On November 7, local US time, Elon Musk appeared remotely at the 33rd Baron Investment Conference in New York. During an hour-long conversation with Baron Capital founder Ron Baron, Musk repeatedly framed space-based computing power as a strategic asset.

Nvidia, SK Telecom and South Korean AI chip startup Rebellions have agreed to develop rack-scale AI inference systems that combine Nvidia GPUs with Rebellions' next-generation neural processing units (NPUs), bringing Korean-designed accelerators into Nvidia's data center infrastructure.

Washington's case for letting Nvidia sell H200 chips to China rested on case-by-case national-security screening. A New York Times investigation published on November 7 suggests that the screening cleared companies whose listed offices stood empty and whose owners have ties to firms on the US trade blacklist. The findings sharpen doubts over whether the licensing channel can keep advanced AI hardware away from restricted entities.

Nvidia is pitching South Korea's factories as the proving ground for robots trained in simulation. At its AI Day Seoul 2026 event on November 9, the company detailed physical AI projects with Hyundai Motor Group, Doosan Robotics, LG Electronics, and SK Hynix, and signed an autonomous driving agreement with Kakao Mobility, even as a controversy surrounding chief executive Jensen Huang hung over the gathering.

Surging demand for AI computing is accelerating data center construction in both the US and China, although the US is expected to retain a substantial lead in installed capacity through 2030.

Microsoft is phasing out a rented compute capacity agreement with Oracle after deciding not to renew a contract with the cloud provider. The separation is a part of a larger rethinking of the software giant's cloud partnerships as the neocloud business model comes under growing scrutiny.

Global server shipments are forecast to reach 4.89 million units in the fourth quarter of 2026, up 5.5% sequentially, marking the year's strongest quarterly growth despite mounting concerns over the AI market, according to DIGITIMES Intelligence. Arm-based CPU servers are expected to lead the expansion, with Nvidia's next-generation Vera Rubin platform facing supply constraints.

Catcher Technology is expanding into AI servers and expects server revenue to account for 20% of total revenue by the end of 2026, chairman Allen Horng said. The company also expects to begin mass production of AI PC-related products in the second quarter of 2027 as it offsets continued declines in notebook demand.

Strong AI server demand drove Wistron’s October 2026 revenue to NT$402.6 billion (US$12.2 billion), up 5.73% month-over-month and 1.18 times year-over-year. Revenue for the first 10 months reached NT$3.29 trillion, increasing 99.53% year-over-year and setting a new high for the same period.

Qualcomm and MediaTek, the two leading smartphone SoC makers, are turning their attention to cloud AI ASICs as the global smartphone market faces what could be its sharpest decline on record in 2026. At their latest earnings briefings, cloud AI dominated the discussion, while smartphone operations took a back seat.

Industrial PC (IPC) manufacturer Adlink reported a 43% year-on-year increase in consolidated revenue for the first nine months of 2026, with its operating margin rising to 11% from approximately 5% a year earlier. Earnings per share (EPS) reached NT$4.83 (approx. US$0.15). The company attributed its improved profitability to greater operating scale, efficiency gains, and a shift from standalone hardware towards integrated systems and platforms.

The US AI data center expansion is entering a critical phase, with electricity supply and local governance emerging as major constraints. Democrat Gina Hinojosa's victory in the 2026 Texas gubernatorial election has added policy uncertainty to new data center projects already delayed by grid interconnection and environmental reviews.

According to an official statement, Nvidia's board has opened an independent investigation into reports that founder and CEO Jensen Huang was targeted in a foreign intelligence effort. The move puts the leadership of the world's most closely watched AI chipmaker under formal review just as lawmakers in both US parties press for answers about China's access to sensitive American technology.

Three US lawmakers asked Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to attend a closed-door meeting to discuss his interactions with former Megaspeed executive Alice Huang. The request followed recent reports alleging that Alice Huang had fed intelligence to the Chinese government and had developed a "close relationship" with Jensen Huang.

Following the 2026 US gubernatorial elections, four states that host major AI data centers—Texas, Ohio, Georgia, and Pennsylvania—could impose tighter controls on new projects after Democratic candidates won or secured reelection, according to Bloomberg. Taiwan suppliers are watching closely as some projects could be paused, while Nvidia's upcoming earnings call is expected to provide clues on AI infrastructure demand.

Moonshot AI, a leading Chinese model developer, is reportedly seeking remote access to Nvidia chips held in Europe. With sales of advanced US chips to China limited, the move would exploit a loophole in American law that currently does not restrict cloud service providers (CSPs) from selling compute to Chinese companies.

Democrats swept the US midterm elections, reshaping the global technology and industrial landscape. Their victories in key gubernatorial races, including in Texas and Georgia, have raised concerns about AI infrastructure expansion after some winning candidates explicitly pledged to pause data-center development.

Wistron ITS reported record gross profit, operating profit, net income, and earnings per share in the third quarter of 2026, as stronger revenue and improved operating efficiency supported continued expansion in AI and semiconductor services. Consolidated revenue reached NT$3.752 billion (approx. US$114.1 million), up 3.5% quarter-over-quarter and 25.6% year-over-year.

Companies at the forefront of the AI infrastructure buildout in the US are taking different approaches following the results of this week's midterm elections, which saw a nationwide backlash against data center construction. OpenAI pledged to prevent resource impacts on communities, while Nvidia is turning toward retrofitting small existing facilities.

Democrats have won control of Congress in the US midterm elections, turning the second half of President Donald Trump's term into a lame-duck period. Trump still holds the veto, however, and overriding it requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers. Congress is therefore more likely to apply pressure through budgets, investigations, and blocking new legislation than to overturn executive orders outright. For Taiwan's technology sector and supply chain, several fronts are worth watching closely.

SK Hynix's US-based artificial intelligence (AI) investment arm, HYAICO Corporation, has acquired a stake in AI infrastructure provider Penguin Solutions from an SK Telecom affiliate for US$377.16 million, according to filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A slower US build-out of AI infrastructure after the Democratic Party's midterm sweep could cost China more economically than it gains strategically, Bloomberg Economics said, because the hardware export boom propping up China's growth this year rests on US data center construction.

Taiwan-based Primax Electronics plans to increase the share of its business-to-business (B2B) operations over the next five years, expanding beyond traditional PC peripherals into artificial intelligence (AI), smart security, automotive and robotics applications. With public safety and surveillance projects already secured through 2029, the company expects these higher-value businesses to underpin sustained double-digit growth.

The Democratic Party's sweeping victory in the US midterm elections has raised concerns that data-center construction and the broader AI supply chain could slow. However, supply-chain sources said that while opposition to data centers has intensified, AI development is unlikely to lose momentum because it has become central to national competitiveness, regardless of which party controls the US government.

Server chassis maker Chenbro Micom reported a 5.4% quarter-over-quarter decline in revenue for the third quarter of 2026, as inventory adjustments following aggressive customer pull-ins during the first half and shortages of key electronic components at the system level affected complete-system shipments. Chenbro said its full-year operating scale will still exceed that of 2026.