In 2025, rising geopolitical tensions reshaped global technology and manufacturing, boosting Southeast Asia as a key hub for data centers, advanced manufacturing, and AI. The Johor-Singapore Economic Zone enhanced cross-border integration, strengthening Singapore's "Singapore+1" strategy, while Johor emerged as a major data center cluster amid sustainability concerns.

Under ongoing geopolitical risks and rising tariff barriers, Foxconn Technology Group's smartphone assembler FIH Mobile plans to shift part of its new product introduction (NPI) operations from China to Vietnam starting in 2026, sources say. This move marks a significant step as the industry adapts to heightened supply chain resilience demands amid US-China tech tensions.

2025 proved turbulent for downstream applications and end-user devices. Tariffs and geopolitical tensions dominated the first half, while AI gained momentum later in the year. Global market unpredictability pushed many brands—particularly in China, the epicenter of geopolitical tensions—toward domestic markets and self-sufficiency.

The aerospace supply chain is showing signs of recovery following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with National Aerospace Fasteners Corporation (NAFCO) preparing for a significant increase in new aircraft deliveries starting in 2026. According to NAFCO general manager Alvin Lin, three major obstacles that had delayed new-plane handovers are being gradually resolved, enabling a stronger delivery outlook.

Passive components maker Inpaq, under Passive System Alliance (PSA), held its annual investor conference. Looking ahead, CEO Eunice Chen expects 2025 orders driven by the PC/notebook (PC/NB) replacement cycle to be much stronger than supply chain forecasts, pushing utilization rates above 90%. She is optimistic that this strong order momentum will extend into 2026, becoming a key driver for steady growth in antenna product shipments.

As 2025 draws to a close, the global semiconductor industry has undergone a fundamental transformation marked by heightened geopolitical tensions, supply chain restructuring, and an unprecedented surge in AI-driven demand. What distinguishes this year from previous cycles is the shift from aspirational roadmaps to hard-edged execution, where manufacturers must deliver not just technological advancement but reliable, scalable production under increasingly complex constraints.

Chant Sincere, a supplier specializing in high-speed connector modules, is expanding its presence in AI high-performance computing and automotive electronics as network switches evolve toward 800G and 1.6T standards. The company anticipates significant volume production growth starting in 2026.

Facing US restrictions on high-end computing products, China is restructuring its AI chip industry by advancing GPU, TPU, and NPU technologies simultaneously. Domestic firms struggle to match Nvidia's software ecosystem but seek breakthroughs with TPUs for efficiency and NPUs for edge applications.

Amid ongoing US export restrictions, Chinese company Zhonghao Xinying plans to launch its second-generation self-developed Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chip in 2026. Industry observers predict multiple new Chinese TPU firms will emerge over the next five to 10 years, driven by growing demand for AI inference computing.

Taiwan-based Fukuta Electric & Machinery plans to go public on the Innovation Board in late January 2026 as it accelerates its move from industrial motor manufacturing toward integrated powertrain system solutions for electric vehicles. The company reported that nearly half of its revenues in the first three quarters of 2025 stemmed from electric vehicle-related products.

As 2025 concludes, Taiwan's information and communication technology (ICT) and electronics sectors have experienced significant export growth driven by AI-related demand, particularly from the United States. This comes according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). Despite record-breaking trade surpluses and rising foreign-exchange earnings, industry surveys indicate varying confidence about future prospects.

China's Ministry of Finance and the Customs Tariff Commission released a 2026 tariff adjustment plan set to take effect on January 1, 2026. The plan revises import provisional tariffs and adjusts tariff classifications. It also continues the application of agreement and preferential rates, covering a total of 8,972 tariff items.

Despite ongoing US-Taiwan tariff negotiations showing no significant progress, Taiwan's semiconductor industry has not yet been affected by the "Section 232" tariffs targeting electronics. According to recent data, Taiwan's information and communication technology (ICT) and electronics exports to the US have continued to grow at double-digit rates, even as US manufacturing has contracted for nine consecutive months under President Donald Trump's administration.

The surge in AI-driven high-speed computing and data transmission demands has prompted major players to invest heavily in co-packaged optics (CPO) technology. Compound semiconductor firm IntelliEPI announced a share-swap partnership with optical communications company EZconn, drawing renewed market attention.

Nvidia has reportedly invested US$20 billion to acquire technology licenses from Groq, marking its largest investment to date. The move is drawing significant attention in South Korea as Groq is backed by Samsung Electronics and collaborates with it in the foundry sector.

Set-top box maker Skardin Industrial confirmed that it has recovered a portion of its bad debt from an Argentine client, recognizing approximately NT$110 million (US$3.5 million) in bad-debt reversal gains, which have significantly strengthened operating cash flow. The company plans to continue advancing its transformation strategy, focusing on green energy, internet data centers (IDC), and resilient communications modules as its next growth engines.

Nvidia has announced a US$20 billion deal to acquire non-exclusive technology licenses from AI chip startup Groq, with Groq's current CEO and core research and development team joining Nvidia to work on technology integration. Meanwhile, Groq's CFO will succeed as the new CEO and continue operating services, including Groq Cloud.

In 2025, the global electronics supply chain transformed due to rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC), boosting servers, chips, and cooling sectors. Geopolitical tensions, export controls, and multi-location approaches also reshaped the supply chain to improve flexibility and risk management. The DIGITIMES Asia news team has summarized the top 10 key developments from this shift.

Japanese firms like Rohm and AOI Electronics built partnerships with Indian partners. Foxconn is mimicking its strategy in China, setting up a factory city in India.

South Korean PNT has secured its first mass-production order for battery copper foil in China, marking a strategic expansion beyond its core battery equipment business into materials and strengthening its foothold in the Chinese market.

Demand for green talent in Taiwan has surged to unprecedented levels. The pending implementation of carbon fees, continued growth in the green technology sector, and rising demands for net-zero emissions in global supply chains have created a massive workforce gap. Statistics show that Taiwan's green workforce shortfall neared 30,000 in 2025, marking a new record high at nearly 300% the level eight years ago. The electronics, IT, and semiconductor industries show the strongest hiring needs. AI skills have also become highly sought after, with employers favoring expertise in software engineering and R&D.

Taiwanese pneumatic components maker Chelic said it is redirecting its growth strategy toward semiconductors, liquid cooling, and robotics, as new sensing and energy management products move into customer testing with revenue contributions expected to begin in early 2026.

Taiwan's economy saw outstanding growth in 2025, emerging as an outlier not just in Asia but also worldwide. In its recently released forecast for 2026, the Institute of Economics at Academia Sinica sharply revised its estimate for GDP growth to 7.41% for 2025, up 4.48pp from its previous estimate of 2.93%. Although growth in 2026 is likely to slow down due to the high baseline in 2025, AI-related industries will continue to prop up external demand and investments in Taiwan.

Rising global investment in artificial intelligence is accelerating data center construction. This is intensifying demand for power, cooling, and energy storage equipment, reinforcing reliance on Chinese-made components even as governments push to diversify supply chains.

As AI workloads intensify and data centre architectures evolve, optical communications vendors are positioning co-packaged optics (CPO) and silicon photonics (SiPh) as core mid- to long-term growth markets. LuxNet expects 800G products to surpass 400G as the market mainstream in 2026, with 1.6T products entering initial shipments and supporting growth over the next two to three years. TrueLight is moving into the AI high-performance computing (HPC) supply chain via continuous-wave (CW) laser foundry services and expects the foundry revenue share in 2026 to exceed 2025 levels.