US voters favored restrictions on data center development in 40 of 41 local ballot measures across 10 states on November 3, signaling growing opposition to AI infrastructure expansion.

Industrial PC leader Advantech reported record quarterly revenue and net profit for the third quarter of 2026, propelled by strong demand across semiconductor equipment, factory automation, and medical devices, alongside surging shipments of high-end edge AI systems. However, component price increases squeezed its gross margin down to 36.7%. Looking ahead, the company expects to maintain high-double-digit growth in both revenue and profit through 2027.

Advantech expects strong growth in 2027, identifying semiconductor equipment, edge AI and robotics as its principal growth engines. The Taiwanese industrial computing company reported robust orders across North America, China, Europe and Taiwan, although demand in parts of Southeast Asia and other emerging markets remains subdued. It is also monitoring potential US policy changes following the midterm elections.

Goldman Sachs and Apollo Global Management have reportedly begun approaching potential investors about purchasing parts of a US$40 billion deal to finance SpaceX's leasing of Nvidia chips. The firms are seeking to complete the transaction quickly in the wake of Democratic victories in this week's midterm elections, which some worry could slow the growth of AI development.

Japanese electronic components giant Kyocera reported record revenue of JPY1.08 trillion (approximately US$6.83 billion) for the first half of fiscal 2026 (April to September 2026), up 8.8% from the same period a year earlier. Operating profit and net income also grew by 32% to 56%. The results prompted Kyocera to raise its fiscal 2026 outlook for the second time, increasing its full-year revenue forecast to JPY2.12 trillion, 9% above its initial projection.

Coherent is positioning itself as the optics supplier with no stake in the chip wars, two days after Marvell Technology agreed to acquire one of its closest rivals.

Qisda posted October consolidated revenue of NT$19.39 billion (US$590.8 million), up 13.47% year-over-year but down 1.85% from September, as its AI infrastructure, AI solutions, and smart manufacturing, and AI healthcare businesses all recorded double-digit growth from a year earlier.

Rising global oil prices have driven up food costs, squeezing consumer discretionary budgets for products with higher price elasticity, such as smartphones and consumer electronics. A specialized report from Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) reveals that in 2025, global ICT goods and services exports reached US$3.6 trillion and US$1.4 trillion, respectively. Saturated market demand capped average annual export growth for telecommunications equipment and consumer electronics at just 2.5% and 0.9%, respectively.

Apple has opened testing of its China-specific Apple Intelligence service with the iOS 27.3 developer beta released on November 4, integrating Alibaba's Qwen model into Siri. The full version is expected in December, as Apple works to close the gap in its generative AI offerings in China.

Flexium Interconnect chairman Walter Cheng said the company has emerged from the toughest operating downturn of the past two years and expects AI orders for smart glasses and infrastructure to accelerate in 2027, which is also expected to lower consumer electronics revenue to below 50%. The flexible printed circuit (FPC) maker expects its polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) products to enter mass production in 2028 and is targeting a return to profitability in the first quarter of 2027.

Qualcomm's weakening smartphone business is accelerating its transformation into an AI infrastructure supplier, with custom accelerators, server CPUs, and optical connectivity emerging as growth priorities. Following a 26% annual decline in handset chip revenue in fiscal 4Q26, the US chipmaker is targeting US$5 billion in data center revenue in fiscal 2027 and US$15 billion by fiscal 2029. The question is whether these businesses can scale quickly enough to offset pressures in its traditional market.