China has imposed new export control measures on 40 Japanese entities, placing 20 organizations on its export control list and another 20 on a separate watchlist, citing national security concerns and the need to strengthen oversight of exports of dual-use items.
China's humanoid robot sector is moving faster than expected, with new unicorns, policy support and maturing supply chains pushing physical AI from lab validation toward early deployment.
As the US tightens controls on advanced AI chip exports, smuggling schemes are surfacing across the AI server supply chain, driven by soaring Chinese demand for AI servers from buyers like Alibaba and Tencent willing to pay almost any price. Supermicro was investigated in the first half of 2026, with executives and employees allegedly bypassing US export controls to divert restricted AI servers and technology to China. Taiwan's Albatron was also reported to be involved, and the case has since escalated: Keelung prosecutors detained Albatron Technology general manager Kevin Lu on Tuesday on suspicion of smuggling Supermicro AI servers to restricted markets.
Kinpo Electronics said its core operations remained stable despite a first-quarter revenue drop, with global demand patterns, customer model changes, and seasonal softness driving the decline. The company expects a recovery in the second half of 2026 as Thailand's capacity expands, new customers come online, and multiple product lines return to growth.
Taiwan's Keelung prosecutors detained Albatron Technology general manager Kevin Lu on Tuesday on suspicion of smuggling Supermicro AI servers to restricted markets, putting one of Taiwan's most active authorized distributors of American tech brands at the center of a US export control enforcement case.
Competition in China's humanoid robot market is driving down prices for dexterous hands and other key parts, with implications for suppliers and buyers worldwide. Rapid product cycles are forcing cost cuts, while technical barriers, especially in high-precision components, continue to shape which manufacturers can compete globally.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is rolling out a new engineering division aimed at helping companies move beyond experimenting with artificial intelligence and start running it at the core of their operations.
South Korean AI chip designer Rebellions said on June 30 that it is acquiring AI inference optimization company SqueezeBits, as part of an effort to become a full-stack AI infrastructure provider rather than a chip designer alone.
Artificial intelligence is moving from a personal productivity aid into core business operations, and Taiwan is among the global leaders in adoption. Microsoft says local workers are advancing faster than corporate strategy, a gap that could shape how companies worldwide compete, reorganize work, and capture AI-driven gains.
Schneider Electric, the French energy management and automation giant, announced that it has agreed to acquire Cognite, a Norwegian industrial data and AI software company, in an all-cash deal valued at US$3.1 billion. The deal is meant to reinforce the former's software line-up as it positions itself for a future of AI-powered industrial automation.
Chinese manufacturers of grid-connected battery storage systems have reportedly yet to obtain Japan's cybersecurity certification ahead of a new compliance requirement, potentially limiting their participation in one of Asia's fastest-growing energy storage markets.
Synopsys celebrated the 35th anniversary of its Taiwan operations and the opening of its new Hsinchu office on June 15. During the event, Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi sat down with DIGITIMES to discuss how agentic AI is transforming electronic design automation (EDA), semiconductor development, and the future of engineering work.
