Taipei: SEMICON Taiwan 2027 will be held August 18-20, about three weeks earlier than its usual September slot, as organizers seek to secure sufficient space across multiple venues for the expanding trade show. According to Focus Taiwan, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) announced that planning for the 2027 exhibition began a year in advance due to the growing demand for space for exhibits, forums, and related events driven by artificial intelligence (AI). Booth planning and advance selection started in June, with overall demand continuing to rise, including requests from European and American companies for additional exhibition space, the global semiconductor industry association stated. The announcement followed the conclusion of SEMICON Taiwan 2026 on September 4 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. The three-day event attracted more than 130,000 industry professionals from 65 countries and featured over 1,300 exhibitors occupying 4,300 booths, both of which set records, SEMI rep orted. More than 350 speakers participated in over 50 forums attended by a total of 11,000 people, while 120 presentations were held at the venue, the association noted. Discussions during the exhibition covered topics such as AI, advanced manufacturing processes and packaging, silicon photonics, quantum technology, sustainability, and cybersecurity. The Smart Manufacturing Pavilion emerged as the largest exhibition area, bringing together nearly 350 companies, marking a 20 percent increase from the previous year. An advanced packaging area featured nearly 300 companies, an annual rise of 6 percent, while new sections showcasing quantum technology, smart wafer fabrication, and chiplets made their debut this year. SEMI highlighted that the growth in the smart manufacturing and advanced packaging areas reflects an industry-wide shift toward closer cooperation across chip design, materials, and manufacturing as AI increases demand for speed, production scale, and supply-chain resilience.