Transcom secures military certification as Taiwan proposes significant defense budget

The Executive Yuan in Taiwan has proposed a NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defense budget aimed at enhancing seven critical areas, including air defense, electronic warfare, and cybersecurity. A central focus of the “Taiwan Shield” initiative is to develop a multi-layered air defense system spanning high, medium, and low altitudes to improve national security.

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China’s polysilicon glut triggers US-backed supply chain realignment

China’s dominance of the global polysilicon market is forcing the industry into two divergent paths: domestic consolidation to manage a swelling glut, and US-backed overseas production to diversify supply chains. The trend highlights a deepening geopolitical divide over a material essential to both solar manufacturing and high-purity semiconductor applications.

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ZTE hit by US foreign bribery probe with fines exceeding US$1bn

Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp. is again under regulatory scrutiny, as the US Department of Justice (DOJ) investigates alleged foreign bribery that could lead to more than US$1 billion in fines, Reuters reported. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) probe covers ZTE’s activities in Latin America and other regions, raising the risk of fresh penalties and the possible reinstatement of export restrictions if talks fail.

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AI boom drives memory surge: squeezes Switch 2 margins, pushes up PC prices

Nintendo’s stock price has fallen by 20% since reaching a recent peak in August 2025, mainly due to the artificial intelligence (AI) surge that pushed memory prices used in the Nintendo Switch 2 gaming console up by 40%, putting significant pressure on its profit margins. In response to the rapidly increasing semiconductor demand driven by AI infrastructure expansion, the electronics and home appliance supply chains have also started feeling noticeable impacts.

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UiPath highlights Taiwan’s competitiveness in Asia-Pacific AI agent surge

Asia-Pacific enterprises are rapidly advancing AI adoption, with investments expected to grow from nearly US$90 billion in 2025 to US$176 billion by 2028, primarily focused on building agentic AI systems. On December 9, UiPath outlined six key AI agent development trends for 2026 in Taiwan, emphasizing the country’s leadership in the manufacturing and finance sectors as a model for global AI governance, deployment, and advancement.

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US eases H200 curbs, but China may no longer need the chip, says DIGITIMES analyst

In the latest episode of Tech Insights, DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin argues that Washington’s decision to lift export restrictions on Nvidia’s H200 accelerator to China signals a shift toward managing dependency rather than forcing decoupling. Yet he stresses an overlooked reality: China may no longer feel compelled to buy the H200 at all.

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