS versus Intel EMIB Semiconductor Packaging
There has been talk at the latest conferences about TSMC customers taking wafers to Intel for packaging. The question is why? Is it competitive pricing? Capacity? Supply chain diversity? CC Wei was asked about this during the last investor call and his perfect response was:
Jeff Su: I guess very simply put, EMIB-T, in his view, is… Read More
TSMC’s Raises the Bar on CAPEX!
On the latest investor call the big story was the increase in CAPEX for 2026 and the expected CAPEX for 2027. TSMC raised the CAPEX ceiling for 2026 from US$56 billion to US$64 billion. My guess would be US$64 billion will be spent if not more. We have been discussing this in the SemiWiki Forum and my guess for the 2027 TSMC CAPEX is an incredible… Read More
DAC 2026 See Analog Bits TSMC N2P IP portfolio and meet with its engineering experts!
Analog Bits, Inc. is an established provider of mixed-signal semiconductor IP that integrates into advanced system-on-chip (SoC) designs to enable intelligent energy and power management. Its full portfolio of IP blocks includes precision clocking macros, power and temperature sensors including LDO and regulators, programmable… Read More
TSMC A16 Backside Power at VLSI 2026
TSMC’s A16 technology, presented as Paper T1.5 at the June 2026 IEEE/JSAP VLSI Symposium, marks the company’s first angstrom-class CMOS platform combining enhanced nanosheet gate-all-around transistors with backside power delivery. The key integration feature is Super Power Rail, or SPR, which TSMC describes as a backside… Read More
Driving the Future through the “Talent Empowering Program”: Why TSMC Charity Foundation’s Youth Career Initiative Matters
The future of work will not be shaped by technology alone. It will be shaped by whether young people are given the confidence, skills, and guidance to participate in that future. This is why the TSMC Charity Foundation’s “Technical and Vocational Talent Empowerment Program” matters. By connecting schools, industry partners,… Read More
Foundation IP for Intel 18A: Technical Overview and Why It Matters
Synopsys Foundation IP for Intel 18A is a portfolio of semiconductor building blocks designed to help system-on-chip developers build advanced chips with better power, performance, and area, often called PPA. The offering includes embedded memory compilers, standard-cell logic libraries, and input/output libraries for… Read More
Why Huawei Says It Will Match TSMC’s Most Advanced Chips by 2031
Huawei’s assertion that it could match TSMC in producing the world’s most advanced chips by 2031 reflects both technological ambition and geopolitical necessity. As one of China’s leading technology companies, Huawei has faced significant restrictions on access to advanced semiconductor technology due to U.S. export controls.… Read More
Intel 18A vs Intel 18A-P: What Is the Difference and Why Does It Matter?
Intel’s 18A process technology has become one of the most scrutinized semiconductor manufacturing nodes in the industry. It represents Intel’s introduction of two major innovations: RibbonFET gate-all-around (GAA) transistors and PowerVia backside power delivery (BSPD). These technologies are intended to improve transistor… Read More
Available Is Not In Control: Balancing Output, Quality, and Risk in High-Volume Fabs
A deposition chamber drops out of production at 2 a.m. Forty minutes later it is back, the dashboard flips from red to green, and two people want opposite things. The operations-center operator has a step starving downstream and wants the tool dispatched now. The module’s shift group leader wants test wafers run and confirmed… Read More


Verification IP proves essential for PCIe GEN5