Region Brief
Taiwan
Coverage of Taiwan's critical role in AI hardware, semiconductors, and regional tech strategy.
Taiwan is central to the global AI supply chain through its semiconductor leadership and is increasingly investing in domestic AI capabilities and research.
Related Coverage
- Seoul and Taipei Both Fall 3.59% as the AI Chip Selloff Reaches Memory Makers; SK Hynix Drops 5% and Nanya Hits Its Daily Limit
South Korea's KOSPI and Taiwan's Taiex each closed down 3.59% on November 3, Yonhap and CNA reported, after another slide in US chip stocks. Memory makers fell hardest: SK hynix lost 5.03% and Samsung Electronics 4.15%, and Taiwan's Nanya Technology fell the maximum 10%. Analysts quoted by both agencies blamed doubts about returns on AI infrastructure spending, alongside caution before the US midterm vote.
- TSMC Posts Record Q3 Profit, Guides Q4 to $52.3–54.3 Billion and Lifts 2026 Growth View to About 44%
TSMC reported third-quarter net income of NT$763.06 billion, up 68.7%, on revenue of US$46.72 billion on Oct. 15. It guided fourth-quarter revenue to US$52.3–54.3 billion and now expects 2026 growth of about 44% in dollar terms. CEO C.C. Wei said demand is 'extremely robust,' according to an AI-assisted call transcript.
- Intel Falls After Musk Confirms ‘Just Discussions’ with TSMC About Terafab
Over the weekend Elon Musk replied on X to a Culpium note that TSMC is exploring ways to help operate Terafab — the planned Tesla/SpaceX semiconductor plant in Texas where Intel is the only named process partner — saying “Just discussions, but something may come of it.” Business Insider reports Intel fell about 3% at Monday’s open (low $115.31). No deal has been announced. Price figures here are intraday as reported; the session close was not re-checked.
- Nvidia Finances MediaTek So Custom XPUs Still Plug Into Nvidia Racks
Nvidia buys $3.5 billion of MediaTek convertible bonds and MediaTek adopts NVLink Fusion — so hyperscalers can drop custom XPUs into Nvidia rack-scale factories. Edge (RTX Spark / DGX Spark) and automotive co-design ride along. How you tax Big Tech silicon without blocking it.
- Taiwan Indicts Nine — Including an Nvidia Manager — Over B300 Exports to China
Taiwan’s Keelung District Prosecutors Office indicted nine people — including an employee of Nvidia’s Taiwan unit and Super Micro staff — over the alleged illegal export of Nvidia B300 AI servers to China. Reuters: the scheme dressed 130 B300 systems as staying in Taiwan; later coverage cites 74 shipped via Japan and Indonesia and 56 seized. Allegations, not convictions.
- Report: Memory Costs Push Up Some 2027 Nvidia Server Quotes
Bloomberg reported that contract builders for Microsoft, Google, and Oracle have notified hyperscalers that servers with Nvidia AI chips — including Vera Rubin and Grace Blackwell — will cost more than 15% extra on many configurations shipping early next year, driven by DRAM/HBM. Nvidia did not comment; Reuters could not independently verify. Reported, not “Nvidia announced.”
- NVIDIA–TSMC CPO Push — Optics Inside the Package for AI Factories
NVIDIA and TSMC are building co-packaged optics on TSMC’s COUPE platform for NVIDIA’s Quantum-X and Spectrum-X Photonics network switches. NVIDIA says its micro-ring modulator engine reaches 200Gbps PAM4 per wavelength; moving optics into the package targets the power and bandwidth cost of copper and pluggable optics.