Xiaomi Auto moved aggressively in September 2026, officially launching its second product line, the SkyNomad extended-range SUV series, on September 7. The company also said cumulative deliveries have surpassed 800,000 vehicles and laid out a timetable to enter the European market in 2027. But behind the upbeat headlines, Taiwanese suppliers are settling for secondary-supplier roles.

Samsung Electronics' Taylor foundry fab in Texas has reportedly reached full booking before 2nm volume production begins, signaling stronger demand for the company's incoming US advanced-node capacity as the site moves toward trial operations.

Cooling electric vehicle demand is forcing South Korean copper foil makers to rethink capital and capacity. Lotte Energy Materials has sold a 90% stake in its architectural exterior contracting subsidiary Lotte EcoWall for KRW170.8 billion (approx. US$120 million), and is redirecting the proceeds into its core copper foil business.

A battery quality controversy involving GAC Aion has put supplier CALB, the world's fourth-largest EV battery maker, under scrutiny and highlighted a less comfortable side of China's breakneck expansion in new energy industries.

As humanoid robots increasingly move from demonstrations toward factories and commercial deployments, competition is expanding beyond finished robots into the components that determine their cost, weight and ability to move precisely.

The flagship foldable market has reached a pivotal turning point as tech giants abandon tall, narrow cover screens in favor of wider aspect ratios and custom processing hardware. Xiaomi's newly launched Xiaomi 18 Fold brings direct competition to top-tier rivals such as the Huawei Pura X Max and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, while setting the stage for Apple's anticipated entry into the category later this week. For prospective buyers evaluating these premium devices, the ultimate purchasing decision hinges on core trade-offs including display usability and internal hardware performance.

This week, DIGITIMES heads to Shenzhen to cover an expo showcasing the world of optoelectronics, a class of technologies that serves as the link between electricity and light. In today's era of pervasive digital connectivity, from smart glasses to cars to phones, this event is expected to give us a glimpse into the hardware supply chain behind these devices, and increasingly behind the global AI infrastructure build-out.

Chinese DRAM maker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) expects global memory supply to remain tight through the second half of 2026, with AI-driven demand supporting prices while the company expands capacity, upgrades processes and pushes further into server memory.

Xiaomi unveiled its new wide-fold Xiaomi 18 Fold on the evening of the 7th to address demand and competition in the foldable smartphone market. Despite a recent smartphone market slowdown caused by surging memory prices, Xiaomi has kept up a rapid launch pace, including the new Redmi Note 17 series and the Poco F9 series.

The 27th China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE 2026) will run September 9-11 in Shenzhen, bringing together more than 5,000 exhibitors from over 30 countries and regions as AI infrastructure, high-speed optical communications and AR/VR applications reshape the optoelectronics industry.

Samsung Electronics is allocating more than half of its 4nm foundry capacity to base dies for sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) as it accelerates shipments to major AI chip customers. The share is estimated at 50–60% as of August, according to ZDNet Korea.

Apple's fall product launch is approaching, and leaked pricing for the iPhone 18 lineup is beginning to circulate in China, pointing to higher prices for the company's next-generation flagship smartphones.

Rising smartphone prices are spreading beyond China, with Southeast Asia already showing the strain from rising handset costs and weaker replacement demand.