Powertech ( is now calling FOPLP a revolution Makes me feel better about not being sensationalist It truly is a revolution in semis that’s still going under the radar for the masses

Powertech ( emerges as a key advanced-packaging supplier for $AMD and $AVGO AMD and Broadcom have already booked most of Powertech’s planned FOPLP capacity, with mass production expected to begin by mid-2027. Capacity is projected to increase from 1,000 panels/month in 2026 to 2,000 by mid-2027 and 5,000 in 2028 Powertech expects total investment in the platform to reach NT$70B, while the initial pilot-line investment is expected to break even in 2027. Management expects FOPLP to become a major growth driver from 2027 onward Its PiFO platform uses panel-level RDL and silicon bridges to connect SoCs, ASICs, HBM and chiplets. Powertech says yields have already surpassed 90%, with a longer-term target of 95–99% Beyond FOPLP, Powertech is also expanding into TSV/3D IC stacking and optical engines/CPO, giving the company exposure to several of the fastest-growing areas of AI semiconductor packaging

FOPLP is coming, and here are the plans for the major advanced packaging providers: · Powertech (PTI): 510 × 515 mm. Ramp-up: 2027 · $ASX: 310 × 310 mm. Ramp-up: 2027 · $TSM: 310 × 310 mm. Ramp-up: 2028 · Samsung: 415 × 510 mm. Ramp-up: 2028 · Rapidus: 600 × 600 mm. Ramp-up: 2029 · $AMKR: 650 × 650 mm. Ramp-up: 2028 · $INTC: 510/515 mm-class. Ramp-up: 2029

Missed this mention earlier but IC design insiders reveal that OSAT providers have already warned clients: "traditional packaging capacity could face a deficit exceeding 20% by 2027" (eg. $AMKR, ethereum:0x041ff0e49f6f774e7dc7bd10ee4a14c00b1d80b2, Powertech as potential beneficaries) With: "wire bonding equipment" emerging as the primary bottleneck (ASMPT, $KLIC) -> influx of AI server shipments has triggered a spike in demand for mature chips -> existing mature packaging capacity at OSATs is being rapidly absorbed -> securing early access to traditional packaging capacity is now becoming a challenge Cascading bottleneck patterns are occurring across memory (eg. DDR2, DDR3) and now packaging capacity I guess.

Let me get this straight chat… you have: $NVDA 70% supply constrained revenue growth projections (would be 100%+) $AVGO AI revenue growing 100%+ Y/Y for next 2 years from mid ~$50B -> $230B OpenAI Astra blowing away AGI benchmarks and starting to train itself. $MSFT / $GOOGL / $AMZN stating compute demand imbalances into next year, with Nvidia projecting $1.3T spend for 2027. You’re seeing this flow through supply chains from Samsung 70% capacity LTAs into 2031 to Powertech advanced packaging capacity 100% booked into 2030. Even your legacy players like Winbond are starting 2029-2030 allocations. Markets always have temporary drawdowns and macro scares… but… How can anyone not think AI stock go brrr?

Taiwan’s ‘Big 5’ chip packaging and testing firms (OSATs) will spend over NT$460 billion (US$14.4B) this year on capex in a bid to catch up with AI-related demand, media report. Industry giant ASE said its biggest problem now is how to accelerate construction, equipment installation, and capacity rollout at 13 new projects and 8 renovations: ASE: NT$335 billion (US$10.5B) Powertech: NT$50 billion KYEC: NT$50 billion Sigurd Group: NT$20 billion ChipMOS: NT$7.2 billion in the 1st half. More coming $ASML $AMAT $TER $CAMT $NVMI #BESI# #Advantest#

$TSM $ASX $INTC "TSMC is facing a surge in AI chip orders using its advanced packaging technology, such as CoWoS, but competitors such as Intel are benefiting as the Taiwanese semiconductor powerhouse is unable to keep up with demand." "Leading this advanced packaging race is none other than TSMC, whose CoWoS (Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate) had a head start over the competition and has been the go-to choice for several years. As demand shoots through the roof, even the Taiwanese giant is facing the brunt of existing bottlenecks within the supply chain and is unable to meet demand." "Intel is aiming to become the 2nd largest advanced packaging provider with its EMIB technologies that are poised to offer several benefits over CoWoS. Furthermore, a wave of Taiwanese packaging and test companies, namely ASE, SPIL, Powertech, and KYEC, is also taking advantage of the situation as TSMC orders face a spill-over effect." "Reports indicate that Intel, with active support from the US government, is aggressively pursuing advanced packaging, and Taiwanese packaging and testing companies, including ASE, SPIL, Powertech, and KYEC, are also taking advantage of the spillover effect of orders." "We have already seen reports that NVIDIA will move advanced packaging orders to Intel for its next-gen Feynman GPUs. These are anticipated to utilize Chipzilla's improved EMIB technology."

Just some of the more interesting news I came across recently: 1. MS: Revised China humanoid shipments to reach 50,000 in 2026 from 14,000u and 28,000u earlier this year. 2. MS: Probe cards and test sockets likely to be priced hike (precious metal hikes + severe shortage of test pin capacity) 3. Capacitor price hikes: MLCC, aluminum electrolytic, tantalum, polymer aluminum, film, and super capacitors from Yageo. 4. $META Vistara architecture: Older DDR4 Memory with CXL as memory expansion 5. OpenAI achieved inference optimization breakthrough that halves costs and reduces GPU requirements. 6. LTAs are being signed with MLCC after Samsung signed LTA with US big tech customer 7. Grid power bottlenecks triggered 5x increase ($25B) in Brookfield's financing for $BE fuel cells. 8. Taiwan's chip packaging and testing supply chain includes major OSAT providers such as $ASX, Powertech, Winstek Semiconductor, Chipbond, ChipMOS, and ShunSin. Dedicated testing companies include KYEC, Ardentec, and Sigurd Microelectronics, while testing interface suppliers include WinWay, MPI, Keystone Microtech, Chunghwa Precision, and Hermes Testing Solutions. Leadframe makers include Jih Lin Tech, SDI, and CWTC, while major IC substrate suppliers include Unimicron, Kinsus, Nan Ya PCB, and Zhen Ding Tech. (Digitimes) - Taiwan-based OSAT providers are raising prices - Memory and IC packaging and testing capacity have both become bottlenecks in the semiconductor supply chain

Just some TLDR news I found interesting: 1. $GOOGL (missed this) also invested in Mediatek alongside $NVDA for their $3.9B raise. Google/Nvidia are goats with investments you look at $SPCX to Anthropic. 2. Samsung Electro-Mechanics discloses $778.9M MLCC deal / $CAPA (new MLCC ETF) also gives exposure now for folks without Korea/Japan/Taiwan market access. But thing is more accelerators x MLCCs per accelerator might indicate a more future extreme bottleneck than people expect. 3. China channel checks state: planetary roller screws, 6D force sensors, and dexterous hands resist domestic substitution. Then planetary roller screw as the top with lowest domestic substitution rate. eg. $SHA0.DE for planetary. Just interesting to hear moats I guess. 4. Samsung reportedly has ~70% of memory production capacity committed through 2031 / commodity DRAM has also fallen into short supply - Seoul Economic Daily. TrendForce expects server DRAM contract prices to rise 13-18% QoQ in 3Q26 SK Hynix also publicly stated the memory shortage lasts through 2030. 5. $CXMT has begun producing HBM3E in small quantities and reportedly claimed mass production of LPDDR6. Implications are even more positive for legacy DRAM shortages. 6. Cisco at SEMICON Taiwan said CPO is ready for mass deployment; pluggable modules will remain the market mainstay. $MRVL also said customers are actively planning scale-up optics deployments as early as 2027 7. Wingtech -> bought Nexperia -> Netherlands effectively removed Wingtech’s control -> Wingtech is fighting back through Chinese courts. But Nexperia got $300m of their assets frozen. More geopolitical drama of course, always entertaining. $AAPl also explicitly accused OpenAI of destroying crucial evidence... (for more fun) 8. Not much description around ASP hikes regarding SOI substrates $SOI, but they now have 10+ customers involved with LTAs, $200m revenue described as a "floor", comments about customers more concerned about obtaining wafers than where they are manufactured. So basically moving into capacity reservation now stages as silicon photonics takes off in 2027. 9. Some channel checks put lead times for high power MOSFETs and large area TVS diodes as high as ~52 weeks. ($STM also reportedly implemented its 3rd 2026 price increase on August 23) 10. Traditional packaging capacity could face a deficit exceeding 20% by 2027" with "wire bonding equipment" emerging as the primary bottleneck", covered this earlier this week with beneficiaries like 11. Claims that all six major ABF suppliers are booked for 2026, with 12-14 month lead times and some suppliers auctioning remaining capacity; $NVDA, $AMD and hyperscalers locking ABF capacity through 2028 and pushing suppliers to plan 2029–30 expansions. Names like Kinsus (3189), Unimicron (3037), Nan Ya PCB (8046), Ibiden (4062), etc are all probably happy. 12. CCL leading laminated board products increased by another 10%-20%, 7th price hike this year (eg. Kingboard). Industry estimates put the HVLP4 copper-foil shortage at ~48% in 2026 / 43% in 2027, while Low-Dk/T-Glass lead times have stretched beyond 30 weeks. 13. "(GaAs) substrate materials and gallium epitaxial source materials are also facing another round of price increases in the third quarter of 2026, reportedly 5 to 6 times higher than at the early stage of the restrictions." "China has recently eased some substrate export controls" but there's a "severe InP substrate shortage" per digitimes. Just some $AXTI related updates 14. $AMD and $AVGO reportedly booked most of Powertech's planned FOPLP capacity ahead of mid-2027 mass production 15. $INTC considering $INTC foundry for HBM4E base dies. But $SKHY responded directly that "some of the content is different from the facts". 16. "OpenAI Hoarding Tens Of Thousands Of $AAPL Mac mini and Mac Studio" for reinforcement learning. Anthropic has been renting mac mini units from $AMZN as well. Kinda sad Tim Cook retired, but dude had a goated run. Just random interesting notes