iKala co-founder and chairman Sega Cheng made a bold declaration at "iKala Connection Day" on March 30: AI is now the world's third essential infrastructure, ranking alongside water and electricity. Computing costs are halving every six months, he said, fueling a wave of adoption unlike anything seen before.
Industrial touch panel maker Apex Material Technology (AMT), whose core business spans industrial control and medical applications, accounting for up to 90% of its operations, will continue to deepen its presence in the medical and energy-efficient e-paper sectors in 2026. Following shipments of over 10,000 e-paper units in 2025, volumes are expected to grow further in 2026, contributing to tangible revenue and profit gains. The company noted that despite headwinds such as geopolitical conflicts and rising material costs, both revenue and operating margin in 2026 are expected to remain in line with 2025 performance.
Acer's smart mobility strategy is beginning to show results. The company expects the overall industry to rebound in 2026 and anticipates its smart mobility to expand, with full-year growth likely reaching double digits. Key growth markets will be the US and Canada, while opportunities in electric motorcycles and e-bikes are also promising in the Asia-Pacific region. However, despite being a large e-bike market, China is not a current target due to intense competition.
Since artificial general intelligence (AGI) depends heavily on the CPU, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang aims to build the most efficient "AI factory" by tightly controlling CPU development. At GTC 2026, Nvidia aggressively promoted its next-generation self-developed Arm-based CPU designed specifically for agentic AI.
India is accelerating its push to build a self-reliant electronics and semiconductor ecosystem, approving new component projects, supporting local display and chip manufacturing, and tightening market access for Chinese products, as rising investments, policy incentives, and global partnerships position the country as an emerging hub in the global supply chain.
Taiwan has long been synonymous with semiconductors and high-tech electronics, but the bulk of its industrial base tells a different story. The country's traditional manufacturing sector — spanning metalworking, textiles, chemicals, and plastics — comprises more than 90% of all manufacturing activity, with 85,300 companies employing 2.08 million people, according to Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Deputy Minister Chin-tsang Ho.
Operating across Taiwan and Silicon Valley, the artificial intelligence start-up Anvil Robotics said on April 2 that it had raised US$6.5 million in seed funding, led by Matter Venture Partners, a Silicon Valley investor focused on semiconductors, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. The company said the funds would be used to accelerate development of its "physical AI" infrastructure platform and expand into global markets.
The global AI narrative is often reduced to a struggle between US- and China-based tech giants. However, a quieter yet more significant movement is emerging among second-tier industrial powers. During a recent lecture, DIGITIMES chairman Colley Hwang spoke about how nations such as Germany, Japan, France, and Canada are increasingly focused on building sovereign AI.
The 2026 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report signals a new era of digital friction between the US and its closest Asian allies.
The current lack of real-world physical data for humanoid robots means they still require substantial training costs. Recognizing this business opportunity, J-Mex, which specializes in motion capture technology, has in recent years been actively entering the humanoid robot supply chain. It is now a partner in Nvidia's ecosystem and has recently announced a collaboration with Techman Robot to accelerate the deployment of physical AI.
Taiwan sits at a rare intersection of economic momentum and political gridlock. The island's economy expanded 8.68% in 2025, exports hit a record US$640.75 billion, and per capita GDP is closing in on the US$40,000 threshold — largely on the back of booming global demand for AI chips and semiconductor capacity. Yet while Taiwan's technology industry is firing on all cylinders, its legislature remains deadlocked over the government's spending plan.
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