SEMICON Taiwan 2026: What to watch

Taipei, Aug. 30 (CNA) SEMICON Taiwan 2026, one of the world's largest semiconductor trade shows, will open Sept. 2 in Taipei with a record number of participants and a broader focus on the AI supply chain, bringing together chipmakers, cloud service providers, technology giants and other industry players.

Here are some of the highlights:

Record scale

The three-day exhibition will feature more than 1,300 exhibitors and 4,300 booths from 65 countries, with more than 100,000 semiconductor professionals expected to attend.

The number of national pavilions has also increased to 18, reflecting Taiwan's growing role in the global semiconductor supply chain and efforts by companies and governments to diversify production.

AI infrastructure takes center stage

A major change this year is the growing presence of cloud service providers (CSPs) and data center companies.

Technology giants including Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, AMD and MediaTek, as well as Taiwan's Foxconn, will join semiconductor manufacturers and suppliers to discuss the computing, networking, power and cooling technologies needed to support the rapid expansion of AI data centers.

Google Senior Vice President and Chief Technologist for AI and Infrastructure Amin Vahdat will deliver his first public keynote in Asia, focusing on the future of AI infrastructure, including custom chips, data centers and high-speed networks.

Six technologies to watch

The exhibition will showcase six major technology areas driven by the AI boom: advanced AI chips and packaging, silicon photonics and co-packaged optics, quantum technology, smart wafer manufacturing, compound semiconductors and green manufacturing, and physical AI applications such as smart robots and drones.

New dedicated areas for chiplets, quantum technology and smart wafer manufacturing will also highlight technologies expected to shape the next generation of semiconductor production.

Startups and global collaboration

The startup area will feature 16 companies working on areas including advanced manufacturing, AI computing, silicon photonics, testing, smart manufacturing and quantum technology.

The show will also hold a full-day executive forum on Sept. 2, bringing together executives from major global technology companies and Taiwan's electronics supply chain to discuss how different parts of the industry must evolve together to support hyperscale AI.

SEMICON Taiwan 2026 will run Sept. 2-4 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, with related events taking place from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4.