When Chinese President Xi Jinping meets US President Donald Trump at the White House on September 24, trade will be the most measurable front of their rivalry. Since the first Section 301 tariffs took effect in July 2018, US imports of Chinese technology hardware have fallen sharply. Rare earth magnets are the exception: Washington cannot easily replace them, which gives Beijing leverage as the one-year Busan truce nears its November 10 expiry.

China's Hygon Information Technology is extending its processor ambitions beyond servers and data centers with the launch of its first embedded industrial CPU family, targeting robotics, machine vision, smart manufacturing, and other edge AI workloads.

Qualcomm unveiled two flagship mobile platforms, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, at Snapdragon Summit 2026 in Maui, Hawaii this week, marking the company's first split of its premium Snapdragon lineup into two Elite tiers. Xiaomi, Honor, and Motorola appeared on stage as early partners, with the Xiaomi 18 Pro series and Honor Magic9 series expected to be the first devices and to launch in September.

Online rumors that Huawei founder Zhengfei Ren and his family had disappeared from public view have reignited concern over the fate of Chinese technology executives. Ren's younger daughter, Annabel Yao, appeared at a Beijing press conference on September 14, but China's new exit-and-entry rules took effect the next day, drawing fresh attention to executives who have fled, vanished, or faced restrictions.

Taiwan's export orders topped US$100 billion in August 2026, reaching US$102.96 billion, up US$5.02 billion from the previous month, according to statistics released by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on September 22. Export orders for September are forecast to be between US$106 billion and US$109.1 billion, representing year-over-year growth of 50.7% to 55.1%.

Higgstec said its first half 2026 operating momentum recovered as inventory reduction in the European industrial controls market neared completion, client orders picked up again, and commercial products in Asia gradually ramped. The niche touchscreen panel maker has also launched mass production on an assembly line it spent more than a year building, extending its business from standalone touch panels to a "one-stop service" that integrates display modules and mechanical parts.

ASRock's business focus is shifting toward AI as ASRock Rack expands server output and ASRock Industrial pushes into edge computing. Following ASRock Rack's listing, ASRock Industrial is also set to go public, as the group's transition from motherboards to AI servers and edge AI gradually takes shape.

Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passed the Virtual Asset Service Act in June 2026, and Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) is now drafting delegated regulations, with completion planned for the first quarter of 2027. PwC Taiwan managing director Monica Lee said banks will need licenses to operate virtual asset services, and lending licenses are the most likely to be profitable.

Meta Connect 2026 is set to begin on September 23, with the next generation of AI smart glasses expected to be a key focus. Among the products drawing particular industry attention is a device internally code-named "Luna," which is reportedly being designed without a camera.

Demand from high-tech companies for new research and manufacturing sites remains strong, prompting Taiwan to advance plans to expand Longtan Science Park by 104 hectares as the government seeks to accommodate continued growth in AI and semiconductor industries.

Industry sources say Valve is expected to launch a new Steam Deck in 2027, setting up a tougher contest for Taiwanese original design manufacturer (ODM) Quanta as China's Huaqin moves to win the manufacturing order. The winner has not yet been confirmed.

The industry has converged on a single precondition for consumer adoption of augmented reality (AR) glasses: the product must look like ordinary eyewear. The China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE) 2026 showed how differently the two critical component groups — microdisplays and waveguides — are responding to that constraint. Microdisplay makers are trading away a modest amount of resolution for smaller Micro LED panel areas, pushing light engines below 0.1cc, and pairing those engines with geometric, surface-relief, and volume-holographic waveguides from multiple suppliers to demonstrate complete near-eye modules and, in some cases, complete glasses. Taken together, the show indicates that AR display technology has reached a workable level of maturity.

Loyalty Founder Enterprise's push into AI servers, storage, and networking is beginning to boost scale and profitability, with implications for global data center supply chains. As demand for AI infrastructure stays strong and new overseas capacity nears launch, the company is positioning itself for broader growth in 2027 and 2028.

A recent survey found that 36% of nearly 120 US manufacturers have already reshored or are actively reshoring production, while more than 60% have capital investment plans for doing so. Taiwan's investment in the US is also rising, and Taiwanese firms' moves will become clearer after the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA) completes plans by the end of 2026 for overseas science parks in Texas and Arizona and begins soliciting investment.

China's smart glasses sector is experiencing explosive growth, driven by shifting consumer habits, rapid technological advancements, and strong policy backing. However, beneath the surface lies a fundamental divide: while lightweight AI and AR glasses are surging, the once-popular audio-only glasses market is shrinking.

AI computing is changing how global hardware is designed, built, and deployed, with implications that extend well beyond Taiwan's tech sector. At a September 19 event, Wiwynn chair Emily Hong said the industry now faces three central challenges: power, cooling, and high-speed interconnect, as demand for AI infrastructure rises worldwide.

High-speed transmission demand continues to rise on the back of AI server and data center buildouts, while cloud service providers (CSPs) accelerate adoption of in-house application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) platforms. As a result, demand for high-speed connectors and high-speed transmission cables inside servers is also increasing.