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Monday 27 April 2026

DeepSeek cuts API prices 90%, sets new global low for LLM services

DeepSeek's 90% cut to fees for input cache hit, which occurs when the model reuses previously computed results for identical or similar inputs instead of recomputing them, across its API lineup could lower operational costs for global developers and enterprises, especially for long-text and high-frequency applications, potentially accelerating the adoption of locally developed large language models, intensifying price competition with international providers, and reducing barriers to AI-powered services worldwide.

Monday 27 April 2026

Column: Where does robot training data come from?

Across both sides of the Pacific, robot startups and leading laboratories have reached a consensus over the past year that model architecture is no longer the sole focus. Data has become the core competitive resource. Regardless of how technical approaches evolve, most teams eventually encounter the same problem: the shortage of training data.

Monday 27 April 2026

Meta and Alibaba blur social media and e-commerce boundaries

The rise of generative AI has blurred the boundaries between the social media and e-commerce industries, driving a shift in their business models that has been exemplified by recent strategic initiatives from Meta and Alibaba. With competition now expanding horizontally across various sectors, industry observers highlight that Meta's plans to strengthen its physical retail presence may become a key focus for the company. Conversely, it is now increasingly likely that Alibaba will one day venture into social media.

Friday 24 April 2026

EU targets Android access rules, putting Gemini integration edge at risk

European regulators are preparing to push Google to open up core Android operating system functions, potentially allowing rival AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude to access the platform on the same terms as Gemini, according to people familiar with the matter.

Friday 24 April 2026

Microsoft and Meta announce workforce reductions amid heavy AI investment

Microsoft and Meta have recently announced job cuts or buyouts impacting possibly 23,000 jobs. The staff reductions come as the tech giants funnel massive resources into building out their AI capacity, a trade-off that has become common across the industry in recent months.

Friday 24 April 2026

MODA encourages Taiwanese firms to invest in computing power; Foxconn submits project proposal

The government has included AI computing infrastructure within the scope of major digital public construction projects, using tax incentives to boost private-sector investment. Minister of Digital Affairs (MODA) Yen-nun Huang stated that applications will close at 5 pm on May 14, and Foxconn has already expressed interest and maintained close communication with the ministry.

Friday 24 April 2026

Taiwan expands industry collaboration to advance unmanned vehicle R&D

Taiwan's military-industrial sector, led by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology (NCSIST), recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to accelerate the development of unmanned technology.

Friday 24 April 2026

OpenClaw's growing pains: innovation outpaces enterprise security

OpenClaw's meteoric rise from a niche hacker project to a globally adopted AI agent platform has created a widening gap between its innovative capabilities and the security demands of the modern enterprise.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Apple reshapes AI strategy by doubling down on Siri and privacy

As OpenAI and xAI pivot toward enterprise markets inspired by Anthropic, and as OpenClaw sparks new visions for agent-based AI, Apple has finally set a clear AI focus for its 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The company announced the event will focus on AI advancements and new software and developer tools, marking Apple's most direct AI statement in recent years.

Thursday 23 April 2026

Rockwell Automation flags key AI challenges, unveils three-step strategy for Taiwan's shift to autonomous manufacturing

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly moving beyond pilot projects to large-scale deployment in manufacturing, but many Taiwanese firms remain constrained by data, infrastructure, and investment gaps—challenges that could determine their competitiveness in the next industrial era.

Thursday 23 April 2026

IBM reports steady AI-driven growth despite facing software momentum questions

Analysts said IBM continues to show stable underlying revenue growth supported by artificial intelligence adoption and hybrid cloud demand. Its unchanged full-year outlook and softer software performance, however, may limit near-term upside expectations.

Wednesday 22 April 2026

AI coding tool competition intensifies as SpaceX-Cursor deal, Google push, and Anthropic upgrades reshape industry

Competition in AI-powered software development tools is intensifying across major technology companies, with new acquisitions, internal restructuring, and product launches signaling a rapid escalation in the race to automate coding.

Wednesday 22 April 2026

Naver, TCS partner on AI and cloud in India during Korea-India summit

Naver has signed a strategic partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to jointly develop artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud services in India, marking one of the cooperation deals concluded during a Korea-India summit visit.

Monday 20 April 2026

Inside the strategy of Anthropic's CFO as AI spending surges

At Anthropic, the race to build cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly defined by one constraint: computing, and at the center of the company's response is its low-profile chief financial officer, Krishna Rao, who has emerged as a key architect of its rapid expansion.

Monday 20 April 2026

Fortinet rolls out FortiOS 8.0 to tackle shadow AI and post-quantum security risks

Cybersecurity firm Fortinet recently held its 2026 Accelerate APAC conference in Taiwan, focusing on emerging security challenges in the AI era and corresponding solutions. At the event, the company introduced its latest operating system, FortiOS 8.0, designed to help enterprises simplify security architectures and strengthen digital resilience through AI-driven protection, next-generation SASE, and quantum-safe capabilities.

Monday 20 April 2026

AI agents are slipping past enterprise defenses

Palo Alto Networks warns that the rise of AI agents — now operating with human-like identities and largely through browsers — is reshaping enterprise practices worldwide and creating new governance and security challenges. Organizations face risks from data leakage, autonomous agent interactions, and inadequate browser controls, requiring new approaches to traceability and operational limits.

Friday 17 April 2026

Stellantis, Microsoft ink five-year deal to scale AI, cybersecurity

Stellantis and Microsoft announced a five-year strategic partnership on April 16 to co-develop AI, cybersecurity, and engineering capabilities.

Friday 17 April 2026

Meta's Manus deal further exacerbates Chinese startups' exodus to Singapore and US

The US$2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus by Meta Platforms has sent shockwaves through the Chinese tech ecosystem, exposing the fragility of the "Singapore-washing" strategy that many founders once relied on to sidestep geopolitical crossfires. The deal, which was finalized in early 2026, triggered an aggressive response from Beijing, forcing a sweeping reallocation of resources among startups operating in the gray zone between Chinese origins and global ambitions.

Friday 17 April 2026

Taiwan paves the way for stablecoin adoption as landmark law advances amid global trends

Taiwan is edging closer to a regulated stablecoin ecosystem, with policymakers signaling support for fiat-linked digital assets and advancing landmark legislation that could reshape the island's virtual asset industry.

Thursday 16 April 2026

A Taiwan cloud reseller's AI bet is paying off — record margins and a push into Japan

GrandTech Cloud Services reported record revenue and profit in the first quarter of 2026, driven by strong demand for AI cloud services and improved operational efficiency. Management expressed confidence in sustained growth for the second quarter of 2026 and the full year, citing AI momentum, Buy Revenue investments, and acquisition plans.

Wednesday 15 April 2026

Column: How do intelligent robots learn action skills?

Flipping an egg takes less than two seconds, but every step involves continuous sensing, judgment, and force control; spreading jam and arranging plates are the same. The difficulty of these atomic skills does not lie in executing fixed trajectories, but in performing correctly in complex environments.

Wednesday 15 April 2026

Exein deepens APAC push with regional hub aimed at device-level security compliance

Italian embedded cybersecurity firm Exein opened an Asia-Pacific operations center and Taipei office, positioning Taiwan as its regional hub. The move aims to help manufacturers across APAC meet international "security by design" requirements, support access to EU and global markets, and accelerate device-integrated runtime protection for global supply chains worldwide.

Wednesday 15 April 2026

VLA models: The rise of a new intelligence engine for robots

For decades, robots have been exceptional at repetition and poor at reasoning. They thrive in rigidly structured environments — performing the same weld, the same pick, the same turn, thousands of times without error. Ask one to adapt, and it falls apart. The gap between a machine that moves and one that thinks has long been the central challenge of robotics.

Wednesday 15 April 2026

Exein opens Taipei hub with unlimited Taiwan investment, aims to build chip-to-application cybersecurity ecosystem

Italian embedded cybersecurity firm Exein has opened an Asia-Pacific operations center in Taipei and pledged essentially unlimited investment in Taiwan, a move with implications for global supply chains and manufacturers facing stricter EU cybersecurity rules. The Taipei office will support local business and expand to a team of 10 by late 2026, positioning Taiwan as a regional hub for chip-to-application security.

Wednesday 15 April 2026

Taiwan's smart building industry sets sights on 2026 as a pivotal growth year

Taiwan has long been recognized as a global hardware powerhouse, but its building technology sector is now staking a claim in the smarter, software-driven frontier of urban infrastructure. Backed by updated government certification frameworks, a wave of cross-sector industry alliances, and technology giants demonstrating real-world AI and digital twin deployments, 2026 is shaping up to be a defining year for Taiwan's smart building and intelligent facility sector.

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