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Taiwanese laser processing equipment maker Laser Tek said that artificial intelligence(AI)-led investment in advanced packaging, testing, and passive components is boosting orders worldwide, but a persistent parts shortage is stretching delivery schedules and delaying some shipments. The company warned that tight supply could keep pressure on revenue in the near term.

OnePlus is exiting the North American and European markets for its future product launches, while sales of new Realme products will be suspended within its home market of China. The changes to both Oppo sub-brands signal the challenges low- to mid-tier brands face amid rising component costs and a tough global smartphone market this year.

Powertech Technology is deepening its panel-level packaging (FOPLP) strategy after its board approved a joint venture with Broadcom in Singapore to build panel-level advanced packaging (PLP) manufacturing capacity, with the planned investment totaling US$400 million.

ABB to buy Rotork in US$5.5 billion cash deal
Jul 17, 15:20
ABB said it has agreed to acquire Rotork in a recommended all-cash offer that would deepen the Swiss industrial group's push into electrification and automation, with potential implications for infrastructure operators, manufacturers, and energy users worldwide. The deal would combine two suppliers of critical flow-control and automation technology.

China's AI industry is shifting from model scale to the infrastructure needed to train, deploy and commercialize AI, with supernodes, high-speed interconnects, and computing efficiency dominating WAIC 2026.

Buoyed by robust shipments of optical communications products, Taiwanese optical communications company WaveSplitter Technologies (WST) nearly doubled its first-quarter revenue in 2026. Chairman and President Sheau Chen said surging AI computing demand will continue to drive the transition from 400G to 800G and 1.6T optical interconnects, with the company positioning its high-power continuous-wave (CW) laser portfolio as its next growth engine.
Google's months-long delay in shipping Gemini 3.5 Pro is hardening a view among investors and its own researchers that the company is slipping behind Anthropic and OpenAI in the contest that increasingly defines frontier AI: writing software. The setback has renewed questions about whether the search giant's sprawling structure is now a liability in a fast-moving race.
China used the opening of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai to institutionalize its bid to shape global governance of artificial intelligence (AI), with President Xi Jinping unveiling a package of measures aimed at the developing world and endorsing a new Shanghai-based intergovernmental body. The push positions Beijing as a self-styled champion of the "Global South" on AI at a moment of intensifying rivalry with the US over who writes the rules for the technology.

Vietnam has opened direct access to green electricity for companies, easing a major obstacle for Foxconn and its suppliers as global electronics makers shift production away from China. The change could help global supply chains expand in Vietnam while also increasing pressure on the country's power system, renewable capacity, and environmental management.

Power semiconductor makers say prices are still being adjusted as upstream raw material costs rise and AI-driven high-margin products crowd out capacity. With supply tight across the chain, customers are now focusing on securing shipments first, even as new price-hike notices arrive in the third quarter of 2026.

Nvidia unveils Thor-based modules for robots and edge AI
Jul 17, 11:55

Nvidia has introduced new Thor-based modules aimed at powering robots and autonomous machines as they move into broader commercial use. The launch reflects rising global demand for compact, efficient AI hardware that can run advanced foundation models on-device, helping businesses deploy smarter systems with lower latency and reduced reliance on the cloud.