Under its "3+3" industry strategy, Foxconn has capitalized on its expertise in AI, EVs, IoT, and manufacturing to develop three key platforms: smart manufacturing, smart EVs, and smart cities. In recent years, it has made substantial investments in these sectors.

US President Donald Trump's new 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, along with a doubling of duties on Chinese goods to 20%, took effect on Tuesday, sparking fresh trade tensions with the country's top three trading partners. In response to the US fentanyl overdose crisis, President Trump escalated the 10% tariff on Chinese imports imposed in February, doubling it to 20%. The tariff measures were implemented at 12:01 a.m. EST (0501 GMT), just hours after Trump announced that the three nations had not done enough to halt the influx of the deadly fentanyl opioid and its precursor chemicals into the US.

Ennocon, a Taiwan-based industrial PC (IPC) manufacturer and Foxconn subsidiary, has reportedly begun operations in India, targeting the industrial automation and digital transformation market. The move reflects a shift in manufacturing as IPC companies relocate production from China to India and Southeast Asia amid geopolitical tensions.

IBM has recently released the Granite 3.2 series of open-source AI models, enhancing inference capabilities and introducing its first vision-language model (VLM) while continuing advancements in time-series models. Notably, a toggleable reasoning mode is available to help reduce unnecessary computing costs.

Taiwan-based Elan Microelectronics, a major provider of touch controller chip solutions, has disclosed that significant order momentum for product lines offering high gross profits boosted both revenue and gross profit margins in 2024. The company is cautiously optimistic about the market in 2025.

The annual Taipei International Machine Tool Show (TIMTOS) opened on March 3, 2025, showcasing key technologies developed by organizations funded by the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). According to MOEA officials, TSMC's ongoing expansions in Taiwan have increased the demand for photomasks, which has subsequently led to the development of the world's first H-beam laser welding technology at the southern branch of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

The networking industry is poised to enter a period of growth. April Huang, Chairperson of Alpha Networks and Hitron, recently pointed out that the phase of customer inventory adjustments will wrap up in the second half of 2025. She explained that while 2024 is a year of anticipation, 2025 will mark the arrival of clear signals of strong customer demand, with some components already experiencing shortages.

Major cloud service providers (CSPs) are rolling out quantum computing chips, pushing original design manufacturers (ODMs) to ramp up their quantum initiatives. While commercial quantum computing may still be three to five years away, ODMs recognize a familiar pattern from the cloud and AI booms—early adopters gain the edge, while latecomers risk falling behind.

Chicony Power Technology demonstrated remarkable revenue and profit results for 2024, even amid high inflation and geopolitical influences that have pressured the power supply industry due to lower demand for PCs and consumer products. The company stated that applications related to PCs, cloud intelligence, and consumer electronics will maintain stable gross margins, with contribution from cloud intelligence applications exceeding 50%.

Taiwan's National Development Council (NDC) announced on February 27 that the composite index of economic indicators for January 2025 dropped by four points to 34, signaling a shift to a yellow-red light, indicating an economic slowdown.

GlobalFoundries GF and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have announced a new master research agreement to jointly pursue advancements and innovations for enhancing the performance and efficiency of critical semiconductor technologies. The collaboration will be led by MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL) and GF's research and development team, GF Labs.