Unimicron Chairman: AI to drive 14x substrate growth by 2030
Unimicron Chairman Shan-Chieh Chien forecasts substrate dimensions will expand 14-fold by 2030, driven by advanced packaging needs for high-performance computing, impacting Asian industry.
AI Accelerators Drive New Technical Demands
The TPCA Show 2026, which officially opened on 20 October 2026, served as a platform for Unimicron Chairman Shan-Chieh Chien to outline critical developments in semiconductor manufacturing.
In his opening address, Chien asserted that resolving the three principal challenges confronting artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators in high-performance computing (HPC) will demand solutions beyond mere semiconductor process scaling. He underscored the necessity for the industry to concurrently introduce advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration technologies.
These parallel advancements are expected to markedly increase the technical requirements for both the printed circuit board (PCB) and substrate industries, pushing the boundaries of current manufacturing capabilities to support future AI processing power.
Substrate Size Expansion Forecasted
In line with the evolving technical landscape, Unimicron Chairman Shan-Chieh Chien also provided a specific outlook on the physical dimensions of substrates. He projected that by 2030, substrate sizes could reach 14 times their current scale.
This forecast, delivered at the TPCA Show 2026, points to a substantial increase in the physical footprint required for these critical components. The expansion is directly linked to the need for integrating more complex and diverse components through advanced packaging techniques, which enable higher performance and efficiency for AI accelerators.
Such a dramatic increase in scale will necessitate significant adjustments across the manufacturing supply chain, from material procurement to fabrication processes.
Industry Shifts for Advanced Packaging
The integration of advanced packaging and heterogeneous technologies implies a re-evaluation of current manufacturing capabilities within the PCB and substrate industries. These technologies typically demand higher precision, finer line widths, and multi-layer structures, alongside the ability to manage increased heat dissipation and power delivery.
For companies operating in this segment, the shift means investing in new equipment, developing novel materials, and refining process controls to meet stringent performance and reliability standards.
The focus moves towards creating more sophisticated interconnections and packaging solutions that can accommodate multiple dies and diverse functionalities within a single module, thereby enabling the performance gains required by next-generation AI accelerators.
Implications for Asian Manufacturers
Asian manufacturers in the PCB and substrate industries, many of whom are key suppliers to the global semiconductor sector, will need to allocate substantial capital towards upgrading their production facilities.
The projected 14-fold increase in substrate scale by 2030, as stated by Unimicron Chairman Shan-Chieh Chien at the TPCA Show 2026, suggests a demand for larger manufacturing footprints and more advanced equipment capable of handling the larger dimensions and increased technical complexity.
This will likely drive research and development spending in areas such as material science and process automation to maintain competitiveness. Decision-makers in these companies should assess their current capacity and technology roadmaps against these evolving requirements to ensure they can capitalise on the growth in AI accelerator demand over the coming years.
This analysis is journalism, not investment advice; consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions.
Pieces are credited to the desk that commissioned and edited them. Our editorial standards, and the desks behind them, are set out on the Editorial Standards and Team pages.
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