US and Taiwanese PC makers are shifting some production from Southeast Asia back to China and partnering with additional Chinese contract manufacturers as surging memory and storage costs squeeze margins, reversing part of the industry's previous push to diversify supply chains away from China.
A US federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction ordering the federal government not to deny Defense Department contracts to companies simply because they share lobbying firms with Alibaba Group Holding.
Fujifilm will invest JPY10 billion (US$63.3 million) to increase its magnetic tape production capacity 5x by fiscal 2028, in response to rising demand for long-term data storage as artificial intelligence expands global data generation.
Unimicron Technology is reshaping its global production footprint and steering resources toward Taiwan's higher-margin AI supply chain as surging AI and high-performance computing (HPC) chip demand drives the need for high-layer-count, large-size IC substrates. The company's board has approved an additional NT$50.9 billion (US$1.57 billion) in long-lead equipment orders and plans to sell its Japanese subsidiary to PCB maker Meiko Electronics.
Corning said on October 27 that it is already running ahead of its Springboard target of a US$20 billion annualized sales run rate by the end of 2026, one quarter after upgrading the plan. Third-quarter sales of US$5.1 billion put the run rate at US$20.3 billion, and the fourth-quarter guidance midpoint of US$5.25 billion implies about US$21 billion.
Celestica said customer demand forecasts for 2028, based solely on programs it has already won, are "meaningfully higher" than its 2027 revenue outlook, as it used its October 27 Investor and Analyst Day to lay out a multi-year growth plan built on AI networking and custom compute.
Seagate Technology told investors it is "still in the early days of a multi-year growth phase" for mass-capacity storage, with demand visibility "extending beyond 2030" and most of its nearline hard drive output already committed for the next two years. On its October 27 earnings call, chief executive Dave Mosley said the company expects strong sequential revenue growth and gross margin expansion throughout fiscal 2027.
Seagate Technology's latest results show how stronger storage pricing and higher-capacity drives are lifting profitability as cloud customers plan further infrastructure investment. The next test is whether its technology transition can deliver more storage capacity while preserving the commercial discipline behind the improvement.
Corning's third-quarter results show optical networking becoming a larger driver of the materials maker's business as AI infrastructure expands. Stronger sales and profitability support its capacity investments, while the next test is whether customer-backed expansion can translate into timely deliveries and sustained cash generation.
Samsung Electronics' Device eXperience (DX) division has established its first overseas research and development site for manufacturing technology in Suzhou, China, leveraging the city's robotics and automation ecosystem to develop technologies for Samsung's global factories.
Silicon Valley venture capital firm Playground Global returned to Taiwan with six portfolio companies spanning memory, power management, optical communications and advanced packaging, showcasing technology breakthroughs and expansion plans aimed at easing AI computing bottlenecks. Its newest portfolio companies also made their Taiwan debut.
One of the world's three major machine tool shows, Japan's International Machine Tool Fair (JIMTOF 2026), opened this week, with 94 Taiwan companies exhibiting. The exhibitors are showcasing precision machining, key components and smart automation while deepening manufacturing supply-chain cooperation between Taiwan and Japan.
As AI server computing density and server rack power consumption rise, data center construction must also take into account cooling, power distribution, energy management, and electromechanical infrastructure. In light of these trends, the 2026 Taiwan Industry Week trade show features a dedicated section for data centers, with Auras Technology, Walrus Pump, and Teco Electric and Machinery among the exhibitors, a sign that AI data center-related opportunities are expanding to other segments of the industrial supply chain.
Mitsubishi Materials will expand production of thermistors, temperature sensors used in optical communications equipment, as the spread of generative AI drives demand for optical transceivers. Its Thailand facility will gradually add equipment and raise monthly capacity to about 12 million units by November 2027, roughly six times its 2025 capacity.
Japanese robot maker FANUC raised its fiscal year 2026 revenue forecast on October 23 as demand for AI and automation strengthened, putting sales on track to surpass JPY1 trillion for the first time. The company also expects operating profit and net profit to reach record highs.
South Korean telecommunications provider SK Telecom (SKT) has reportedly established Hy-TF, a task force dedicated to AI collaboration with SK Hynix, to upgrade its digital-twin and data-platform businesses and develop new B2B services.
Intel has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Classiq, a quantum computing software company, in a move aimed at combining Classiq's quantum algorithm synthesis platform with Intel's silicon-based quantum hardware and semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.
South Korean automotive supplier SL is considering deploying its mobile dual-arm robot at a US factory in 2027 or 2028, potentially marking the system's first overseas deployment, a company representative said in an interview with DIGITIMES at FIX 2026 in Daegu on October 24.
Celestica's latest results suggest that its next challenge will be expanding production fast enough to serve AI infrastructure customers while keeping cash requirements under control. The company forecast US$40 billion in revenue for 2027, putting manufacturing capacity and growth financing at the center of its outlook.
Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-Yong is reportedly set to visit the company's Robotics eXperience (RX) business unit in Seoul's Umyeon-dong by the end of October to review humanoid robot development and preparations for CES 2027. If the visit takes place, it will be Lee's first visit since the organization was established, highlighting Samsung's strategy of commercializing robots through manufacturing applications.
Nvidia has unveiled a prototype of its next-generation co-packaged optics (CPO) technology, Optics-on-Interposer (OOI), at SEMICON West 2026. The design moves the optical engine from a conventional organic package substrate to the silicon interposer carrying the compute chips, increasing bandwidth density and reducing power consumption for future AI system interconnects.
As demand for AI data centers expands, next-generation AI servers are raising requirements for power supply, cooling efficiency, and deployment speed. Taiwan's electrical and mechanical equipment providers are therefore moving beyond standalone equipment supply into system integration, engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC), and modular data center solutions.
Magnate Technology expects rising aircraft engine demand and semiconductor equipment opportunities to support growth as it expands production capacity, with implications for global aviation and chip supply chains. The aerospace components maker forecasts revenue of nearly NT$2 billion (US$61.5 million) in 2026 and expects 15% to 20% revenue growth in 2027.
The robotics industry has come a long way since robots were first built starting in the mid-20th century. Yet LEACHIM, a robot teacher and one of the world's first humanoids created back in the 1970s, may hold a key clue as companies seek to transition their technological advancements into on-the-ground deployment: develop machines that solve real-world problems.
Doosan Robotics is focusing its sales efforts on large automotive and semiconductor manufacturers as it develops AI-powered systems capable of handling more complex factory tasks, Hyeonchang Jeon, senior manager of the company's Korea sales team, said in an interview with DIGITIMES at FIX 2026 in Daegu, South Korea.
