
Notebook ODMs enjoyed stronger-than-seasonal demand in the first half of 2026, but the traditional peak season is losing momentum. Shipments are expected to decline sequentially from the third quarter, while component suppliers increasingly view 2026 as a turning point in the global notebook supply chain.
Apple supplier Lingyi iTech is seeking to expand further into AI infrastructure, announcing plans to invest up to CNY4 billion (US$589.9 million) to acquire control of the assets and operations of bankrupt optical fiber manufacturer Futong Group Communication Technology (Futong Jiashan) through a restructuring process.
Google is intensifying its effort to expand adoption of its in-house Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), taking direct aim at Nvidia's dominance in AI infrastructure by courting "neocloud" providers that have traditionally built their businesses around Nvidia GPUs.
Intel is developing a new memory architecture aimed at challenging the dominance of high-bandwidth memory (HBM), with commercialization targeted for around 2030. Although the path is fraught with ecosystem barriers and compatibility hurdles, Intel's parallel development of Z-angle memory (ZAM) and cross-batch memory (XBM) underscores its determination to re-enter the DRAM market, as it simultaneously bets on AI compute and storage.
The smart glasses market is developing rapidly, with brands adopting a more pragmatic approach to product design while placing greater emphasis on interactivity. Taiwanese companies are seeking to keep pace with this growth, while Chinese players are moving equally quickly. The emergence of numerous Chinese startups and their ability to attract funding have reinforced market optimism over smart glasses demand, while intensifying competition between Taiwan and China across the supply chain.

As the world enters an AI-centric era, the global race for technological leadership is no longer defined only by who can build the most advanced models. It is increasingly shaped by who can secure compute, deploy infrastructure at scale, reduce energy constraints, and turn research into commercial capability.

