AI infrastructure investment is reaching unprecedented levels, with estimates showing it will lift global semiconductor output past US$1 trillion in 2026, four years earlier than previously expected, and expand the market to US$1.5 trillion by 2030. SEMI Global Chief Marketing Officer Terry Tsao said nearly 89 fabs are in the planning or construction pipeline for 2026-2030 to meet surging AI chip demand, with another 50 fabs expected to be planned for 2030-2035.

Tsu-Jae Liu, president of the National Academy of Engineering and academician of Academia Sinica, has highlighted the increasing pressure on the integration of civilian and military research, as economic security and national security become entangled amid shifting geopolitical concerns.