Samsung Electronics reported a sharp jump in second-quarter operating profit, underscoring how global demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure is reshaping the memory-chip market. The result matters far beyond South Korea, as higher DRAM and NAND prices affect data-center spending, device costs, and the pace of the worldwide AI buildout.
The smartphone market is facing cost pressure in 2026 as rising prices for memory and other upstream components lift handset costs. Brands are responding by increasing phone prices and expanding AI features into more models, including mid-range devices, to support replacement demand.
While there are still years to go for the commercialization of 6G adoption, the next-generation mobile network architecture is increasingly poised to take shape.
With supply chain inventory normalization largely complete, Sonix Technology (Sonix) has seen business momentum recover. The MCU supplier is benefiting from resilient demand for microcontrollers used in medical monitoring devices and steady shipments of multimedia image-processing chips, giving it better order visibility for 2026 than in previous years. Meanwhile, the company's drone business has entered niche commercial and industrial applications, providing a stepping stone toward higher-end markets.
Sharp is moving deeper into satellite communications as it seeks to extend its networking technologies beyond consumer devices and into industrial infrastructure.
A public spat between Xiaomi and Huawei over large models has exposed growing anxiety in China's phone AI market this year, while Apple, Google, and Samsung Electronics pursue different routes to seize the AI agent entry point.
Zyxel Networks, the commercial networking brand under Zyxel Group, announced a new outdoor wireless access point on the 2nd as it targets managed service provider (MSP) demand for faster, more stable connectivity. The launch expands its outdoor wireless portfolio with the first NWA55AX point-to-point model, aimed at helping MSPs serve enterprise customers that need extended coverage outside traditional office spaces.
Taiwan Network Authentication Co. (TWCA) on the 1st joined Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, Far EasTone Telecommunications, First Bank, E.SUN Bank and Bank of Taiwan SME to launch the new-generation MID+ mobile identity verification service. The rollout was presented as part of the government-backed push for technology-led anti-fraud cooperation between the public and private sectors.
Elon Musk has moved to acquire optical communications startup Mesh Optical Technologies, according to reports cited by Reuters on June 27 in the US. The deal comes as high-speed interconnects have become a major constraint in AI data center builds, where copper cabling is struggling with limits on power, distance and bandwidth.
Apple's iPhone lost momentum in China in the first five months of 2026, while domestic smartphone brands largely preserved their home-market advantage. The shift came as volatile memory prices, changing pricing strategies and government subsidies made competition in China's handset market harder to predict.
Large-size display driver ICs (DDIs) were a key revenue driver for many DDI suppliers during the first half of 2026. Taiwanese manufacturers said early notebook inventory build-up beginning in the first quarter of 2026, together with television restocking ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, allowed large-size DDI shipments to outperform the traditional seasonal slowdown.
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