DigiTimes Nachrichten

 

OpenAI has designated 2026 as a year for "practical adoption" of AI, signaling a strategic push to accelerate AI deployment across high-value sectors such as healthcare, scientific research, and enterprise applications. The company is simultaneously exploring diversified revenue streams, including advertising, subscriptions, and licensing models....

As next-generation AI server platforms enter volume deployment, supply chain constraints are extending beyond high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Bottlenecks are increasingly emerging in printed circuit boards (PCBs) and critical upstream materials, according to DIGITIMES analysis....

The explosive demand for AI chips has created a rare production bottleneck for TSMC's advanced 3nm process, with capacity fully booked through 2027. Deutsche Bank analysts suggest that the crunch may provide a strategic opening for Samsung Electronics to capture orders from major technology firms....

Samsung Electronics is reportedly diversifying its supply chain for thermal compression bonders (TCB), a critical tool in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production, by engaging Singapore-based equipment maker ASMPT in supply discussions....

Following the easing of US reciprocal tariffs to 15%, Taiwan's Fortune Electric is seeing meaningful relief in cost pressures while accelerating growth driven by robust demand from AI data centers and US infrastructure investment....

Huawei plans a sweeping expansion of its presence in China's smart car industry in 2026, betting that advanced driver-assistance software, in-car operating systems, and digital chassis technologies can become a new pillar of growth as US sanctions continue to constrain its core telecommunications business....

Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) reported on January 20, 2026, that strong demand for IC manufacturing and AI servers propelled export orders to new heights in December 2025. With most IC manufacturing and AI server shipments originating from Taiwan, overseas production by Taiwanese firms—in China, Vietnam, Mexico, and elsewhere—has declined to 46.5%....

Sequoia Capital is reportedly set to participate in a major funding round for AI startup Anthropic, marking a departure from its traditional practice of avoiding investments in direct competitors....

The IC substrate industry is accelerating its recovery into a new bull cycle, driven by steady growth in AI-related application demand. At the same time, price increases are gradually taking effect, benefiting companies like Unimicron and Nan Ya PCB, which reported doubled profits for December 2025....

Siemens has acquired ASTER Technologies, a privately held provider of printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) test verification and engineering software, as it moves to expand its electronic design automation (EDA) portfolio. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed....

On January 16, 2026, Taiwan and the US finalized a trade agreement that cuts tariffs on Taiwanese exports to the US to 15% without stacking. The US also pledged most-favored-nation status and duty-free quotas for Taiwan under Section 232 semiconductor-related tariffs regardless of future rate changes. This outcome reflects Taiwan's technological strength and raises questions about whether Taiwanese firms investing in China and Vietnam will now consider reshoring amid improved US-Taiwan trade terms....

China's space launch program suffered a rare setback this week, as two rockets failed in separate launch attempts within hours of each other—an unusual break in a record of growing reliability for the country's rapidly expanding space sector....

Apple, with its iPhone 17 series driving sales, has seen its monthly market share in China surge above 20%, while other major brands like Huawei, Vivo, Honor, Oppo, and Xiaomi have also delivered strong performances. However, inflation, high smartphone penetration, and extended replacement cycles contributed to a slight decline in overall smartphone shipments in China in 2025....

As the global automotive market shows signs of recovery in 2026, Excellence Opto has completed a corporate restructuring and opened a new factory in Mexico, positioning the company to launch new products and showcase the impact of its AI-powered automotive electronics transformation. In tandem, Excellence Opto has issued 7,000 secured convertible bonds totaling NT$739 million (approx. US$23.3 million), now listed on the local exchange....

AI dominated the corridors and side events of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos this week, with executives, policymakers, and researchers converging on a shared view: AI is no longer a speculative technology, but a foundational economic force. From the cost of compute and energy to export controls, edge devices, and labor-market disruption, Davos 2026 revealed an industry moving from experimentation to structural impact....

Asus announced on January 2, 2026, that it will not launch new smartphones in 2026, marking a strategic retreat from the mobile phone segment after more than two decades. Chairman Jonney Shih emphasized that Asus will continue to support existing smartphone users while reallocating resources toward longer-term strategic areas....

The US urgently needs to upgrade its aging grid infrastructure amid surging demand from large-scale AI computing, yet its domestic production capacity for heavy electrical equipment has struggled to keep up with demand, and imports still account for the vast majority of the supply for transformers and switchgear. Under this backdrop, market sources suggest that US customers may award bonuses if Taiwanese heavy electrical equipment suppliers can deliver ahead of schedule....

Jabil Inc., the global manufacturing and supply-chain services company, said on Tuesday that it had made a strategic minority investment in Eagle Harbor Technologies, a Seattle-based developer of advanced power systems for semiconductor manufacturing, and would partner with the company on production....

While the global EV market shifts gears into a phase of slower, regionally fragmented growth (15.2%) as subsidies fade, the edge AI chip sector is aggressively evolving. DIGITIMES observes a clear bifurcation in semiconductor strategies: startups are now splitting between cost-effective mature nodes and high-risk, high-performance bets on sub-5nm processes to meet surging computing demands....

The US has finalized reciprocal tariffs with several countries, but supply chain sources say customer attitudes toward relocation vary. While server supply chains moving to North America continue to gain momentum, the pace of consumer electronics production shifts—such as notebooks relocating to Southeast Asia—has clearly slowed. The main reason is that increased costs from relocation are now close to the tariffs paid when producing in China, reducing the incentives to move....