China's foundry sector is charting a different course as the global semiconductor market remains focused on AI GPUs, the 2nm process node, and advanced packaging. Led by Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) and Hua Hong Semiconductor, domestic Chinese foundries have not stalled under US sanctions; instead, they are accelerating efforts to build a China-specific foundry ecosystem amid the AI boom, recovering demand for mature nodes, and a push for supply-chain self-reliance
In April 2024, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) executed one of the most significant overhauls of its military architecture in decades. The former Strategic Support Force was disbanded and reorganized into three distinct branches: the Military Aerospace Force, the Cyberspace Force, and the Information Support Force. Together with the existing Joint Logistics Support Force, these constitute a new four-branch support structure — one designed not merely to support terrestrial warfare, but to dominate the space domain itself
On May 14, Xi Jinping opened his summit with Donald Trump in Beijing by invoking the Thucydides Trap — the idea that a rising power and an established hegemon are structurally destined for conflict. Then he turned to Taiwan. If not handled properly, he warned, the two countries face clashes and even conflicts
Despite persistent uncertainty in the global economy, volatility in energy markets is accelerating a structural shift in the auto industry. New data released May 13 by the consultancy Benchmark Mineral Intelligence shows that surging gasoline prices — driven in large part by turmoil in the Middle East — pushed global electric-vehicle demand higher for a second consecutive month in April 2026, as consumers increasingly turn away from conventional combustion-engine cars
The emerging space arms race toward 2030 is no longer defined simply by the number of satellites nations can launch into orbit. Increasingly, it is being shaped by breakthroughs in advanced communications, artificial intelligence (AI), orbital logistics, and rapid launch systems, technologies that could redefine military power in space over the next decade
The global mobile standards race has moved into the 6G prelude, with Ericsson saying the first fully implementable 6G specification is expected as early as March 2029. In an exclusive interview with DIGITIMES, Marie Hogan, who leads the 6G portfolio strategy for Ericsson's global networks business, said 3GPP is pushing ahead with 6G standardization as the industry weighs the technology's AI-native design, uplink demands, and migration path from 5G
The ongoing Samsung Electronics labor dispute highlights sharply different labor models in South Korea and Taiwan, where firms such as TSMC operate with minimal union presence and rely instead on compensation-driven workforce stability. Industry observers say the Samsung conflict reflects broader tensions over profit sharing during the AI-driven semiconductor upcycle, while Taiwan's tech sector continues to favor high mobility and individual incentives over collective bargaining
OpenAI's deep partnership with chipmaker Cerebras has taken a public turn as Cerebras prepares to list in the US, a development that underscores OpenAI's effort to restructure its compute supply chain without abandoning existing suppliers. The listing arrives amid OpenAI's ongoing legal dispute with Elon Musk
As AI server orders surge, system assembly makers are finding that more business does not always mean better profits. High-priced GPUs and soaring memory costs are pushing up revenue without lifting manufacturing fees at the same pace, leaving original design manufacturers (ODMs) facing lower gross margins as assembly orders grow
Against a backdrop of persistently high tensions between the US and China, the upcoming Trump-Xi summit is being closely watched not only for its implications for trade, technology controls, and geopolitics, but also as a key signal of how both sides are reassessing the remaining areas where cooperation may still be possible
The global space and defense industry is undergoing a strategic transformation — from treating space as a force multiplier to claiming it as a domain of sovereign control
Ahead of the expected Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, the US and China are first holding preparatory talks in South Korea, placing trade, technology, and semiconductor export controls at the center of the negotiation track
SEMICON SEA 2026 drew heavy crowds, underscoring Southeast Asia's emergence as an indispensable "strategic hub" in the global AI compute supply chain. The region's semiconductor players are now moving from "capacity substitution" to "technological self-reliance" in what is shaping up to be a long-distance race
A DIGITIMES Research observation at the 2026 Taipei International Auto Electronics Show found that Taiwan's automotive electronics industry is steadily shifting from supplying individual components toward integrated systems spanning autonomous driving sensors, in-cabin safety, autonomous logistics vehicles, and localized supply-chain integration
On May 6, Elon Musk was in several places at once: confronting OpenAI in court, announcing on X that xAI would no longer operate as an independent company, and handing over a large share of his AI compute to another AI firm, Anthropic. Three years after Musk gathered 12 researchers from DeepMind, Google, and OpenAI to found xAI with the stated goal to "understand the universe," he has now moved to shut it down
