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Friday 24 April 2026

Commentary: DeepSeek rethinks funding strategy under talent drain and AI race

The trajectory of DeepSeek has drawn scrutiny, but its latest move marks a clear inflection point. According to a report by The Information, the company is seeking external funding for the first time, triggering strong interest from China's major tech groups. Four sources familiar with the matter said Tencent and Alibaba are in discussions to invest.

Friday 24 April 2026

Texas Instruments says edge AI opportunities extend beyond robots

In an April 23 interview, Amichai Ron of Texas Instruments (TI) warned that edge AI will reshape devices worldwide, extending far beyond robotics and driving greater semiconductor demand as AI integrates into long-lived products, implying that global markets must prepare for increased connectivity, sensorization, and chip requirements, along with regulatory and logistical adjustments.

Friday 24 April 2026

MODA encourages Taiwanese firms to invest in computing power; Foxconn submits project proposal

The government has included AI computing infrastructure within the scope of major digital public construction projects, using tax incentives to boost private-sector investment. Minister of Digital Affairs (MODA) Yen-nun Huang stated that applications will close at 5 pm on May 14, and Foxconn has already expressed interest and maintained close communication with the ministry.

Friday 24 April 2026

Exclusive: Google ramps new TPU servers, Taiwan suppliers gain share

Google's unveiling of its eighth-generation tensor processing unit (TPU) at Cloud Next 2026 is expected to drive the next wave of growth in the application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) server supply chain, with Taiwanese manufacturers expanding their role, according to supply chain sources.

Friday 24 April 2026

SMIC returns to advanced packaging, scales team to boost AI chip strategy

China's leading foundry, SMIC, is quietly recalibrating its strategy, moving beyond its long-standing focus on front-end wafer manufacturing to accelerate investments in advanced packaging.

Friday 24 April 2026

Europe's humanoid robot push stalls on safety rules and liability gaps

Europe's largest applied research organization, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, is widely seen as a bridge between scientific research and industrial deployment. In a recent interview, its director, Thomas Bauernhansl, identified two structural bottlenecks constraining Europe's humanoid robot development: restrictive safety regulations and the absence of clear liability insurance frameworks.

Friday 24 April 2026

Intel's AI-driven CPU rebound signals early-stage revival

Intel's first-quarter 2026 results point to a company in the midst of a credible revival, as improving execution and rising demand for AI-related computing begin to reshape its trajectory.

Friday 24 April 2026

PC chipmakers warn CPU shortages cloud 2026 shipment outlook

CPU shortages in the PC sector have emerged as a new concern for shipments this year, in addition to ongoing memory supply issues. Industry players supplying PC peripheral chips observe that while current CPU shortages from x86 vendors like Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) have not yet severely impacted PC shipment forecasts, future trends remain uncertain.

Friday 24 April 2026

Taiwan expands industry collaboration to advance unmanned vehicle R&D

Taiwan's military-industrial sector, led by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology (NCSIST), recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to accelerate the development of unmanned technology.

Friday 24 April 2026

OpenClaw's growing pains: innovation outpaces enterprise security

OpenClaw's meteoric rise from a niche hacker project to a globally adopted AI agent platform has created a widening gap between its innovative capabilities and the security demands of the modern enterprise.

Friday 24 April 2026

China chipmaker scales beyond security ICs into AI, automotive

Unigroup Guoxin Microelectronics reported steady growth in 2025, reinforcing its position across specialty ICs and security chips while accelerating expansion into AI, automotive electronics, and other emerging applications.

Thursday 23 April 2026

SpaceX eyes GPU push as Tesla taps Samsung for chip upgrade

SpaceX is exploring in-house production of graphics processing units (GPUs) as it cites potential chip supply constraints, even as Tesla advances its artificial intelligence (AI) chip roadmap with manufacturing support from Samsung Electronics.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Samsung and LG turn to AI at WIS 2026 to tackle sluggish consumer electronics market

Faced with declining hardware sales as high interest rates and shrinking demand crunch the global consumer electronics market, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are pursuing strategies to redefine product value. At the recent World IT Show (WIS) 2026 in Seoul, both South Korean companies showcased AI-centric strategies in their visions for future lifestyles.

Thursday 23 April 2026

SaiMemory wins NEDO backing for next-generation ZAM memory, partners with Intel

SaiMemory, a next-generation memory developer established by SoftBank, said on April 22 that its development project has been selected for subsidies by Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), with the government expected to cover roughly half of the initial development costs.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Apple reshapes AI strategy by doubling down on Siri and privacy

As OpenAI and xAI pivot toward enterprise markets inspired by Anthropic, and as OpenClaw sparks new visions for agent-based AI, Apple has finally set a clear AI focus for its 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The company announced the event will focus on AI advancements and new software and developer tools, marking Apple's most direct AI statement in recent years.

Thursday 23 April 2026

AI shifts and soaring costs drive PC brands to cut jobs in 2026

Several PC companies have been conducting rounds of layoffs in recent months, which echoes the downsizing trend across the tech industry. While some point to AI adoption as a culprit, the cuts reflect a broader industry realignment driven by AI resource redistribution and an era of steep component price hikes.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Tencent, Alibaba circle DeepSeek in US$20 billion AI deal talks

Chinese tech giants Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group are reportedly in talks to invest in AI startup DeepSeek, as the company seeks fresh funding that could value it at more than US$20 billion, underscoring intensifying competition and rising capital demands in the global AI sector.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Former Samsung Electronics researcher sentenced to 7-year prison term for leaking DRAM trade secrets

A former researcher at Samsung Electronics was sentenced to seven years in prison on April 22 by a South Korean court for leaking core semiconductor trade secrets to a Chinese competitor. The case highlights how chip-making technology is increasingly regarded by governments as a national security asset under strict protection.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Shenzhen launches China's first full-stack domestic 14,000P AI cluster

Shenzhen has brought online what project materials describe as China's first 14,000P, 10,000-card AI computing cluster built around a fully domestic technology stack, marking a new stage in the country's push to reduce reliance on foreign hardware and software in large-scale model training.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Rockwell Automation flags key AI challenges, unveils three-step strategy for Taiwan's shift to autonomous manufacturing

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly moving beyond pilot projects to large-scale deployment in manufacturing, but many Taiwanese firms remain constrained by data, infrastructure, and investment gaps—challenges that could determine their competitiveness in the next industrial era.

Thursday 23 April 2026

IBM reports steady AI-driven growth despite facing software momentum questions

Analysts said IBM continues to show stable underlying revenue growth supported by artificial intelligence adoption and hybrid cloud demand. Its unchanged full-year outlook and softer software performance, however, may limit near-term upside expectations.

Thursday 23 April 2026

What Apple's new CEO inherits: AI, China, and a governance reckoning

Apple Inc. announced that John Ternus, Vice President of Hardware Engineering, will succeed Tim Cook as CEO in September, following Cook's 15-year tenure. The transition marks a pivotal moment as Apple navigates converging pressures from AI transformation and global operations, presenting a leadership test that spans technology, governance, and geopolitics.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Lam Research signals sustained AI-driven momentum as WFE outlook improves

Lam Research delivered a strong start to 2026, with first-quarter 2026 results exceeding expectations and reinforcing confidence in a semiconductor upcycle increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence demand. Revenue reached US$5.84 billion, up 24% year over year, while margins and earnings also came in above guidance.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Beyond infotainment: Google moves deeper into automotive with core vehicle systems

Silicon Valley is quietly reshaping the automotive value chain, and the shift is now working its way deep into the architecture of European carmakers.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Apollo Power secures backing from SEEC, Phison, and Gigabyte for AI data center power solutions

Apollo Power is targeting the behind-the-meter energy storage market in Taiwan through a partnership with Tesla to deploy the latter's Megapack enterprise-level energy storage systems (ESS), coupled with Apollo Power's proprietary software technology and power dispatch platform. Beyond its first corporate project at Phison Electronics, Apollo Power has received strong backing from major shareholders including Shihlin Electric (SEEC), Phison, and Gigabyte, and is positioning itself to become a leading energy solution provider for AI computing centers.

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