CSBC Taiwan is working with US autonomous systems company Havoc to localize production of autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) in Taiwan, showcasing their jointly developed "Rampage" alongside its domestically built "Endeavor Manta" at the 2026 Taiwan Marine Tech & Unmanned Robotics Expo (MATURE Taiwan) in Tainan.

Electronic components maker TDK will invest about JPY100 billion (US$633.5 million) to renovate an existing factory in Ojiya, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and expand magnetic sensor production. The company aims to double capacity by fiscal 2030, which runs from April 2030 to March 2031, to capture demand from humanoid robots and other physical AI applications.

Onsemi reported stronger-than-expected third-quarter 2026 results, driven by accelerating demand for power management solutions in AI data centers and industrial applications, as the semiconductor supplier continued to improve profitability through operational restructuring and higher-value products.

Gemtek Technology has joined three optical communications standards groups as the industry develops alternatives for connecting AI data centers. The move could influence interoperability, power use, scalability, and supply-chain integration across global data-center networks, while giving the company exposure to specifications for pluggable, co-packaged, and near-packaged optical architectures across markets.

AI chip and data center suppliers continue to announce capacity expansions and stronger earnings in response to surging AI demand, even as concerns grow over the sustainability of the AI boom. Murata, Ibiden, Sumitomo Electric, and Toto are among the companies investing to expand production, while Kioxia reported a sharp increase in profits driven by AI-related demand.

Metaage, a subsidiary of Qisda, posted consolidated revenue of approximately NT$19 billion (US$583 million) for the first three quarters of 2026, up 17% from NT$16.2 billion in the same period of 2025, as enterprise IT infrastructure, software, and cloud businesses expanded. The company is targeting AI infrastructure and cloud opportunities in 2027.

Although robots received less coverage at Foxconn's 2026 Hon Hai Tech Day (HHTD 26) than in 2025, the company demonstrated the confidence of a global manufacturing leader by looking beyond the humanoid, bipedal form factor. Instead, it highlighted industrial and medical robots, supply-chain partners, and physical intelligence technologies to show how different robotic platforms can serve specialized industries.

Geopolitical tensions, volatile crude oil prices, and tightening sustainability requirements are reshaping the global chemical industry, creating new challenges and opportunities for Taiwan's specialty chemicals sector. Against this backdrop, the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) forecasts that Taiwan's specialty chemicals output will reach NT$185.7 billion (US$5.7 billion) in 2026, up 10.9% from 2025, partly driven by higher oil prices pushing up specialty chemical prices.

The Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER) released Taiwan's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for October 2026 on November 2, showing continued expansion, with the outlook remaining optimistic. Notably, customer inventories in the manufacturing sector have stayed excessively high for two consecutive months, while the backlog of orders index fell to its slowest pace of expansion since January 2026.

Samsung Electronics is reportedly in talks with Japanese motor maker Nidec to jointly develop robot motors as the South Korean company expands its humanoid robotics business and pushes to automate its factories.

Taiwan became Thailand's third-largest trade partner in the first half of 2026 as AI growth and geopolitical shifts accelerate Taiwanese investment in the country, Taiwan Representative to Thailand Peter Lan said. Around 200,000 Taiwanese businesspeople are now based in Thailand, with the pace accelerating under the China+1 trend.

JPP Holding's Thai operating arm, Jinpao Precision Industry, joined Praksa subdistrict authorities in Samut Prakan Province, Thailand, on October 31 to hold the finals of the Jinpao–Praksa automation and robotics innovation competition, strengthening its efforts to develop AI and smart-manufacturing talent locally. Chairman Chung Kuo-sung said corporate philanthropy should involve long-term engagement with local communities rather than one-time donations.

MediaTek's latest earnings call focused heavily on its data-center ASIC business, as CEO Rick Tsai and CFO David Ku addressed market rumors about delays to its second AI accelerator ASIC project, EMIB packaging yields, and the identity of its second customer. The company said its major customer's second-generation project remains on track for mass production in the first quarter of 2028, while the second customer will also begin contributing revenue in 2028.

Lite-On Technology will continue increasing capital expenditure in 2027 as cloud service providers (CSPs) pour money into the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure race, president Anson Chiu said. He warned that CSPs that stop investing to secure market share will pay an even higher price for falling behind in the irreversible AI era.

Dixon Technologies is pursuing separate partnerships for servers, optical communications, and advanced semiconductor packaging as it seeks a role in AI infrastructure manufacturing, although its most ambitious silicon-photonics plans remain at the evaluation stage.

Dixon Technologies is counting on smartphone joint ventures, expanding IT hardware production, and locally made components to turn a sharp sales increase into stronger earnings, as rising memory costs inflate revenue without a corresponding rise in manufacturing volumes.

Indian consumer electronics brand Mivi has inaugurated an INR2 billion (approx. US$21.05 million) research, development, and manufacturing facility at E-City in Tukkuguda, Hyderabad, giving the audio-focused company a monthly capacity of 500,000 earbuds and 75,000 soundbars as it pushes into smartphones.

Meta is accelerating its humanoid robotics ambitions through a partnership with Chinese robotics company Fourier, having developed an initial prototype and begun work on a second version as it explores the potential of AI-powered household assistants.

This week’s coverage highlights intensifying competition and capacity constraints across the global semiconductor industry. Taiwan faces debate over whether public R&D funding should prioritize universities and talent development. Micron workers receive unusually large bonuses amid unresolved labor negotiations. India is expanding state-level semiconductor incentives, while KLA reportedly considers local manufacturing. Memory shortages may persist through 2030, and SK Hynix is investing beyond memory. Server CPU demand is projected to surge, with AMD potentially surpassing Intel in revenue.

Lite-On Technology reported record net profit for the third quarter of 2026 as demand for AI infrastructure boosted its cloud and power businesses. The Taiwanese electronics supplier posted consolidated revenue of NT$57.4 billion (US$1.8 billion), up 9% quarter-over-quarter and 28% year-over-year, while executives said AI-related revenue had exceeded 30% of the company's year-to-date total.

Nvidia's robotics partnerships in South Korea are moving beyond initial agreements, with LG Electronics beginning partial operations at its robot-training Data Factory and LG Innotek expanding cooperation on sensing technologies. Hyundai Motor Group, another Nvidia partner, has also outlined new steps toward building AI infrastructure for robotics and autonomous driving.

South Korean companies showcased humanoid robot components, dual-arm machines, and autonomous driving systems at FIX 2026 in Daegu, offering a look at how developers are bringing automation into factories and transportation. The technologies ranged from robotic hardware under development for manufacturing applications to an autonomous taxi service already carrying paying passengers.

As part of its efforts to harness AI for tangible benefits, Foxconn is integrating AI models, computing infrastructure, factory management, and automation equipment to build a model for smart manufacturing that can be replicated across sites. The company has already achieved initial results in applying AI to injection molding, computer numerical control (CNC) machining, surface-mount technology (SMT) processes, and production scheduling, with further plans to use digital twins and physical AI in process optimization, factory design, and automated system deployment.

Addressing Foxconn's structural competitive advantages at Hon Hai Tech Day (HHTD 2026), rotating CEO Michael Chiang emphasized that the electronics manufacturing giant's core differentiator lies in true vertical integration rather than mere vertical aggregation.

Marvell is reportedly in talks to acquire Lumentum, drawing attention across the optical communications supply chain. The deal would offer strong strategic synergies, particularly through Lumentum's expertise in critical optical transceiver components, but Lumentum's size and its contracts with major customers, including Apple, could make the acquisition difficult.