AI Chip Power Shift: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang teased new hardware at GTC Taipei/Computex 2026, with “Grace Blackwell,” “Vera Rubin,” and a mystery “surprise new product,” underscoring Taiwan’s role in the AI infrastructure race. Semiconductor Supply Chain & Packaging: MediaTek said a data-center client adopted Intel’s advanced packaging tech for an in-house AI accelerator, while Taiwan’s MediaTek also supports both TSMC and Intel advanced packaging approaches—showing Taiwan’s ecosystem is staying flexible as customers diversify. Memory Boom: SK Hynix crossed the $1T valuation mark as AI-driven demand lifts high-bandwidth memory, keeping South Korea’s HBM supply chain at the center of global AI hardware planning. Taiwan Economy on AI Demand: Taiwan raised its 2026 GDP growth forecast to 9.64% on strong AI-related exports and investment, as demand shifts from cloud training toward inference, agentic AI, and edge devices. Energy Crunch for AI: Wistron warned Taiwan underestimated electricity needs for AI computing and moved a planned data center after power constraints; Huang echoed the message that AI “labor needs electricity.” Policy & Trade: The US formalized preferential tariffs for some Taiwanese exports under Section 232, while Taiwan’s Legislature approved an NT$8.8bn arms fund for US systems—both shaping near-term tech and security procurement. Geopolitics Watch: Shangri-La Dialogue opened in Singapore amid China’s continued absence, while China also reorganized its Taiwan Affairs Office to expand mainland education and entrepreneurship pathways for Taiwanese residents. Local Science: Taiwanese divers helped lead to the formal naming of a tiny sea slug, Thecacera sesama, discovered off Keelung reefs.