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Feb 10
Memory cost pressures lead ODMs to adopt cautious 2026 outlook for notebook shipments
Notebook ODMs reported mixed January 2026 shipment results, with Quanta declining year-over-year while Wistron and Inventec showed growth. The industry expects a first quarter seasonal decline and overall 2026 shipments to face challenges due to memory shortages and price hikes.
Pan-International reported revenue declines both month over month and year over year in January 2026, as communications product customers adopted a more cautious stance and delayed orders amid concerns over reciprocal tariffs.
Strong investment from international cloud service providers is driving robust growth in AI data centers in 2026 and lifting shipments for electronic component distributors, according to January revenue reports from WT Microelectronics and WPG.
Taiwan's Executive Yuan announced on February 10, 2026, that the government will fully embrace advanced new nuclear technologies worldwide, including small modular reactors (SMRs). This marks a significant shift in its longstanding non-nuclear policy amid rising challenges from climate change, energy security, and surging AI-driven electricity demand.
Nam Liong Global said its overall order visibility has extended through the third quarter of 2026, with advanced materials for the electronics technology industry clearing customer verification and expected to enter trial production ramp-up in the third quarter.
America's largest technology companies — including Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft — have begun disclosing their capital spending plans for 2026. The numbers reveal an investment surge driven by the rapid expansion of generative artificial intelligence. Combined capital expenditures by the group are now estimated to reach between US$600 billion and US$630 billion. This far exceeds market expectations and rivals the annual gross domestic product of many mid-sized nations.
The expansion of computing power driven by generative AI has repositioned memory as a critical resource, with data centers and AI servers redefining its value and leaving industrial PC (IPC) manufacturers facing rising costs and worsening lead-time challenges as 2026 begins.
Taiwanese power supply giant Delta Electronics announced on February 9 that its IT department detected abnormal login attempts in the information systems of an overseas subsidiary. Following an investigation, the company found that parts of the system were targeted by a cyberattack, potentially exposing some business-related information and employees' personal data.
Taiwanese display driver IC (DDI) giant Novatek recently held an investor briefing, where Vice Chairman and General Manager Steve Wang said that memory supply and costs will be the most critical factors affecting various electronic products, especially smartphones and PCs, in 2026. Aside from traditional DDI products, Novatek has recently made progress in new areas such as system-on-chip (SoC), application-specific ICs (ASICs), imaging, and edge AI. The company plans to continue launching new products and expand into diverse applications.
Alibaba has completed the final piece of its AI strategy. T-Head Semiconductor has launched the Zhenwu 810E AI chip, developed in-house by Alibaba across hardware and software. The company's AI structure is now fully visible, built around Tongyi Lab, Alibaba Cloud, and T-Head Semiconductor operating as an integrated trio.
A trademark dispute has emerged in India as US-based AI company Anthropic accelerates its expansion in the country, highlighting tensions that can arise when global AI firms enter fast-growing local markets, according to Hindu Business Line and TechCrunch.

Taiwanese semiconductor materials distributor Topco Scientific (TSC) reported record revenue for January 2026, buoyed by robust demand from artificial intelligence-driven advanced chip production. The company said January revenue reached NT$6 billion (approx. US$190 million), an 8.25% increase from the same month a year earlier. The figure marks the highest January performance in the company's history and ranks as the third-highest monthly revenue on record.