If today's AI data centers are blazing "powder kegs" of heat, IBM was the visionary that prepared the "fire extinguisher" half a century ago. While Nvidia's top chips now require water cooling to operate, few realize that this technology's "biological father" actually dates back to IBM in the 1960s. Today, we explore this groundbreaking US patent 3,524,497 ("Patent 497") and its blue-cooling revolution spanning over 50 years.

CES returned to Las Vegas this month, but whether CES 2026 felt as electric as past editions remains a matter of debate. The answer depends on where one looks. A handful of key metrics offer a clearer, if more nuanced, picture of the show's true momentum.

Industrial PC manufacturer IEI Integration plans to regain growth momentum in 2026 by concentrating its annual strategy on medical devices, network security solutions, and edge computing. The company anticipates operational stability as new product lines move into mass production.

Despite facing dual challenges from currency fluctuations and rising supply chain costs throughout the year, industrial PC maker Flytech Technology demonstrated strong market adaptability in 2025, supported by steady demand in Europe and the US, resulting in positive full-year revenue growth.

Lenovo is aiming to double its business in India over the next three years, leveraging strong growth in its Motorola smartphone segment and its infrastructure and services verticals, according to company executives. Lenovo's Asia Pacific leadership highlighted domestic consumption and the "India for the world" strategy as central to the company's future expansion, with India emerging as one of Lenovo's fastest-growing markets worldwide, according to the Economic Times.

Electronic component distributor Honey Hope Honesty Enterprise (3H) reported December 2025 revenue of NT$652 million (US$20.63 million), up 52.01% year over year. The strong growth was primarily driven by urgent customer orders, which boosted sales. For the full year of 2025, cumulative revenue reached NT$5.43 billion, up 15.75% compared to 2024.

AsusTek Computer Inc. posted robust financial results for December and the fourth quarter of 2025, reporting revenue of NT$69.7 billion (US$2.2 billion), up 47% year-on-year. Quarterly revenue reached NT$202.9 billion, representing a 33% increase, while full-year revenue hit a record NT$738.9 billion, growing 26% annually.

The surge in global artificial intelligence data centers (AIDCs) revealed at CES 2026 highlights a pivotal shift in energy consumption patterns. From autonomous vehicles to smart healthcare, these technologies increasingly depend on robust energy infrastructure, transforming traditional power supply dynamics. The growth of energy storage systems (ESS) now surpasses electric vehicle (EV) batteries, marking a new chapter in the energy transformation landscape.

Tai-Tech Advanced Electronics posted record revenue in December, the fourth quarter, and the full year of 2025, driven by strong AI-related demand and an initial round of price increases for ferrite bead products, the company said.

Server chassis maker Chenbro Micom reported consolidated revenue of NT$2.71 billion (approx. US$ 85.8 million) in December 2025, up 33.1% month-over-month and 68.4% year-over-year, setting a new single-month record high. Cumulative consolidated revenue for the fourth quarter of 2025 reached NT$6.74 billion, up 19.0% quarter-over-quarter and 74.4% year-over-year. Full-year 2025 consolidated revenue totaled NT$22.0 billion, representing a 51.6% year-over-year increase, surpassing the NT$20 billion milestone for the first time.

Hyundai Motor Group said it plans to begin mass production of artificial-intelligence-powered robots by 2028, building a manufacturing system capable of producing about 30,000 units annually as it moves decisively from experimentation into commercialization.

As artificial intelligence (AI) advances and computational demands intensify, the industry is witnessing a fundamental shift in how AI system architecture is understood, with energy and power supply emerging as critical constraints. The anticipated arrival of next-generation GPU platforms such as Nvidia's Blackwell and Vera Rubin after 2026 highlights looming challenges in rack-level power delivery, forcing the power supply sector to evolve beyond traditional roles toward accelerated development at the device level.

At CES 2026, leading South Korean corporations such as LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, and Samsung Electronics drew attention by focusing on robot actuators—critical components that function as joints in humanoid robots. Industry experts highlight actuators as a key growth market, as a single humanoid robot requires over 100 actuators to ensure performance and manage costs. This focus aligns with the growing interest in physical artificial intelligence applications across sectors.

Nvidia's next-generation AI superchip, Vera Rubin, has become the center of industry debate following comments by CEO Jensen Huang at CES 2026, where he said the product had entered the production phase. The statement has drawn scrutiny from the semiconductor supply chain, particularly memory makers, as questions emerge over the readiness of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) for commercial deployment.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently stated that electricity is the ultimate currency in the AI race, aligning with supply chain insights showcased at CES 2026 around autonomous vehicles, robotics, and various AI applications.

AI server demand pushed Taiwan's three major ODMs — Foxconn, Wistron, and Quanta — to record-high revenue in 2025, with all three surpassing NT$1 trillion (US$32 billion). The momentum is expected to carry into 2026 as Nvidia's GB and VR (Vera Rubin) platforms transition smoothly, supporting stronger performance in the second half.

CES 2026 is in full swing, where Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced that the next-generation Vera Rubin architecture servers have entered full production, set to succeed the Blackwell series platform.

At CES 2026 in the US, hybrid cloud open-source software provider Red Hat announced an expanded collaboration with Nvidia centered on the Vera Rubin computing platform. Red Hat will provide "Day 0" support for the platform through its Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Red Hat OpenShift, and Red Hat AI products.

Lite-on Technology reported consolidated global revenue of NT$14.9 billion (approx. US$473 million) for December 2025, reflecting a 5% increase from the previous month and an 11% rise year-over-year. The company's full-year revenue reached NT$166.1 billion, a 21% increase from 2024.

Wiwynn Technology Corp. announced a record-breaking fourth quarter in 2025, with consolidated revenue reaching NT$292.44 billion (approx. US$9.29 billion), a 152.9% increase year-over-year, and net income after tax rising 95.7% to NT$13.792 billion. Despite a lower gross margin of 7.2% due to changes in the product mix, operating and net margins stood at 5.6% and 4.7%, respectively.

As Taiwan's semiconductor and AI server industries rapidly expand—led by TSMC and major hardware manufacturers—the government is accelerating infrastructure planning to secure industrial land, water supply, and green energy, while balancing domestic capacity constraints with overseas investment.

Powered by continued AI server momentum, Quanta delivered record revenue in December 2025, the fourth quarter, and the full year. The company is optimistic about 2026, citing higher average selling prices for next-generation AI servers and stronger revenue contribution.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced that the company's new Vera Rubin has entered mass production and is preparing for widespread shipments. The design represents a rare major engineering overhaul for Nvidia, involving significant changes to assembly and manufacturing processes with deeper direct involvement from the company.