The global smartphone market is set for its steepest decline in more than a decade in 2026, as surging memory prices drive up device costs and weaken demand, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) and industry sources.

After soaring more than 2,200% over the past year, DDR4 16Gb spot prices have finally begun to decline, signaling a growing polarization in the memory market in the first quarter of 2026. While DRAM and NAND Flash contract prices remain strong on the back of supply constraints and server demand, spot markets — especially in China — are experiencing sharp drops amid weak consumer demand and inventory sell-offs.

Taiwan has spent the past decade quietly assembling one of Asia’s most capable space industries, with more than 250 companies now active across satellites, rockets, and related systems. The sector’s leading trade body is now ready to take that story to the world. The Taiwan Space Industry Development Association (TSIDA) announced it will send a delegation abroad for the first time in 2026, targeting two of the industry’s most prominent international gatherings — the US Small Satellite Conference and Europe’s Space Tech Expo.