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Tuesday 13 January 2026

Google–Apple AI deal signals a new phase of competition beyond models

Google and Apple have entered a multiyear collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be built on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology. The partnership will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized version of Siri expected later this year.

Tuesday 13 January 2026

Why AI robotics may not spare automakers from looming AI bubble risks

Venturing into the artificial intelligence (AI) robotics sector may seem like a way for automakers to find an alternative path in the fiercely competitive automotive market. Yet, it could just as easily be a smokescreen designed to mask stagnation in core technologies and divert attention in the capital markets.

Tuesday 13 January 2026

Edge AI devices drive 2026 component value surge

CES 2026, themed "AI Forward," signaled a shift by global tech giants from generative AI models and computing power toward physical AI. Companies showcased AI PCs and notebooks, AI smart glasses, and humanoid robots, targeting emerging opportunities in the edge AI device market.

Tuesday 13 January 2026

CES 2026: Microip showcases vision tech for transit and drones

Microip, a Taiwan-based chip and system developer, used CES 2026 to highlight its move beyond standalone silicon, presenting a vision-based artificial intelligence platform that combines proprietary algorithms with flexible hardware deployment as demand grows across security, transportation, and drone applications.

Tuesday 13 January 2026

Column: IBM's 50-year-old liquid cooling patent shapes today's AI data center cooling

If today's AI data centers are blazing "powder kegs" of heat, IBM was the visionary that prepared the "fire extinguisher" half a century ago. While Nvidia's top chips now require water cooling to operate, few realize that this technology's "biological father" actually dates back to IBM in the 1960s. Today, we explore this groundbreaking US patent 3,524,497 ("Patent 497") and its blue-cooling revolution spanning over 50 years.

Tuesday 13 January 2026

CES 2026 highlights on-device AI as standard, reshaping AI PC architecture

At CES 2026, AI PCs are accelerating toward widespread adoption with a fundamental shift: AI has evolved from a single feature to the core architecture of entire products. This transformation spans chips, systems, and end-user ecosystems, driving AI PCs into a new phase of scaled deployment.

Tuesday 13 January 2026

Winbond Electronics and Transcend report strong growth as memory shortage

Memory chip manufacturers Winbond Electronics and Transcend Information posted significant profit increases in late 2025, driven by heightened demand and ongoing supply constraints in the memory sector. Both companies recorded record revenues and raised capex to expand production capabilities.

Monday 12 January 2026

Qatar, UAE join US-led Pax Silica supply chain pact

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are set to join a US-led initiative to secure artificial intelligence and semiconductor supply chains, expanding a framework Washington views as a cornerstone of its economic security strategy.

Monday 12 January 2026

CES 2026: Attendance holds steady while innovation shifts

CES returned to Las Vegas this month, but whether CES 2026 felt as electric as past editions remains a matter of debate. The answer depends on where one looks. A handful of key metrics offer a clearer, if more nuanced, picture of the show's true momentum.

Monday 12 January 2026

Garmin's Unified Cabin architecture signals shift toward AI-driven, centrally computed smart cockpits

As the automotive sector advances towards software-defined vehicles, Garmin has introduced its Unified Cabin architecture, emphasizing integration of generative AI, spatial positioning, and cross-device connectivity within a single high-performance system-on-chip (SoC). This approach highlights a shift from mere feature stacking to deep convergence of hardware and software for enhanced in-car experiences.

Monday 12 January 2026

AUO and FIH showcase AI-powered smart cockpit concepts at CES 2026

CES has increasingly become a key platform for the automotive industry, often dubbed an alternative auto show in recent years due to the rising presence of car-related technologies. From concept vehicles and autonomous driving to electrification, automakers' displays frequently outshine traditional consumer electronics.

Monday 12 January 2026

Tariffs and AI reshape Taiwan SMEs' foreign trade strategies

Given shifting tariff policies and ongoing supply chain restructuring, Taiwan's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are undergoing a structural transformation in their foreign trade models. Annie Liao, the newly appointed general manager of Alibaba.com Taiwan, observed that order-taking practices that were once concentrated in a few markets have loosened over the past year. More companies are now experimenting with diversified export markets and accepting smaller but more varied orders. Taiwan manufacturers' flexibility in customization and strong capability to replicate and refine products have become key advantages that set them apart from competitors.

Monday 12 January 2026

Taiwan UPS specialist powers AI and semiconductor demand surge into 2026

Changs Ascending Enterprise Co. (CAEC) reported strong shipments of its next-generation lithium iron phosphate (LFP) UPS battery systems for semiconductor fabs, driven by rising demand for high-end uninterruptible power supply (UPS) solutions. Its subsidiary Grenergy Enterprise Co. also secured new orders in emerging applications such as electric vehicles (EVs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs), supporting CAEC's improved operating performance in 2025.

Monday 12 January 2026

Weekly news roundup: AI memory effects in DRAM, HBM4, and TSMC's global expansion

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories of the first full week of 2026: January 5-11.

Monday 12 January 2026

Honey Hope Honesty posts 16% growth on surging AI server MLCC demand

Electronic component distributor Honey Hope Honesty Enterprise (3H) reported December 2025 revenue of NT$652 million (US$20.63 million), up 52.01% year over year. The strong growth was primarily driven by urgent customer orders, which boosted sales. For the full year of 2025, cumulative revenue reached NT$5.43 billion, up 15.75% compared to 2024.

Monday 12 January 2026

Ennoconn targets edge AI after December revenue hits record high

Benefiting from a rebound in global retail, financial automation, and cybersecurity demand, Industrial PC (IPC) maker Ennoconn announced that its Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) business grew significantly, pushing monthly revenue to a new record high. Although cumulative full-year 2025 revenue showed a slight year-over-year decline due to the timing of project revenue recognition, Ennoconn's standalone operations maintained double-digit growth for the full year. This shows that the group's efforts in optimizing its product mix and transitioning toward higher-margin Ennoconn Solution as a Service (ESaaS) strategies have begun to pay off.

Monday 12 January 2026

Chinese AI startups face 'go global or decouple' dilemma after Manus deal

China's Ministry of Commerce announced on January 8, 2026, that it supports lawful cross-border business and international technology cooperation, emphasizing that overseas investments, technology exports, data transfers, and mergers and acquisitions must comply with applicable regulations and complete required procedures. The ministry is currently reviewing Meta Platforms' acquisition of artificial intelligence (AI) startup Manus, working with other authorities to assess whether the transaction aligns with export control rules, technology import-export governance, and outbound investment regulations.

Monday 12 January 2026

Commentary: CES 2026 marks end of AR hype, start of price wars

For years, smart glasses and augmented reality (AR) headsets were among the most visible attractions at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), peaking in 2025 when they dominated the exhibition floor. At CES 2026, their presence was noticeably reduced. This does not point to an industry slowdown. Rather, it signals the sector's exit from the "concept phase" and its entry into a market defined by price competition and practical commercialisation.

Monday 12 January 2026

Global AIDC boom drives shift in energy storage market as China dominates lithium battery industry

The surge in global artificial intelligence data centers (AIDCs) revealed at CES 2026 highlights a pivotal shift in energy consumption patterns. From autonomous vehicles to smart healthcare, these technologies increasingly depend on robust energy infrastructure, transforming traditional power supply dynamics. The growth of energy storage systems (ESS) now surpasses electric vehicle (EV) batteries, marking a new chapter in the energy transformation landscape.

Monday 12 January 2026

Taiwan's CyberPower shifts focus to AI-driven data center power as sales dip

CyberPower Systems, a Taiwanese maker of uninterruptible power supply systems, said its revenue declined modestly in December 2025 and for the full year 2025, as changes in US tariff policy and customer inventory adjustments weighed on shipments.

Monday 12 January 2026

AEB breaks new revenue record for eighth consecutive year

Cloud and AI services provider Acer E-Enabling Service Business (AEB) reported December 2025 revenue of NT$1.14 billion (approx. US$36.1 million), representing year-over-year growth of more than 20%. Cumulative full-year 2025 revenue reached NT$9.66 billion, up 11% year-over-year, marking an all-time high and the company's eighth consecutive year of record revenue. General manager Sandy Chou said that revenue grew from NT$5.43 billion in 2020 to more than NT$9.6 billion in 2025. The company earned more than its paid-in capital each year from 2021 to 2024, demonstrating its long-term operational strength.

Monday 12 January 2026

Tai-Tech Advanced Electronics posts record 2025 revenue on strong orders and pricing

Tai-Tech Advanced Electronics posted record revenue in December, the fourth quarter, and the full year of 2025, driven by strong AI-related demand and an initial round of price increases for ferrite bead products, the company said.

Monday 12 January 2026

Pan-International bets on humanoid robots and AI, revenue contribution expected as early as 2027

Connector and cable harness maker Pan-International announced its December 2025 revenue, benefiting from year-end customer pull-ins and settlement effects, with monthly revenue rebounding by more than 10% from November. Declines in both year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter revenue in the fourth quarter of 2025 were driven by cautious consumer electronics customers and slowing automotive demand, but Pan-International is now actively restructuring.

Monday 12 January 2026

TEL expands AI memory capex, targets etching equipment market share

Japanese semiconductor equipment maker TEL is ramping up investments to capitalize on a supercycle in memory demand driven by artificial intelligence (AI) servers. With DRAM and other memory prices expected to surge roughly 10x starting fall 2025, rapid global data center expansion is fueling explosive demand for advanced semiconductor manufacturing tools.

Monday 12 January 2026

Column: Decoding Jensen Huang's CES 2026 keynote and the AI infrastructure reset

At the opening of his keynote, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivered a stark message: the world's US$10 trillion computing infrastructure is entering a fundamental modernization phase, driven by two platform shifts unfolding in parallel.

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