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May 22
Japan, South Korea deepen energy ties: LNG, supply chains and AI security top summit agenda

Japan and South Korea have agreed to deepen cooperation on energy security and supply chain resilience, placing crude oil, petroleum products, LNG, and critical industrial materials at the centre of a wider effort to manage geopolitical shocks from the Middle East to North Korea.

Physical AI boosts edge demand, lifting IPC order visibility
May 25, 15:30
According to market research firms, the global edge AI market is forecast to post a compound annual growth rate of 26% through 2032, while the overall edge computing market is expected to expand from US$131 billion to US$440 billion between 2023 and 2033, highlighting explosive growth potential and drawing in a wave of investment.
Zeng Hsing Industrial held its annual general meeting on May 25. It approved the 2025 business report and financial statements, the earnings distribution plan, amendments to the articles of incorporation, and a private placement to issue new common shares. The firm reported 2025 consolidated revenue of NT$8.104 billion (US$257.7 million), down 2.8% from the prior year, with pre-tax profit of NT$864 million and earnings per share of NT$5.52.
GoPro's takeover talks are putting a spotlight on a broader shift in handheld cameras, as the market moves from rugged action devices toward creator-focused gimbal and 360-degree products increasingly shaped by Chinese brands.
Nvidia's structural pivot to isolate its ACIE market and AMD's US$10 billion investment in Taiwan infrastructure signal a profound realignment in the AI chip war. Both developments reflect a shared urgency to expand beyond traditional hyperscale clouds into the booming, highly lucrative global enterprise, industrial, and sovereign AI factory frontiers.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries has opened the Kawasaki Physical AI Center in San Jose to accelerate real-world deployment of physical AI and strengthen Japan–US collaboration in AI and semiconductors. Located in Silicon Valley, the center aims to develop practical solutions in healthcare, mobility, and manufacturing through partnerships with leading global technology firms.
The US energy storage industry achieved its most successful first quarter of 2026 to date, driven by surging AI computing demands and growing concerns over fossil fuel reliability. According to the US Energy Storage Market Outlook (ESMO) second quarter 2026 report published by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, developers deployed 9.7 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of new storage capacity in the first quarter of 2026. This represents a 32% increase year-over-year, reflecting the sector's resilience within the domestic clean energy supply chain despite a strained political environment.
China has unveiled what developers describe as the country's first robot operating system built on OpenHarmony, underscoring Beijing's broader push to establish a domestic software and hardware ecosystem for humanoid robots, industrial automation, and embodied AI systems.
Geopolitics and price are reshaping who builds the world's AI infrastructure. Across emerging markets in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America, governments and enterprises are increasingly turning to Chinese server makers as an affordable alternative to US-dominated tech ecosystems — driven partly by budget constraints and partly by a deliberate push to avoid dependence on any single power.
India's electronics manufacturing industry, which has emerged as the world's second-largest mobile phone production hub after China, is facing growing pressure as slowing smartphone demand and rising component costs erode profitability, prompting manufacturers to expand into higher-margin sectors such as defense, industrial electronics, and medical devices.
MicroLED short-range optical interconnects are attracting global R&D investment for their low power consumption and high-speed modulation, and AUO has formed a supply-chain alliance to pursue chip-scale optics for scale-up networking within racks. Microsoft, among other major players, is testing the approach for AI data-center links.
Anthropic has reportedly approached Microsoft about renting AI computing power running on Microsoft's in-house chips to expand support for its Claude model business. The move is a positive sign for Microsoft and could generate momentum for the mass production of its recently unveiled Maia 200 chip, while ASIC players such as Global Unichip and Ethernet chip suppliers Marvell Technology and Broadcom also stand to benefit.