Following the 2026 US gubernatorial elections, four states that host major AI data centers—Texas, Ohio, Georgia, and Pennsylvania—could impose tighter controls on new projects after Democratic candidates won or secured reelection, according to Bloomberg. Taiwan suppliers are watching closely as some projects could be paused, while Nvidia's upcoming earnings call is expected to provide clues on AI infrastructure demand.

Moonshot AI, a leading Chinese model developer, is reportedly seeking remote access to Nvidia chips held in Europe. With sales of advanced US chips to China limited, the move would exploit a loophole in American law that currently does not restrict cloud service providers (CSPs) from selling compute to Chinese companies.

Democrats swept the US midterm elections, reshaping the global technology and industrial landscape. Their victories in key gubernatorial races, including in Texas and Georgia, have raised concerns about AI infrastructure expansion after some winning candidates explicitly pledged to pause data-center development.

Wistron ITS reported record gross profit, operating profit, net income, and earnings per share in the third quarter of 2026, as stronger revenue and improved operating efficiency supported continued expansion in AI and semiconductor services. Consolidated revenue reached NT$3.752 billion (approx. US$114.1 million), up 3.5% quarter-over-quarter and 25.6% year-over-year.

Companies at the forefront of the AI infrastructure buildout in the US are taking different approaches following the results of this week's midterm elections, which saw a nationwide backlash against data center construction. OpenAI pledged to prevent resource impacts on communities, while Nvidia is turning toward retrofitting small existing facilities.

Democrats have won control of Congress in the US midterm elections, turning the second half of President Donald Trump's term into a lame-duck period. Trump still holds the veto, however, and overriding it requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers. Congress is therefore more likely to apply pressure through budgets, investigations, and blocking new legislation than to overturn executive orders outright. For Taiwan's technology sector and supply chain, several fronts are worth watching closely.

SK Hynix's US-based artificial intelligence (AI) investment arm, HYAICO Corporation, has acquired a stake in AI infrastructure provider Penguin Solutions from an SK Telecom affiliate for US$377.16 million, according to filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A slower US build-out of AI infrastructure after the Democratic Party's midterm sweep could cost China more economically than it gains strategically, Bloomberg Economics said, because the hardware export boom propping up China's growth this year rests on US data center construction.

Taiwan-based Primax Electronics plans to increase the share of its business-to-business (B2B) operations over the next five years, expanding beyond traditional PC peripherals into artificial intelligence (AI), smart security, automotive and robotics applications. With public safety and surveillance projects already secured through 2029, the company expects these higher-value businesses to underpin sustained double-digit growth.

The Democratic Party's sweeping victory in the US midterm elections has raised concerns that data-center construction and the broader AI supply chain could slow. However, supply-chain sources said that while opposition to data centers has intensified, AI development is unlikely to lose momentum because it has become central to national competitiveness, regardless of which party controls the US government.

Server chassis maker Chenbro Micom reported a 5.4% quarter-over-quarter decline in revenue for the third quarter of 2026, as inventory adjustments following aggressive customer pull-ins during the first half and shortages of key electronic components at the system level affected complete-system shipments. Chenbro said its full-year operating scale will still exceed that of 2026.

Sumitomo Bakelite reported a 47.2% year-over-year increase in attributable net profit to JPY19.561 billion (US$123 million) for the first half of fiscal 2026, as AI server demand drove growth in semiconductor packaging materials. Revenue and operating profit rose 22.7% and 57.9%, respectively, prompting the company to raise its full-year net profit forecast to JPY35 billion in late October.

Naver is preparing to launch its Nvidia-backed AI factory business after securing an infrastructure agreement with Brookfield worth up to US$9 billion. With OpenAI and Anthropic seen as potential customers for AI computing services in South Korea, the company now faces the challenge of securing contracts that can support its expansion and cover rising operating costs.

Samsung SDS has begun construction of a 60MW AI data center in Gumi, South Korea, to support industrial robots and other AI applications. The project marks the first concrete step under Samsung Group's KRW60 trillion (approx. US$44.7 billion) investment plan for the country's southeastern Yeongnam region.

As switch chips move toward 400G per channel, the gold-finger connectors used in current pluggable modules are approaching their high-frequency limits. The pluggable optics camp introduced two incompatible new form factors in 2026.

UK-based AI computing infrastructure startup Nscale, backed by Nvidia, is planning a US$35 billion initial public offering (IPO) in 2026. However, Microsoft, one of its major customers, has reportedly decided not to exercise an option to expand its computing capacity lease at a Texas data center.

Taiwanese server makers have committed billions of dollars to manufacturing facilities in Texas over the past two years. Now, the state's incoming governor has pledged to suspend new data center approvals, raising uncertainty over AI infrastructure investment in one of America's largest development markets.

Eight Taiwanese electronics manufacturers have disclosed approximately US$2.9 billion in factory-related asset transactions and investment plans in Texas since January 2024, accounting for nearly half of their US factory-site commitments.

Industrial PC (IPC) maker Advantech announced on November 5, 2026, that founder K.C. Liu will become full-time chairman on January 1, 2027, while Miller Chang, currently president of its Embedded Sector, will succeed him as CEO.

US voters favored restrictions on data center development in 40 of 41 local ballot measures across 10 states on November 3, signaling growing opposition to AI infrastructure expansion. Meanwhile, the election of a governor in Texas who has pledged to halt new data center approvals raises broader questions about the country's 345.9 GW pipeline of planned and under-construction projects.

Industrial PC leader Advantech reported record quarterly revenue and net profit for the third quarter of 2026, propelled by strong demand across semiconductor equipment, factory automation, and medical devices, alongside surging shipments of high-end edge AI systems. However, component price increases squeezed its gross margin down to 36.7%. Looking ahead, the company expects to maintain high-double-digit growth in both revenue and profit through 2027.

Goldman Sachs and Apollo Global Management have reportedly begun approaching potential investors about purchasing parts of a US$40 billion deal to finance SpaceX's leasing of Nvidia chips. The firms are seeking to complete the transaction quickly in the wake of Democratic victories in this week's midterm elections, which some worry could slow the growth of AI development.

Flexium Interconnect chairman Walter Cheng said the company has emerged from the toughest operating downturn of the past two years and expects AI orders for smart glasses and infrastructure to accelerate in 2027, which is also expected to lower consumer electronics revenue to below 50%. The flexible printed circuit (FPC) maker expects its polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) products to enter mass production in 2028 and is targeting a return to profitability in the first quarter of 2027.

Qualcomm's weakening smartphone business is accelerating its transformation into an AI infrastructure supplier, with custom accelerators, server CPUs, and optical connectivity emerging as growth priorities. Following a 26% annual decline in handset chip revenue in fiscal 4Q26, the US chipmaker is targeting US$5 billion in data center revenue in fiscal 2027 and US$15 billion by fiscal 2029. The question is whether these businesses can scale quickly enough to offset pressures in its traditional market.

South Korean AI software developer Moreh says AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs running its inference software delivered more than twice the throughput of Nvidia B200 GPUs in company tests, as South Korea moves ahead with plans to build AI infrastructure combining AMD processors with locally developed chips.