Taiwan’s Robotics Innovation Alliance targets six major industries

Although Taiwan possesses core upstream technologies in the robotics supply chain, downstream applications are only just getting started. To fill the gap, companies have formed the Robotics Innovation Alliance (RIA), emphasizing that future efforts will begin from actual industry needs to connect the supply and demand sides and push applications toward successful commercialization.

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TSMC-Intel legal dispute highlights Taiwan’s corporate espionage risks

Judicial authorities continue investigating former TSMC senior vice president Wei-Jen Lo for suspected violations of the National Security Act and for industrial espionage. The Intellectual Property branch of Taiwan’s High Prosecutors Office has instructed the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) to issue a search warrant at Lo’s Taipei and Hsinchu residences, granting permission to seize computers, USB drives, and other related evidence.

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Panasonic raises tantalum capacitor prices, following US competitor steps

After Yageo’s subsidiary KEMET raised prices on its tantalum capacitors twice in less than six months, Panasonic, currently ranked as the fourth largest supplier, also decided to increase its quotes and has informed its distributor and direct customers that the new prices will take effect on February 1, 2026, with adjustments on certain specifications of capacitors reaching up to 30%.

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Samsung restructures research and memory teams to reclaim HBM market share

Samsung Electronics is undertaking one of its most significant internal restructurings in years as the company pushes to strengthen its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and regain momentum in the fast-growing HBM memory market. The overhaul includes converting its flagship research arm, the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, into a lab-based system and consolidating memory development teams under a new organization led by senior engineering executives.

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Apple reportedly weighs Intel’s 18A-P for 2027 entry-level Mac chips, challenging TSMC’s exclusive grip

Despite Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and many industry veterans arguing that former TSMC senior vice president Wei-Jen Lo joining Intel will not materially affect TSMC — given the sheer complexity of modern semiconductor manufacturing and the impossibility of any single “hero” reshaping the field — the market is now weighing a more strategic angle behind Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s unusually strong public endorsement of Lo.

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Micron reportedly plans new Hiroshima fab to reduce reliance on Taiwan production

Micron Technology is reportedly planning to invest JPY1.5 trillion(US$9.6 billion) to establish a new high-bandwidth memory (HBM) manufacturing facility at its Hiroshima campus, according to Nikkei. The initiative aims to increase production of advanced chips designed for artificial intelligence (AI) systems and to lessen the company’s dependence on Taiwan amid growing concerns over global supply chain vulnerabilities.

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