After The New York Times reported that a female executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed International was under investigation for allegedly conducting espionage activities for China, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company's dealings with Megaspeed were normal and involved no irregularities.
Tata Sons has put INR11 billion (US$115.71 million) into Tata Electronics through a rights issue, according to regulatory filings, adding capital to a business that has quickly become one of the largest in the Tata group.
South Korean AI chip startup FuriosaAI has raised US$620 million in its latest funding round, quadrupling its valuation from the previous round to US$2.9 billion and strengthening its challenge to Nvidia.
As AI and unmanned systems see wider adoption, the military's reliance on electricity continues to grow, making energy transition critical to maintaining combat capabilities. The South Korean Army made its debut at Smart Energy Plus (SEP) 2026, showcasing microgrids integrating solar power, energy storage systems (ESS), and hydrogen fuel cells, along with hydrogen-powered tactical vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell drones to reduce dependence on external power grids.
Indian consumer electronics brand Mivi has inaugurated an INR2 billion (approx. US$21.05 million) research, development, and manufacturing facility at E-City in Tukkuguda, Hyderabad, giving the audio-focused company a monthly capacity of 500,000 earbuds and 75,000 soundbars as it pushes into smartphones.
Iluvatar CoreX has reported benchmark results showing its Tiangai 300 AI accelerator outperforming Nvidia's H200 on selected metrics, drawing renewed attention to China's progress in developing domestic alternatives to high-end GPUs. Yet the broader competition extends beyond raw processing power, as Chinese chipmakers seek to narrow the gap with leading international AI computing platforms through chip design, software optimisation and system integration.
Master’s degree holders remain the backbone of Taiwan’s technology R&D workforce, while locally trained PhD students generally show weaker research capabilities, according to academic sources. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) said on October 30 that Taiwan’s total R&D investment reached NT$1.13 trillion (US$34.79 billion) in 2025, up 8.5% year-over-year, including NT$981 billion from the private sector and NT$157 billion from the government.
Foxconn chairman Young Liu said at a media briefing following Hon Hai Tech Day (HHTD 26) on October 30 that the long-term AI industry trend remains intact, but the overall market will develop in a K-shaped pattern in 2027, with AI data center-related industries on the upswing and other sectors moving in the opposite direction. Foxconn expects to continue growing at a double-digit rate next year.
This week’s coverage highlights intensifying competition and capacity constraints across the global semiconductor industry. Taiwan faces debate over whether public R&D funding should prioritize universities and talent development. Micron workers receive unusually large bonuses amid unresolved labor negotiations. India is expanding state-level semiconductor incentives, while KLA reportedly considers local manufacturing. Memory shortages may persist through 2030, and SK Hynix is investing beyond memory. Server CPU demand is projected to surge, with AMD potentially surpassing Intel in revenue.
Samsung Electronics has never had more capital at its disposal. The company reported operating profit of KRW89.5 trillion (approx. US$67 billion) in the second quarter of 2026 and KRW107.4 trillion in the third, when its operating margin reached approximately 55%. Samsung became the first technology company worldwide to post quarterly operating profit exceeding KRW100 trillion. The company is benefiting enormously from the memory boom, but its dependence on the industry has also deepened.
India's semiconductor ambitions are gathering momentum as states launch new subsidies, chipmakers weigh fabs, global suppliers consider manufacturing, and engineering partnerships deepen the country's role in chip supply chains.
Lite-On Technology reported record net profit for the third quarter of 2026 as demand for AI infrastructure boosted its cloud and power businesses. The Taiwanese electronics supplier posted consolidated revenue of NT$57.4 billion (US$1.8 billion), up 9% quarter-over-quarter and 28% year-over-year, while executives said AI-related revenue had exceeded 30% of the company's year-to-date total.
Nvidia's robotics partnerships in South Korea are moving beyond initial agreements, with LG Electronics beginning partial operations at its robot-training Data Factory and LG Innotek expanding cooperation on sensing technologies. Hyundai Motor Group, another Nvidia partner, has also outlined new steps toward building AI infrastructure for robotics and autonomous driving.
South Korean companies showcased humanoid robot components, dual-arm machines, and autonomous driving systems at FIX 2026 in Daegu, offering a look at how developers are bringing automation into factories and transportation. The technologies ranged from robotic hardware under development for manufacturing applications to an autonomous taxi service already carrying paying passengers.
Taiwan Mobile (TWM) said its buy now, pay later (BNPL) service is expanding beyond e-commerce checkout to travel, pet care, and other consumer scenarios, driven by the growth of atypical employment and rising demand for flexible payments. The service, branded "OP Pay," had 49.9% more cumulative users as of the end of September 2026 than at the end of September 2025.
Ibiden on October 29 raised its fiscal 2026 forecast, projecting consolidated net profit to rise 40% year-over-year to JPY89 billion (US$563 million) and revenue to increase 36% to JPY565 billion. The company also announced an additional JPY151 billion in capital investment to expand advanced IC packaging substrate capacity for generative AI servers and CPUs.
