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Dec 18
Why OpenAI is courting AWS chips—and what it signals about cracks in its AI expansion
OpenAI is reportedly in negotiations with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to secure funding and collaborate on AWS's in-house developed application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). The move comes as OpenAI faces challenges scaling its existing AI partnerships into broader commercial deployments, prompting questions about the strategic significance of this potential alliance.
Taiwan's Amtran Technology is reshaping its growth trajectory, pivoting from scale-driven contract manufacturing to a profit-focused strategy built around high-value products—a shift now clearly reflected in its financial performance and product mix.
Amid sustained investments in AI computing infrastructure fueled by cloud service providers (CSPs) and large data centers, a structural differentiation has quietly emerged in the supply chain for power supplies. Due to differences in power architecture and site conditions between cloud-based hyperscale AI data centers and edge AI applications, power supply makers have adopted different approaches, leading to different timelines in realizing benefits.

At the HAIC2025 Artificial Intelligence Innovation Conference in Kunshan on December 18, Dawning Information Industry Co. (Sugon) unveiled its scaleX 10,000-accelerator supercluster, marking the first physical debut of a domestically developed AI cluster at this scale.

Apaq Technology reported a sharp rise in demand for solid capacitors, fueled primarily by AI servers and AI PCs, during an investor briefing on December 17. General Manager ST Lin stated that existing production lines for V-Chip, CAP, and Hybrid capacitors are now operating at full capacity, contributing to record revenue and profitability in the third quarter of 2025.

Eternal Precision Mechanics, a subsidiary of LCY Technology (Eternal Materials), has quietly become one of the most dominant players in the global semiconductor equipment supply chain.

Rafael Microelectronics is positioning optical communications and custom ASIC services as the twin pillars of its growth strategy heading into 2026, as the company accelerates its transition from a niche receiver-chip supplier into a broader high-speed signal transmission solutions provider.

As AI workloads reshape data center design, performance is no longer defined solely by computing power. Thermal management has emerged as an equally decisive battleground. Unlike traditional CPU-centric systems, modern AI servers rely heavily on GPUs and specialized accelerators, each drawing hundreds of watts per chip. The resulting thermal density far exceeds the limits of conventional air-cooling, turning heat dissipation into a core infrastructure challenge rather than a peripheral engineering concern.

Shihlin Electric is experiencing robust growth driven by expanding AI computing power needs and accelerated investment in power infrastructure. At HCT Logistics' smart electric vehicle (EV) launch event on December 18, 2025, Shihlin Electric showcased its commercial electric logistics fleet developed with CMC, alongside an integrated solar, charging, and energy storage power system.
At the Next One Korea national strategic technology forum, South Korea's government announced plans to move beyond policy discussions and accelerate the implementation of AI and related technologies. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, Kyung-Hoon Bae, identified 2026 as a pivotal year for this transition.

Rising memory prices are prompting end customers to procure notebooks early, a shift that is expected to keep shipments steadier than usual during the traditionally weak first half of 2026, even as brands are set to raise their end notebook prices to reflect the increasing costs, according to sources from the notebook supply chain.

Enterprises are rapidly adopting AI agents—autonomous AI applications capable of decision-making. But this shift exposes them to new cybersecurity risks. Simon Tai, managing director for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan at SailPoint, revealed that up to 80% of companies have experienced AI agents performing unexpected actions, highlighting a critical gap in governance mechanisms for non-human identities.