Category：Finance

Apple launches new iPhone Duo using TSMC’s 2-nm chips

Apple fans have been waiting for this moment, and the wait is finally over! Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, has unveiled the company’s biggest breakthrough in nearly 20 years: its first-ever foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo. Apple says the new device ushers in a new era of AI, featuring a roughly 7.6-inch dual-folding display and a powerful new chip built using TSMC’s cutting-edge 2-nm process. Let’s hear more.

John Ternus
Apple CEO
iPhone Duo brings an entirely new design while preserving everything you love and expect from iPhone. It gives you the largest display ever on an iPhone while still fitting easily in your pocket.

Tony Lin
Chief Consumer Business Officer
Based on global supply chain expectations and the rising cost of memory, we’re looking at a price range of US$2,000 to US$2,500. Consumers who buy these foldable phones, regardless of the platform, are already accustomed to the premium price tag. Some users with business or content-creation needs, will be quite eager to buy a product at this price point.

The iPhone Duo is Apple’s biggest and thinnest iPhone ever, with GPU performance up 40%. But that power comes at a steep price. The top-end model is expected to cost nearly NT$120,000, making it even more expensive than a MacBook Pro. Even the 256GB base model still comes in at close to NT$75,000. And Apple is also giving the iPhone 18 Pro lineup a major camera upgrade, with a hardware-based variable aperture for the first time, letting in 50% more light and even enabling astrophotography. With Apple going after the premium market, Taiwan’s telecom carriers are already gearing up with a range of plans and launch deals to lure customers.

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#iphone #astrophotography #iphoneduo #johnternus #apple

2026-09-10

NSYSU partners with University of Arizona on silicon photonics center

As the AI computing race enters a new stage, data transmission speeds and energy consumption have become critical bottlenecks. To tackle the issue, National Sun Yat-sen University has partnered with the University of Arizona to establish the Silicon Photonics Arizona-Kaohsiung Center, or SPARK. It will join forces with over 20 tech enterprises across Taiwan and the US to develop key AI technologies and international talent.

As the race to build out AI computing power heats up, data transmission speeds and energy consumption have become major bottlenecks. National Sun Yat-sen University and the University of Arizona in the US have joined forces to establish a center for silicon photonics, called SPARK, to advance these key technologies.

Li Chih-peng
NSYSU president
For this collaboration, we’re not just focusing on technology research. We also hope to cultivate more talent. The University of Arizona is considered to have one of the best optics centers in the US, while our university has extensive experience in silicon photonics development and packaging.

The center brings together more than 20 tech companies from Taiwan and the US to expand cooperation in talent cultivation and tech research across industry and academia.

Lo Ta-sheng
Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor
The city government will actively participate in SPARK. We’ll establish a fund for the University of Arizona, Sun Yat-sen University, the Kaohsiung City Government, and the Arizona State Government to all take part. With this fund, we hope to stimulate collaboration between industry and academia.

Li Chih-peng
NSYSU president
Looking ahead, beyond developing key technologies, especially in silicon photonics, the center could help usher in the next generation of semiconductors. Computing speed and energy efficiency represent the most needed technologies in the field.

In addition to cultivating talent, the center aims to have a hand in the next generation of chip technologies. SPARK will connect companies across Kaohsiung and Arizona, deepening exchange between Taiwan and the US in R&D, talent, and industry cooperation.

#semiconductors #siliconphotonics #NSYSU #UniversityofArizona #chips #Kaohsiung #SPARK

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2026-09-09

China cries foul as Taiwan reviews ‘Starbucks killer’ Taipei expansion

China’s self-dubbed "Starbucks slayer" is at the center of a fresh cross-strait dispute. We’re talking about the affordable coffee shop chain Luckin Coffee, which has been hyped up as a replacement of its famous American rival. Luckin Coffee had intended to open up a shop in Taipei, in the commercial district around Nanjing Fuxing MRT station. But after nine months of setting up the space, preparing supplies, and hiring staff, the shop has yet to open its doors. That’s because the business permit application filed by its agent, Shunyu Corporation, is still under review. China has blasted the delay as political interference. Let’s hear more.

Chen Binhua
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
The DPP authorities’ continued obstruction and restrictions on mainland investment are unpopular political manipulation.

Chiu Chui-cheng
Mainland Affairs Council
The fact that the Taiwan Affairs Office is speaking up on behalf of this company makes it transparent that it’s mainland-funded. The cross-strait act is clear on this: an application must be filed and approved, and no proxies can be used to circumvent the review process.

Lee Kun-cheng
Lawmaker (DPP)
I’d like to ask the Taiwan Affairs Office to respect the laws of the ROC. Don’t just stand there rambling and ranting and blaming anything and everything on the DPP and Lai Ching-te.

Shu Chin-huang
Current affairs commentator
Most of the ingredients have to be brought over from China, they’re not from Taiwan. So of course the government will have to do more checks to ensure food safety regulations are being followed.

Mr. Chiu
Coffee sommelier
In the market, there is a group of customers who specially seek out Taiwanese coffee to for its distinct flavor profile.

A coffee expert says certain consumers will always opt for local products. But with one cup of Luckin coffee going for as low as NT$45, the biggest impact would be on convenience stores and affordable coffee chains. Foreign investments in Taiwan usually have to be reviewed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. But for investments from China, the checks are more strict. Reports say Luckin Coffee plans to circumvent the restrictions by investing in Taiwan by way of Singapore instead.

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#luckincoffee #cafe #coffeeshop #barista #investment

2026-09-09

Taiwan’s Gen Z takes on AI Boom as startup leaders gather in Taipei

The AI boom is exploding, and Taiwan wants its next generation of young innovators to ride the wave. The Boba Tech Summit kicked off in Taipei on Wednesday, drawing more than 300 startup founders, investors and tech entrepreneurs from over 15 countries. But while the opportunities are huge, so are the challenges, with AI demand fueling a global scramble for chips, memory and GPUs. Now, Taiwan’s Gen Z entrepreneurs are looking to turn that chaos into their next big opportunity.

The Boba Tech Summit kicked off in Taipei on Wednesday, bringing together more than 300 startup leaders, investors and tech entrepreneurs from more than 15 countries.

Caleb Chu
Boba Tech creator
Our goal is to bring resources from Silicon Valley and from other countries to Taiwan, so that young Taiwanese talents can connect with the world right here. That way, they can picture their goals and visions and the things they want to do in the era of AI.

Hank Huang
NYCU Vice President
Entrepreneurship is AI. Having domain knowledge is very important. That is, your own experience is very important. Without it, AI might give you a solution, but you don’t know if it’s right or wrong. Or you don’t have the ability to judge whether it is. When you do, it’s because you have the experience to do so.

Semiconductor giants are expanding their production capacity, as AI drives demand for chips. But amid memory and component shortages, some systems vendors have had to downgrade their specifications.

Pua Khein-seng
Phison Electronics Co-Founder
It’s unavoidable. Everyone agrees it’s inevitable, which is why we’re desperately buying machines. There’s a shortage of everything: CPUs DRAM, SSDs, GPUs… Systems vendors are putting half as much DRAM in their systems, because it’s too expensive now, and you can’t get it easily. By using half as much DRAM, they can make and sell more systems. What about the performance loss? They compensated for it with flash memory.

From AI startups to the global memory chip shortage, this summit puts Taiwan at the starting point, showcasing the entrepreneurial strength of the country’s Gen Z innovators.

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#tech #ai #genz #boba #bobatech

2026-09-09

Taiwanese pineapples debut at Galeries Lafayette in Paris

Earlier this year, Taiwan’s Irwin mangoes made their debut in France’s iconic Galeries Lafayette department store. Now it’s honey pineapples that are being sold at this presitigous Parisian store in a trial run. Already they are receiving high praise in France, and there is hope that they can be sold in other markets in Europe. Let’s find out more.

Crates of pineapples are prepared for shipment. This batch of top quality pineapples will be sold in Paris’s most prestigious department store, Galeries Lafayette. Chiayi County Commissioner Weng Chang-liang acted as a local tour guide, leading a French team deep into Minxiong Township’s production area, where they picked and ate pineapples right there in the fields.

With a big bite, the fresh and sweet pineapple spurts out juice, a perfect testament to the juiciness of Taiwanese pineapples. The secret weapon that has won over the hallowed grounds of the French market is the "honey pineapple," which is scarce this season and has an even higher sweetness level.

Chen Ying-ting
Pineapple farmer in Minxiong, Chiayi
The pineapple that’s making its way into France is the honey pineapple. Its main characteristic is its extremely high sweetness, and it also has the aroma of sugarcane. It’s different from the Golden Diamond Pineapple; its sweetness level is even higher.

Farmers reveal that all of the honey pineapple is edible, even the core, and it received extremely high praise during its trial run in France, successfully increasing the value of Taiwanese agricultural products.

Chen Ying-ting
Pineapple farmer in Minxiong, Chiayi
Our first step is to enter the French market, and in the future, we will also expand to the European market. In France, they are sold at Galeries Lafayette—a high-end department store in Paris—and selling at that location greatly raises the value of our Taiwanese pineapples.

Wang Pei-ju
Pineapple farmer in Minxiong, Chiayi
In France, many people use pineapples to make desserts. I’ve seen a huge amount used for candy, like fruit gummies. It seems that the French really value and enjoy pineapples.

Seizing the business opportunity presented by the French people’s love of using pineapples in desserts, Taiwanese honey pineapples broke through the old framework of exporting to Japan and South Korea and successfully crossed over into the new market of Europe. This demonstrates the top quality of Taiwanese agriculture on the world stage.

#Taiwanexports #honeypineapples #Taiwanpineapples #GaleriesLafayette #Frenchconsumers

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2026-09-09

Millions tune in to watch viral farmers’ association videos

Farmers associations in Taiwan are competing to attract talent as the population ages. A middle-aged secretary general of a farmers’ association has responded to this by turning himself into a social media influencer, attracting many youth to his videos. Secretary-General Huang Ching-chien of the Wufeng District Farmers’ Association in central Taiwan has made short videos about Taiwanese farming products that have gained a whopping several million views. Let’s find out more.

- Do I need to wash enoki mushrooms after buying them?
- I’ll show you how enoki mushrooms go from seed to packaging, then you’ll understand.

This secretary general of the Wufeng District Farmers’ Association is keeping up with trends and making short videos.

- Enoki mushrooms can grow to the same length and have the same shape.

A short video introducing the life cycle of enoki mushrooms sparked a discussion online about whether or not to wash them, garnering over 4 million views. Another video sharing lychee trivia also exceeded 2 million views. Secretary-General Huang Ching-chien of the farmers’ association has become an online influencer by creating short videos, and his total viewership has now surpassed 10 million.

Huang Ching-chien
Wufeng District Farmers’ Association
You can use this approach, targeting a younger demographic and reaching a wider audience. It’s also very efficient and relatively low-cost.

With internet traffic comes high exposure, and they’ve created a specialty store similar to a high-end department store. Although the decor is luxurious, the shelves are filled with Taiwan’s most popular farmers’ association specialties, keeping prices affordable.

Huang Ching-chien
Wufeng District Farmers’ Association
The traffic has increased several times, probably at least more than three times, and there has also been a significant increase in procurement volume.

Member of the public
Likes the shop
We can’t possibly travel to that many places, so coming here allows us to collect Taiwan’s unique agricultural products from all over the island.

Visiting the farmers’ association feels different now, and young people love coming here to hunt for hidden gems.

Member of the public
Likes the shop
After watching the video and seeing them unpack the products, I found it very special. I’ve never tried them before, and I’m not familiar with agricultural products, so I thought I could come and buy some to give it a try.

The new internet celebrity is getting real life people to come to the bricks-and-mortar shop, leading the charge in diversifying the operations of farmers’ associations.

#farm #farmlife #viral #influencer #agriculture

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2026-09-08

Winning beans in coffee contest come at over NT$2,000 per kilogram

Taiwan has held its first ever Taiwan Coffee Auction, a contest where 37 specialty coffees from across Taiwan were appraised by a team of international judges. The winning Gesha coffee beans came from a plantation in Guoxing Township in Nantou in central Taiwan. They are priced at a whopping over NT$2,000 per kilogram, and there are hopes they will fetch over NT$10,000 after they’re put to an international auction in October. They have a rich aroma with notes of honey, osmanthus and caramel. Let’s find out more.

The DPP’s Taipei and New Taipei City mayoral candidates Puma Shen and Su Chiao-hui make a joint appearance at an afternoon tea event, drinking specialty Taiwanese coffee to perk themselves up and show their support for Taiwan’s coffee industry. Chiayi County Commissioner Weng Chang-liang also made a special trip to Taipei to support the first edition of the Taiwan Coffee Auction.

Weng Chang-liang
Chiayi County Commissioner
Many coffees are actually named after their places of origin, showing that coffee is inextricably linked to the local environment. So, with so many talented people participating in this competition today, we wish everyone the best of luck in winning the awards they’re aiming for.

Led by chief judge Darrin Daniel, a panel of 12 international judges meticulously evaluated the roasting, grind and brewing of specialty coffee beans, selecting the top 20 from 37 specialty coffees from 26 plantations across 8 counties and cities in Taiwan.

Darrin Daniel
Chief Judge
We had a very excellent year. I could say that there’s incredible diversity of flavors from different regions. We had experienced for me one of the highest scores I’ve ever given.

The champion Gesha coffee beans from Guoxing, Nantou, are made with unique honey processing. The coffee has a rich aroma of honey, osmanthus and caramel, with a mellow and layered taste that is addictive.

Lin Yen-chien
Taiwan Coffee Auction winner
The coffee beans we’re using for this year’s competition are mainly Gesha variety. Gesha is a relatively new variety in Taiwan and it’s quite popular worldwide. Based on our past auction records, I’ve seen it fetch nearly NT$10,000 per kilogram before.

Krude Lin Che-hao
Coffee Industrial Alliance of Taiwan
Taiwan is a democratic, free, and egalitarian society. Under these circumstances, plantation owners invest their passion, dedication, and expertise to refine their production methods.

On October 28th, an open bidding process will be held on an international platform. Through healthy competition among local farmers, Taiwanese coffee beans will be gradually promoted to an even larger international stage.

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#Taiwancoffee #Geshabeans #coffeemaking #Nantoucoffees #Taiwancoffeeuaction

2026-09-07

SEMICON Taiwan opens with exhibitors from 60 countries

SEMICON Taiwan, the annual semiconductor expo, has officially kicked off, bringing together 4,300 exhibitors from 60 countries. At the opening ceremony, Premier Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan will do everything it can to support both domestic and international companies looking to set up facilities on the island, as Taiwan works with the world to build, quote "one high mountain after another." But one of the biggest attractions on the show floor wasn’t a microchip. It was the chance to suit up in an actual cleanroom outfit! The experience drew hundreds of people, who formed long lines just to get a taste of life inside a semiconductor fab. Let’s hear more.

Yang Ssu-min
FTV reporter
It took some time, but I’m finally ready. I’ve been wearing this cleanroom suit for only a short while, but already, it feels stuffy and hot. If you want to experience this yourself, you can have a go at this cleanroom replica at SEMICON Taiwan. There’s even a 15-second air shower.

Participant
Tried out the cleanroom
It’s so fun. I didn’t know what wearing a cleanroom suit would feel like. It’s so cool. I never tried anything like this before.

Worker
IC design firm
I don’t really have to wear it much designing ICs. I’ve only been wearing it for 5 minutes and I’m already drenched in sweat.

Up above, overhead crane systems zip back and forth, giving visitors a close-up look at a near-perfect recreation of a semiconductor fab, right on the exhibition floor. There are polishing pads used to smooth wafer surfaces, ASML’s cutting-edge EUV lithography equipment, and Gudeng Precision’s wafer carriers, designed to keep wafers well protected during transport. With semiconductor equipment and facility engineering solutions on full display, the expo is drawing the attention of industry experts and buyers from around the world.

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#semicon #semiconductors #taiwan #tech #icdesign #circuit #chips #technology

2026-09-02

600+ leaders in business and gov’t attend Semicon Network Summit

With its triple theme of trust, resilience, and prosperity, the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Semicon Network Summit has more than delivered, with over 600 leaders from governments and businesses attending the semi-conductor industry event. Terms like silicon photonics and cyber resilience might sound complicated to the general public, but economics minister Kung Ming-hsin explained that the government is trying to help Taiwan’s one million small and medium enterprises make the AI transition.##

SEMI, an international semi-conductor association based in Taiwan, and Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute teamed up to hold the 2026 Semicon Network Summit, which had over 600 business and government leaders, hailing from 38 countries. One of these leaders was Taiwan’s very own president, Lai Ching-te.

Lai Ching-te
President
Taiwan’s ability to manufacture the world’s most advanced chips is the result of us, in the last 10 years, valuing forming relationships with international partners that are based on trust. Going forward, we’ll continue to be a stable and reliable partner in the world’s technology industries.

Ajit Manocha
SEMI president
I don’t think any country in the world can say that “we did better than Taiwan.” There’s no doubt in anybody’s mind that Taiwan has played the most central role in advancing this industry.

The summit had four themed sessions, which were semi-conductor cooperation, the silicon photonics ecosystem, chip trends in the era of AI robotics, and cyber resilience.

President Lai awarded certificates from the Ministry of Economic Affairs that commended GlobalWafers CEO Doris Hsu and Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra for their contributions to the world’s semi-conductor industry. In the midst of the AI era, in addition to deepening collaborative relationships with partners around the globe, the Taiwanese government is also seeking to help domestic small and medium-sized enterprises transition during this period of change.

Kung Ming-hsin
Minister of Economic Affairs
We hope that, in the shortest time frame possible, that we can help Taiwan’s one million small and medium-sized enterprises be able to utilize AI developments and applications. In a hypothetical situation where these companies are not able to incorporate AI into their operations, their opportunities for development, as well as the development of AI and the semi-conductor industry in Taiwan, will not be long-lasting.

By having collaboration involving companies, governments, schools, and research institutions, Taiwan anticipates it’ll be able to fully take advantage of AI-fueled growth so that, going forward, it will continue to play a critical role in the world’s semi-conductor industry.

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#AI #semi-conductor #chips #Taipei #summit #robotics #transition

2026-09-02

Nvidia announces NT$110.6 billion investment in MediaTek

As a major player in the global AI craze, all eyes are on Taiwan, at all times. IC design giant MediaTek and commanding chipmaker Nvidia made a bombshell announcement on Monday evening. The two companies are ready to take their 10-year relationship to the next level. Nvidia is making its first major investment in MediaTek totaling NT$110.6 billion. Let’s hear more.

Winson Wang
Analyst
Though Nvidia is dominating the AI chip sector, there are still other competitors like AMD. With a strategy of binding customers, Nvidia can secure a steady stream of orders and maintain its market share so that it’s not overtaken.

The two companies listed out three key areas of cooperation: AI infrastructure, edge AI, and AI-enabled platforms for software-defined vehicles. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has clarified that the massive US$3.5 billion investment is not circular financing. He stressed that each company ran its own business, stressing that MediaTek itself was incredibly profitable and successful. Over in the stock exchange, MediaTek shares soared throughout the day, quickly hitting the daily limit of NT$4,315 and staying there until the close.

#nvidia #mediatek #technology #chips #ai #investment #circularfunding

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2026-09-01