The inference economy has arrived, and Taiwan's tech industry must transition from the "knowledge economy" to the "inference economy," DIGITIMES chairman Colley Hwang said on August 20 at a forum exploring future trends in the semiconductor industry. He also warned that Taiwan's AI data center capacity is about one-sixth of South Korea's.
High PC hardware prices are pushing gamers to delay full-system replacements and redirect their budgets toward targeted upgrades, driving strong demand for high-margin peripherals and gaming monitors, according to the latest data from market intelligence firm CONTEXT.
More than half of Taiwanese companies surveyed by TAITRA reported being negatively affected by the US-Iran conflict, with rising costs emerging as the biggest concern as geopolitical tensions disrupt energy, raw material, and supply chain conditions.
TBI Motion Technology returned to profit in the second quarter of 2026, with strong demand extending order visibility into 2027. The Taiwan-based transmission component maker is also expanding into humanoid robotics and will showcase a lower-limb module at an automation exhibition this week.
Ethernet chipmaker IC Plus said on August 17 that its operations in 2026 have improved significantly after Airoha Technology took a stake and joined its management, while resources from MediaTek also provided substantial support. The company said it turned profitable in the first half of the year.
Niche printed circuit board (PCB) maker EISO Enterprise said that 2026 industry demand has returned to post-pandemic highs as AI applications spread across multiple segments, while chairman Jian Rong-kun said the chance of a market reversal or an AI bubble burst remains low. But since 2025, shortages and price increases in high-frequency, high-speed copper-clad laminate (CCL) have remained a shared operational challenge for PCB makers.
Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) is preparing the second-phase quantum research program, known as the "Quantum Leap Project," for 2027 to 2031, while a Request for Proposal for the National Center for High-Performance Computing's (NCHC) quantum computing (QC) host is expected soon. The move has raised questions over whether NSTC Minister Wu Cheng-wen's recent US trip could include talks with leading quantum computing companies on potential Taiwan-US cooperation.
MediaTek has reportedly landed major orders for Google TPU products in recent years, even appearing to challenge Broadcom's position. At a recent earnings call, MediaTek also raised its 2027 ASIC market share target to 15% to 20%, and industry watchers largely credit that goal to the breadth of MediaTek's ASIC services.
Connector maker Lotes is deepening its server business, with its server quick disconnect (QD) line set to enter mass production in July, and expansion is expected to accelerate at the same time. A new-generation server platform is expected to begin small-volume shipments in the fourth quarter of 2026, followed by a larger-scale ramp-up in early 2027, making both key growth drivers to watch in the coming quarters.
