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Jun 24, 06:57
LG's space bet targets 2030 gains, with SpaceX talks adding lift
LG Group is expanding into the space industry, using affiliate-made components, rover concepts, and CubeSat systems to enter satellite supply chains and validate its technologies in orbit. At South Korea's NextRise 2026 startup expo, LG outlined a space business strategy that links its terrestrial technologies to future space applications and potential SpaceX cooperation.

Taiwan-based Tongtai Machine & Tool is accelerating its transformation toward high-value manufacturing, leveraging growing opportunities in AI servers, semiconductors and aerospace. At its annual general meeting on June 17, shareholders approved all proposals and elected a new board that includes several aerospace industry veterans, underscoring the company's commitment to expanding into advanced manufacturing sectors despite a challenging operating environment.

Amid growing localization efforts across China's supply chain, FineMat Applied Materials has seen its metal mask business continue to shrink and is accelerating its transition into AI cooling, semiconductors, and drones. The company's liquid-cooling cold plates for AI applications have already been sampled by end customers and are expected to begin shipping in the second half of 2026. Once volume production ramps in 2027, cooling products could account for more than 50% of total revenue, becoming a key growth driver.

Taiwan's drone exports continue to gain momentum, driving local manufacturers to expand overseas more aggressively. But as they enter foreign markets, Taiwan companies face long local certification timelines and other regulatory hurdles, pushing their overseas strategies away from simple exports and toward localized production and joint ventures.

AbonMax Technology said on June 16 that drone revenue still accounts for only about 7% to 8% of its total sales, but the company expects more visible operating results by the end of 2026 as government procurement orders and overseas expansion begin to take effect.
Taiwan's 2026 GDP growth is on track to exceed 10% as AI demand powers the island's economy, Minister of Economic Affairs Ming-hsin Kung said, adding that this level of growth may be achieved given current trends. He pointed to stronger-than-expected exports from the AI supply chain and traditional industries such as machinery.

China has launched a probe into a Beidou high-precision smart monitoring project in Shandong, after reports of severe construction defects at the base sparked public concern over the quality of new infrastructure projects. The project, with a total investment of nearly CNY300 million (US$44.4 million), has drawn scrutiny after its base structures were described as "easy to tear apart by hand."

SpaceX has agreed to acquire Anysphere, the San Francisco company behind AI coding agent Cursor, in an all-stock deal valuing the startup at US$60 billion, giving Elon Musk's newly public company a stronger foothold in enterprise AI tools and software development.
Taiwan-based carbon fiber composite maker Topkey is accelerating its expansion into high-growth technology sectors, with formal evaluations underway for applications in drones, industrial robots, and low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The initiative marks a strategic step in the company's transformation from a traditional sporting goods supplier into a provider of advanced composite solutions for aerospace, electronics, and smart machinery.
In light of tensions concerning non-China supply chains, microcontroller unit (MCU) supplier Elan Microelectronics expects stronger performance in the second half of 2026 as new AI PC programs enter production following the newly established drone business.
As SpaceX's listing has sparked discussion of space data centers, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the concept requires no magic and is simpler than existing Starlink systems. But supply chain sources say that cooling remains a major hurdle, while DIGITIMES Research shows that the timing is another key problem: launch costs have yet to reach commercial viability.
Ubiqconn Technology reported consolidated revenue of NT$121 million (approx. US$3.84 million) for May 2026, down 7% from the previous month but up 2% year-over-year, marking a return to monthly revenue growth. Cumulative consolidated revenue for the first five months of 2026 totaled NT$799 million.