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The rapid evolution of robots with stable gait and agile manipulation—spotlighted at CES 2026—signals that robots integrated into daily life are moving from vision to reality. Seizing this momentum, Taiwan is launching a national, mission-driven initiative to accelerate smart robot research, industry development, and talent cultivation....

OpenAI has acquired medical technology startup Torch to enhance its AI capabilities in healthcare, following the recent launch of its ChatGPT Health platform. Torch's founders, including CEO Ilya Abyzov, announced on the social media platform X that they will join OpenAI as part of the acquisition. The terms of the deal have not been officially disclosed, though reports vary on the purchase price....

The surge in artificial intelligence (AI) applications has pushed cloud service providers to increase capital expenditures on data centers, prompting major memory manufacturers to shift production towards high-margin, high-performance products such as HBM and DDR5. This strategic realignment has led to a sharp reduction in the supply of niche memory types, especially those used in network communication devices, exacerbating price hikes and supply shortages that are expected to impact Taiwanese vendors through the first half of 2026....

The US Department of Commerce has withdrawn a previously proposed plan to restrict imports of Chinese-made drones, a move that some observers view as a goodwill signal ahead of an expected meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping....

The LED industry has entered its traditional off-season, with tariffs and macroeconomic uncertainty in 2025 prompting end customers to adopt more conservative procurement strategies and dragging down the annual performance of Taiwanese LED makers. To escape intense price competition, companies have shifted toward niche applications such as robotics, drones, invisible-light sensing, automotive, and optical communications, with these strategies expected to support a recovery in operations and profitability in 2026....

At CES 2026, physical AI emerged as a central theme as real-world deployments gathered pace. Industry discussions shifted away from isolated performance metrics toward system-level and infrastructure requirements. Compared with the earlier focus on GPU specifications and process nodes, attention turned to power supply, cooling capacity, and how infrastructure constraints shape compute expansion....

Taiwan's semiconductor materials sector delivered a mixed performance in December 2025, highlighting a widening gap between advanced and mature segments of the supply chain. Upstream silicon wafer suppliers showed signs of stabilization but not a full rebound, while regenerated wafers and advanced-process-related consumables outperformed. By contrast, traditional process materials such as photomasks remained under pressure, while packaging materials showed clear divergence in response to AI-driven demand....

Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn) announced on January 14 that the 2026 Taiwan Foxconn Ladies Golf Tournament, which it sponsors, has officially been elevated to a main tour event on the Japan Ladies Professional Golf Association (JLPGA) tour. Japan's SoftBank Group is also participating as a sponsor for the first time, highlighting that the collaboration between the two companies extends beyond AI and robotics into brand and corporate culture integration....

The ongoing memory supply shortage is impacting overall smartphone shipments, with no immediate resolution in sight. Market forecasts predict a decline in global smartphone demand in 2026 compared with 2025, with entry-level models expected to be hit the hardest. Industry players also anticipate a rise in the average selling price (ASP) of new smartphones in 2026, which is expected to create more favorable conditions for growth in the secondhand smartphone market....

TSMC used its earnings call for the fourth quarter of 2025 to deliver one of its most bullish outlooks in years, arguing that artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the semiconductor industry's growth trajectory rather than inflating a short-lived bubble....

SK Hynix plans to bring forward the opening of a new semiconductor factory by three months and will also begin operating another new plant in February 2026, as surging memory demand strains global supply, a senior executive told Reuters....

Dan Cui, head of US business development at Jorjin Technology, stated that as a designer and system integrator for various augmented reality (AR) devices, the company must continuously seek new technologies, components, and suitable partners to build systems and products that best meet the needs of the company, its clients, and end users. Jorjin's Innovix products, featuring 100% active silicon batteries with very high energy density, are particularly suited for boosting device power, especially for always-on AI devices....

The US government confirmed this week the conditions for exporting the H200 AI chip to China, reportedly including third-party lab testing before shipment to ensure compliance with AI technology standards. Additionally, the number of AI chips sold to Chinese customers cannot exceed 50% of those sold to US customers. Chinese buyers must also prove they have implemented sufficient security measures and that the chips will not be used for military purposes....

The development of quantum computing is increasingly taking on the character of a global arms race. Nations and corporations that secure an early lead stand to gain outsized strategic advantages. Quantum computers promise breakthroughs in drug discovery, advanced materials and industrial design. They could accelerate the training and optimization of artificial intelligence models and dramatically enhance military capabilities....

Despite AR devices and smart glasses moving towards more specialized and precise vertical applications, Chinese startup Llvision is moving in a different direction. CEO Fei Wu said that the future of smart glasses is not tied to all-in-one functionality, but rather depends on accurately addressing users' specific needs. He expects that as technology matures, smart glasses could gradually replace smartphones within the next five years, becoming the primary interface for human-AI interaction....

Taiwan-based advanced materials supplier UHT Unitech has signed a memorandum of understanding with aerospace manufacturer Fong Jaw Aerospace to jointly develop, manufacture and sell a medium-payload vertical takeoff and landing unmanned aerial vehicle branded as Cougar, as the partners seek opportunities in global defense and high-end commercial drone markets....

The 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2026) has concluded, with global IC design leaders including Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Advanced Micro Devices focusing on automotive and robotics technologies while advancing system-level solutions....

National Institutes of Applied Research (NIAR) chairman Cheng-wen Wu has called on the Electronic and Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories (EOSL) of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to take up the mantle and connect with the wafer-level and chip-level platforms at the NIAR's Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI)....

Delta Electronics India is set to significantly expand its manufacturing footprint in India, reflecting the company's confidence in the country's growing semiconductor and electronics ecosystem and its alignment with the government's 'Make in India' initiative. The move builds on Delta's longstanding presence in India, where the company has invested in R&D, industrial automation, and smart manufacturing solutions over the past decade....

Samsung Electronics is projecting a "positive and bright" business outlook for India in 2026, citing improving consumer sentiment and stronger spending momentum, according to JB Park, president and CEO of Samsung Southwest Asia. Speaking on the sidelines of CES 2026, Park said the company plans to expand its artificial intelligence ecosystem across appliances, mobile devices, and other premium consumer electronics in the country....