For much of the past decade, artificial intelligence served as a premium badge—an easy way for carmakers to justify higher prices and signal technological leadership. But as these systems move from promise to practice, the costs of overestimating algorithms are becoming harder to ignore. In some cases, the market itself is pushing back.

After a series of operational adjustments, Young Optics narrowed its losses sharply in 2025, benefiting from an improved product mix and higher capacity utilization. The Taiwanese optical components maker reported a full-year net loss of about NT$9 million (approx. US$284,600), a dramatic improvement from the year before.

Silicon Valley’s long-anticipated commercial phase for AI agents accelerated this month. The viral rise of open-source personal assistant OpenClaw and the rapid adoption of Anthropic’s programming tool Claude Code signal a shift from experimental deployments to broad enterprise engagement.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced the merger of xAI and SpaceX, creating a new entity valued at an astonishing US$1.25 trillion. However, some have raised concerns that this bold strategic move may prove to be a financial yoke on SpaceX, especially since, from a technical standpoint, it makes more sense to merge xAI with Tesla than with SpaceX.

Samsung is reportedly evaluating a potential European semiconductor expansion alongside its South Korea and US manufacturing base, as the region tightens local production requirements and Germany seeks a replacement for a cancelled flagship chip investment.

As global supply chains shift from globalization toward regionalization and the “China plus one” strategy persists, Singapore’s role in Southeast Asia has undergone a fundamental transformation. Once primarily a transshipment hub for trade, the city-state has evolved into a regional coordination and compliance center. Observations indicate that Taiwanese and Chinese companies are now utilizing Singapore to pursue distinctly different strategic approaches.