At its year-end celebration on January 16, ASUS held a confident tone amid a turbulent global outlook. Jonney Shih, the company's chairman, told employees that despite mounting uncertainty from international tariffs and geopolitical tensions heading into 2025, the company had delivered what he described as a "solid report card," crediting strong execution and organizational cohesion.
Looking ahead, Shih said the fourth industrial revolution—driven by AI—has formally begun. ASUS, he said, will fully commit to an "All in AI" strategy under the banner "Ubiquitous AI, Incredible Possibilities."
He described a future shaped by countless "artificial brains," ranging in scale and capability, able to learn autonomously, adapt to change, plan, and automate tasks. The result, he said, would be a paradigm shift unlike any before. ASUS's long-term ambition is to embed AI seamlessly into daily life and work, from cloud infrastructure to edge computing, from personal computers to a wide array of so-called physical AI devices.
In this next phase, Shih said, hybrid AI systems and physical AI hardware will define the landscape. Devices across the spectrum—from PCs to specialized machines—will play critical roles. ASUS's decades of accumulated design expertise, he argued, position the company well to fuse hardware innovation with artificial intelligence. While ASUS is investing heavily in related research and development, he said details would remain undisclosed for now, citing the sensitivity of both products and commercial opportunities.
AI replaces workflows, not value judgment
Shih framed AI's rise as fundamentally different from previous industrial revolutions. Unlike earlier waves of automation that displaced physical labor, this one threatens to replace parts of knowledge work—a shift that has fueled anxiety worldwide. For companies, he said, the goal of AI should not be to reduce headcount, but to liberate human talent, allowing people to focus on decision-making, design, and innovation.
For younger generations, AI should not be treated merely as a tool, he added, but as a collaborator. Skills such as working alongside AI systems and using them to accelerate learning will be essential. While basic skills and processes are likely to be automated, cross-disciplinary understanding, systems thinking, and the ability to translate technology into real-world solutions will grow in importance.
2026 product strategies
On product strategy, Shih confirmed that while ASUS will continue to support existing smartphone users, the company does not plan to introduce new smartphone models after 2026. Resources, he said, will be reallocated toward areas with greater long-term strategic significance.
Addressing concerns over memory shortages and rising prices—particularly for high-bandwidth memory used in AI applications—Shih acknowledged that AI-driven demand has placed pressure on supply across the industry. ASUS, he said, views this as both a challenge and an opportunity. Through design thinking, product planning, optimized sales mixes, and close coordination with suppliers, the company aims to deliver the best balance of performance, pricing, and user experience.
Price pressures and supply constraints are now widely recognized across the market, he said, but for ASUS they may still translate into opportunity—an outcome that will ultimately be reflected in its financial results.
In AI servers, ASUS has already reached a major milestone. The company's performance in 2025 has been strong enough to surpass NT$100 billion (aprrox. US$3.1 billion) in revenue ahead of schedule. Asus has completed its strategic build-out and now aims to offer end-to-end "AI factory" services, spanning design, manufacturing, and after-sales support. With a global network of flexible manufacturing sites and roughly 2,200 service centers worldwide, Shih said, the company holds an advantage that competitors would find difficult to replicate. Asus has also set ambitious growth targets for the next three years.
Asked about the impact of the recently finalized US-Taiwan tariff agreement, Shih said that certainty itself is beneficial, as it reduces unpredictability for businesses. Rather than comment extensively on individual policies, he said, ASUS would continue strengthening supply-chain resilience and competitiveness. Years of investment in globally distributed, flexible manufacturing have left the company better prepared to absorb external shocks.
The year-end event, themed "AI Leading the Way to the Future," drew more than 8,000 employees across over 800 banquet tables. The top prize of the evening was a Volkswagen Tiguan 280 eTSI—an emblem of celebration, even as the company looks toward a future defined increasingly by artificial intelligence.
Article edited by Jack Wu
