The long-discussed Taiwan-US tariff negotiations have finally concluded, agreeing on US$500 billion investment and reciprocal tariffs aligned with those of the EU, Japan, and South Korea without stacking. These terms match disclosures from US sources.
Quanta Computer Executive Vice President and Quanta Cloud Technology President Mike Yang said on January 15 that the company's AI business is expected to deliver at least triple-digit percentage growth in 2026. He added that capital spending is likely to be revised higher, with most of the additional investment planned for the US and a portion allocated to Thailand.
Following the US announcement of reciprocal tariffs in 2025, Taiwanese electronic manufacturing services (EMS) companies operating server assembly plants in Mexico are adjusting their supply chains. They are increasingly sourcing components from ASEAN countries. This shift comes amid growing interest in assembling ASIC servers for AI applications in the region.
The rapid expansion of data centers in the US is placing significant strain on the electric grid, prompting grid operators in multiple states to propose temporary power outages for data centers during peak demand. The move, aimed at managing limited capacity, has met strong opposition from the technology sector and industry groups.
While CES 2025 focused on robots' mobility, humanoid robots at the 2026 event displayed impressive improvements. They showed off folding paper pinwheels, folding clothes, playing ping-pong, and performing four-hand piano duets. This innovation depends on dexterous hand technology, the determining factor for whether robots can be commercialized. The number of exhibitors specializing in dexterous hands has noticeably increased this year, revealing three clear trends.
According to Business Insider, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and founder of xAI, recently highlighted China's dominant position in AI computing power during a podcast, warning that the country will far surpass others globally in supporting AI operations.
As Apple brings the Gemini model into the core architecture of Apple Intelligence, market focus has shifted to how this move will reshape the company's hardware investment strategy. Apple's hybrid AI framework—built on on-device processing, private cloud infrastructure, and selective external support—signals sustained growth in both computing capacity and end-device demand. Hardware requirements are set to rise, not decline.
US export controls on artificial intelligence and high-performance computing are no longer limited by geography. In mid-January 2026, the US House of Representatives passed the Remote Access Security Act by an overwhelming majority, bringing remote access to controlled technologies under regulation. Oversight of AI chips and advanced computing power now extends beyond physical exports and hardware locations to include cross-border cloud access.
OpenAI has acquired medical technology startup Torch to enhance its AI capabilities in healthcare, following the recent launch of its ChatGPT Health platform. Torch's founders, including CEO Ilya Abyzov, announced on the social media platform X that they will join OpenAI as part of the acquisition. The terms of the deal have not been officially disclosed, though reports vary on the purchase price.
The rapid evolution of robots with stable gait and agile manipulation—spotlighted at CES 2026—signals that robots integrated into daily life are moving from vision to reality. Seizing this momentum, Taiwan is launching a national, mission-driven initiative to accelerate smart robot research, industry development, and talent cultivation.
At CES 2026, physical AI emerged as a central theme as real-world deployments gathered pace. Industry discussions shifted away from isolated performance metrics toward system-level and infrastructure requirements. Compared with the earlier focus on GPU specifications and process nodes, attention turned to power supply, cooling capacity, and how infrastructure constraints shape compute expansion.
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