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Thursday 6 August 2026
Commentary: Why China's AI optical-module dominance is Washington's next target
The AI boom is accelerating data-centre expansion and turning high-speed optical interconnects into the next globally scrutinised supply chain after GPUs and HBM. Over recent years, Chinese optical-module makers have rapidly entered global AI data centres through cost advantages, fast volume production and tightly integrated supply chains...
LATEST STORIES
Friday 7 August 2026
US sets price floors and tariffs on polysilicon, sharpening tech decoupling from China

US President Donald Trump said imports of polysilicon and related products threaten national security and ordered new trade measures aimed at lifting domestic production. The proclamation reflects a broader effort to reduce the US's reliance on foreign supply for solar manufacturing, semiconductors, and other advanced technologies.

Friday 7 August 2026
Analysis: Five years of US polysilicon imports show why Washington set the price floor at $21
US imports of high-purity polysilicon jumped to US$190 million in 2025. Still, the bigger story is in the volume: 6,791 tonnes, more than five times the 1,286 tonnes imported in 2024, according to UN Comtrade trade data.
Friday 7 August 2026
Analysis: Trump’s polysilicon tariffs split solar industry into winners and losers
US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on August 6 imposing minimum import prices and a 15% tariff on polysilicon and its derivatives, a move that hands a durable pricing advantage to US and non-Chinese producers while squeezing Chinese manufacturers out of price competitiveness in the American market.
Friday 7 August 2026
Nvidia seeks China AI-RAN partners to bring GPU computing into 6G networks

Nvidia is seeking Chinese telecom equipment partners to develop 6G AI radio access network base stations for overseas markets, according to Chinese media reports, as the chipmaker looks to extend its computing platform beyond data centres and into wireless networks and edge AI infrastructure.

Friday 7 August 2026
Inventec forecasts weaker notebook shipments as server growth continues in the third quarter
Inventec said notebook shipments will soften in the third quarter after customers pulled in orders during the first half, lifting volumes above expectations, while server shipments are set to keep rising. The Taiwanese electronics maker reported that it shipped 1.6 million notebook units in July, down from 2.4 million in June, and expects third-quarter notebook shipments to fall by a single-digit percentage from the second quarter.
Friday 7 August 2026
Taiwan raises 2027 central government spending to NT$3.6 trillion
Taiwan's central government said it would lift 2027 spending to NT$3.6 trillion, as President Lai Ching-te outlined a budget plan aimed at boosting industrial upgrading, technological innovation, and public welfare. The announcement followed a strong second quarter for Taiwan's electronics and information and communications shipments, which helped drive economic growth to 12.9%.
Friday 7 August 2026
Chinese optical suppliers confront FCC threat after US$19.1B sell-off

Chinese optical transceiver suppliers are trying to calm investors after reports that the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may restrict new China-made data-center components, threatening a supply chain central to global AI infrastructure.

Friday 7 August 2026
Huawei's Richard Yu warns of smartphone price hikes as memory costs soar
Huawei executive director and Consumer Business Group chairman Richard Yu warned on August 5 that sharply rising memory costs could trigger widespread smartphone price increases, saying handset makers risk losses if they continue selling devices at previous price levels.
Friday 7 August 2026
Ex-White House official urges South Korea to avoid excessive digital regulation
Former White House National Security Council chief of staff Alexander Gray has called on South Korea to deepen supply chain cooperation with the US and avoid following the European Union's digital regulation path.
Friday 7 August 2026
Taiwan business optimism eases in the third quarter as supply chains soften
Dun & Bradstreet said Taiwan business confidence slipped slightly in the third quarter of 2026, with its Taiwan Business Optimism Insights survey measuring an overall index of 107. The reading was down 0.8% from the previous quarter but remained 4.5% higher than a year earlier, pointing to a modest cooldown rather than a broad decline.
Thursday 6 August 2026
Rashi Peripherals partners with Japan's Restar to build out India semiconductor business

Rashi Peripherals, a national distribution partner for global technology brands in India, has entered a joint venture with Japanese electronics and technology company Restar Corporation. The move pushes the distributor beyond product distribution into engineering, design, and field application support for India's manufacturing sector, according to ScanX, IT Voice India, and CRN Asia.

Thursday 6 August 2026
China smartphone shipments fall 5.5% as 5G models gain share
China smartphone shipments fell 5.5% year-over-year in the first half of 2026 even as 5G handset shipments rose 1.7%, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). The shift came as Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi cut lower-end models amid higher memory and other upstream component costs, pushing 5G devices to 92% of total shipments.
Thursday 6 August 2026
US polysilicon tariff exposes chip security's solar dependence

The Trump administration is preparing to impose a 15% tariff and minimum import prices on polysilicon and selected derivative products, placing an upstream material shared by solar panels and semiconductor chips at the center of efforts to reduce US exposure to Chinese supply.

Thursday 6 August 2026
China steps up EV battery and smart-driving inspections on five automakers

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology launched surprise inspections in late July 2026 at five electric vehicle makers as Beijing widened its crackdown on "involution" industries. The checks focused on battery quality, smart-driving safety and marketing claims after years of intense price competition had raised concerns over product consistency and safety.

Thursday 6 August 2026
India's ASIP Technologies makes FCBGA core of OSAT plan
ASIP Technologies will focus its Visakhapatnam semiconductor facility on flip-chip ball grid array packaging as it works toward volume production in the fourth quarter of 2027, Managing Director and CEO Venkata Simhadri told DIGITIMES.