August Member News: Pivotal Shifts in Leadership, Investments and Innovation

The month of August held pivotal shifts in the semiconductor industry, marked by leadership transitions, targeted investments, and continued innovation across packaging, inspection, and AI-enabled design tools. Companies introduced advanced process solutions and new product lines at global events, underscoring the sector’s push toward higher reliability, efficiency, and scalability in manufacturing. Workforce development remained a recurring theme, with initiatives bridging academia and industry to cultivate future semiconductor talent. Sustainability also took center stage, with companies highlighting achievements in waste reduction, energy-efficient manufacturing, and ecosystem collaboration. From funding rounds powering next-gen packaging startups to strategic expansions in Asia and Europe, August reflected a sector aligning cutting-edge technology with long-term resilience and growth.

Technology & Innovation

Siemens EDA announced a new purpose-built generative and agentic AI system designed to integrate assistants, reasoners, and agents across the semiconductor and PCB design workflow. The system features seamless integration throughout the EDA toolchain, from high-level synthesis to physical verification. It also offers a customizable architecture that enables customers to work with their own data, existing AI infrastructure, and external AI models, while incorporating security measures such as custom access controls and on-premise deployment options.

Nordson Electronics Solutions will exhibit its latest fluid dispensing and plasma treatment solutions at SEMICON Taiwan 2025, held September 10–12. Key features include the ASYMTEK® Vantage® dispensing system equipped with dual IntelliJet® jet valves, designed for high-throughput, high-precision applications in panel- and wafer-level advanced packaging. The booth will offer visitors the opportunity to connect with technical experts and explore how these systems support reliability and productivity in semiconductor assembly.

TechSearch International released its latest Advanced Packaging Update, analyzing challenges associated with large body size packages for AI, network switch, and server CPUs. The report examines warpage, thermal interface materials, substrate shortages, and progress on glass core substrate development, while also presenting the firm’s annual survey of substrate design rules and OSAT financials.

Collaborations and Acquisitions

Fraunhofer IZM was named one of the research partners in the EU’s HiPower 5.0 project—an ambitious Horizon Europe initiative aimed at advancing compact, energy-efficient eDrive components for sustainable mobility. Coordinated by AVL List GmbH, the three-year project unites 45 partners across Europe, including companies such as Infineon, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, Valeo and academic institutions.

Expansions and Development

Amkor confirmed a new site for its U.S. semiconductor advanced packaging and test facility–now planned for a 104-acre parcel within the Peoria Innovation Core in north Peoria, Arizona. The city council approved a land swap that allows Amkor to move from its previously designated location in Five North at Vistancia. Construction is slated to begin imminently, with production expected to start in early 2028. Upon completion, the multi-phase project is expected to become the largest outsourced semiconductor packaging facility in the U.S., representing reportedly a $2 billion investment and creating approximately 2,000 jobs. The facility will support high-performance computing, automotive, and communications.

Syenta secured an $8.8 million in Pre-Series A funding to commercialize its Localized Electrochemical Manufacturing (LEM) technology, developed to address memory bandwidth bottlenecks in AI systems. The funding round, led by Investible and supported by investors including Blackbird Ventures, In-Q-Tel, SGInnovate, and others, will support scaling LEM’s micron-scale interconnect solution. LEM is intended to reduce cycle time and cost by streamlining manufacturing steps and enabling panel-level scalability. The technology additionally aims to improve data transfer rates by bringing memory and compute elements closer together.

MacDermid Alpha announced a regional leadership restructure with the creation of a Vice President of India role. The strategic move is intended to strengthen the company’s presence in the Indian electronics market and support local growth, manufacturing partnerships, and customer engagements

Koh Young has appointed George Hsu as Managing Director of its newly established Taiwan office in Zhubei City, Hsinchu County. Koh Young Taiwan will feature a demonstration center equipped for training, technical support, and collaborative process development—emphasizing local access to inspection technologies tailored for high-reliability electronics and next-gen semiconductor applications.

Awards and Recognition

Circuits Integrated’s Satcom chipset platform, Kythrion™, was shortlisted for Aerospace, Military, and Defence Product of the Year at the Instrumentation and Electronics Awards. The platform is designed to advance satellite antenna performance, miniaturization, and sustainability, with applications intended to support global connectivity and future satellite missions.

Evatec received an Outstanding Paper Award at ICEPT 2025 in Shanghai. The paper detailed a new test vehicle for measuring seed layer contact resistance in ultra-small vias, contributing to ongoing efforts in enabling next-generation high-density interconnects.

Brewer Science reported that it has once again achieved Zero Waste to Landfill Certification from GreenCircle Certified, marking the tenth consecutive year the company has earned this recognition.

On top of that, the company was named a 2025 National Top Workplace in the manufacturing sector for the fifth consecutive year, based on employee survey data collected by Energage. The company also received regional recognition in Greater St. Louis for the ninth year in a row.

Industry Events

EV Group’s process solutions–including wafer-to-wafer and die-to-wafer hybrid bonding, maskless lithography, metrology, and IR laser release–were featured in multiple presentations at the LTB-3D workshop in Tianjin and ICEPT in Shanghai, where low-temperature bonding and heterogeneous integration were focal topics.

ASE participated in the inaugural OCP APAC event in Taipei, where discussions focused on chiplets, advanced packaging, and photonics in the context of data center innovation. Charles Lee presented on ASE’s role in the evolving chiplet ecosystem, highlighting progress in co-packaged optics and silicon photonics. Additionally, Lihong Cao joined a panel with representatives from MediaTek, Synopsys, and TSMC to discuss ecosystem collaboration for chiplet-based architectures, emphasizing ASE’s commitment to advancing modular semiconductor design.

Yield Engineering Systems participated in ASPS Korea 2025, held August 27-29 at the Suwon Convention Center. The company showcased its latest products, including three of its product families: VertaCure®, VeroTherm®, and SURE™. The VertaCure line is designed for curing and deposition processes, supporting applications in advanced packaging. VeroTherm systems reportedly provide high-uniformity thermal processing for next-generation devices. The SURE family focuses on surface preparation and modification, offering solutions that are intended to enhance adhesion and reliability.

ACM Research announced its participation in several upcoming September industry events worldwide. The company will be present at SEMICON India, the Symposium on Ultra Clean Processing of Semiconductor Surfaces (UCPSS) in Belgium, SEMICON Taiwan, and the IMAPS Symposium in San Diego, where it will highlight wafer- and panel-level process solutions.

PDF Solutions announced it will host its inaugural Connected Equipment Summit on October 9 at the Hilton Phoenix Chandler. The event is intended to bring together representatives from fabs, equipment OEMs, and fabless companies to discuss advances in equipment connectivity and innovation in semiconductor manufacturing. The program will feature sessions on strategic insights, product innovation, real-world applications, and technology roadmaps shaping the future of the industry.

NHanced Semiconductors, in collaboration with the University of Florida, will present a technical paper titled “The Future of Electronics Packaging: Chiplet Architecture and AI Defect Inspection” at the 36th Electronics Packaging Symposium. The presentation, delivered by NHanced VP Dr. Charles Woychik alongside UF researchers, will focus on how copper-to-copper hybrid bonding enables sub-10 µm pitch chiplet interfaces, covering process architectures, integration flows, and UCIe standardization trends.

StratEdge Corporation announced it will exhibit at European Microwave Week (EuMW) in Utrecht, showcasing its thermally efficient post-fired and molded ceramic semiconductor packages. Designed for DC to 63+ GHz applications, these packages support GaN, GaAs, and SiC devices used in telecom, 5G, satellite, defense, and harsh-environment sectors. The company also named 3F Energy as its exclusive representative across several European countries.

Nordson Test & Inspection is set to present at the Heterogeneous Integration Global Summit during SEMICON Taiwan. Vidya Vijay, Director of Business Development, will speak on “Inspection & Metrology Technologies for Mid-End and Back-End Semiconductor” during the summit’s second day. The presentation will highlight two key advancements: Multiple Reflection Suppression® (MRS) optical sensing, which is intended to minimize distortion on reflective surfaces, and the SpinSAM™ Acoustic Micro Imaging Inspection system with a spinning scan method designed for high throughput, intended to enhance yield, process control, and productivity.

Koh Young will sponsor and participate in the 36th Annual Electronics Packaging Symposium (EPS), hosted at the GE Aerospace Research Campus in Niskayuna, New York, on September 3–4. Koh Young plans to showcase its AI-driven True 3D™ dimensional metrology solutions—particularly its Meister Series for advanced packaging and ZenStar for wafer-level inspection—to support process control, yield improvements, and reduced rework.

Additionally, the company will showcase its latest advancements in dimensional metrology and inspection for semiconductor and wafer-level packaging at SEMICON India. The featured technologies included the AI-powered True 3D™ Meister Series for advanced packaging and ZenStar for wafer-level defect analysis—both aimed at enhancing quality control, process optimization, and manufacturing reliability.

SEMI’s SEMICON West 2025 CEO Summit Keynote Program will convene at the Phoenix Convention Center on October 7–9 under the theme “Stronger Together – Shaping a Sustainable Future in Talent, Technology & Trade.” The summit’s agenda includes insights from government officials and industry leaders addressing AI demand, workforce development, and strategic collaboration amid global challenges. A series of focused forums and sessions will cover topics such as cybersecurity, smart data/AI, smart manufacturing, and advanced packaging.

Brewer Science will present at SEMICON Taiwan 2025 on the impact of materials in sustainable lithography, AI packaging, and high-performance computing. CBO Poupak Khodabandeh will deliver a keynote on ecosystem coordination in AI packaging—from wafer thinning to 3D stacking—highlighting collaboration between materials suppliers, IDMs/OSATs, and equipment partners. Dr. Douglas Guerrero, Senior Technologist, will introduce a “No-Bake Lithography Process” aimed at reducing the energy-intensive baking steps in conventional patterning workflows.

Indium Corporation is set to showcase a range of materials with the intention of enabling AI innovation at SEMICON Taiwan. Featured products include high-performance compressible metal thermal interface materials (Heat-Spring®), sinter pastes for high-reliability die-attach (InFORCE® and InBAKE™), and low-residue flip-chip fluxes (NC-809, WS-641, WS-910). These solutions are intended to enhance thermal performance, adhesion, and reliability in semiconductor packaging.

Additionally, Indium Corporation’s Assistant Product Manager, Foo Siang Hooi, will be presenting at the INEMI Forum on Complex Integrated Electronics in Penang, Malaysia. His session—titled “Enabling AI with Metal TIM: Addressing Thermal Challenges Across TIM1, 1.5, and 2”—will examine the role of metal-based thermal interface materials in reducing resistance, minimizing voids, and enhancing mechanical reliability in AI and HPC chip packaging.

Workforce Development

Henkel recently highlighted the global reach of its Forscherwelt program, an educational initiative that introduces children to science through hands-on experiments. The program is designed to spark curiosity, encourage problem-solving, and foster early interest in research and innovation.

ASE hosted its recent “A Date with ASE” event at ASE Kaohsiung, welcoming international students from multiple universities for an immersive introduction to the semiconductor industry. The event included facility tours, resume review sessions with consultants, and networking opportunities over afternoon tea. The initiative is part of Taiwan’s International Industrial Talents Education Special Program (INTENSE Program), aimed at strengthening the global talent pipeline and providing students with cross-cultural career perspectives in the semiconductor sector.

SEMI Foundation unveiled SEMIquest, an immersive STEM experience designed to inspire Arizona’s future tech talent. Launching at the Arizona Science Center during SEMICON West on October 9, SEMIquest will feature hands-on exhibits, coding workshops, industry career spotlights, and guided semi-industry tours. The pop-up exhibition will remain available through January 4, 2026, and elements will travel to other Arizona communities. The program aims to connect students in grades 7–12 and their educators to semiconductor careers and technology.

2026 IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) has issued its call for papers. The conference invites submissions of technical research across electronics packaging, reliability, and emerging semiconductor technologies. Prospective presenters are encouraged to review submission guidelines and timelines on the ECTC platform. More information can be found here.

Career Advancements and Opportunities

Amkor Technology is excited to announce that Scott Cliffard is appointed as Senior Vice President of the West Region.

Koh Young Europe announced that after 16 years as General Manager, Harald Eppinger will step down from his executive position. Solin Ahmad and Michael Zahn will assume joint leadership of the European subsidiary. Eppinger will remain with the company as a Senior Consultant for the next two years to guide the transition and support ongoing strategy.

Indium Corporation announced promotions within its EMEA leadership team: Andy Seager has been named Associate Director, Continental Sales (EMEA), and Karthik Vijay has taken on the role of Senior Technical Manager (EMEA). Seager brings over 30 years of experience in electronics manufacturing and will oversee regional sales teams. Vijay, with more than 20 years of experience in electronics assembly, will lead technical programs and support across automotive, industrial, and RF sectors in the region.

Syenta is hiring for various roles including: