Techman Robot plans to release a dual-arm robot and deploy an upgraded humanoid model at customer sites in the second half of 2026, moves the company says will broaden its addressable market and deepen ties to semiconductor customers.

On August 15, 2023, a routine press release landed in the inboxes of semiconductor analysts and tech journalists worldwide. Titled "Groq Selects Samsung Foundry to Bring Next-gen LPU to the AI Acceleration Market," it presented a classic David-versus-Goliath narrative.

As mature process foundry prices rise, Panjit COO Edgar Chen said the company will not implement across-the-board price hikes despite increasing copper raw material costs. Instead, the focus is on improving gross margins and optimizing product mix. Price increases of 10-20% are planned for low-margin products, mainly small-signal lines, with customer communications underway in the first quarter of 2026. The pricing impact is expected to show in the second quarter and be fully implemented by the third quarter.

Dai Nippon Printing (DNP)'s decision to open a research and development base in Telangana in April 2026 could accelerate collaborative innovation between the Japanese industry and Indian academia, with potential impacts on electric vehicle charging and pharmaceutical ingredient production for global markets.

Buoyed by strong demand from makers of AI GPUs, CPUs, and application-specific chips, Kinsus Interconnect Technology said it expects a sharp lift in both revenue and product mix as new capacity for ABF substrates comes online.

The expansion of AI data centers is creating new business opportunities that are opening the door for upstarts to challenge industry leaders. A prime example is the four-level pulse amplitude modulation digital signal processing (PAM4 DSP) chip market for optical communications, which is shifting from a duopoly dominated by US leaders Marvell Technology and Broadcom to a more diversified vendor landscape. MediaTek's subsidiary Airoha is now striving to climb this competitive ladder.

Although it may appear that China's AI GPU development is behind the US by one or more generations, a recent Morgan Stanley report reveals the actual gap is smaller than widely perceived.

Tencent has officially launched ClawBot, a plugin that integrates the popular open-source AI agent framework OpenClaw into its flagship messaging platform, WeChat, marking a significant move in China's AI race. The integration allows WeChat's over one billion monthly active users to send commands and interact with OpenClaw directly within their chat interface, turning conversations into actionable AI interactions. Setup takes just two minutes via a QR code scan or a copied command.

Sony's deal to sell off a majority stake of its television business to rival TCL is reportedly nearing completion. The proposed US$1 billion transaction reflects the long decline of Japan's television giants at the hands of rising Chinese competitors like TCL.

Excellence Optoelectronics (EOI) is preparing for volume production to begin in July at its soon-to-be-completed Phase 1 plant in Mexico, aiming for an 80% utilization rate by year-end with 88 LED automotive lighting modules produced at the new facility. The company has also seen stellar results from its new AI smart city and system integration businesses, and expects the combined driving force of automotive and AI to propel steady revenue growth throughout 2026, after posting strong results for a usually slow first quarter.