OpenAI is accelerating plans to enter the consumer hardware market, with reports indicating that the company is preparing a new voice-focused AI model to underpin its first generation of AI devices. According to TechCrunch and SiliconANGLE, citing The Information, OpenAI is targeting the first quarter of 2026 for the release of a next-generation voice model designed to deliver more natural speech, lower latency, and more fluid, human-like interactions.

South Korea is intensifying competition to develop a sovereign AI foundation model, with five leading teams from industry and academia unveiling first-phase results. The contenders highlighted differences in parameter scale, multimodal capabilities, and vertical applications. By mid-January 2026, four teams will be selected to advance to the next stage.

Asustek Computer has confirmed it will not launch any new smartphones in 2026, effectively scaling back its mobile device business. At the same time, the company emphasized that after-sales support, maintenance, software updates, and warranty services will continue as normal. The move comes amid intensifying global competition and supply chain challenges, with the company redirecting efforts toward emerging products like drones and smart glasses.

Artificial intelligence continues to be the central force behind the upcoming productivity revolution. Yet in the US, foundational energy constraints threaten to stall progress. The primary obstacle is not a shortage of semiconductor chips or inadequate computing capacity. It is a more fundamental resource: electricity. Increasing demand from AI data centers (AIDCs) is straining the nation's electric grid. It is testing the limits of social tolerance.

Baidu is moving forward with plans to spin off its AI chip unit, Kunlunxin, and list it in Hong Kong, highlighting the company's push for semiconductor self-sufficiency. On January 1, 2025, Baidu said Kunlunxin confidentially filed a listing application with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, formally setting the stage for a potential initial public offering, though key details such as the offering size, structure, and timing remain undecided.

Meta announced on December 30, 2025, that it had acquired Butterfly Effect, the company behind the AI application, Manus. Compared to nearly two years ago, when ByteDance attempted to acquire Manus for US$30 million but was rejected, Meta has now brought Manus into its fold at a price that has reportedly surpassed several billion dollars.

Taiwanese networking companies are broadly optimistic about returning to growth in 2026 as an AI-driven expansion moves beyond chips and servers into network transmission layers, and Wi‑Fi 7 device penetration is expected to rise significantly. The outlook reflects rising demand for higher-capacity switches and consumer broadband upgrades.

As AI moves from labs to everyday applications, 2025 is emerging as the year AI Agents begin transforming human interaction with technology, shifting from simple assistants to autonomous executors of complex tasks. Google DeepMind's recent research offers a fresh perspective on how true Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) might develop—not as a single dominant AI, but through a decentralized network of specialized Agents working together.

Taiwan's push to build strategic AI, robotics, and quantum computing infrastructure is facing delays after the National Science and Technology Council's (NSTC) NT$10.85 billion (approx. US$345.3 million) 2026 budget has yet to enter legislative review, leaving several flagship projects in limbo.

Taiwan's drive to scale artificial intelligence and robotics faces a critical setback as political deadlock in the Legislative Yuan blocks passage of the 2026 central government budget, freezing billions of New Taiwan dollars in new technology investment across multiple ministries.

Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) has raised concerns that prolonged delays in budget approvals could cause Taiwan to miss the critical 2026 global takeoff for silicon photonics (SiPh) and co-packaged optics (CPO), two cornerstone technologies underpinning next-generation AI servers.

As artificial intelligence (AI) moves beyond its infrastructure build-out phase, the industrial PC (IPC) sector anticipates 2026 as a key year for scaling AI from centralized cloud setups to diverse edge computing environments. This transition marks a turning point in which AI-powered edge devices become integral to real-world operations across the manufacturing, medical, transportation, defense, and public safety sectors.

The upcoming CES 2026 is set to elevate artificial intelligence (AI) from a prominent topic to the exclusive central theme, reflecting the technology's maturation toward everyday application. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), organizer of the event, announced that all showcased products and innovations will focus on AI, indicating a shift in focus from prior years, when AI was one of several highlights.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has announced that artificial intelligence (AI) will be the central theme of CES 2026, under the banner "AI Forward." The event will emphasize AI's impact on product launches and technological advancements, with keynote addresses and major announcements from leading technology companies.

As 2026 begins, DIGITIMES has conducted in-depth analyses of sectors within the electronics industry. The current landscape theme can be described as "one core, two keys, three drivers." The core, semiconductors, has two keys —the satellite industry and memory— and will be driven by three factors: AI servers, defense, and green energy. These areas will be critical to watch in 2026.

South Korea's four major conglomerates, Samsung Group, LG Group, SK Group, and Hyundai Motor Group have unanimously identified artificial intelligence transformation (AX) as a core focus in their New Year organizational restructuring and personnel deployments. South Korean conglomerates have no longer viewed AI merely as a new business but have instead embedded AI across end-to-end processes including R&D, manufacturing, finance, and operations. Representative groups such as Samsung, LG, SK, and Hyundai Motor have all carried out 2026 organizational restructuring and personnel adjustments toward the end of 2025, simultaneously deploying AX-related organizations and technical talent to accelerate their AX initiatives in the New Year.

Facing stiff competition in the domestic market, Chinese technology companies are accelerating their push into international markets, with artificial intelligence (AI) firms spearheading efforts in Singapore. According to The Straits Times, these companies plan to introduce a wide range of AI products, including robots, large language models (LLMs), and cloud solutions by 2026 to tap into Singapore's growing technology sector.

Europe's defense technology sector is experiencing rapid growth as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and rising geopolitical tensions drive increased investment in AI-driven defense solutions. The UK and Germany have emerged as the primary hubs for startups focused on advanced military technologies, signaling a shift in defense priorities across the continent.

As frontier AI models reach practical usability, competition is shifting from incremental improvements in model performance to a broader battle over distribution, application integration, and cost-effective deployment, according to DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin. Developers are now racing to secure access to end users via devices and platforms, marking a new phase in AI competition that is expected to last for the next several years.

As AI adoption accelerates, global and US economies in 2025 have been increasingly driven by technology companies' investments in AI infrastructure. Analysts warn that next year's AI server demand will depend on whether deployed AI can generate revenue, distinguishing "good AI" from "bad AI" with unclear monetization.

Taiwan's aging population and declining birth rates have led to an increasingly pressing labor shortage, a major structural issue uncovered through a National Taiwan University (NTU) study commissioned by the National Development Council (NDC) on how demographic shifts impact policies. Under this backdrop, industry experts see high potential for the robotics sector, but cost reduction and improved intelligence remain key challenges for widespread adoption.

On December 30, Chinese AI company Z.ai launched a share sale to raise HK$4.35 billion (approx. US$560 million), aiming to become the first large language model (LLM) developer listed in Hong Kong amid a tech IPO surge, with a scheduled listing for January 8, 2026. Meanwhile, Z.ai has recently launched its latest open-source model, GLM-4.7, signaling a shift toward enterprise-focused AI and broader global adoption. As the company prepares for a 2026 IPO, the release highlights the growing influence of independent developers in a market increasingly shaped by hyperscale competitors and ecosystem distribution.

In 2025, rising geopolitical tensions reshaped global technology and manufacturing, boosting Southeast Asia as a key hub for data centers, advanced manufacturing, and AI. The Johor-Singapore Economic Zone enhanced cross-border integration, strengthening Singapore's "Singapore+1" strategy, while Johor emerged as a major data center cluster amid sustainability concerns.