Driven by global net-zero commitments and China's "dual carbon" goals of peaking carbon emissions before achieving carbon neutrality, Inner Mongolia is rapidly transforming from a traditional resource-based economy into a strategic hub for renewable energy and AI computing infrastructure.
Elon Musk's ambitions across AI, robotics and space infrastructure are moving into a new phase following the unveiling of Terafab, an ambitious semiconductor manufacturing complex designed to secure the compute capacity required by Tesla, SpaceX and xAI.
US President Donald Trump said imports of polysilicon and related products threaten national security and ordered new trade measures aimed at lifting domestic production. The proclamation reflects a broader effort to reduce the US's reliance on foreign supply for solar manufacturing, semiconductors, and other advanced technologies.
On August 5, Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council said it had completed the central government's 2027 budget plan, with NT$182.3 billion (US$5.7 billion) earmarked for technology spending, up about 9.5% from 2026. The biggest increase goes to sovereign AI computing power and infrastructure as Taipei pushes ahead with its Smart Nation 2.0 initiative.
The Trump administration is preparing to impose a 15% tariff and minimum import prices on polysilicon and selected derivative products, placing an upstream material shared by solar panels and semiconductor chips at the center of efforts to reduce US exposure to Chinese supply.
