The aggressive rollout of large-scale infrastructure projects has brought increasingly visible changes across global economies and major technology supply chains, with much of that transformation now unfolding under the expanding influence of AI.
Huawei has regained momentum across its consumer device business, but its position in the global wearables market is becoming increasingly uneven: the Chinese technology giant has taken the global smartwatch crown, while its wireless earbuds remain a more distant fourth behind Apple, Xiaomi, and Samsung Electronics.
Taiwan energy management startup NextDrive said that it has secured the No. 1 market share in Japan's home energy management system (HEMS) segment and has received key support from the Tokyo Stock Exchange for three straight years, adding momentum to its Japan IPO plans.
Champ-Ray Industrial is stepping up efforts to expand in Japan's drone market, using a recent sponsorship tie-in with the Oita Trinita professional football team in Japan's J2 League to open deeper exchanges with the Oita Prefectural Government and local drone operators. The DC motor and ceiling fan maker said it is mapping local drone industry needs and evaluating whether to submit samples for testing as it moves toward practical cooperation.
General Motors (GM) has started trial runs at a new battery cell line in Warren, Michigan, moving into the validation stage of its next-generation mass production plan. The line at the Battery Cell Development Center (BCDC) is being built with main process equipment sourced from South Korean suppliers.
Topco Scientific said its Japanese subsidiary, Shunkawa, officially opened its Fukuoka office on October 1, making it the company’s third base in Japan alongside its Tokyo headquarters and Kumamoto office. The move is designed to leverage Fukuoka’s location and industrial clustering to strengthen real-time technical support and new business development in Kyushu’s semiconductor hub.
Taiwan is moving to align its Green Mark ecolabel with international certification systems in an effort to reduce green trade barriers and shorten time to market for electronics products.
As smart glasses draw growing market attention, Chinese suppliers including BOE, SeeYA Technology and Sidtek are expanding Micro OLED production. Display industry sources caution, however, that demand for the panels remains uncertain and that capacity coming online ahead of proven demand could leave the market oversupplied.
Infineon Technologies officially inaugurated a new backend manufacturing site in Samut Prakan, south of Bangkok, on October 1, expanding the German chipmaker's production network in Southeast Asia starting with an initial investment of over EUR100 million (US$113.1 million).
Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) held its 11th Automation Industry-Academia Project Results Presentation on September 30, unveiling 12 technology projects developed with six Taiwanese universities as it works to advance smart outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) and digital manufacturing. The projects were designed to support semiconductor factory efficiency, quality control, resilience, and climate adaptation.
Taiwan's Executive Yuan has moved to extend price controls and seek additional subsidies for CPC Corporation and Taiwan Power Company as Middle East conflict has lifted global oil and gas costs. The government said the extra budget is intended to keep fuel, electricity, and bottled gas prices stable for households and businesses.
Shinko Electric Industries announced on September 30 it has signed a purchase agreement to acquire the Mobara Fab from Japan Display (JDI) in Mobara City, Chiba Prefecture. The transaction is intended to establish a new core production hub dedicated to high-end semiconductor packaging, addressing surging global demand for AI accelerators and data center applications.
DB HiTek has raised foundry prices by as much as 30%, with Chinese customers facing the steepest increases as rising orders push the South Korean foundry's 8-inch capacity close to full utilization, according to The Elec.
Huawei rotating chairman Eric Xu said the company's Ascend AI accelerators have surpassed Nvidia in both sales and market share in China, highlighting how US export controls on advanced AI chips are accelerating the shift of China's data center and AI industries toward domestic suppliers.
China's next-generation fusion programme has entered a new engineering phase with the formal opening of the campus for the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) and the start of critical main-device assembly in Hefei, Anhui.
