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As AI adoption accelerates, global and US economies in 2025 have been increasingly driven by technology companies' investments in AI infrastructure. Analysts warn that next year's AI server demand will depend on whether deployed AI can generate revenue, distinguishing "good AI" from "bad AI" with unclear monetization....

As frontier AI models reach practical usability, competition is shifting from incremental improvements in model performance to a broader battle over distribution, application integration, and cost-effective deployment, according to DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin. Developers are now racing to secure access to end users via devices and platforms, marking a new phase in AI competition that is expected to last for the next several years....

Samsung Electronics is reportedly developing a new mobile chip packaging method aimed at improving thermal efficiency in its Exynos processors, as the company works to strengthen the competitiveness of its proprietary mobile silicon. The South Korea-based company is exploring a side-by-side packaging technology, internally dubbed SbS, that places the application processor and memory chips adjacent to one another rather than stacking them vertically....

The biggest recent news in AI chip development is Nvidia's non-exclusive technology licensing agreement with Groq. Nvidia invested US$20 billion to acquire Groq's technology license and onboard its core engineering team....

Veteran semiconductor equipment distributor Spirox has successfully entered the advanced packaging supply chain in the second half of 2025 with its self-developed advanced optical inspection equipment. Chairman Peter Chin said the product passed foundry customer validation and secured the first order for a non-destructive through-silicon via (TSV) inspection system, slated for shipment and revenue contribution in the first half of 2026. This milestone marks the group's transition into a new business phase....

The 28-nanometer process has become the most popular node among mature processes. It boasts the highest utilization rates and the strongest price support. However, market conditions are changing. Demand for many chips using the 28nm process has weakened, and some chips are beginning to migrate to more advanced process nodes....

Taiwan's aging population and declining birth rates have led to an increasingly pressing labor shortage, a major structural issue uncovered through a National Taiwan University (NTU) study commissioned by the National Development Council (NDC) on how demographic shifts impact policies. Under this backdrop, industry experts see high potential for the robotics sector, but cost reduction and improved intelligence remain key challenges for widespread adoption....

China's expanded vehicle trade-in program is set to reinforce its rise as the world's largest auto market, supporting domestic demand while intensifying export pressure overseas. As sales overtake Japan's for the first time, the policy highlights how Beijing is linking consumption stimulus with industrial and geopolitical ambitions....

Taiwan's smartphone market shipped around 5 million units in 2025, remaining stable despite factors like high market penetration, longer replacement cycles, and inflation, according to Senao International. Leading brands Apple, Samsung, Oppo, and Vivo each reported operational gains amid evolving consumer preferences....

Samsung Electronics is reportedly on track to post sharply higher operating profit in the fourth quarter of 2025 as demand tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure lifts memory chip prices. The reports, compiled by South Korean outlets including Korea Economic Daily and EBN and citing industry sources, said Samsung's preliminary fourth-quarter operating profit is expected to exceed KRW20 trillion, a level that would mark the first time a South Korean company has crossed that threshold in a single quarter....

L&T Semiconductor Technologies is expected to outline a partner-led expansion into cellular IoT modules at CES, positioning India as a future manufacturing base and sourcing option in a market long dominated by imported solutions....

China's leading domestic DRAM maker, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), is seeking to raise CNY29.5 billion (approx. US$4.2 billion) through an IPO in Shanghai, as it looks to upgrade production lines and expand development of advanced memory technologies....

On December 30, Chinese AI company Z.ai launched a share sale to raise HK$4.35 billion (approx. US$560 million), aiming to become the first large language model (LLM) developer listed in Hong Kong amid a tech IPO surge, with a scheduled listing for January 8, 2026. Meanwhile, Z.ai has recently launched its latest open-source model, GLM-4.7, signaling a shift toward enterprise-focused AI and broader global adoption. As the company prepares for a 2026 IPO, the release highlights the growing influence of independent developers in a market increasingly shaped by hyperscale competitors and ecosystem distribution....

Surging memory prices trigger an order pull-in wave by brand vendors, with combined monthly notebook shipments of the top-5 brands rising 6% from a month ago in November....

In 2025, rising geopolitical tensions reshaped global technology and manufacturing, boosting Southeast Asia as a key hub for data centers, advanced manufacturing, and AI. The Johor-Singapore Economic Zone enhanced cross-border integration, strengthening Singapore's "Singapore+1" strategy, while Johor emerged as a major data center cluster amid sustainability concerns....

Chinese chip designer GigaDevice Semiconductor is pressing ahead with plans to list its shares in Hong Kong, seeking to raise as much as HK$4.68 billion (approx. US$601.4 million) in what would be one of the latest semiconductor offerings amid a renewed IPO push by Chinese technology firms....

The 2026 Taipei Auto Show will officially open on December 31, with Hyundai Motor's Taiwan general agent Nanyang Industrial projecting Taiwan's new car market to surpass 410,000 units in 2025. Nanyang has set a full-year sales target of 21,000 vehicles for 2026, aiming to capture a 5% market share....

BOE Technology Group (BOE) is poised to retain its position as the world leader in TV panel shipments in 2026, with market projections showing stable volumes after a significant increase in 2025. Industry sources note that while BOE strengthens its foothold, other major panel makers face a complex landscape shaped by supply chain dynamics and cost pressures....

Samsung Electronics plans to boost its high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production capacity by approximately 50% through late 2026, according to South Korean media outlet ET News, as the company secures key technical milestones with major AI customers....

Although AI has made tremendous progress in the digital domain, intelligence in the physical world still faces many challenges. Robots need to perceive 3D space, manipulate objects, and understand physical rules, all of which require enormous investments of manpower and resources. Dr. Jim Fan, head of Nvidia's robotics business and co-head of the GEAR lab, recently posted on X criticizing the current state of the robotics industry. Looking back at developments in robotics in the year now coming to an end, he argues that the robotics field remains in a state of chaos, and that its development direction may be wrong....