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Mar 13 SEMICONDUCTORS

Exclusive: Inside GlobalFoundries CEO's stealth Taiwan blitz: wafer deals, not a UMC takeover

Mar 13 SEMICONDUCTORS

Tesla AI chip delay pushes South Korean NPU startup DeepX back six months

Mar 13 SEMICONDUCTORS

Middle East turmoil disrupts South Korean SME exports, stokes chip supply concerns

Impact of US strikes on Iran

On February 28, the US launched an airstrike on Iran, titled Operation Epic Fury.

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SEMICONDUCTORS

Mar 13

Apple's Mac Neo gambit: when volume alone can't hold the TSMC crown

The semiconductor landscape is undergoing a fundamental shift, moving from a mobile-first volume game to an AI-driven value competition.

Feb 26

Nvidia's strong quarter and outsized guidance soothe fears of an AI investment bubble

On February 25, Nvidia's blowout fourth-quarter results and bullish fiscal-2027 guidancehelped dispel recent market worries that the AI spending boom may be an unsustainable bubble, as the company reported record sales and signaled continued rapid demand for data‑center compute.

Mar 13

Monthly Chart: memory surge vs logic slump creates polarized February in Taiwan

The Taiwanese semiconductor sector reported a starkly bifurcated performance for February 2026, as a massive cyclical rebound in the memory market clashed with a sharp contraction in specialized IC design and ASIC services.

ICT

Mar 13

AW 2026: a reality check for the fully autonomous era

Global headlines may proclaim a fully autonomous era, but AW 2026 told a different story. The show made clear that robots are not yet fully autonomous — a fact obscured by modern robotics coverage. The industry is heading in the right direction, but independent operation remains out of reach. A surprising number of robots were teleoperated via controllers. Those left unsupervised often struggled with basic environmental navigation.

Mar 13

South Korea passes US$350 billion investment act to anchor Korea-US strategic partnership

South Korea's National Assembly approved the Special Act on Investment in the US on March 12, 2026, authorizing US$350 billion in strategic investments and creating a state-backed corporation to manage the program, according to Yonhap and Hangyung.

Mar 13

Apple slashes App Store commission in China following discussions with regulators

Apple will lower commission rates charged on digital purchases in the China App Store, reducing the standard fee for in-app purchases and paid apps from 30% to 25%, according to reports in Chinese media citing company disclosures.

TRENDING

COMMUNICATIONS

Mar 12

Apple locks in book-style foldable iPhone, targets fall 2026 launch with 20% production boost

Apple has reportedly finalized the design of its first foldable iPhone, tentatively called the iPhone Fold, choosing a book-style form factor and targeting a fall 2026 launch. As market expectations grow, the company is said to have increased its initial production target by about 20%, a move expected to benefit its primary manufacturing partner, Foxconn.

Mar 12

Honor flagship phone to launch in Taiwan by 2Q26, shaking up market

The Taiwanese smartphone market is set to welcome a new contender as Honor plans to open stores and begin selling phones and mobile accessories in 2026. After its flagship model, the Honor Magic8 Pro, received National Communications Commission (NCC) certification, it is expected to hit shelves in Taiwan as early as the second quarter of 2026.

Mar 12

Apple's foldable iPhone may add iPad-like multitasking and wider display, Bloomberg reports

Apple's first foldable iPhone could introduce iPad-style layouts and side-by-side apps to iOS, according to a Bloomberg report, marking a shift toward larger-screen multitasking as the company prepares its long-rumored entry into the foldable smartphone market.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Mar 13

Middle East conflicts threaten affordable cars as automakers shift focus to flagship models

As renewed Middle East conflicts compound post-pandemic chip shortages and tariff barriers, multiple overlapping risks are disrupting global vehicle supply chains and making them increasingly difficult to resolve.

Mar 13

USITC Section 337 investigation could reshape Taiwan's auto parts industry

On March 10, 2026, the US International Trade Commission (USITC) announced the launch of a Section 337 investigation targeting 20 automotive parts manufacturers across Taiwan, China, and the US. The probe follows a lawsuit filed by General Motors (GM) and includes 10 leading Taiwanese aftermarket (AM) suppliers such as Tong Yang Industry, DEPO Auto Parts, and Gordon Auto Body Parts. This unexpected patent litigation has come as a shock to Taiwan's automotive collision parts exporters, and also signals a shifting competitive landscape in the global automotive supply chain.

Mar 13

Hotai Group shifts Taiwan car market strategies from volume to value in 2026

As a key player in Taiwan's automotive industry, Hotai Group draws significant attention with its annual outlook released early each year, which is generally seen as an indicator of local market developments. In its latest report, Hotai Motor projected that new car sales in Taiwan will reach 440,000 units in 2026, while setting a combined target sales volume of 165,000 vehicles and a 37.5% market share across the Toyota, Lexus, and Hino brands.

SUSTAINABILITY

Mar 11

China reportedly accelerating nuclear expansion while Western revival faces structural challenges

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers is driving a sharp rise in global electricity demand, renewing interest in nuclear power as a source of reliable, carbon-free energy. Yet while governments in the US and Europe are trying to revive their nuclear sectors, structural challenges—including aging workforces, fragile supply chains, and project delays—are complicating those efforts.

Mar 10

Middle East conflict fuels energy crisis, Taiwan's summer power supply at risk

The large-scale bombings and attacks launched by the US and Israel against Iran have caused significant civilian casualties. With Iran carrying out retaliatory actions, the conflict could trigger a global energy crisis.

Mar 10

TCC chair flags resource war risk as US-Iran tensions rattle energy markets, sees silver lining in China's green push

As tensions escalate between the US and Iran, global energy markets have grown increasingly volatile, sending crude oil prices above US$100 per barrel. Nelson An-ping Chang, chairman of Taiwan Cement Corporation (TCC) Group Holdings, warned that if the Middle East conflict drags on, it could evolve into a resource-draining war, driving up energy costs, fueling inflationary pressures, and disrupting supply chains across the global economy.

AEROSPACE

Mar 13

War engulfs the Gulf: worst aviation crisis since Covid

The war in the Middle East has triggered the most severe disruption to Gulf aviation hubs since the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing airlines to suspend flights and reroute global travel corridors amid missile and drone attacks across the region, according to an Aviation Week podcast and international media reports.

Mar 13

Drone, robotics boom fuels Taiwan carbon fiber demand

Surging demand for unmanned vehicles is driving renewed interest in lightweight materials, as endurance limitations remain a key obstacle to large-scale commercialization. The trend is pushing the use of carbon fiber composites beyond traditional aerospace and high-end sports equipment applications and into the core supply chains of drones and robotics.

Mar 13

Taiwanese chipmakers target drone market at Embedded World 2026

Unmanned vehicles, including military and commercial drones, drew strong attention at Embedded World 2026 in Nuremberg, Germany. Compared with the humanoid robot focus seen at other exhibitions, IC design companies and integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) highlighted drone-related technologies and solutions, underscoring drones as an important application area within industrial control and Internet of Things (IoT) systems.

DISPLAYS