From AI Servers to High-Speed PCBs: Why CCL Prices Are Entering a New Upcycle
Copper‑clad laminate (CCL) prices are entering a new upcycle as high‑frequency, AI‑driven servers, 5G infrastructure, and electric vehicles demand faster, thinner, and greener boards. Environmental mandates for lead‑free and halogen‑free formulations add complexity, while tighter dimensional tolerances push material costs higher. The industry now evaluates CCL through four core pursuits—True Size, True Position, True Selection, and True Structure—making it a performance‑critical component rather than a commodity. Consequently, price gains reflect systemic upgrades, not just cyclical demand spikes.
The Engineering Logic Behind TSMC’s High-NA Strategy
At the April 22, 2026 North America Technology Symposium, TSMC Deputy Co‑COO Kevin Zhang said the company can continue scaling chips with its current EUV tools and does not need High‑NA EUV for now, citing the technology’s high cost. The...
The Three Waves of the AI Token Economy: GPUs, Data Center Storage and Optical Modules, CPU
The post maps the AI token economy onto three industrial waves: first, NVIDIA GPUs supplied raw compute power; second, data‑center storage and high‑speed optical modules became essential for moving and persisting tokens; third, CPUs and the broader control‑plane ecosystem are...
From Efficiency to Exhaustion: Rethinking the Limits of Taiwan AI Supply Chains
Taiwan’s semiconductor sector, anchored by Hsinchu Science Park, now drives over $800 billion in GDP and accounts for 18.5% of national output. While TSMC’s overall attrition fell to 3.5% in 2024, first‑year turnover remains high at 8.9%, reflecting long hours and...
Credo + DustPhotonics: Rewiring the Optical Layer of AI Infrastructure
Credo announced a $750 million acquisition of DustPhotonics, a fabless silicon‑photonic chip maker, to broaden its optical interconnect portfolio. The deal reflects a broader industry pivot from raw compute power to interconnect bandwidth as AI models scale to trillions of parameters....
C.C. Wei Vs. Dancing Robots: A Debate About Technology—Or About Meaning?
TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei sparked controversy by dismissing dancing and performance‑oriented robots as “not very useful.” He argued that usefulness should be measured by a robot’s ability to perform industrial work, replace labor, and deliver economic value. Critics countered that...
Rewiring Taiwan’s Display Industry: From FOPLP to Satellite Connectivity and the Micro-LED CPO Shift
Taiwan’s flat‑panel manufacturers are pivoting from traditional LCD production to advanced packaging, satellite antennas, and micro‑LED co‑packaged optics (CPO) to meet exploding AI‑driven data‑center bandwidth demands. Bandwidth requirements have surged from 400 Gb/s to as high as 3.2 Tb/s, prompting a shift...
The AI Interconnect War: Copper Fights Back Against Optics
The post examines the escalating demand for short‑reach interconnects as AI models grow larger and data centers shift to massive GPU clusters. It compares copper‑based options—DAC, ACC, and AEC—with optical solutions like AOC and emerging Co‑Packaged Optics (CPO). Active Electrical...