Ian Hathaway, managing partner of the OpenAI Startup Fund, recently visited Taiwan for the first time to discuss the next steps in artificial intelligence development at a public forum hosted by AI language learning platform Speak. Hathaway emphasized the need for new data collection methods, increased power consumption, and more advanced chips to support future AI projects beyond single-task execution.
Former Alphabet Inc. CEO Eric Schmidt secretly visited Taiwan in 2025 with a primary focus on scouting AI talent for the US Democratic Party during the presidential election campaign, according to Lee-Feng Chien, former managing director of Google Taiwan. While Schmidt’s public remarks emphasized Taiwan’s strength in hardware and relative weakness in software, his activities suggest a broader set of interests related to regional technology and defense developments.
Momo reported consolidated revenue of NT$8.49 billion (approx. US$279.9 million) in August, marking a 4.4% month-over-month increase. However, since the beginning of 2025, monthly revenues have consistently shown single-digit year-over-year declines. The team acknowledged that domestic retail conditions remain sluggish and consumer confidence has dipped, but they are optimistic that expansion of their store platform business and the upcoming peak season in the second half of the year will help revive revenue momentum.
TSMC’s Japanese subsidiary JASM has completed and started operations at its first wafer fab in Kumamoto. According to Japanese sources, a second wafer fab is already under construction. Analysis by Japanese research institutions shows that the large-scale semiconductor industry has revitalized local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with financial institutions increasing lending accordingly.
Meta has intensified investments in GPUs, expanded data centers, and aggressively recruited AI talent, aiming to bolster its AI initiatives. However, the company’s AI development encounters internal difficulties and questions about the sufficiency of computing power and talent for long-term success.
The global robotics sector continues to grow as Taiwanese transmission component manufacturer Chieftek Precision announces a strategic focus on robot development, moving beyond humanoid forms to offer modular solutions. The company aims to provide customers with integrated system modules such as joints and arms, facilitating faster robot design cycles.
The foldable phone market has gained significant traction with recent product launches from Samsung Electronics and Vivo. Samsung continues to dominate Taiwan’s foldable segment, capturing nearly 80% market share by sales revenue, supported by its strong brand recognition and product capabilities.
At the Taiwan AI Academy annual conference, Asus chairman Jonney Shih urged Taiwan to strengthen its AI development by integrating computing platforms, model capabilities, data governance, and domain applications to build Taiwan AI into a globally trusted solution.