Elon Musk plans to localize production of Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot in the US, with final assembly set for California and Texas. However, analysts and industry sources say the project will continue to rely heavily on China's rapidly expanding robotics supply chain in the coming years

Each year, hundreds of millions tune in to China's Spring Festival Gala, the nation's most-watched television event. In recent editions, the spectacle has become something more than traditional entertainment—it has transformed into a glittering stage for robotics prowess. Dozens of quadruped robots have marched in perfect synchronization, while humanoid machines have executed intricate dance routines that once seemed confined to science fiction. The performances captivate audiences and dominate social media, generating viral moments that showcase China's technological ambitions on a grand scale

Nvidia continues to dominate the global AI accelerator market. But its technological moat is increasingly being tested from three directions

Apple Inc. delivered a record-breaking quarter, fueled by surging demand for the iPhone 17 even as rising chip costs and tightening memory supply began reshaping its margins and supply-chain strategy

ASML Holding reported record financial results for 2025, marked by strong growth in both revenue and profitability. Full-year revenue reached EUR32.67 billion (US$38.96 billion), up 15.6% from the previous year, while net profit rose 26.9% to EUR9.61 billion—gross margin held at 52.8%

In January 2025, while the global AI and semiconductor industries remained focused on advanced process nodes and high-performance GPUs, China's large-scale model DeepSeek-R1 emerged unexpectedly

China's semiconductor supply chain is sending a clear signal: a wave of "chip inflation" driven by mature-node manufacturing, memory, and packaging costs is no longer theoretical; it is becoming a structural reality. Following Cmsemicon's decision to raise prices on MCU and NOR Flash products by 15% to 50%, long-stable commodity chips have officially entered an inflation cycle

As artificial intelligence (AI) development accelerates, power consumption across computing platforms is climbing sharply. Competition among data and computing centers is no longer limited to server specifications or the efficiency of individual power supply units. Instead, it is moving toward rack-level integration of power distribution, cooling, energy storage, and monitoring, with implications extending into broader infrastructure design

I describe the close integration of Taiwan's semiconductor and electronics industries as the spillover of chip economic value. In earlier phases of the industry, economic value creation in electronic systems was highly concentrated at the chip level. Advancing process nodes alone was sufficient to capture most of the value. That model no longer holds. Today, improvements in manufacturing technology must propagate beyond wafer fabrication to packaging, testing, and ultimately system-level integration to translate into tradable economic value

In mid-December 2025, TSMC chairman C.C. Wei disclosed details of a conversation with Elon Musk regarding future development priorities. The discussion centered not on automotive production, but on AI-driven robotics. Musk identified chip scarcity as his primary constraint, to which Wei responded that capacity remains available for customers willing to commit the necessary capital

The global bus industry is entering a new phase where competition extends beyond vehicle models to encompass organizational and operational transformation. Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) and Foxconn Technology Group have announced the establishment of a new, jointly owned bus company, signaling a fundamental restructuring of Fuso's bus business that moves beyond their earlier zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) collaboration, set for August 2025. This marks Foxconn's transformation from parts supplier to vehicle manufacturer—a shift with significant implications for Japan's public transport decarbonization and the broader electric vehicle sector

Taiwan's information and communications technology (ICT) sector—dominated by the semiconductor industry and Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS)—accounted for 65.2% of Taiwan's exports in 2024. This share is projected to rise to roughly 74% in 2025, reflecting the island's unique position in global industrial competition and underscoring profound implications for the country's future industrial trajectory

OpenAI began testing ads within ChatGPT in the US shortly after Google reaffirmed no ad plans for its Gemini AI, highlighting differing strategies amid generative AI competition. OpenAI aims to offset high infrastructure costs, whereas Google focuses on balancing user experience and commercial interests

While global political and economic elites were still exchanging remarks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang exited and flew straight to Shanghai

Taiwan's industrial heavyweights are moving into Japan's commercial vehicle market with a level of ambition and visibility rarely seen before