Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is targeting output of more than NT$8 trillion in 2026, its first crossing of that threshold, as demand for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing strengthens. Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiu Chiu-hui said on September 2 at SEMICON Taiwan that the government is pursuing chip innovation and equipment self-reliance, having supported 84 chip design and semiconductor equipment companies. A government pavilion at the exhibition brought together 17 Taiwanese companies across advanced packaging equipment, foreign supplier supply chains, machine-tool upgrading and diversified chip applications. Two programs are advancing the strategy: the Domestic IC Design Industry Advanced Development Subsidy Program has approved 55 projects, while the Semiconductor Equipment Full-Machine Validation Program has helped 29 companies complete equipment development and production-line validation, linking demand from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and ASE Technology Holding. Domestic semiconductor equipment output is expected to exceed NT$270 billion this year. Gallant Micro. Machining has developed panel-level advanced packaging die bonding equipment that cuts process time by 50% versus conventional workflows, while Allis Communications has produced a VDES maritime communications baseband chip with nearly 30 times the transmission capacity of traditional AIS systems. The Taiwan Electronic Equipment Industry Association and Germany’s Silicon Saxony e.V. also signed a semiconductor equipment cooperation MOU on September 2. The Industrial Development Administration said the partnership will support supply-chain matchmaking, technical exchanges and market information sharing around TSMC’s German fab and the wider European supply chain.