When the Manhattan Project mobilized the full weight of the American state in 1945 to unlock atomic energy, it revealed something humanity had not fully grasped before: once a scientific breakthrough is absorbed into national strategy, its impact can far exceed any single industry or technology. Eighty years later, the US is attempting to recreate that logic—this time around artificial intelligence (AI).
ByteDance is planning to procure a mix of Nvidia H200 accelerators and Huawei Technologies Ascend chips to meet its growing artificial intelligence needs while adhering to China's push for localized hardware. The move underscores the challenge facing Chinese technology companies that must preserve high-performance training capacity while signaling compliance with domestic industrial policy.
The aerospace supply chain is showing signs of recovery following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with National Aerospace Fasteners Corporation (NAFCO) preparing for a significant increase in new aircraft deliveries starting in 2026. According to NAFCO general manager Alvin Lin, three major obstacles that had delayed new-plane handovers are being gradually resolved, enabling a stronger delivery outlook.
Facing multi-year waits for electrical grid connections, data center operators supporting artificial intelligence (AI) workloads are turning to an unexpected supplier: supersonic jet engine manufacturer Boom Supersonic. The Colorado-based company, backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, recently secured an order to deliver 1.2GW of power generation capacity to data center operator Crusoe, pivoting part of its aerospace technology to the energy sector.
Chant Sincere, a supplier specializing in high-speed connector modules, is expanding its presence in AI high-performance computing and automotive electronics as network switches evolve toward 800G and 1.6T standards. The company anticipates significant volume production growth starting in 2026.
International container shipping rates have risen for four consecutive weeks prior to the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February 2026. However, the market has cast doubts on whether rates will continue to climb, since a sluggish recovery in China and the ongoing impact of US tariffs are expected to constrain shipping demand.
Taiwan Mobile's AI data center (AIDC) in Guishan in northern Taiwan is already fully leased after it officially began operations in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the company's president, Jamie Lin. The company expects the AIDC to start contributing revenue from January 2026, with profitability achievable within its first year of operation.
Since joining Google, DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis has been shaping the company's artificial intelligence development strategy, emphasizing the importance of "world models" over large language models (LLMs) alone, Bloomberg reports. Despite his scientific stature and technical contributions, Hassabis has yet to oversee the launch of a major consumer AI product.
Taiwan-based Fukuta Electric & Machinery plans to go public on the Innovation Board in late January 2026 as it accelerates its move from industrial motor manufacturing toward integrated powertrain system solutions for electric vehicles. The company reported that nearly half of its revenues in the first three quarters of 2025 stemmed from electric vehicle-related products.
As 2025 concludes, Taiwan's information and communication technology (ICT) and electronics sectors have experienced significant export growth driven by AI-related demand, particularly from the United States. This comes according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). Despite record-breaking trade surpluses and rising foreign-exchange earnings, industry surveys indicate varying confidence about future prospects.
China's Ministry of Finance and the Customs Tariff Commission released a 2026 tariff adjustment plan set to take effect on January 1, 2026. The plan revises import provisional tariffs and adjusts tariff classifications. It also continues the application of agreement and preferential rates, covering a total of 8,972 tariff items.
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