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Aug 7
Analysis: Trump’s polysilicon tariffs split solar industry into winners and losers
US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on August 6 imposing minimum import prices and a 15% tariff on polysilicon and its derivatives, a move that hands a durable pricing advantage to US and non-Chinese producers while squeezing Chinese manufacturers out of price competitiveness in the American market.
South Korean solar polysilicon supplier OCI Holdings is capitalizing on its increasingly scarce position as a non-China supplier, benefiting not only from growing solar demand from US AI data centers but also from a supply partnership with SpaceX that is extending its reach from terrestrial solar projects into space applications.
Hiwin, a major precision motion components maker, has accelerated its sustainability transformation in recent years and achieved two major milestones: it was included in the DJSI Emerging Markets Index in both 2024 and 2025, and in May 2026 it was ranked in the top 1% globally in the S&P Sustainability Yearbook. That makes it one of the highest-rated companies in Taiwan and the world in the machinery and electrical equipment sector.
AI infrastructure, memory supply, advanced packaging and US-China tech restrictions led this week's industry agenda. Below are the most-read DIGITIMES stories from the week of August 3-10, 2026.

Driven by global net-zero commitments and China's "dual carbon" goals of peaking carbon emissions before achieving carbon neutrality, Inner Mongolia is rapidly transforming from a traditional resource-based economy into a strategic hub for renewable energy and AI computing infrastructure.

China’s tighter renewable-energy compliance rules have opened the way for green hydrogen, green ammonia, and green methanol to be included in the country’s minimum renewable-energy consumption framework, amid a sharp rise in investment. In the first half of 2026, investment in China’s hydrogen sector increased by more than 160% year-on-year, outpacing the other cited energy infrastructure categories.

On August 5, Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council said it had completed the central government's 2027 budget plan, with NT$182.3 billion (US$5.7 billion) earmarked for technology spending, up about 9.5% from 2026. The biggest increase goes to sovereign AI computing power and infrastructure as Taipei pushes ahead with its Smart Nation 2.0 initiative.

The Trump administration is preparing to impose a 15% tariff and minimum import prices on polysilicon and selected derivative products, placing an upstream material shared by solar panels and semiconductor chips at the center of efforts to reduce US exposure to Chinese supply.

Taiwan's high-tech industry is facing an increasingly urgent need for renewable electricity, yet progress on major offshore wind projects has slowed significantly.
Elon Musk is accelerating plans to establish a fully integrated US solar manufacturing ecosystem through Tesla and SpaceX, with a combined long-term capacity target of 200 GW. His strategy now extends from solar cells and modules into crystal growth and wafer production, while industry reports suggest the effort could eventually reach upstream polysilicon manufacturing.
China's automakers are still betting on a strategy of in-house batteries to complement their complete vehicle lineups, but the push remains hard to execute as profit margins slide and the supply chain stays structurally unbalanced. The challenge comes as upstream miners, refiners, and lithium battery makers capture most of the gains while carmakers face intensifying competition.

China's State Council has launched a new recommendation program for "leader" companies in energy efficiency and carbon efficiency, with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issuing the notice on August 4, 2026. The program is designed to push heavy industry to cut energy use and emissions, as low-carbon certification increasingly becomes a key credential for future market competition.