Two AI startups join forces: CyCraft Technology and APMIC announce strategic partnership

AI cybersecurity leader CyCraft announced a strategic partnership with APMIC, a provider of model-as-a-service solutions, to launch the industry’s first AI model designed specifically for defense: XecGuard. Paired with a model security evaluation service, this initiative leverages a 3-billion (3B) parameter open-source model developed by APMIC and the Twinkle AI community.

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MediaTek releases ASR model tuned for Taiwanese Mandarin

MediaTek Research, the advanced research division of the MediaTek Group, has released MR Breeze ASR 25, an open-source automatic speech recognition (ASR) model optimized for Taiwanese Mandarin and local speech patterns. Based on OpenAI’s Whisper architecture, the model was designed to better understand the linguistic nuances of Taiwan, including Mandarin-English code-switching, a common feature in everyday speech.

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China’s Dongshan Precision moves to buy Taiwan’s Source Photonics, triggering tech security alarms

Leading Chinese electronics manufacturer, Suzhou Dongshan Precision Manufacturing, has announced plans to acquire Source Photonics, a Taiwan-based optical communications firm located in the Hsinchu Science Park, for up to CNY5.935 billion (approx. US$828 million). The deal, priced at roughly six times Source Photonics’ market value, aims to help Dongshan Precision break into the high-growth optical communication sector.

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Innolux to acquire Pioneer for US$1.1 billion in auto cockpit strategy shift

Innolux has announced a bold NT$33.7 billion (US$1.12 billion) acquisition of Japan’s Pioneer Corporation, a move that signals a strategic pivot toward the high-growth market for intelligent automotive cockpits. The deal, made through its subsidiary CarUX and in partnership with Sweden-based EQT, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025 and marks one of the largest overseas M&A transactions by a Taiwanese tech firm in recent years.

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Taiwanese IC packaging and testing advances into Malaysia for auto and robotics

Since US President Donald Trump championed the “Made in America” initiative, technological competition between the US and China has intensified, rapidly escalating global geopolitical risks. Overseas customers have successively adopted “non-China” and “non-Taiwan” manufacturing policies, driving a new wave of semiconductor supply chain restructuring. The future division of regional manufacturing roles is becoming increasingly clear.

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Samsung pitches 12-stack HBM3E to Nvidia after AMD’s AI accelerator win

Samsung Electronics is intensifying its push to secure a major HBM3E supply deal with Nvidia, as Device Solutions chief Jun Young-hyun visited Nvidia’s Silicon Valley headquarters in late June 2025. It was Jun’s second visit in under two months — following a May 2025 trip — according to semiconductor expert Jukan Choi (@Jukanlosreve on X). The trip reflects Samsung’s growing confidence, bolstered by its recent success in supplying 12-stack HBM3E to AMD for its latest AI accelerators.

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