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Friday 8 May 2026

US president considers inviting Nvidia and other CEOs to China trade talks

CEOs from Nvidia and other American tech companies are among those that the US government plans to invite to join President Donald Trump's visit to China next week. Along with the trade negotiations, the US leader has also sought to frame the summit as a type of high-level trade delegation, although the White House is reportedly considering inviting only a small number of executives.

Friday 8 May 2026

Inside Nvidia's high-stakes bet on next-generation AI cooling

One of the most closely watched developments in the AI server industry in recent weeks has been reported changes to the cooling architecture of Nvidia's next-generation Vera Rubin platform, a shift that has already triggered sharp swings among related suppliers in Taiwan's equity market.

Friday 8 May 2026

Samsung chiefs address pay talks as strike deadline nears

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman and Device Solutions (DS) head Jun Young-Hyun, along with Device eXperience (DX) head Roh Tae-moon, issued a joint statement to all employees on the progress of wage negotiations on May 7, marking their first public remarks on the talks. The move comes as Samsung tries to defuse labor tensions ahead of a union strike deadline.

Friday 8 May 2026

Taiwan firms' US investment tops forecasts; government lines up US$50 billion financing

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced on May 6 that, excluding TSMC, about 20 Taiwan companies plan to invest US$35 billion in the US. The statement comes after US President Donald Trump issued reciprocal tariffs in April 2025, which unexpectedly helped speed up long-stalled progress on a Taiwan-US economic and trade agreement.

Friday 8 May 2026

Samsung workers seek bigger share of AI profits as strike looms

Samsung Electronics is facing mounting pressure from workers seeking a larger share of the AI-driven semiconductor boom, as unions threaten an 18-day walkout and the dispute puts renewed scrutiny on the company's decades-old performance-pay system.

Friday 8 May 2026

Aopen posts highest first-quarter profit in 20 years as edge computing sales strengthen

Aopen, an Acer subsidiary, reported its strongest first-quarter operating profit, net profit after tax, and earnings per share for the period in 20 years, citing tighter operational efficiency and deeper supply-chain integration as drivers of the performance. The results covered the first quarter of 2026 and reflected continued investment in smart applications centered on edge computing, industrial PCs, and industrial digital displays, the firm announced.

Friday 8 May 2026

AI-driven capital spending by hyperscalers reshapes global EMS competition and supply chain strategy

Hyperscaler AI capital spending is rapidly reshaping global EMS and ODM strategies, driving firms like Luxshare to pivot from smartphones toward AI infrastructure opportunities, while US peers such as Flex restructure around data center power systems. With hyperscaler capex exceeding US$800 billion annually, supply chains are reorganizing around AI servers, cooling, and high-speed interconnect demand, redefining competitive dynamics across China and the US.

Thursday 7 May 2026

Apple expands clean energy and water investments in India as supply chain sustainability efforts accelerate

Apple said it is increasing investment in renewable energy and water sustainability projects globally, including new solar and water initiatives in India, as the company pushes toward its goal of becoming carbon neutral across its entire value chain by 2030.

Thursday 7 May 2026

From market leader to exit: Samsung pulls out of China's home appliances market

Samsung Electronics' decision to withdraw from China's home appliance market marks the end of a long and gradual erosion of its once-dominant position, one that has unfolded even as the company posts record profits globally.

Thursday 7 May 2026

From chips to telecoms, South Korea faces an AI-era labor reckoning

Labor tensions across South Korea's technology sector are intensifying, and the conflict is no longer confined to traditional disputes between workers and management. Increasingly, the country's AI-driven economic transformation is exposing fractures within workforces themselves, as employees in faster-growing business divisions demand a larger share of corporate profits. In contrast, weaker divisions struggle to keep pace.

Thursday 7 May 2026

Taiwan delays in gas plants drive push for energy storage and virtual power plants

Taiwan's expanding semiconductor and AI-related industries have driven up electricity demand, prompting officials and researchers to call for the faster deployment of energy storage and virtual power plants to fill gaps left by the slow pace of natural gas plant construction.

Thursday 7 May 2026

Chelic posts stronger first-quarter profit as AI server demand lifts automation parts

Chelic reported stronger first-quarter results as rising global shipments of AI servers drove demand across PCB, liquid-cooling, and semiconductor equipment supply chains, boosting orders for pneumatic components, flow sensors, and cleanroom automation parts. The company said optimized product design and adjusted production allocation increased shipments of higher-value-added products, supporting margins and operating performance in the quarter.

Thursday 7 May 2026

Taipower plans grid upgrades as Longtan Phase 3 heads to NSTC review

The Longtan Science Park expansion known as Longke Phase 3 is being resubmitted for review to the National Science and Technology Council in May as Taiwan Power Company prepares for potential new industrial demand, executives said. The redevelopment, paused since 2022 after local opposition, has drawn renewed attention after reports that TSMC might consider the site, and Taipower identified the NSTC as its largest anticipated customer for future power needs.

Thursday 7 May 2026

MetaAge posts 27% revenue increase as AI demand boosts server shipments

MetaAge, a unit of Qisda, reported consolidated first-quarter 2026 revenue of about NT$6.02 billion, up NT$1.29 billion (US$192 million) from NT$4.73 billion a year earlier, a 27% year-on-year increase, and net profit attributable to owners of the parent of about NT$33 million with basic earnings per share of NT$0.17. The board approved the results, which the company said reflected strong global demand for AI infrastructure and enterprise high-performance computing.

Thursday 7 May 2026

Inventec sees strong NB and server demand but warns of component-driven margin pressure

Inventec reported April 2026 revenue of NT$84.786 billion (US$2.68 billion), down 3.17% month on month but up 36.53% year on year, signaling continued momentum in its notebook and server businesses heading into the second quarter of 2026, with broader implications for supply chains and enterprise AI deployments globally.

Thursday 7 May 2026

Flex says separate AI infrastructure company will better address hyperscaler power and thermal needs

Flex has announced a strategic plan to spin off its Cloud and Power Infrastructure (CPI) segment into an independent, publicly-traded company, with the transaction expected to be completed by the first quarter of calendar 2027. This move follows a record-setting fiscal year 2026, where the company reported total revenue of "US$27.9 billion, up 8% on continued strong growth in cloud, power, and industrial".

Thursday 7 May 2026

Taiwan component maker Fositek rides AI server cooling demand

Fositek said strong demand from artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure is driving rapid growth in its liquid cooling business and will prompt continued capacity expansion to meet customer needs. The company expects server-related revenue to rise quarter by quarter through 2026 and said second-half shipments of a customer's new foldable phones will further lift margins.

Wednesday 6 May 2026

'Chipflation' hits Samsung, boosts Apple results

As soaring memory prices fuel "chipflation," Samsung Electronics and Apple are taking sharply different approaches. Samsung's Mobile eXperience (MX) division is trying to protect profitability by optimizing its product mix and expanding across more price points, while Apple is leaning on an ecosystem of 2.5 billion devices and high-margin services to offset rising component costs.

Wednesday 6 May 2026

Hyundai's robot ecosystem strategy rejects all-purpose humanoids in favor of application-specific products

Robots have become a main focus for Hyundai Motor Group, with continued investments in research and development as part of its strategy for the future. However, rather than promoting the broad adoption of humanoid robots, Hyundai is instead pursuing robots tailored for specific industries, pushing a range of new technologies in a diverse range of solutions and ecosystems.

Wednesday 6 May 2026

Taiwan researchers create non-toxic blue-light material that could enable glasses-free 3D displays

Researchers at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University announced a new non-toxic, metal-free light-emitting silicone that produces blue fluorescence when mechanically stressed, a development they said could advance glasses-free 3D displays and wearable imaging sensors. The research was published on May 6 in the journal JACS Au, and the work was carried out in collaboration with a team at Osaka Institute of Technology, the university stated.

Wednesday 6 May 2026

Flex jumps on 2027 outlook beat, AI data-center unit spinoff plan

Flex shares rose 13% in after-hours trading on May 5 after the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider forecast fiscal 2027 results above Wall Street expectations and announced plans to spin off its Cloud and Power Infrastructure segment into a separate publicly traded company.

Wednesday 6 May 2026

Chicony Power's full product line to ramp in 2Q26; satellite communications power revenue set to double

Chicony Power's first-quarter performance signals supply-chain resilience and potential upside for global notebook, server, and satellite power markets, as the company forecasts second-quarter revenue growth driven by inventory pull-ins, rising average selling prices, and expanding satellite and AI power-supply businesses serving international customers.

Wednesday 6 May 2026

From China to Arizona: How AI and TSMC are redrawing Taiwan's economic map

Taiwan's decades-long tilt toward China is giving way to a sharper, US-focused strategy. Semiconductor expansion and surging demand for AI infrastructure are redrawing the island's trade flows — and its industrial ambitions.

Tuesday 5 May 2026

SEMICON SEA 2026: Delta showcases AI-enabled smart manufacturing

Delta Electronics presented its latest AI-enabled smart manufacturing solutions at SEMICON Southeast Asia 2026, underscoring its efforts to advance efficiency, precision, and scalability in semiconductor packaging production amid intensifying industry demands.

Tuesday 5 May 2026

AI and chips propel US back to top of Taiwan's trade chart

Trade between Taiwan and the US reached US$78.25 billion in the first quarter of 2026, driven primarily by advanced node chips and AI servers. This marks the first time in 25 years that the US has surpassed China and Hong Kong to retake its place as Taiwan's largest trading partner. Moreover, Minister of Economic Affairs Ming-hsin Kung has forecast 7% GDP growth for 2026, following 8.68% growth in 2025.

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