ASE Tech boosts 2026 capex by $2B as AI chip packaging demand surges

ASE Technology Holding, the world’s largest outsourced semiconductor assembly and test company, just added $2 billion to its 2026 capital expenditure plans. The new total: roughly $10.5 billion, up from a prior forecast of $8.5 billion. The numbers behind the spending spree The $2 billion increase is split evenly: $1 billion for new facilities and $1 billion for equipment. ASE’s expansion blueprint now includes 13 greenfield sites and eight expansions of existing locations, with enough capacity to meet demand through 2028 and 2029. ASE’s subsidiary Siliconware Precision Industries, better known as SPIL, is a major packaging supplier for Nvidia’s AI chips. The company’s advanced packaging division, called LEAP, is already outperforming. Revenue from LEAP is tracking ahead of its $3.5 billion target for the current fiscal year. ASE’s ambition is to double LEAP revenue by 2027, which would put that unit alone in the neighborhood of $7 billion. Q2 results that justify the bet ASE’s second-quarter 2026 revenue hit T$191.06 billion, roughly $5.88 billion, representing a 27% year-over-year increase. Net income jumped 180%. ASE shares climbed 1.2% on the announcement day, and the stock has...