A shift to 800VDC power architectures in next-generation AI data centers is gathering pace, with implications for GPU planning, power semiconductor demand, and rack design. Many vendors are preparing related products for 2026, as rising AI workloads push power systems toward a new scale. The trend may accelerate adoption across gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), and Vertical Power Delivery (VPD) technologies.

Taiwan's export orders climbed by US$207.3 billion, or 52.5%, in the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, according to data released on August 20 by the Department of Statistics (DOS) under Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). From January to July 2026, orders placed by the US reached US$235.7 billion, accounting for 39.1% of the total US$602 billion in orders, rising more than 70% year over year and making the US Taiwan's largest buyer.

Stripe is in acquisition talks to buy AI startup OpenRouter for more than US$7 billion, according to reporting by Bloomberg and Axios. The price would be more than five times the US$1.3 billion valuation OpenRouter reached in a funding round in May 2026.

Alibaba Group's June quarter is the clearest statement yet that the company now runs as an AI infrastructure business with an e-commerce cash engine attached, rather than the other way around. Revenue rose 9% year-over-year to CNY268.95 billion (US$39.64 billion), but the composition of that growth, and the cost of buying it, matter more than the headline.

Unitree Technology's soaring debut underscored investor enthusiasm for humanoid robots, but the company's founder said the industry still faces key limits before machines can perform everyday work in homes and factories.

Alibaba is signaling that its most capital-intensive bet yet — a three-year, CNY380 billion (US$56.33 billion) buildout of AI compute — is starting to compound into a self-reinforcing growth cycle, even as the near-term cost of that buildout shows up in a sharp swing in capital spending and a steep drop in group profitability.

To safeguard national security and the development of the AI supply chain, the US has banned imports of advanced humanoid robots. Against that backdrop, Taiwan-based Swancor unveiled its first "Taiwan AI robot ecosystem" at Automation Taipei 2026, joining with more than 10 Taiwanese industry, technology, and academic partners to showcase applications ranging from smart inspection and public safety to smart construction, AI education platforms, commercial interaction, and long-term care companionship.

South Korean AI infrastructure provider Elice Group is expanding on two fronts, adding enterprise AI transformation (AX) solutions while building what it says will be the country's first AI data center to use warm-water cooling above 40°C.

China shipped more than 40,000 humanoid robots in the first half of 2026, lifting its share of global shipments to 97%, according to a development report released on August 20 at the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing. The figure marked the highest share ever recorded in the report's historical data and underscored China's growing role in the global humanoid robot supply chain.

Quartz component leader TXC is targeting AI and automotive applications as demand grows for faster data transmission, with 1.6T optical modules expected to see explosive growth in the second half of 2026. The company aims to lift AI revenue to 20% by the end of 2026, with roughly 20-30% of that coming from optical module applications.