At the geopolitics forum of SEMICON West 2025, corporate government affairs executives from Arm Holdings, ASML, Entegris, Intel, and Lam Research all presented policy recommendations in relation to US strategies to compete with China. All attendees unanimously agreed that policy consistency and continuity are the most urgent areas for improvement.

The launch for the next-generation optical communication infrastructure, IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network), led by Japanese telecom group NTT, is scheduled for 2026. The production system for core equipment will involve US semiconductor company Broadcom, Japanese IC substrate manufacturer Shinko Electric Industries, and Taiwan-based Accton.

Taiwan's used phone market is showing signs of warming up. The growth is driven in part by a wave of device upgrades following the launch of Apple's iPhone 17 lineup. It has been further fueled by "phone recycling month" programs in October, during which telecom operators and retail channels actively promote trade-in and recycling programs.

The year 2025 has brought many changes to the mobile industry. Apple launched its self-developed modem chip in the iPhone 16e, followed by Xiaomi's Xuanjie O1, its high-profile self-developed system-on-chip (SoC). Although Qualcomm has repeatedly emphasized it is not competing with customers, warning signs from downstream clients can no longer be ignored.

Largan Precision reported consolidated revenue of NT$6.235 billion (approx. US$204 million) for September 2025, marking a 4% month-over-month increase, but a 4% decline year-over-year. Consolidated revenue for the third quarter of 2025 reached NT$17.677 billion (approx. US$579 million), up 51% from the previous quarter, but down 7% compared to the same period last year. For the first nine months of 2025, consolidated revenue stood at NT$43.929 billion (US$1.44 billion), reflecting a 7% growth year-on-year.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. posted robust revenue results for September 2025, reporting NT$837.068 billion (US$27.55 billion), driven by increased demand for AI servers and shipments of new consumer products centered on the iPhone 17 series. The company's performance surpassed market expectations and demonstrated sustained growth momentum entering the second half peak season.

Benefiting from rising demand for AI servers and high-speed interconnects, Taiwan's JPC Connectivity expressed cautious optimism for the second half of 2025 and into 2026 during its September 30, 2025, earnings call. The company expects continued growth driven by the automotive, industrial control, and robotics sectors next year.

DJI, a long-standing leader in consumer-grade handheld imaging devices, is facing a new wave of competition from major consumer electronics players. Recent reports indicate that smartphone manufacturers such as Oppo have initiated internal projects focused on handheld smart imaging devices, including action cameras and panoramic cameras, aiming to compete with products from DJI and US action camera maker GoPro.

Apple is reportedly considering establishing a small-scale trial production line in Taiwan to support the development and process validation of its upcoming foldable iPhone, as the global smartphone market approaches saturation. Industry sources suggest this move aims to facilitate early-stage engineering verification and pilot runs before full-scale manufacturing. Neither Apple nor Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (Foxconn), its principal assembler, have officially confirmed the plan.

Taiwan Mobile (TWM) has partnered with uniXecure, the cybersecurity arm of SYSTEX Corporation, to launch CyberShield, a comprehensive solution offering six core cybersecurity services. The initiative comes in response to surging global demand for cyber resilience, as highlighted in the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2025 report.

Apple is accelerating its manufacturing expansion in India amid global supply chain uncertainties, integrating nearly 45 local and international partners into its ecosystem. With domestic value addition in smartphones rising to 19% and iPhones worth US$45 billion produced between April 2021 and March 2025, India is becoming a pivotal hub in Apple's global supply chain.