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Sep 29, 10:16
Trump-Xi state dinner puts tech titans at the head table, spotlighting Taiwan's quiet supply chain clout

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, arrived at the White House on the evening of September 24 US time to attend a state dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

SpaceX's IPO has already put a price on "AI in space" in the capital markets. But the people actually building satellite computers describe a different timetable.

Taiwan is leaving room for Chinese-made components in parts of its commercial drone supply chain, with non-critical items such as passive components, magnets, and optical lenses not required to be sourced entirely outside China even as the government pushes for non-China sourcing of critical technologies.

A new customer booking Ariane 6 today would find the earliest opening in 2029. The space industry is not short of demand; it is short of people willing to build the factory before the orders are certain.
US defense tech unicorn Anduril plans to expand its overall investment in Taiwan, with procurement from its Taiwan supply chain expected to grow 15-fold in 2026, founder Palmer Luckey said at the International Forum of the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee.
AIDC's Brave Eagle advanced jet trainer, a flagship "made-in-Taiwan" defense program, completed development and mass production on September 24, with AIDC chairman Chin-Pin Tsao personally leading the final delivery. The handover means all 66 production aircraft have now been delivered, marking a new chapter for Taiwan's defense aviation supply chain.

Solar cell manufacturer and systems integrator United Renewable Energy (URE) is still awaiting a final decision on the location of its US solar module plant, a joint venture with Sino-American Silicon Products (SAS), although production has now been set to begin in the third quarter of 2027. The upcoming US plant is expected to lift overseas revenue in its solar power business, which accounts for 70% of the company's total revenue; overseas sales currently account for roughly 20% of revenue in this segment and could double in 2027 amid strong demand. Moreover, the company is actively developing and testing solar power products for use in low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites with an eye on future growth, according to company chairman Sam Hong.

China's BeiDou satellite navigation industry continues to expand rapidly, with applications spreading from chips and modules to end devices. Emerging technologies including artificial intelligence are increasingly being integrated with BeiDou, while the industry is shifting from hardware sales towards data, platforms, and services. Overseas markets are also emerging as a key source of future growth.

Sharp is developing a compact satellite communications antenna capable of connecting to multiple satellite networks, aiming to commercialize terminals around 2030 for applications including defense, autonomous driving, and remote operation of construction machinery, according to Nikkei Asia.

Autonomous software company Swarmer, based in Austin, Texas, has agreed to acquire Ukrainian unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) maker Ratel Robotics in a deal worth up to US$224 million. The acquisition aims to combine frontline battlefield experience with AI coordination software to build a platform that can integrate both ground and air unmanned systems.
As SpaceX continues to expand its Crew Dragon missions and as technical delays push Boeing's Starliner certification timeline out to potentially 2027, the gap in the agency's dual-supplier strategy continues to widen.

Taiwan's first domestically built submarine, the Hai Kun, was seen leaving Kaohsiung Port on September 21 for its 21st sea trial and 15th diving test. The vessel has remained out of public view for nearly two months since setting sail on July 30. The project is now entering the final stretch, following a period of in-depth adjustments, raising the possibility that it could be delivered as early as October.