Wistron reported a sharp first-quarter rebound, with consolidated revenue of NT$846.3 billion and net profit of NT$9.631 billion, driven by a surge in server shipments that accounted for 79% of sales. Operating profit reached NT$29.1 billion, pre-tax profit NT$23.5 billion, and earnings per share NT$3.06 — all up sequentially and year on year — while gross margin narrowed to 5.21% as higher-margin system assembly made up a larger share of shipments.
At CYBERSEC 2026 in Taiwan, cybersecurity vendors are moving beyond single-product performance and focusing instead on operational resilience — helping enterprises maintain business continuity when attacks occur. The shift is driving demand for managed detection and response (MDR), supply-chain verification, and lifecycle security compliance as companies confront increasingly complex threats and tightening regulations such as the EU's Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).
Global power semiconductor suppliers are entering a new upcycle marked by tightening supply, rising prices, and intensifying technology competition, fueled by accelerating investment in AI infrastructure and electric vehicles.
Chinese robots, which recently demonstrated their ability to complete a half-marathon, are now entering a new stage of competition. The focus is shifting from flat-ground endurance and speed to sustained, high-difficulty operation in heat, heavy rain, shallow water, and complex terrain — signaling a transition from "long-distance runners" to "triathlon athletes" with greater endurance, payload capacity, and environmental adaptability.
Adata said DRAM and NAND flash contract prices will each climb more than 40% in the second quarter of 2026, as supply is kept tight by cloud server giants that have already locked up 2027 output from upstream memory suppliers. The memory module maker said its inventory topped NT$40 billion (approx. US$1.3 billion) as of the end of April, and it sees no risk to demand through the end of 2026.
Since the second half of 2025, the global semiconductor industry has been squeezed by a rare convergence of forces: surging artificial intelligence (AI) demand, escalating geopolitical fragmentation, and persistent supply chain constraints. The result, industry executives say, is a form of "silicon inflation" and a structural shortage cycle that extends far beyond a typical downturn.
Rising prices for key components, including memory and processors, are increasing working-capital pressure on server original design manufacturers (ODMs) while also weighing on gross margins.
Nvidia and Corning are expanding their partnership in a move that underscores how the artificial intelligence infrastructure race is rapidly shifting beyond GPUs and into optical connectivity, photonics, and advanced manufacturing.
Compal formed a strategic partnership with European AI cloud provider Verda to accelerate deployment of next-generation AI infrastructure across Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, the companies announced. The collaboration, revealed in early May, will see Compal supply GPU server systems and high-density, liquid-cooled AI platforms tailored for large-context model training and high-concurrency inference workloads.
Samsung Electronics is facing mounting pressure from workers seeking a larger share of the AI-driven semiconductor boom, as unions threaten an 18-day walkout and the dispute puts renewed scrutiny on the company's decades-old performance-pay system.
Taiwanese solder materials manufacturer Shenmao Technology said surging demand from the artificial-intelligence server supply chain, coupled with expanding shipments to Southeast Asia and rising processing fees, drove a sharp acceleration in both revenue and profit during the first quarter of 2026.
More coverage
