PC demand has been inadvertently propelled by the coronavirus pandemic, but some market observers are concerned that the PC market may start seeing a slowdown in May, followed by a sharp falls in the third quarter. But some makers in the supply chain are more optimistic, such as cooling module solution supplier Auras, which believes its shipments to the notebook segment will remain strong in third-quarter 2020. Memory backend firm Powertech is also reporting clear order visibility through the third quarter, and is expecting sales to hit a record in 2020.

The Taiwanese government is stepping up efforts to help local startups hit by the coronavirus pandemic, including financial assistance.

Denmark-based startup BluSense Diagnostics, with major investments from Taiwanese companies, has developed a diagnostic kit that can test COVID-19 in 12 minutes, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

Undeterred by the coronavirus impacts and the cancellation of MWC 2020, China-based smartphone vendors were keen to launch their flagship 5G-enabled models online in the first quarter of 2020 in order to make preemptive presence in the segment, according to Digitimes Research.

Demand for software as a service (SaaS) has been on the rise, highlighted recently by needs for remote working in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, which has prompted more firms to adopt cloud-based collaborative operations, according to Kdan Mobile Software founder and CEO Kenny Su.

Taiwan's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and StanShih Foundation, established by Acer founder Stan Shih, on March 20 jointly hosted a three-day training camp on entrepreneurship via online conferencing, avoiding a physical meetings in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Belgium-based developer of 3D printing technology Materialise has designed a 3D printed door opener that allows people to use their arms to open and shut doors without touching the doorknobs, according to Taiwan's Photonics Industry & Technology Development Association (PIDA).

AR glasses have a significant role to play in cushioning impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on manufacturing operations, as they can be used for remote collaboration between equipment engineers and users to quickly address mechanical failures, according to Tom Liang, chairman of Taiwan-based AR smart glasses maker Jorjin Technologies.

Global top-5 notebook brands saw their combined shipments nosedive nearly 40% on month and 38% on year in February as the notebook supply chain, which has over 90% of poduction capacity in China, was seriously disrupted in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, according to Digitimes Research.

Taiwan-based automation solution developer Solomon has cooperated with Denmark-based Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) to release disinfection robots that could help prevent the spread of viruses, while Taiwan-based Papago has also devoted efforts to developing a facial recognition system that can identify mask-wearing people.