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Aug 19
Baidu's AI cloud engine accelerates as advertising drag deepens

Baidu's second-quarter 2026 results confirm a business in the midst of a wrenching handover: an AI-powered core that is scaling faster than almost any other line item at the company, while the total revenue base is still shrinking. Group revenue fell 4% year-on-year to CNY31.3 billion (US$4.63 billion), the fifth straight quarter of annual decline, even as Baidu's AI-powered businesses grew 25% and accounted for half of Baidu General Business revenue for the second consecutive quarter, exceeding legacy-business revenue.

Industrial computer (IPC) maker Nexcom International on August 19 officially unveiled its RoboWIZ AI Robotics Open Platform concept at the 2026 Automation Taipei exhibition, bringing together Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Compal Electronics, German technology partner Synapticon, and dozens of key component partners from Taiwan and overseas to pursue commercialization opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI) robotics.
AI data center expansion and rising demand for enterprise network upgrades continue to lift the network equipment market, giving several vendors better order visibility. But surging prices for key components such as memory and PCBs, along with hyperscalers drawing heavily on supply-chain resources, are squeezing parts availability for other electronics and adding another layer of uncertainty to second-half operations.
Qualcomm is moving into the entry-level PC market with its Snapdragon C platform as Apple's US$599 MacBook Neo and surging DRAM and NAND costs squeeze low-priced Windows laptops from both ends. The chipmaker is aiming to give PC brands a lower-cost alternative and help them defend a segment that has become increasingly hard to profit from.

Delta Electronics outlined a broader AI strategy at the Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition on August 19, unveiling robotics and smart manufacturing applications designed to speed deployment across machinery, electronics, and semiconductors. The Taiwan-based industrial technology company also introduced its first Embodied AI Dual-Arm Robot Platform as it sharpened its focus on factory automation and production autonomy.

OpenAI told employees it could go public in 2027, though an earlier listing remains possible if operating conditions improve. According to CNBC, the company framed an initial public offering as another funding round, not an endpoint, and said its US$122 billion capital raise in March gave it flexibility on timing.

Unitree Robotics' August 19 debut on Shanghai's STAR Market did more than crown China's first mainland-listed humanoid robot maker. It marked a shift in the industry from competition between robot brands to a harder contest over supply-chain cost, AI capability, and mass production.

LG acquires Mexico TV parts plant to cut production costs
Aug 20, 11:04
LG Electronics has acquired a local TV parts factory in Mexico. The move strengthens cost competitiveness and tightens control over its supply chain at one of its key North American production bases. It also gives the company an existing manufacturing facility and inventory already suited to its TV operations, bringing production of selected components closer to final assembly.

Intelligent Asia 2026 opened on August 19 at TaiNEX 1 and TaiNEX 2 in Taipei, with industry and government speakers repeatedly returning to one theme: Taiwan should use its manufacturing depth to anchor more production locally while connecting domestic suppliers more closely with global markets.

Kenmec Group founder and president Frank Hsieh said on August 19 that two of the company's new businesses have taken shape, with Taisic Materials focusing on silicon carbide (SiC), a third-generation semiconductor material, and Kentec targeting the AI data center (AIDC) market. Both companies are expected to list on Taiwan's Emerging Stock Board in October 2026.

As artificial intelligence expands from digital environments into physical operations, embodied intelligence is emerging as a new frontier for technology companies. Xiaomi's latest earnings call offered a glimpse into how the company is approaching this field, with robotics positioned not as a standalone product category, but as a capability designed to enhance manufacturing, automation, and future industrial applications.

As competition in artificial intelligence shifts from model development toward real-world deployment, Xiaomi is betting that its advantage will come not only from building foundation models, but from integrating those models across a broad hardware ecosystem spanning smartphones, smart homes, and electric vehicles.