China's Unitree Robotics has slashed its humanoid robot prices sharply, in stark contrast to the industrial robot market, where prices have remained stable, and orders have continued climbing to record highs. The divergence has intensified debate over whether AI robots will first break through via humanoid or non-humanoid models.

The race to commercialize physical AI and autonomous robots is running into a fundamental challenge: existing robot safety frameworks were designed for deterministic systems operating in controlled environments, not for autonomous machines making decisions in dynamic, unstructured ones.

South Korea has moved its Physical AI Alliance from a policy-setting body into an operational platform, as the government and companies such as Naver deepen cooperation with Nvidia on physical AI, AI factories and large-scale computing infrastructure.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is moving into volume production of AI servers built around its latest custom chip, Trainium 3, setting up Taiwan suppliers across cooling, assembly, and slide rails for a shipment ramp that could extend into early 2027, according to supply chain sources.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics has begun mass production of advanced package substrates for Qualcomm's first data center AI accelerator, extending the companies' supply relationship from mobile and PC chips into server-class semiconductors, ZDNet Korea reported.

According to a trademark application filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Tesla has submitted an intent-to-use application for a new product name: Megapod. The trademark explicitly covers modular data center hardware systems engineered for AI computing, and the system is designed to bundle computer servers, AI data processing hardware, networking equipment, power distribution units (PDUs), and advanced cooling systems into a single, integrated physical unit.

AI-driven memory price spikes are presenting a challenge for Samsung's smartphone business, with rising component prices eroding the affordability of its budget phones. At the same time, Samsung is seeking to use its new AI features to encourage new device purchases as memory prices dampen smartphone sales globally.

Taiwan-based Tongtai Machine & Tool is accelerating its transformation toward high-value manufacturing, leveraging growing opportunities in AI servers, semiconductors and aerospace. At its annual general meeting on June 17, shareholders approved all proposals and elected a new board that includes several aerospace industry veterans, underscoring the company's commitment to expanding into advanced manufacturing sectors despite a challenging operating environment.

As AI computing continues to scale, power systems are facing sharper load swings, along with rising requirements for power density and reliability.

Samsung Electronics' foundry business has signed a strategic manufacturing collaboration with Claros, a US power-management startup, to produce semiconductors designed to cut energy waste inside AI data centers, according to a Claros announcement and a report by ZDNet Korea.

SpaceX has agreed to acquire AI coding tool developer Cursor for US$60 billion, in a deal that underscores how competition in the AI industry is extending beyond foundation models into the application layer and developer ecosystems. The purchase gives SpaceX direct access to enterprise customers, developer communities, and high-value code data instead of rebuilding a product from scratch. Markets see it as a key addition to Elon Musk's AI strategy.

Backed by Google, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, are repurposing retired Pixel phones into a computing cluster that could lower costs and cut e-waste. The project matters far beyond one campus, as it points to a possible model for affordable, local cloud infrastructure that could interest schools and smaller organizations worldwide.

Bull, the French computing company, and Foxconn announced Tuesday that they will manufacture systems based on Nvidia's Vera Rubin NVL72 platform in Europe — the first concrete output of a partnership the two companies unveiled just two weeks ago.

Taiwan optical leader Largan Precision has disclosed an equipment order worth about NT$650 million (US$20.6 million) from Chinese laser-processing equipment maker Han's Laser Technology Industry Group. DIGITIMES has exclusively confirmed with sources inside Han's Laser that the equipment covers automation and glass solutions.

Superior Plating Technology chairman Lei-Je Hua said the company is shifting more resources into AI liquid cooling, CPO communication modules, and nearline HDDs for AI data centers, while expanding production in Thailand and adding a new manufacturing base in Vietnam to build a multinational supply chain and meet customers' capacity-relocation needs. After years focused on precision metal surface treatment, the company said its revenue exposure to major smartphone customers has fallen sharply as it aligns with its group's long-term strategy. It is now targeting a more diversified, higher-margin product mix.