The 2026 UK National Quantum Technologies Showcase recently concluded in London, where the DIGITIMES team interviewed experts from the UK's industry, academia, and research sectors about the challenges facing quantum computing's transition into real-world applications, including cybersecurity, US-China geopolitical tensions, and talent shortages.
India's release of the EKA-1, Dhīr 2B, and Dhīr 5B foundation models highlights a public-backed effort to develop multilingual AI for domestic and international use. The models range from those with large-scale reasoning and coding capabilities to lightweight, offline-capable assistants, with implications for data sovereignty, public services, enterprise deployment, and access in low-connectivity environments.
Quanta Computer posted strong revenue and earnings in the third quarter of 2026 and expects operations to continue accelerating in the fourth quarter, driven by AI servers. The company also forecasts another growth year in 2027, planning capital expenditure (capex) of NT$40 billion (US$1.21 billion) to NT$45 billion, although it says spending will begin to moderate.
Foxconn reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of more than NT$3 trillion (US$91 billion) and raised its full-year outlook, while taking a "cautiously optimistic" view of 2027 and forecasting high-double-digit growth in AI rack shipments. The company expects to gain market share through diversified AI solutions and an expanding customer base, but warned that component supplies, geopolitical and economic conditions, inflation, and monetary policy will shape its 2027 operations.
Naver said on November 12 it had signed a KRW2 trillion (approx. US$1.5 billion) AI computing services contract with a US-based AI inference company, securing its first major customer for the AI Factory business it is developing with Nvidia and Brookfield.
ByteDance reportedly intends to release an AI agent similar to Meta's Muse within several weeks. The firm, whose AI assistant tool Doubao has seen wide adoption within China, seeks to catch up with leading US labs within a few years, even as its co-founder has called for reducing reliance on distillation techniques.
Synnex Technology International Corp. posted record quarterly revenue in the third quarter of 2026 and expects continued growth and new highs in 2027, driven by AI semiconductors, AI servers and infrastructure, and its China AI server business. The company is also launching fundraising plans, including a cash capital increase, CD issuance and expanded bank credit lines, to meet its funding needs.
China's AI-generated short-drama market is expanding rapidly, with surging content production and viewership making the sector an increasingly significant source of demand for AI computing resources.
SoftBank Group (SBG) has denied SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's claim on X that the company defaulted after ordering turbines, while saying its AI infrastructure plans remain on track. However, SBG recorded a JPY597.2 billion (US$3.73 billion) loss in the second quarter of fiscal 2026 (July–September 2026) after reviewing purchases of power-generation equipment for US data centers, though it said the loss was unrelated to Project Stargate Ohio.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned Samsung Electronics executives that AI memory demand could fluctuate in the short term, with the market potentially counting the same demand more than once. He nevertheless expects long-term AI demand to surge, creating shortages of chips and data centers and underscoring the need for greater supply chain investment.
Meta Platforms' longtime infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan will leave after the end of 1Q27, with former Amazon Web Services (AWS) vice president Dave Brown set to succeed him. The leadership transition comes as Meta accelerates its AI strategy and expands data centers and in-house chip development.
Chinese AI models have taken a dominant position as demand for open-source models grows among US businesses. According to the "2026: The State of Enterprise AI" report released in early November by US venture capital firm Menlo Ventures, Chinese models accounted for 89% of US corporate spending on open-source AI models.
As demand for AI computing expands across industries and applications, chipmakers are seeking opportunities beyond conventional data centers, extending into enterprise deployments and personal devices. At the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in 2026, Intel China showcased three AI computing solutions: green computing pods for large data centers and enterprise campuses, integrated AI inference systems for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and AI Agent PCs for individual users.
At the opening panel of electronica 2026 in Munich on November 10, industry leaders agreed that the primary bottleneck in artificial intelligence is shifting from computing power to energy delivery. Panelists warned that power semiconductors are quickly becoming the tech sector's next critical supply chain gap as AI data centers scale to hundreds of megawatts, or even gigawatts, straining grids and power delivery architectures never built for such concentrated loads.
A semiconductor chip no thicker than a fraction of a human hair might seem insignificant beside the powerful silicon processors driving the world's AI revolution. Yet at Pragmatic Park in North East England, these tiny, flexible devices represent a different vision of computing: one where intelligence gradually becomes embedded in the objects people touch, wear, and use every day.
The award ceremony for the fourth K. T. Li Award was held in Taipei on November 10, with this year's awards presented by former President Ing-wen Tsai to Kinpo-Compal Group president Rock Hsu and Quanta Computer founder Barry Lam.
Nvidia CEO Jensen's Huang's affair with an alleged Chinese spy has raised questions about national security, corporate governance, and even whether he will keep his job. Beyond his outsized role within the company, the case has also brought attention to his family members' roles within the firm and their influence over a public company that is currently the singular force behind the AI revolution.
TECO Electric & Machinery is expanding into global AI computing infrastructure, announcing on the November 11 that it will partner with AI cloud service provider GMI Cloud and KSDI to build an modular AI data center in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. TECO will serve as the modular data center contractor, handling design, electromechanical systems integration, and technical guidance, with the first 6.4MW phase scheduled for delivery within nine months.
Demand for AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and semiconductors continued to rise, driving Wah Lee Industrial's 3Q26 profit to record-high levels. Gross profit reached NT$2.06 billion (US$62.7 million), up 28.7% year-on-year, while earnings per share (EPS) reached NT$3.46; cumulative EPS for the first three quarters rose to NT$9.4, also a record for the period.
US silicon carbide (SiC) giant Wolfspeed will re-enter the gallium nitride (GaN) market through a vertically integrated model and expand into the GaN-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) power device market, according to company CEO Robert Feurle. The announcement, made at a media event during the Electronica 2026 trade fair in Munich, Germany, stated that the company will initially target low-voltage applications below 650V.
Zhen Ding Technology said strong seasonal demand for mobile communications products and robust demand for high-end AI applications drove its third-quarter 2026 revenue to a record high. Rising shipments of high-end products and an optimized product mix also lifted gross margin 5.7 percentage points year-over-year to a record 27.7%.
The FBI has launched an investigation following an alleged extramarital affair involving Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Alice Huang, a former executive at Singapore-based Megaspeed who has been accused of having ties to Chinese intelligence. Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior said it has revoked Alice Huang's entry documents over the espionage allegations, barring her from entering Taiwan in the future.
The US midterm election results, which delivered a major Democratic victory, and national security concerns surrounding an affair between an alleged Chinese spy and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang have raised fears that AI data-center construction in the US could be disrupted. While few in the industry doubt AI's long-term growth, the impact of funding displacement warrants close attention.
Global AI data center construction continues to drive demand for GPUs, memory, and other critical hardware, but tight computing capacity, rising material costs, and longer lead times are complicating large-scale AI project delivery. MetaAge general manager Jason Shih said the imbalance between global AI hardware supply and demand will be difficult to resolve in the short term, even as enterprise AI investment continues and demand is expected to grow through 2027.
