AI & Data Governance: Brazilian startup Draiven won WITSA’s Global AI Awards 2026 in Taiwan for AI “for Data,” spotlighting governance, privacy and traceable access to corporate systems. US-China Summit Watch: The Trump-Xi meeting extended a short trade truce but delivered little on AI and Taiwan, with experts pointing to “managed rivalry” rather than breakthroughs. AI Infrastructure in Taiwan: OpenAI rolled out ChatGPT Ads updates that are now live in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, including bulk product feed creation and new product review tracking. Cloud & Resilient Connectivity: Chief Telecom and Google Cloud launched a Taiwan “Multi-Route Protection Service” to reroute data during submarine cable outages, targeting finance and government. Semiconductor Economy: Taiwan’s three biggest science parks hit record US$111B revenue in H1, with semiconductors driving over 80% as AI hardware demand stays hot. Memory R&D Push: Applied Materials added Kioxia to its EPIC Center coalition, bringing all four major memory makers under one R&D roof. Power Costs: Taipower’s natural gas bills are set to rise after CPC LNG price hikes, adding pressure to power generation costs. Energy Transition: Orsted and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners submitted bids in Taiwan’s Round 3.3 offshore wind auction for 3.6GW. Corporate Deals: Amazon took a direct equity stake in Taiwan PCB maker Gold Circuit Electronics via a private placement, underscoring AI server supply-chain demand. Legislative Politics: Taiwan’s new session features KMT proposals for caning for serious crimes and cash handout plans, while the DPP questions effectiveness.