The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) faces a projected budget cut of NT$29.7 billion (US$907.08 million) in 2025 following the Legislative Yuan's passage of amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures. According to Economics Minister Jyh-Huei Kuo, the reduction will impact subsidies promised to foreign companies like Nvidia, Micron, and AMD for their Taiwan investments.

Taiwan's leading smart retail solutions provider Partner Tech, a subsidiary of Qisda Group, has invested in Japanese theme park software service provider Cresson Inc., the company announced on December 23, 2024. The strategic partnership aims to enhance integrated hardware and software solutions for smart retail and expand both companies' presence in Japan and Asia-Pacific markets.

Alphabet Inc. is preparing to counter Japanese government allegations that it engages in anti-competitive practices such as forcing smartphone makers to give priority to Google Search in default screen placement.

Apple has halted work on a project to build an iPhone hardware subscription service, according to people familiar with the matter, retreating from an attempt to change the way consumers buy its flagship device.

Google has newly unveiled Android XR, a spatial computing operating system (OS) designed for extended reality (XR) devices, poised to compete with Meta Platforms and Apple. The OS supports XR headsets, smart glasses, existing Android apps, and immersive VR content.

Google has appointed Preeti Lobana as the new country manager and VP for its India operations, succeeding Sanjay Gupta, who was promoted to president of the Asia-Pacific region in July. Lobana will be instrumental in advancing Google's strategy to leverage AI across its customer base.

As AI and big data technologies gradually rise, the privacy and security of personal data have become a significant focus for regulatory organizations and businesses. Following the European Union's (EU) introduction of the latest Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), companies interacting with global and EU markets may face substantial impacts.

AI has accelerated the transformation of all industries, providing tremendous opportunities for hardware infrastructure players. However, the market is optimistic that "second phase beneficiaries" will include software companies.

Apple's Vision Pro, its first mixed-reality (MR) headset, is approaching its first anniversary in February 2025. However, projections for 2024 shipments stand at just 500,000 units, well below the company's initial goal of one million units, indicating poor market performance.

Chinese domestic electronic design automation (EDA) leader Empyrean announced on December 9 that the state-owned China Electronic Corporation (CEC) will become its largest shareholder. Empyrean was included in the latest batch of the US Department of Commerce's Entity List on December 2, and with this new partnership, Empyrean is seen as receiving strong backing from the Chinese government, enhancing control over key semiconductor component enterprises.

Planning a camping trip, Matthew Berman remembered hearing that pitching your tent on top of your car instead of on the ground was a good way to avoid animal encounters. It was the kind of claim Berman used to assess by typing into Google's search engine. Now he turns to a chatbot called Perplexity.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is extending its cloud capabilities beyond data centers to edge endpoints, integrating drones and satellite communications to enhance disaster response. Generative AI applications also took center stage at a recent exhibition, with robots creating portraits while engaging in real-time conversations—an alternative highlight of the event.

Server ODMs demonstrated strong performance in the fourth quarter of 2024, driven by general purpose (GP) servers filling the gap as AI servers undergo a transitional period. ODMs project that AI servers will enter a renewed growth phase once production of Nvidia Blackwell GPUs ramps up in 2025.

India is intensifying its focus on establishing sovereignty in artificial intelligence (AI), emphasizing technological self-reliance and global competitiveness.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has unveiled its latest innovation, the Trainium3 chip, featuring an advanced 3nm manufacturing process and scheduled for release in late 2025. The announcement event notably featured Apple's presence, highlighting the tech giant's significant reliance on AWS cloud services.

AWS has expanded beyond its existing Titan series with the introduction of the Nova family of AI models. The announcement came during the annual AWS conference, where Amazon CEO Andy Jassy made a special appearance to unveil various Nova versions including Micro, Lite, Pro, and Premier. While the first three versions are now generally available, Premier is scheduled for a later release.

Megvii Technology, one of China's original "AI Elite Four" which specializes in computer vision and deep learning, announced its application for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Shanghai Stock Exchange Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR) has been withdrawn.

Both Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang consider humanoid robots to be the ultimate chapter in AI development. According to a Goldman Sachs research forecast for the first half of 2024, humanoid robot shipments are expected to exceed 250,000 units by 2030, with nearly all deployments in industrial sectors.

The growing adoption of AI across industries and intensifying geopolitical tensions have led to escalating cybersecurity threats, fueling demand for robust solutions and digital forensic services. Taiwan-based Acer Cyber Security Inc. (ACSI), a cybersecurity specialist, has seen steady revenue growth as a result.

The US Federal Trade Commission has opened an antitrust investigation of Microsoft, drilling into everything from the company's cloud computing and software licensing businesses to cybersecurity offerings and artificial intelligence products.

According to a press release published by the Press Information Bureau of India, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has greenlit a significant transaction involving the investment in Flipkart Private by Alphabet-owned Shoreline International Holdings. This development marks an important step for Flipkart, a subsidiary of retail giant Walmart, as it continues expanding its presence in the Indian e-commerce sector.

Apple's attempt to delay a report indicating it violated competition laws in India has been denied by the nation's antitrust authority, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), according to Reuters, which cited an internal order from the regulator. The decision permits the proceedings against Apple to advance.

Huawei's product launch event took place on the afternoon of November 26, showcasing what it claims to be the "most powerful" Mate in history, along with the fourth iteration of Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance—"Maextro," developed in collaboration with JAC Motors. This announcement comes just before the US is expected to announce an expansion of its restrictions against China, drawing significant attention from the public and industry observers.

Taiwan's role in the global AI ecosystem cannot be overstated, according to Paul Lorimer, corporate VP of Office 365 Enterprise and cloud engineering at Microsoft.

Google is advancing its global data center expansion while targeting sustainability goals centered on energy efficiency, carbon neutrality, and water reuse. Senior executives emphasize that energy costs represent the largest operational expense for maintaining data center infrastructure, underscoring the importance of strategic energy planning during transitions from legacy to new technologies.