Sustainability is not just good for communities and the environment but also good for business. This is the message from a sustainability summit that took place at SEMICON Taiwan this week, with water management and equipment providers seeking to link water recycling, tool upgrades, and efficiency-improving automation to measurable cost savings.
Global auto sales in the first half of 2026 show Toyota still firmly in first place, while the gap between No. 2 Volkswagen and No. 3 Hyundai Motor Group has narrowed sharply. Volkswagen's heavy dependence on China has dragged sales lower, while Hyundai Motor Group has held up through diversified geopolitical exposure, local production, and a flexible product mix. Market attention is now turning to whether Hyundai Motor Group is on the verge of overtaking Volkswagen for the No. 2 spot.
Mitsubishi Motors will launch its new all-electric SUV, the ASX VR-e, in Australia and New Zealand in the fourth quarter of 2026, with the model supplied through contract manufacturing by Foxconn-backed Foxtron Vehicle Technologies. The move marks the first time a Taiwan-made EV will enter the sales channel of a global legacy automaker under a white-label arrangement.
Amid global supply chain restructuring and geopolitical rivalry, precious metals are no longer merely financial hedging tools but have become core assets supporting high-tech manufacturing and strategic material reserves.
Century Iron and Steel Industrial (CIS) and Century Wind Power (CWP) held a joint investor conference on August 13. Driven by a significant increase in the revenue contribution from offshore wind foundation engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects beginning in 2026, CWP said it expects revenue to reach new highs in both 2026 and 2027, with profit in 2026 also poised to set a record.
Taiwan began charging companies for carbon emissions in 2026 as part of its push toward net-zero by 2050, with the initial filing deadline closing June 1. A total of 461 regulated factories and 240 companies have paid in full, generating NT$4.97 billion (US$154 million) in carbon fees, with the semiconductor industry paying the most: 45%, or NT$2.2 billion. The Ministry of Environment (MOENV) is also advancing a pilot phase for the emissions trading scheme (ETS) as Taiwan works to align with international carbon markets.
AI-driven power demand is surging, and Delta Electronics Chairman Ping Cheng said microgrids and energy resilience are becoming the next key battleground for AI data centers and the broader electrification push. Speaking at the Delta Sustainable AI Summit, he said that, for the first time in 2026, global electrification and net-zero emissions will be discussed at the same level during UN climate talks, making Delta's business transformation path clearer.
