$MU $SKHY $TSM Custom ASICs matter more every year, and this year's SEMICON Taiwan makes the case louder than usual. Reportedly, CSPs aren't just attending anymore, they're the ones driving spec direction. Custom = Not Interchangeable. SEMICON Taiwan 2026: Highlights Global exhibitors: over 1,300 companies, 4,300 booths, drawing 65 countries and over 100,000 professionals National pavilions surged 250%, with 18 countries setting up 220 booths Cross sector collaboration: first ever partnership with Taiwan High Speed Rail linking semiconductors and transportation infrastructure CSP giants converge, full chain vertical integration Downstream customers and cloud service providers (CSPs like Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, AMD, MediaTek, Foxconn) are driving spec direction Google's SVP of AI and Infrastructure, Amin Vahdat, delivers his first public keynote in Asia The semiconductor show and COMPUTEX's system side boundaries are increasingly merging, building an integrated ecosystem platform Startup momentum and capital access doubling 16 top startup teams featured, spanning advanced process, AI, silicon photonics, and test/measurement/quantum First time dedicated zones: "Chip Startup Stage" and "Innovation Investment Day" plus ecosystem partner events, accelerating commercialization and capital matching Frontier tech and new specialty zones debut AI advanced packaging: focus on 3DIC, CoWoS, FOPLP Silicon photonics (SiPh) and CPO: aligned with TSMC's production timeline, co packaged optics positioned as the core solution to CSP data center bandwidth and power walls Quantum technology zone Wafer smart manufacturing zone Sustainability and edge applications: SiC/GaN compound semiconductors and green process showcased