Samsung Electronics on February 26 unveiled its flagship Galaxy S26 series, but industry attention has quickly shifted to what sits inside: mobile DRAM. According to market sources, roughly 50% of the initial shipments will use memory supplied by Micron, with the remainder provided by Samsung's Device Solutions (DS) division.
Taiwan's IC design landscape is undergoing a massive structural shift. Early 2026 revenue data reveals a dual-track performance: while established consumer giants navigate a high-base stabilization phase, specialized leaders in Intellectual Property (IP) and AI-optimized storage are capturing explosive value from the ongoing AI infrastructure wave.
Japan is planting its flag in India's semiconductor sector — and doing so fast. The market is projected to reach US$110 billion by 2030, and Japanese firms are racing to claim a piece of it.
AI chip startup SambaNova Systems has introduced its fifth-generation processor, the SN50, positioning it as a direct alternative to Nvidia’s Blackwell B200 for large-scale AI inference. The company claims up to 5x peak speed in agent-based workloads and up to an 8x total cost advantage in certain deployments.
As AI dominance drives computing costs to unprecedented heights, a surprising truth is emerging at the front of quantum technology: the future of AI may depend not on replacing classical computers, but on a subtle, yet astronomically valuable, incremental improvement.
Advanced Power Electronics Co. (APEC) said high-power AI servers are driving demand for medium- and high-voltage power devices, and expects demand for high-voltage components to recover in 2026. Cooling fans used in AI and general-purpose servers are also recording strong growth. In 2025, fan products accounted for 27% of total revenue, and the company expects further expansion in 2026.
Semiconductor test interface maker WinWay reported record 2025 revenue and profit driven by demand from AI, high-performance computing, and ASIC markets, and announced a NT$3.499 billion (approx. US$111.7 million) expansion, including a new factory in Renwu, Kaohsiung.
Despite persistent noise in the memory market, leading memory chipmaker Macronix reported a sharp surge in profitability in January 2026. The company posted preliminary pre-tax net income of NT$304 million (US$9.73 million) for the month, up 195% year on year. Net income attributable to the parent reached NT$271 million, also up 195%, with earnings per share of NT$0.15.
A new era of automated geopolitical warfare has arrived in East Asia. In its recently published "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI" report, OpenAI reveals that Chinese state-sponsored actors have moved well beyond simple bot networks. They are now deploying artificial intelligence as a strategic "operational manager" — coordinating complex "cyber special operations" (wǎngluò tèzhàn) against Japan's leadership and Taiwan's digital sovereignty.
Nvidia's ability to sell high-performance AI chips in China has been sharply limited by US export licensing rules, which have restricted shipments of its H20 and H200 products. The controls have already forced Nvidia to take a US$4.5 billion inventory charge and have left the company uncertain about future revenue from China. Meanwhile, local competitors, some strengthened by recent IPOs, are expanding rapidly, potentially reshaping the global AI market.
Benefiting from its group integration strategy, Taiwan Mask Corporation (TMC) is seeing operations that are gradually recovering. The parent company's core business has seen five consecutive months of profit growth. In January 2026, consolidated revenue reached NT$536 million (US$17.2 million), with the core photomask business contributing NT$340 million, accounting for over 60% of total revenue — marking nearly a one-year high. The company's monthly self-reported profit came close to the NT$100 million mark.
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