DigiTimes Nachrichten

 

China's push for AI self-sufficiency is lifting Hygon Information Technology from a server CPU supplier into a broader AI compute platform player. Its "CPU + DCU (Deep Computing Unit)" strategy is now taking shape, positioning the company to serve both general-purpose and AI workloads in a market racing to localise computing power....

Taiwan's semiconductor supply chain posted stronger-than-expected results in the first quarter of 2026, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand accelerated the adoption of advanced nodes and advanced packaging, lifting both foundries and equipment suppliers....

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of April 6-April 13, 2026:...

AI and quantum computing are converging — and the geopolitical consequences are profound. At the GITEX AI Asia forum, industry experts argued that this integration goes beyond a technological breakthrough. It is reshaping national competitiveness and strategic deterrence....

The competition to deploy robotaxis across Europe is intensifying. A partnership led by European start-up Verne, alongside Uber and China's Pony.ai, has been described by industry observers as a vehicle for introducing Chinese autonomous-driving technology into Europe under a local banner. The model stands in contrast to homegrown automakers such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, which are pursuing more self-reliant technological strategies....

Apple is attempting to obtain confidential internal data from Samsung Electronics as part of its defense against a US antitrust lawsuit, aiming to use Samsung's market information to argue that it does not hold a monopoly position....

As demand for AI computing continues to surge, terrestrial data centers are facing mounting constraints in power supply, thermal management, and land availability. As a result, the feasibility of space-based computing infrastructure is drawing increasing attention across the industry....

AI demand is pushing data transmission to its limits, making 2026 a critical year for silicon photonics (SiPh) and co-packaged optics (CPO) to move into large-scale deployment. The race to commercialize these technologies is accelerating across the semiconductor industry....

Touch panel maker TPK is partnering with semiconductor packaging giant ASE to enter the advanced through-glass via (TGV) packaging technology sector, focusing on developing glass substrates for high-end computing ICs. This move marks TPK's expansion into advanced semiconductor packaging, aiming to become a new long-term growth engine. TPK has invested about NT$500 million (US$15.7 million) in capital expenditure for this initiative. Its pilot production line in Zhongli is scheduled for completion in July 2026, with sample delivery and validation set to begin shortly thereafter....

Taiwan and the US signed the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) on February 13, 2026, capping 10 months of negotiations. The deal set a reciprocal tariff of 15% without stacking and secured Taiwan the most favorable terms yet under Section 232 for semiconductors. But the US Supreme Court's invalidation of most of President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs has since frozen the agreement. Taiwan's Executive Yuan cannot submit it to the Legislative Yuan for review, and the prospect of zero-tariff US car imports has stalled along with it....

Powered by surging semiconductor investment—led by TSMC—Taiwan's science parks are nearing full capacity, accelerating government efforts to expand land, infrastructure, and next-generation industry clusters....

The timing of mass production for Apple's first foldable iPhone has become a focal point of industry scrutiny. According to sources within the company's supply chain, production has indeed been pushed back by roughly one to two months. The delay, however, does not necessarily jeopardize a 2026 debut. Projections for cumulative shipments of 15 million units over two years remain unchanged, though whether 2026 volumes will meet earlier expectations is now an open question....

EVE Energy, one of China's largest battery makers, has reported strong profit growth expectations for the first quarter of 2026, as rising demand for energy storage — fueled in part by the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure — continues to reshape the industry....

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics is facing a large-scale strike threat, and whether it will extend into May remains an open question, as labor-management negotiations remain at a deadlock. The union's demand for a substantial allocation of a performance bonus has widened the gap between the two sides, raising the risk of industrial action....

Industrial PC (IPC) maker Sysgration saw consolidated revenue reach NT$292 million (US$9.2 million) in March 2026, buoyed by its three main product lines of backup battery units (BBUs), drones, and IPCs. Although this marks a slight year-on-year decline, the company nevertheless expects monthly revenue to grow going ahead, driven by an optimized product mix and increasing high-margin applications, as demand for AI computing drives expansion in data centers and edge AI deployments....

Taiwan and the US are accelerating efforts to build a bilateral robot ecosystem as embodied AI converges with robotics. GeoAsia Foundation chairman C.Y. Huang says Taiwan is now assembling a large-scale robotics alliance drawing on resources from Taiwan, the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia — a platform for international collaboration across industry, academia, and research institutions designed to bridge Taiwan-based companies into the global market....

As AI data centers officially enter the silicon photonics (SiPh) era, the industry faces severe challenges in testing accuracy and throughput on the path toward mass production of co-packaged optics (CPO) technology. This has drawn close attention to upstream test supply chain dynamics....

BOE former chairman Wang Dongsheng once predicted that panel production lines below Generation 7.5 would eventually be phased out following the end of the industry's oligopolistic phase. Yet Taiwan's leading panel makers are taking a more nuanced path. While capacity reductions continue, both AUO and Innolux reject a blanket shutdown approach, opting instead for selective and strategic adjustments....

A blockage of the Strait of Hormuz following conflict between the US and Iran is raising energy supply risks for Southeast Asia, with import-dependent economies most exposed. If the conflict continues, the region's recent gains from supply chain shifts could begin to erode....

Taiwan's thermal management suppliers are emerging as one of the fastest-growing segments in the AI hardware ecosystem in 2026, even though their absolute revenue scale remains far below that of semiconductor leaders such as TSMC and large AI server ODMs like Quanta Computer and Foxconn....