Taiwan’s semiconductor material suppliers are ushering in a new phase and seeking greater self-sufficiency in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), as key materials play a critical role in advancing chip manufacturing technology.
Amid persistent geopolitical risks and trade-policy uncertainty, boosting local supply chain resilience has become a necessity. Taiwan was the world’s biggest semiconductor materials market for 16 consecutive years, with sales of US$21.7 billion last year, SEMI statistics show.
SEMI Taiwan on Friday last week launched the SEMI Taiwan Materials Alliance. Local semiconductor companies have relied heavily on imported raw materials due to the time and financial resources needed to develop critical materials such as specialty chemicals, gases and photoresists.
There is a “golden opportunity” for Taiwanese companies to secure a foothold in the semiconductor materials market, given that the AI boom is increasing semiconductor demand, Taiwan Chemical Industry Association chairman and Everlight Chemical Industrial president Chen Wei-wang (陳偉望) said at the launch.
More than 30 domestic and foreign companies have joined the alliance, including ASE Technology, GlobalWafers and its affiliate Taiwan Speciality Chemicals, LCY Chemical, Sunlit Fluo and Chemical, and others.
The alliance aims to enhance supply chain resilience, SEMI Taiwan said.
Most alliance members are relatively small companies, but are rising to prominence. For example, LCY and Sunlit, two privately owned companies that are smaller than their global rivals, have become key suppliers of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), taking advantage of their geographic proximity, technology upgrades and operational agility. The companies say they can quickly respond to customer requests, sometimes just in a few hours, through on-site support. It can take two to three days for foreign competitors to respond to customer issues, they say.
Local companies face disadvantages such as scale disadvantage, limited intellectual property patents and steep market entry thresholds. The alliance can help them create strategic collaborations to increase their technical capabilities and overcome resource constraints. The short-term goal for such companies should not be to replace their global rivals, but to play a supplementary role or be an alternative to first-tier suppliers.
Leading semiconductor material suppliers such as Japan’s JSR and Shin-Etsu Chemical, and Germany’s Merck, are long-standing partners of TSMC and other major players in the business. Those material suppliers have immense revenue scales and strong patent portfolios. They cannot be displaced in the short term.
A good starting point for them could be supplying semiconductor material consumables or investing in selective materials, an industry expert said.
Taiwanese companies in the supply chain have already started making money from the AI boom, and they should allocate more resources to developing key next-generation materials, in other words, spend more on research and development, equipment and talent, ASE vice president Hiro Huang (黃義從) said.
Building close partnerships with international suppliers and assisting them in producing semiconductor materials in Taiwan is another option, Huang said.
In addition, some companies might consider focusing on something less mainstream such as niche material development. As leading-edge logic enters the Angstrom era and unconventional silicon sealing approaches physical limits, chipmakers are exploring new transistor architectures and materials. Separately, wide-bandgap materials are replacing silicon in some power-electronics applications.
Another area Taiwanese companies should eye is key materials used in advanced packaging, where emerging technologies are creating new opportunities for suppliers. With diminishing economic returns from geometric IC shrinking, advanced packaging is becoming critical in semiconductor evolution and one of the most sought-after technologies. Taiwanese companies are in an advantageous position to gain market share. They could benefit from local chipmakers’ aggressive expansions.
The AI boom is expected to last for at least a few more years, and the nation’s semiconductor material suppliers should capitalize on this opportunity to build core technological strengths and prepare for next-wave growth.
SEMICONDUCTORES TAIWANESES: UNA VENTANA DE OPORTUNIDAD
Los proveedores taiwaneses de materiales para semiconductores están iniciando una nueva etapa y buscando una mayor autosuficiencia en la era de la inteligencia artificial (IA), dado que los materiales clave desempeñan un papel fundamental en el avance de la tecnología de fabricación de chips.
En un contexto de riesgos geopolíticos persistentes e incertidumbre en las políticas comerciales, reforzar la resiliencia de la cadena de suministro local se ha convertido en una necesidad. Según estadísticas de SEMI, Taiwán fue el mayor mercado mundial de materiales para semiconductores durante 16 años consecutivos, registrando ventas por valor de 21.700 millones de dólares el año pasado.
El viernes de la semana pasada, SEMI Taiwan lanzó la Alianza de Materiales de SEMI Taiwan (SEMI Taiwan Materials Alliance). Las empresas locales de semiconductores han dependido en gran medida de materias primas importadas debido al tiempo y los recursos financieros necesarios para desarrollar materiales críticos, como productos químicos especializados, gases y fotorresistencias.
Existe una “oportunidad de oro” para que las empresas taiwanesas se afiancen en el mercado de materiales para semiconductores, dado que el auge de la IA está impulsando la demanda de estos componentes, señaló Chen Wei-wang, presidente de la Asociación de la Industria Química de Taiwán y de Everlight Chemical Industrial, durante el acto de lanzamiento.
Más de 30 empresas nacionales y extranjeras se han unido a la alianza, entre ellas ASE Technology, GlobalWafers y su filial Taiwan Speciality Chemicals, LCY Chemical, Sunlit Fluo and Chemical, entre otras.
El objetivo de la alianza es mejorar la resiliencia de la cadena de suministro, afirmó SEMI Taiwan.
Fuente: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2026/08/26/2003863128
JAPAN, INDONESIA AND AUSTRALIA DEFENSE CHIEFS HOLD FIRST-EVER TRILATERAL TALKS
The defense chiefs of Japan, Australia and Indonesia held their first-ever trilateral talks Wednesday, just weeks after an agreement by Jakarta and Beijing to boost military ties following joint naval drills east of Taiwan.
In the phone talks between Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Indonesian defense chief Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the three agreed to promote both bilateral and trilateral defense cooperation, according to the Defense Ministry in Tokyo.
“The three ministers exchanged views on the security environment in the Indo-Pacific region and, taking a broad view of the entire Indo-Pacific, agreed to work together to contribute to regional and global peace and stability through trilateral cooperation,” the ministry said in a readout of the meeting.
Japan has ramped-up defense ties with Southeast Asian nations and Australia in recent years, largely in a bid to counter China’s military clout and growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
But China has also been active in courting regional nations, including Indonesia.
Last week, Sjafrie and his Chinese counterpart, Defense Minister Dong Jun, reached a deal on defense technology transfers and the joint development of munitions factories in Indonesia, during talks in Jakarta.
Those talks followed the Chinese-Indonesian military drills earlier this month — Beijing’s first-ever naval exercise with another country’s military in the flash point waters east of Taiwan.
The Indonesian Navy later reportedly played down the interaction, clarifying that it was a routine “passing exercise” — and not related to “war-fighting” — conducted as one of its frigates returned from joint exercises in Vladivostok, Russia.
Observers say Jakarta has sought to deepen military ties with China, Japan and the U.S. as it seeks to maintain its long-standing nonaligned foreign policy and balance relations with other major powers.
Still, the move raised eyebrows in the U.S., Japan and Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.
Amid this backdrop, Tokyo has forged closer defense ties with Jakarta. In June, the two countries kicked off working-level talks on the export of Maritime Self-Defense Force Asagiri-class destroyers to Indonesia, the latest move by Japan to transfer defense equipment to like-minded partners following its easing of rules governing military equipment transfers earlier this year.
In a bid to further solidify ties, Koizumi has sought to cultivate a strong personal bond with Sjafrie, meeting with him multiple times and even holding talks in Tokyo in early June and then traveling the following week to Indonesia for more discussions.
In May, Japan and Indonesia signed a defense cooperation deal that expands collaboration in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, joint exercises and maritime cooperation, but also opened up opportunities for cooperation in defense equipment and technology.
Jakarta has also expressed interest in purchasing Japan’s upgraded Mogami-class frigates. However, a decision on those vessels is expected only after the Asagiri-class destroyer deal is finalized.
Tokyo is already supplying the first three of a planned fleet of 11 upgraded Mogami-class frigates to replace the Australian Navy’s aging Anzac-class warships, and the trilateral talks involving Marles could offer Jakarta insight into a similar purchase.
The trilateral call also came as Sjafrie was joining Marles for “2+2” talks between the two countries’ defense and foreign policy chiefs Wednesday in Melbourne.
JEFES DE DEFENSA DE JAPÓN, INDONESIA Y AUSTRALIA CELEBRAN SUS PRIMERAS CONVERSACIONES TRILATERALES
Los jefes de Defensa de Japón, Australia e Indonesia celebraron sus primeras conversaciones trilaterales, apenas unas semanas después de que Yakarta y Pekín acordaran reforzar sus vínculos militares tras unas maniobras navales conjuntas al este de Taiwán.
En la conversación telefónica mantenida entre el ministro de Defensa japonés, Shinjiro Koizumi; el ministro de Defensa australiano, Richard Marles; y el jefe de defensa de Indonesia, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, los tres acordaron fomentar la cooperación en materia de defensa tanto a nivel bilateral como trilateral, según informó el Ministerio de Defensa en Tokio.
«Los tres ministros intercambiaron opiniones sobre el entorno de seguridad en la región del Indo-Pacífico y, adoptando una perspectiva amplia de toda la región, acordaron trabajar juntos para contribuir a la paz y la estabilidad regionales y mundiales mediante la cooperación trilateral», señaló el ministerio en un comunicado sobre la reunión.
En los últimos años, Japón ha intensificado sus vínculos de defensa con las naciones del Sudeste Asiático y con Australia, en gran medida con el objetivo de contrarrestar la influencia militar y la creciente asertividad de China en el Indo-Pacífico.
Sin embargo, China también ha estado activa buscando estrechar lazos con las naciones de la región, incluida Indonesia.
KOREA, VIETNAM VOW STRONGER TIES IN CUTTING-EDGE SECTORS, BUILDING ON FTA
Korea and Vietnam vowed to further bolster economic exchanges with the goal of increasing bilateral trade to $150 billion by 2030 and strengthening supply chain cooperation, Seoul’s industry ministry said.
The two countries made the pledge during meetings of their joint industrial cooperation free trade agreement committees in Seoul, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
During the meetings, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and his Vietnamese counterpart, Le Manh Hung, discussed ways to achieve the 2030 target and vowed to make progress in quarantine negotiations on Vietnamese lychees and passion fruit and Korean tangerines and kiwifruit.
Bilateral trade between Korea and Vietnam was estimated at $94.6 billion in 2025, with the volume reaching $62.4 billion over the January-June period this year.
The two countries agreed to address challenges faced by Korean firms operating in Vietnam while accelerating technology exchanges.
Vietnam vowed to work closely with its local governments to help Korean businesses secure local workers, while Korea agreed to help its firms share advanced technologies with Vietnamese partners.
Korea and Vietnam will seek to ensure the smooth launch of a critical minerals supply chain technology center.
The two countries vowed to continue talks on expanding cooperation across the critical minerals supply chain to ensure stable supplies for Korean firms operating in Vietnam.
The ministry said the two countries additionally agreed to pursue long-term cooperation in the energy sector, including the joint stockpiling of crude oil and the establishment of an emergency response mechanism.
During the meetings, Korea National Oil Corp. and PetroVietnam Oil Stockpile Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding to build an oil storage facility in Vietnam.
The ministry said the project is expected to lay the foundation for stable oil supply chain cooperation between the two countries and across the Asia-Pacific region.
“Since the FTA with Vietnam took effect, bilateral trade has grown by an annual average of 10 percent,” Kim said in his opening remarks, raising expectations that the figure could reach $100 billion this year.
“We will seek to expand the scope of trade and investment in a future-oriented manner, as Vietnam seeks to move beyond merely attracting investment toward adopting cutting-edge technologies, upgrading local production capabilities and pursuing green and digital transitions,” Kim added
COREA Y VIETNAM SE COMPROMETEN A FORTALECER VÍNCULOS EN SECTORES DE VANGUARDIA, APROVECHANDO EL TLC
Corea y Vietnam se comprometieron a reforzar aún más los intercambios económicos con el objetivo de elevar el comercio bilateral a 150.000 millones de dólares para 2030 y fortalecer la cooperación en la cadena de suministro, según informó el Ministerio de Industria de Seúl.
Ambos países asumieron este compromiso durante las reuniones de los comités conjuntos sobre cooperación industrial y el tratado de libre comercio (TLC) celebradas en Seúl, de acuerdo con el Ministerio de Comercio, Industria y Energía.
En dichas reuniones, el ministro de Industria, Kim Jung-kwan, y su homólogo vietnamita, Le Manh Hung, debatieron formas de alcanzar la meta fijada para 2030 y se comprometieron a avanzar en las negociaciones fitosanitarias relativas al lichi y la fruta de la pasión de Vietnam, así como a las mandarinas y los kiwis de Corea.
El comercio bilateral entre Corea y Vietnam se estimó en 94.600 millones de dólares en 2025, alcanzando un volumen de 62.400 millones de dólares en el periodo de enero a junio de este año.
Ambos países acordaron abordar los desafíos que enfrentan las empresas coreanas que operan en Vietnam, al tiempo que aceleran los intercambios tecnológicos.
Vietnam se comprometió a colaborar estrechamente con sus gobiernos locales para ayudar a las empresas coreanas a contratar personal local, mientras que Corea acordó facilitar que sus compañías compartan tecnologías avanzadas con socios vietnamitas.
Corea y Vietnam buscarán garantizar la puesta en marcha sin contratiempos de un centro tecnológico para la cadena de suministro de minerales críticos.
Ambos países se comprometieron a continuar las conversaciones para ampliar la cooperación en toda la cadena de suministro de minerales críticos, con el fin de asegurar un abastecimiento estable para las empresas coreanas que operan en Vietnam.
Published twice per week by Nuevo Poder. Articles and op-eds focusing on geopolitical issues around Indo-Pacific area
Editor: LW, senior fellow of REDCAEM and CESCOS
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