One of the biggest stories in Taiwan's auto market toward the end of 2025 is Foxtron's official announcement to acquire 100% of Luxgen, with the deal expected to close in the first quarter of 2026. This move marks Foxtron's shift from solely product design and development toward vertical integration, gaining full control over its brand and distribution channels—the critical "export gateway.

The US-Taiwan reciprocal tariff negotiations officially concluded on February 12, 2026. Notably, tariffs on information and communication technology (ICT) and semiconductors remain at zero, and even if tariffs arise in the future, Taiwan will face the lowest rates

China's leading large model developers are accelerating flagship releases, while domestic AI chipmakers are responding almost simultaneously, announcing Day-0 adaptation and optimization as soon as new models are introduced

Due to low production efficiency and intense price competition, major panel makers like AUO, Innolux, and LG Display are selling older LCD factories. Semiconductor companies such as TSMC, Micron, ASE, and SK Hynix have shown strong interest in acquiring these high-spec cleanroom facilities to accelerate expansion amid rising AI demand

The European Commission plans to unveil its "localization ratio" policy by late February 2026 to shape Europe's manufacturing sovereignty. Yet Stellantis's abrupt halt to construction of ACC's lithium battery gigafactories in Germany and Italy has injected immediate uncertainty into that agenda

Minister of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Cheng-wen Wu has recently sparked a firestorm across Taiwan's academic community. His blunt critique of long-standing structural problems—punctuated by provocative phrases such as "very shameful" and "despised"—quickly ignited debate over whether Taiwan's research system has become overly dependent on metrics, entrenched in factionalism, and driven by incentives that prioritize quantity over meaningful impact

America's largest technology companies — including Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft — have begun disclosing their capital spending plans for 2026. The numbers reveal an investment surge driven by the rapid expansion of generative artificial intelligence. Combined capital expenditures by the group are now estimated to reach between US$600 billion and US$630 billion. This far exceeds market expectations and rivals the annual gross domestic product of many mid-sized nations

Qun Ge, global senior vice president and chairman and president of Synopsys China, is set to depart. The move appears routine. But it points to deeper structural shifts in the global EDA industry's China market

Alphabet Inc. has executed a financial maneuver that fundamentally alters the landscape of the AI arms race

Power semiconductor maker Panjit International is positioning itself to capitalize on the booming demand from AI data centers, targeting fast growth in AI, cooling, and power supply markets. The company expects shipments of its hot-swap products to surge in 2026, with AI-related products accounting for up to 15% of sales this year. Currently, Panjit has secured design wins with two major cloud service providers (CSPs), and is seeking to win orders from additional customers while laying out plans for next-generation hot-swap technology

China-based foundry SMIC will release fourth-quarter 2025 results on February 10 and hold its first 2026 investor briefing on February 11. Market focus is expected to center on its advanced packaging push, which is shifting from a supporting function toward a core manufacturing strategy

Despite possessing a land area roughly one-fiftieth the size of Taiwan, Singapore has established itself as one of the most closely watched economies and supply chain hubs in Asia. This ascent is the result of a long-term strategy to internationalize its education system and labor force

Liquid cooling adoption has been led by Nvidia servers, with ASIC servers now accelerating the shift. DIGITIMES Research estimates liquid cooling will account for 50% of AI server thermal solutions in 2026, driven largely by ASIC platforms. Industry sources said cooling suppliers are not only targeting Nvidia GPU systems but are increasingly competing for ASIC server orders due to higher margins

At the annual Taipei International Book Exhibition — traditionally a peak season for e-reader launches and promotions — E Ink Holdings, the world's largest e-paper material supplier, used the event to assess the latest market trends. David Liu, assistant vice president of E Ink's eReader Business Unit, shared his frontline observations

Rising AI computing demand is lifting shipments of general-purpose servers, positioning them as a key growth driver for the server supply chain in 2026. Supply chain sources said AI servers will continue to grow faster, but expanding AI inference workloads are increasingly translating into stronger demand for conventional server systems