Intel has confirmed it has begun raising CPU prices for OEM customers in response to ongoing supply constraints and rising raw material costs. According to Nikkei Asia, both Intel and AMD have notified clients of planned price increases in March and April 2026. The report notes that AI-driven global memory shortages are pushing hardware costs higher and extending delivery times, placing unprecedented margin pressure on channel partners.

While sharing insights on quantum technology investment, commercialization, and development, Ching-Ray Chang, a Global Quantum 100 honoree, emphasizes that as quantum tech matures, its impact could surpass even the Industrial Revolution.

As vehicles become increasingly connected and software-driven, the role of lighting is evolving beyond illumination into a new interface for communication and design.

Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) recently showcased 12 advanced machine tool key technologies driven by artificial intelligence (AI) at the 2026 Taiwan International Machine Tool Show (TMTS). These technologies have been successfully introduced into leading domestic listed companies and end-user application sites, including World Known Precision Industry, Proxene Tools, Kao Fong Machinery (Kafo), Chin Fong Machine Industrial, and Phison Electronics.

Service-sector labor shortages have surpassed those in manufacturing, emerging as a global structural challenge. To address this shift, Taiwan is prioritizing the deployment of service-oriented robots through a four-year "Smart Robot Service Application Guidance Program" launching in 2026.

Ritek's warning that geopolitical tensions, petrochemical volatility, and rising manufacturing costs have tightened polycarbonate supplies points to global impacts: recordable optical disc prices are expected to rise nearly 20% in the second quarter of 2026, potentially affecting data-archiving, media production, and storage procurement strategies worldwide and could alter cost forecasts globally.

Academic and industry experts from Nvidia and Google predicted an upcoming "Q-Day", the day when quantum computing is advanced enough to break current levels of encryption and crack passwords. While this day may be years ahead, governments and companies are already preparing post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards to prepare for this day, the experts said at the 2026 AI Expo in Taipei.

US Senators Jim Banks and Elizabeth Warren, in a joint letter dated March 23, called on US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to suspend Nvidia's export licenses for advanced AI chips destined for China and intermediary Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore and Vietnam.

As Taiwan-based IC design firms face declining global market share due to China, Taiwan's Aspeed stands out by dominating the baseboard management controller (BMC) chip sector.

Taiwan is accelerating its robotics strategy to address a rapidly aging population and capture emerging global demand, with the Robotics Innovation Alliance (RIA) mobilizing cross-industry resources to fast-track deployment and exports.

Broadcom recently announced that it completed development of a 400G single-lane PAM4 digital signal processor (DSP) at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) 2026, signaling accelerated progress toward higher-speed optical links, with implications for global data center scalability, AI deployments, and supply-chain dynamics as the industry awaits volume production and wider market adoption over the coming years.

Micron Technology's planned Singapore expansion, driven by soaring AI memory demand, requires hundreds of transformers, signaling supply constraints that could affect global AI and semiconductor infrastructure timelines and costs for data-center buildouts, energy storage projects, and heavy electrical equipment suppliers, potentially reshaping procurement and construction schedules worldwide and logistics planning.

The demand for liquid cooling technology in AI servers continues to rise, and Foxconn is increasingly showcasing its components and subsystems in this space. At Nvidia's recently concluded GTC 2026, Foxconn's parts appeared not only on the back panels of ecosystem partners for Nvidia's MGX architecture, but also as core subsystems like rack manifolds featured in the exhibits of branded vendors.

The Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC 2026) concluded on March 19, with Broadcom holding a media briefing to discuss the latest technologies and product announcements from the event. Addressing concerns about capacity bottlenecks across the optical communication supply chain, Broadcom acknowledged that many segments currently face tight supply conditions. However, the company noted that supply chain partners are actively expanding capacity, and more suppliers are joining the market. Broadcom projects that production capacity constraints will gradually be resolved by 2027.

Imaging technologies are expanding beyond time-lapse photography and consumer applications into higher-barrier military uses as the industry repositions in the post-pandemic era.

The expansion of AI data centers is creating new business opportunities that are opening the door for upstarts to challenge industry leaders. A prime example is the four-level pulse amplitude modulation digital signal processing (PAM4 DSP) chip market for optical communications, which is shifting from a duopoly dominated by US leaders Marvell Technology and Broadcom to a more diversified vendor landscape. MediaTek's subsidiary Airoha is now striving to climb this competitive ladder.

Sony's deal to sell off a majority stake of its television business to rival TCL is reportedly nearing completion. The proposed US$1 billion transaction reflects the long decline of Japan's television giants at the hands of rising Chinese competitors like TCL.

Kinpo Group held an investor conference on March 19, where General Manager Chen Wei-Chang expressed optimism for the second half of 2026 and projected a balanced revenue distribution between the first and second halves of the year. The company's server, EV charging station, SSD storage device, and mobile payment businesses have all entered mass production.

Following earlier price increases for tantalum capacitors and inductors, the aluminum capacitor supply chain is now seeing further price adjustments. Taiwanese manufacturers say end-market demand remains strong only in the AI sector, while upstream raw material prices — metals in particular — continue to climb, nearing a critical cost threshold for suppliers. The passive components industry's "cost defense battle" has now spread from inductors and chip resistors to aluminum capacitors.

The future of AI robot computing power is expected to shift significantly toward edge devices, with dexterous robotic hands playing a critical role as the core endpoint. Industry experts observe that the next major breakthrough in AI robotics will come from integrating sensing and real-time computing capabilities into these agile hands.

Super Micro Computer Inc. (Supermicro) has announced a swift and significant restructuring of its executive leadership following the unsealing of a federal indictment charging its co-founder and other high-level employees with orchestrating a massive scheme to illegally export advanced AI technology to China.

Taiwan has long leveraged its manufacturing strengths to carve out a place in the global supply chain. Now, it is going further. With research and development reach expanding overseas, the country is shifting from contract manufacturing to joint innovation. The UK-Taiwan Innovative Industries Programme (I2P), run under the British Office Taipei and ITRI, has hit a record scale in 2026, with 17 research and development teams taking part in bilateral exchanges.

Touch panel maker TPK Holding reported a sharp increase in profitability in 2025, as a shift in product mix and lower depreciation costs lifted margins, while higher-priced touch modules for OLED tablets are expected to continue supporting revenue.

The next front in the global AI race may not be a data center. It could be a robot. Taiwan has quietly staked its claim — and it's building the industrial machinery to back it up.