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Friday 12 December 2025
AI hardware landscape shifts from GPUs to NPUs as edge computing gains ground
As artificial intelligence (AI) transitions from cloud-centric operations to edge devices, the hardware that powers AI is undergoing significant change. While graphics processing units (GPUs) have long dominated both AI training and deployment, neural processing units (NPUs) are now emerging as a viable alternative, particularly for edge applications, according to Jeffrey Chen, vice president of product marketing at Kneron. Chen elaborated on these evolving trends at the recent Human-Machine Co-Creation New Era annual summit.
Friday 12 December 2025
VPEC will focus on optical components in 2026
AI data centers are seeing rapidly increasing demand for HPC and big data processing. The shift from traditional copper wiring to fiber optics boosts data transfer rates while lowering power consumption. Gallium arsenide (GaAs) epitaxy maker Visual Photonics Epitaxy Co. (VPEC) stated that while the smartphone market in 2026 is expected to remain flat or show slight growth, rising transmission efficiency requirements in AI data centers will drive planned equipment purchases and expanded capacity, making data centers the company's main growth driver for 2026.
Friday 12 December 2025
WT Microelectronics hits NT$1 trillion revenue on AI-driven data center, optical demand
AI trends have fueled strong demand for data center chips and optical communications, pushing IC distributor WT Microelectronics' cumulative revenue for the first 11 months of 2025 to NT$1.08 trillion (US$34.64 billion), officially surpassing the trillion-dollar mark.
Friday 12 December 2025
Broadcom forecasts surging AI chip demand after record fourth quarter results
Broadcom reported record revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, driven by soaring AI semiconductor demand, and issued an upbeat outlook for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 with expectations that AI chip revenue will double year over year.
Friday 12 December 2025
Broadcom confirms fifth ASIC customer as custom AI chip business doubles
Broadcom is rapidly scaling its custom AI chip business, with CEO Hock Tan detailing a US$73 billion AI backlog, major new ASIC customers, and multi-billion-dollar XPU orders. The company expects to accelerate AI revenue through fiscal year 2026 as hyperscalers expand large-scale model training and inference infrastructure.
Friday 12 December 2025
MediaTek shifts focus to automotive electronics as new growth frontier amid slowing smartphone demand
MediaTek is recalibrating its business strategy by targeting automotive electronics as a next major growth area, following a slowdown in smartphone-related revenue. The company has already embarked on a push into application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) tied to Google's TPUs, aiming to capture US$1 billion in ASIC revenue by 2026. Now, it forecasts that automotive electronics will emerge as another billion-dollar revenue stream within two to three years.
Thursday 11 December 2025
Nvidia says no concrete evidence yet in alleged DeepSeek GPU smuggling case
Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek is under scrutiny for allegedly circumventing US export restrictions by illegally acquiring thousands of Nvidia's Blackwell architecture GPUs. Nvidia acknowledged the situation but said it had no concrete evidence and would investigate all available leads.
Thursday 11 December 2025
EU court cuts Intel antitrust fine to about EUR237 million
Intel has secured a reduction of nearly EUR140 million (approx. US$163.7 million) in its remaining EU antitrust penalty, though the bloc's second-highest court upheld the finding that the company abused its dominance in the x86 processor market, according to Reuters and Bloomberg.
Thursday 11 December 2025
MediaTek reports November revenue decline but maintains positive annual growth outlook
Taiwanese IC design company MediaTek announced its revenue for November 2025 at NT$46.896 billion (approx. US$1.51 billion), reflecting a 9.86% decrease from October but a 3.65% increase compared to November 2024. The fourth-quarter total reached NT$98.922 billion, narrowly missing the company's previously forecasted low-end target by about NT$4.3 billion.
Thursday 11 December 2025
SK Hynix reaps largest benefits from H200 export approval
US President Donald Trump has allowed Nvidia's H200 chips to be exported to China, benefiting Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. iNews24 and IT Chosun reported that with the high likelihood that Chinese AI companies will see increased chip demand, the US easing of restrictions is expected to boost H200 shipments. SK Hynix is reportedly the primary supplier of the fifth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM3E) used in the H200, meaning its supply volume will inevitably rise, making it the biggest beneficiary.
Thursday 11 December 2025
Qualcomm acquires Ventana Micro Systems to strengthen RISC-V CPU capabilities
Qualcomm has acquired Ventana Micro Systems Inc., a move aimed at bolstering its capabilities in the RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA) and custom CPU development. The acquisition integrates Ventana's expertise in RISC-V design into Qualcomm's ongoing efforts on its Oryon CPU technology.
Thursday 11 December 2025
Ta Liang PCB and advanced packaging orders surge, equipment lead times hit 6 months
PCB and semiconductor equipment manufacturer Ta Liang Technology reported a surge in orders as AI chip and AI server demand solidifies. Customers have been investing to expand capacity, driving demand for high-end CCD back-drilling machines, semiconductor advanced packaging measurement, and automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment to increase in 2025. This pushed cumulative revenue for the first 11 months of 2025 beyond the total for 2024, setting a record.
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Realtek posts first sub-US$288 million month of 2025, eyes recovery in early 2026

Realtek Semiconductor reported November 2025 revenue of NT$8.882 billion (approx. US$284.5 million), down 1.9% from October but up 1.8% year-over-year, marking the first month in 2025 in which revenue slipped below NT$9 billion (approx. US$288 million).

Wednesday 10 December 2025
Huawei's chip breakthrough prompts US to relax AI export controls
Recent reports suggest one big reason US President Donald Trump has allowed exports of Nvidia's H200 AI chips to China is Huawei's rapid rise in AI computing. Bloomberg cites multiple sources, stating that after White House officials reviewed Huawei's Ascend series chips and its CloudMatrix 384 AI-native cloud infrastructure platform, they concluded that Huawei's overall performance is now approaching Nvidia's advanced Blackwell-based NVL72 platform. This significantly reduces the need for a total ban on AI chip exports to China.
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Nvidia H200 clearance paves the way for HBM3E in China
The Trump administration has authorized exports of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence processors to China, a decision that analysts view as a partial concession allowing restricted chip sales while still blocking Chinese access to Nvidia's upcoming Blackwell line.
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Google TPU gains test Nvidia's lead, but the GPU ecosystem still rules
Google's latest TPU gains have rattled the AI hardware market, but IC distributors maintain that Nvidia's GPU-led ecosystem still sets the benchmark for modern AI compute. TPUs may edge out GPUs in some LLM workloads, yet Nvidia's end-to-end stack, from CUDA to silicon to systems, keeps its lead firmly intact, reinforced further by the Jetson Thor platform for edge AI.
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Nvidia trials chip-tracking tech amid US bust of US$160M GPU smuggling ring

Nvidia has developed technology to verify the physical location of its artificial intelligence chips, according to a Reuters report, as US authorities simultaneously dismantled a China-linked network accused of smuggling more than US$160 million worth of GPUs to restricted markets, CNBC reported, citing newly unsealed court documents and a statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

Wednesday 10 December 2025
Budget stall threatens Taiwan's 2026 semiconductor and tech R&D agenda
Taiwan's 2026 central government budget has stalled in the Legislative Yuan amid partisan gridlock and the ruling party's loss of a parliamentary majority, raising concerns over funding for the nation's most critical science and technology programs. Premier Jung-tai Cho urged lawmakers to accelerate the budget review, warning that prolonged delays could disrupt major R&D subsidies, semiconductor
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Arlitech targets cloud servers and high-end gaming cards to mitigate panel price pressure
Competitive pricing from the "red supply chain" has taken a toll on the panel market. In response, Arlitech Electronic Corporation stated that it is transforming its sales structure. Benefiting from its two major product lines—protection & energy storage components and semiconductors—revenue contributions from networking and consumer electronics have grown significantly, turning operations from a loss to profit in the third quarter of 2025. The company is optimistic about 2026 revenue growth.
Wednesday 10 December 2025
US allows Nvidia H200 chip exports to China, but Beijing may impose restrictions
Despite US President Donald Trump's decision to permit the export of Nvidia Corporation's advanced H200 chips to China, reports indicate that Beijing might enforce limitations on their use as part of China's ongoing strategy to boost domestic semiconductor self-sufficiency. Chinese authorities remain cautious while evaluating how these imports fit within national technology goals.
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Taiwan leverages semiconductor edge to build full quantum ecosystem
Taiwan is moving to cement its position in the emerging global quantum technology supply chain, with the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) outlining a strategy to build a full ecosystem—from components to systems and applications—powered by the nation's semiconductor and ICT strengths.
Wednesday 10 December 2025
US clears Nvidia H200 shipments, challenging China's tech ambitions
Washington's decision to authorize Nvidia H200 chip exports to China has triggered a strategic debate within Beijing's technology sector. Chinese companies must now balance immediate infrastructure performance against the national mandate for semiconductor self-sufficiency. Analysts suggest the move tests China's resolve to build an independent supply chain while simultaneously allowing the US to clear aging inventory.
Wednesday 10 December 2025
H200 returns to China's market, but local chipmakers have already built resilience
US President Donald Trump has announced that Nvidia's H200 will be allowed to return to the Chinese market after Jensen Huang's lobbying efforts. Nvidia is expected to resume securing revenue from China.
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Analysis: US eases Nvidia chip ban, marking pivot in China tech strategy
The US government's decision to ease restrictions on exporting Nvidia's H200 AI chip to China marks a significant victory for one of the world's most influential computing companies. It also signals a subtle but unmistakable shift in Washington's China tech strategy—from a rigid, across-the-board blockade to a more transactional, negotiable system of conditional controls.
Wednesday 10 December 2025
Novatek turns to ASIC as weak device demand drags November revenue
Novatek posted NT$7.618 billion (US$244 million) in November 2025 revenue, a drop of 3.3% month on month and 7.23% year over year. Revenue for the first eleven months of 2025 came to NT$93.343 billion, slipping 0.97% from a year earlier.