Sources from the notebook (NB) supply chain stated that Taiwanese ODM manufacturers that once stood at the forefront of the market are gradually stepping back, with Chinese ODM manufacturers beginning to take over. This shift is built on three conditions: first, shortages and rising prices of key components have pushed brand vendors to take aggressive measures to protect profits; second, the capabilities of Chinese manufacturers have improved; and third, Taiwanese ODMs are redirecting resources toward higher-growth AI opportunities such as servers.
Corning Incorporated reported higher first-quarter 2026 core sales and earnings while outlining continued restructuring efforts across its operating model, including expanded platform-based businesses, segment realignment, and upgrades to its long-term growth plan.
Given Taiwan's crucial role in the AI supply chain, Cheng-wen Wu, chairman of the country's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), called on Taiwan's legislature to pass the central government's budget proposal, which remains under review. He emphasized that Taiwan must not only lead in AI hardware production, but also advance AI applications.
Microsoft reported stronger-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, as Azure growth, Microsoft Cloud demand, and rising Copilot adoption helped ease investor concerns over the company's heavy spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure.
SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won urged South Korea to pursue deep economic integration with Japan to gain strategic influence amid US-China tech tensions, arguing that a larger Korea-Japan bloc could reshape global bargaining power in energy, semiconductors, and AI infrastructure, with implications for markets and diplomacy worldwide.
Lenovo Group told suppliers at its 2026 Global Supplier Conference on April 29 in Hefei that it expected surging demand for AI PCs and GPU servers to lift revenues and that the company aimed to exceed US$100 billion in annual revenue within two years. Executives said the company forecast record results for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 as AI workloads expanded across endpoints and infrastructure.
South Korea's LG Electronics and US chipmaker Nvidia are exploring a potential partnership spanning robotics, AI data centers, and mobility, signaling how traditional hardware companies are repositioning for the next phase of AI.
Multimedia software developer CyberLink reported steady first-quarter 2026 results but warned that growth will face headwinds in the second quarter 2026 from generative AI search and rising memory costs, a combination that could affect global software markets reliant on search-driven traffic and PC-dependent product bundles, as well as investor sentiment worldwide.
OpenAI announced it has exceeded its initial Stargate commitment by securing more than 10GW of AI infrastructure in the US ahead of schedule, adding over 3GW in the past 90 days. Stargate was launched to meet rapidly growing demand for AI from consumers, businesses, developers, and governments by bringing new capacity online faster and at scale.
On April 29, Amazon told investors on its first-quarter 2026 earnings call that AWS continued to accelerate, while the company doubled down on its custom chip business and pushed forward with plans for the Amazon low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite service, including the planned acquisition of Globalstar. Executives framed the moves as complementary elements of a broader strategy to capture a wave of demand driven by generative AI, even as they flagged memory and storage supply pressures and elevated capital spending tied to cloud and satellite buildouts.
Alphabet's first-quarter 2026 earnings call was less a victory lap than a capacity warning. Management's message was clear: AI is now lifting Search, Cloud, ads, subscriptions, and developer usage, but the company's next phase of growth may hinge less on product demand than on how quickly it can bring enough compute online.
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