
The global AI narrative is often reduced to a struggle between US- and China-based tech giants. However, a quieter yet more significant movement is emerging among second-tier industrial powers. During a recent lecture, DIGITIMES chairman Colley Hwang spoke about how nations such as Germany, Japan, France, and Canada are increasingly focused on building sovereign AI.
Europe is stepping up semiconductor ties with Taiwan as it seeks to turn research strength into commercial production, with foundries such as Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (PSMC) playing a growing role in bridging that gap as the artificial intelligence race intensifies.
Taiwanese foundry Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (PSMC) and France's CEA-Leti have signed a multi-year agreement on April 3 aimed at easing one of artificial intelligence's most pressing constraints: rising power consumption and data-transfer bottlenecks inside data centers, executives said in an interview with DIGITIMES Asia.
The 2026 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report signals a new era of digital friction between the US and its closest Asian allies.



