TSMC's planned 2027 wafer price increases are reinforcing confidence that AI chip demand remains strong while prompting fresh discussion over whether Intel and other semiconductor companies will gain greater flexibility to adjust their own pricing.
Participation in the Global Pavilion at the upcoming SEMICON Taiwan 2026 has reached a new high, with the number of participating countries climbing to 18 and the booth count surging from 62 in 2023 to 220 in 2026, an increase of more than 250%. Both metrics set new records, reflecting that amid rising artificial intelligence (AI) investment and the regionalization of supply chains, countries are moving faster to deepen cooperation with Taiwan's semiconductor industry.
China's research and academic community appears to be drifting away from international collaboration, even as the UK, Germany, and the US have steadily expanded cross-border partnerships in recent years. The contrast has drawn fresh attention after Moonshot AI's flagship 2026 model Kimi K3 and other Chinese technology products, including Unitree Robotics's H1 robot, prompted questions over how much of China's advanced innovation is truly homegrown.
Kyushu's semiconductor production, investment and hiring have risen sharply since TSMC announced its Kumamoto expansion, but local companies have captured only a limited share of the region's growing chip-related spending.
Lightelligence is positioning optical interconnects, optical switching, and optical computing as the next foundation of AI infrastructure, arguing that the industry's biggest challenge has shifted from faster chips to moving data efficiently across increasingly larger GPU clusters.
Samsung is in talks to invest about EUR1 billion (approx. US$1.14 billion) in French AI startup Mistral as part of a wider fundraising round, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
As the global AI race intensifies, Germany's Merck is extending its reach into semiconductor materials research with an "AI for AI" strategy. Using its in-house Elvis AI platform, BaBE Bayesian optimization tool, digital twin, and enterprise knowledge platform Melinda, the company is building a closed-loop innovation model in which AI drives materials development and new materials, in turn, support next-generation AI chips.
With SpaceX's first public earnings report approaching, investors are looking for fresh insight into the company's operations and future satellite deployment plans, viewing the results as an important barometer for the global satellite communications market.
Philippe Notton has spent nearly 20 years traveling to Taiwan roughly once a month. That rhythm—born from his time at MStar Semiconductor and deepened across four companies on three continents—shaped how he thinks about building chips, building companies, and building Europe's only independent advanced CPU business.
