According to a CNA report dated July 28, 2026, China's Lens Technology (藍思科技) and Intel (英特爾) are targeting glass core substrate mass production as early as 2027 H2, while BOE (京東方) aims for 2028. TSMC (台積電) told investors in mid-July it needs about a year to mature its glass substrate process, and TrendForce (集邦科技) projects TSMC's CoPoS packaging reaching mass production in 2028 H2, with true glass core substrates following only after 2030.
Lens Technology and Intel's Glass Through-Via Tie-Up: China's Fast Track
According to a CNA (Central News Agency) report published July 28, 2026, Lens Technology (藍思科技)'s wholly owned subsidiary Lens International (Hong Kong) signed a memorandum of understanding with Intel (英特爾) to jointly pursue Through-Glass Via (TGV) advanced packaging. The MOU covers glass substrate perforation, high-precision laser processing, metallized deposition of vias, and multilayer interconnect wiring — the companies are evaluating potential cooperation on these specific technical fronts (CNA, July 28, 2026; directly sourced).
US-based institutional investors cited in the same CNA report assess that the Lens Technology–Intel collaboration on glass core substrates could reach mass production as early as the second half of 2027 — the earliest production date named anywhere in this reporting cycle. The identical MOU details and the 2027 H2 estimate were also carried by UDN (money.udn.com), which republished the CNA wire copy under Economic Daily News.
BOE's Glass Carrier Investment: A Parallel Chinese Track
BOE (京東方) has been building out its own glass substrate capability on a separate timeline. Per the CNA report, BOE invested in constructing a glass carrier and core substrate packaging pilot line in 2024, and completed a fully automated equipment line in the first half of 2026. Institutional analysts cited in the report say BOE is now co-developing full-process solutions with chip-design customers in both China and North America, with mass production targeted at the earliest for 2028 — a full year later than the Lens Technology–Intel timeline (CNA, July 28, 2026; directly sourced). UDN's republication of the same CNA report confirms identical figures for BOE's 2024 investment start and 2028 production target.
TSMC's Glass Substrate Progress and Production Planning
TSMC (台積電), the foundry leader, addressed glass substrate advanced packaging at its investor conference in mid-July 2026. Per CNA, TSMC said it is working with substrate suppliers to establish the relevant manufacturing processes and estimates it needs roughly one year for the process to mature before moving into mass production (CNA, July 28, 2026; directly sourced).
Separately, TrendForce (集邦科技) — cited in the same CNA report — assessed TSMC's CoPoS (Chip-on-Panel-on-Substrate) advanced packaging effort. TrendForce says 2026 is the key verification window for equipment and materials vendors, with trial production expected in 2027 and formal mass production estimated for the second half of 2028. TrendForce frames CoPoS and glass core substrates as sequential stages: after CoPoS, TSMC's next-stage focus shifts to glass core substrates, which TrendForce expects to reach mass production only after 2030.
Taiwan's Supply Chain: Key Process Positioning
According to CNA, Taiwanese semiconductor equipment makers are actively building out the key manufacturing processes for glass substrate advanced packaging. Chuangxin Fuwu (創新服務) is developing copper-pillar Through-Glass Via interposer (TGV-ICP) module products. Xufeng (敍豐), a wet-process equipment maker for high-end ABF substrates, is developing glass substrate and TGV process equipment. Dongjie Technology (東捷科技), together with its subsidiary Fulin Technology (富臨科技), is targeting laser processing and glass carrier applications, building out TGV through-hole and redistribution-layer process technology. Huisheng Technology (暉盛科技) is developing glass etching and surface-treatment solutions, and Taisheng (鈦昇) is building TGV laser equipment (CNA, July 28, 2026; directly sourced). No production dates or shipment volumes were disclosed for any of these five Taiwanese equipment makers in the report.
China vs. Taiwan Mass-Production Timelines: The 2027–2030 Race
Lining up every dated milestone from the CNA/UDN reporting shows a staggered sequence across the two supply chains:
| Year | Milestone | Company | Source |
|---|
| 2024 | Glass carrier and core substrate pilot line investment begins | BOE (京東方) | CNA / UDN |
| 2026 H1 | Fully automated equipment line completed | BOE (京東方) | CNA / UDN |
| 2026 (mid-July) | Investor conference: ~1 year needed to mature glass substrate process | TSMC (台積電) | CNA |
| 2027 | CoPoS advanced packaging enters trial production (TrendForce estimate) | TSMC (台積電) | CNA / UDN |
| 2027 H2 (earliest) | Glass core substrate mass production, earliest case | Lens Technology (藍思科技) / Intel (英特爾) | CNA / UDN |
| 2028 H2 | CoPoS formal mass production (TrendForce estimate) | TSMC (台積電) | CNA / UDN |
| 2028 (earliest) | Glass carrier/core substrate mass production, earliest case | BOE (京東方) | CNA / UDN |
| After 2030 | Glass core substrate mass production (TrendForce estimate) | TSMC (台積電) | CNA / UDN |
The table draws on E2, E3, and E5/E9: Lens Technology–Intel's earliest 2027 H2 target, BOE's earliest 2028 target, and TrendForce's post-2030 estimate specifically for TSMC's glass core substrate stage.
What This Means
Set side by side, the CNA and UDN reporting shows two Chinese entrants — Lens Technology with Intel, and BOE independently — naming glass substrate mass-production targets of 2027 H2 and 2028 respectively, both years earlier than TrendForce's post-2030 estimate for TSMC's glass core substrate stage. TSMC's own mid-July investor-conference comment — that its glass substrate process needs about a year to mature — describes a process still in development as of the report date, while TrendForce's analysis treats TSMC's near-term advanced-packaging milestone as CoPoS (trial production 2027, mass production 2028 H2), a distinct and earlier stage than the glass core substrate work TrendForce places after 2030. The reporting does not equate CoPoS with the glass core substrate technology that Lens Technology–Intel and BOE are timing for 2027–2028, so the CNA/UDN coverage describes two related but not identical packaging tracks running on different clocks.