Samsung strike threat highlights rising labor risk to AI chip supply chain and corporate pay models

Samsung Electronics is facing its largest labor escalation in years after unions representing tens of thousands of workers voted to authorize strike action. The dispute centers on compensation structures, particularly performance-based bonuses linked to semiconductor profits, which workers argue have become increasingly opaque and insufficient relative to the company’s record earnings in the AI-driven chip cycle.

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Commentary: Honor’s robot win highlights thermal edge in robotics

The Beijing Humanoid Robot Half Marathon has concluded, but its outcome has ignited a wider industry debate. Rather than a leading robotics specialist, smartphone maker Honor emerged as the unexpected winner — raising questions over whether the company’s success reflects genuine technological strength or exposes lower-than-expected barriers in the humanoid robotics sector.

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AGI, Inc. advances on-device agentic AI strategy as it targets cross-platform automation

AGI, Inc., also known as The AGI Company, is a San Francisco–based applied AI startup developing what it describes as “on-device superintelligence” for smartphones, computers and browsers. In the emerging agentic AI era, the company focuses on systems that go beyond generating responses and instead execute real-world tasks on behalf of users.

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Hengs Technology secures NT$7.6B in orders, expands solar EPC into energy storage and EV charging

As Taiwan’s energy transition enters a critical phase, the stability of power supply and the quality of renewable energy infrastructure have become key industry concerns. While numerous solar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) providers operate in the market, only a handful offer fully integrated capabilities. Hengs Technology stands out for its comprehensive approach, extending beyond solar EPC to include AI-driven data management, as well as expansion into energy storage EPC and EV charging infrastructure. Chairman Heng-Hao Chou stated that Hengs currently holds more than NT$7.6 billion (US$239.6 million) in orders, which are expected to be gradually recognized as revenue over the next two to three years. The company has set clear targets for 2026, aiming to deploy more than 100MW of solar capacity during the year.

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Google’s split TPU chips signal shift from universal to specialized AI accelerators

Google has unveiled its eighth-generation Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) by splitting them into two distinct chips: the training-focused TPU 8t and the inference-optimized TPU 8i. This move goes beyond simply designing two chips; it reflects Google’s capability to break down bottlenecks across different stages of the model lifecycle, restructuring chip design, interconnects, memory, scheduling, and software stacks.

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Taiwan OSAT Powertech lifts capex to US$1.6bn, targets AI packaging growth

Memory packaging and testing provider Powertech Technology posted net profit of NT$1.84 billion (US$57 million) for the first quarter of 2026, its second-highest for the same period, and raised its full-year outlook. The company increased its planned 2026 capital expenditure from NT$40 billion to NT$50 billion and expects broad price increases for logic and memory products in the second quarter of 2026, supporting sequential revenue gains and high single-digit to low double-digit annual growth.

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