Apple is reportedly evaluating AI model compression technology from Silicon Valley startup PrismML as it seeks to run more capable AI models directly on iPhones, a move that could improve performance while reducing reliance on cloud computing.
Taiwan and Japan are expanding deployment of the IOWN all-photonic network to improve research connectivity and provide backup AI computing capacity. The effort comes as Taiwan promotes digital resilience and sovereign AI infrastructure, while NTT extends APN links through Kumamoto to tighten industry connections between the two markets.
CATL is rapidly expanding into AI infrastructure. Through strategic investments in DeepSeek, data centres and power systems, the company is positioning itself at the energy layer of the AI computing value chain, extending its business well beyond electric vehicle batteries.
The 2026 Taiwan Expo Japan opened in Tokyo on July 15, giving Taiwanese companies a platform to pursue business in AI, smart technology, robotics and the silver economy. Taiwan's trade promotion delegation had arrived in Japan a day earlier for the expo and a separate Taiwan-Japan AI technology forum.
Microsoft has announced an expanded 3,200-job cut at its Xbox division and is evaluating whether to split off or sell certain game studios. Analysts say the move is more than a routine gaming restructure and instead reflects how AI investment is reshaping capital allocation across the tech industry.
Nvidia and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are weighing a partnership under which the Japanese industrial group would supply cooling systems and energy management equipment for the artificial-intelligence data centers Nvidia is building with partners worldwide, Nikkei reported. The talks point to where the AI buildout is now bottlenecked: not chips, but the power and heat they generate.
Huawei will publicly display its Atlas 950 SuperPoD AI computing system for the first time at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, placing domestic computing infrastructure at the centre of China's flagship AI gathering.
QBit Semiconductor reported a June consolidated revenue of NT$132 million (US$4.1 million) in 2026, a record high marking a rise of 108.5% from the previous month and 41.1% from a year earlier. The Taiwan-based IC design company said its first-half revenue for 2026 reached NT$320 million, up 91.7% year on year and equal to 75% of its full-year 2025 sales.
Nam Liong Global Corporation reported consolidated revenue of NT$245 million (US$8.4 million) for June 2026, down 2.56% from the previous month but up 21.66% year over year, reflecting mid-year inventory adjustments by some customers and normal seasonal shipment patterns. Second-quarter revenue reached NT$743 million, rising 23.73% sequentially and 17.07% from a year earlier. Revenue for the first half totaled NT$1.343 billion, up 8.87% year over year.
AI image sensor chips have become a key market for Taiwan's IC design firms, with major players such as Novatek Microelectronics, Realtek Semiconductor, and Himax Technologies, as well as mid-sized companies including Sunplus Technology, Egis Technology, and Etron Technology, all stepping up their efforts. Among firms also pushing into drone imaging solutions, including Elan Microelectronics and PixArt Imaging, a broad consensus is emerging: compute power and price are not the real winning factors in this market.
China's IC exports surged in the first half of 2026, underscoring strong demand for AI, data center, and HPC hardware that lifted electronics supply-chain momentum. The General Administration of Customs said on July 14 that IC exports reached US$177.28 billion in the first half of 2026, up 96.1% year-over-year.
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