Taiwan’s leading motherboard manufacturers—AsusTek, GIGABYTE, Micro-Star International (MSI), and ASRock—have navigated a turbulent global economic environment in 2025 marked by inflation, currency swings, and escalating US-China tensions. While the consumer electronics sector contends with rising costs and shifting demand, these companies have leveraged AI server growth to bolster financial performance amid a shrinking PC DIY market.
Optical and electrical inspection equipment supplier Test Research Inc. (TRI) held an online investor conference on December 16, 2025, stating that, benefiting from continued strong demand for networking servers, semiconductors, and automotive electronics, its 2025 revenue is confirmed to hit a record high. The company expects 2026 order momentum to remain strong, significantly reducing the impact of traditional seasonality, with full-year operations expected to continue setting new highs. Gross margin is projected to remain firmly in the 55–60% range.
The Chinese subsidiary of Nexperia, the Dutch semiconductor manufacturer, has moved to secure wafer capacity from domestic suppliers to support production of key products in 2026, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. The shift underscores a widening rupture between the China operation and its European parent, as disputes over corporate governance and control continue to reshape the company’s global supply chain.
China’s AI race in 2025 has moved beyond brute-force model scaling. The contest now hinges on capital efficiency, infrastructure strength, and control of traffic gateways—a dynamic Wallstreetcn.com likens to a modern-day “Three Kingdoms” standoff.
Cybercriminals are turning the holiday shopping season into a lucrative target, exploiting peak online transaction periods with automated attacks, counterfeit domains, and underground promotions of stolen data, according to Fortinet’s 2025 Holiday Cyber Threat Report.
Taiwan’s Central Bank has sharply revised its economic growth forecast for 2025 to 7.31% from the 4.55% projected in September, citing the absence of US semiconductor tariffs under Section 232 and a stronger-than-expected surge in AI demand driving export momentum.
Samsung has recruited semiconductor veteran John Rayfield, formerly a vice president at AMD, to bolster its Exynos GPU and system IP roadmap, signaling a renewed effort to regain competitiveness in mobile and AI-focused SoC design.
The automotive industry is experiencing a significant structural transformation, putting traditional Tier 1 suppliers under increasing pressure amid a shift toward system integration (SI) capabilities. Major component manufacturers are facing financial difficulties and operational changes, while companies with advanced integration expertise are poised to capture new market opportunities.