On July 10, 2026, China's state-owned aerospace company successfully launched and recovered the first stage of its Long March 10B rocket—a global first in net-capture recovery technology. According to reports, the booster separated from the upper stage after 6 minutes and vertically returned to a sea platform using a net-capture mechanism, contrasting with SpaceX's propulsive landing approach that began in 2015. China aims to complete re-flight testing by year-end and enter small-batch regular launch operations within 3–5 years.
Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on July 10, 2026, in U.S. Federal Court for the Northern District of California, alleging systematic theft of trade secrets across multiple organizational levels. The complaint targets former Apple executives including hardware chief Tang Tan and employee Chang Liu, accusing OpenAI of instructing departing staff to circumvent security procedures and misrepresenting Apple's proprietary metal surface treatment technology to hardware manufacturers. According to The Information, the legal dispute—which dates back to tensions emerging in May 2026—could disrupt OpenAI's hardware device launch planned for as early as February 2027 and jeopardize the company's IPO ambitions.
According to Inside.com.tw, Samsung Electronics' System LSI division is working with Lenovo and HP to accelerate prototype development of the GAIA AI PC accelerator, targeting mass production as early as late 2027 on a 4nm process. CNYES reports the chip is already in sample testing with both PC makers, and Samsung plans to combine it with Processing-in-Memory (PIM) technology to boost efficiency.
According to a Technews report dated July 13, 2026, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) shares surged to an all-time high, pushing the bank's market capitalization past 42 trillion yen intraday and overtaking both Toyota and Kioxia to become Japan's most valuable listed company. The report notes this marks the first time since the collapse of Japan's bubble economy that a financial institution has topped the ranking, with the previous instance being Sumitomo Bank in 1986.
According to Liberty Times and Commercial Times, Wowprime (2727) reported June consolidated revenue of NT$2.05 billion, up 16.59% year-on-year and a same-month record; cumulative first-half revenue reached NT$12.82 billion, up 12.08%. Several brands under the group also posted record highs, while Zhu Jian and Yuding saw first-half revenue declines.
According to TechNews (finance.technews.tw), Mitsui Kinzoku raised its zinc price by 18,000 yen (2.8%) to 658,000 yen per tonne on July 10, 2026, surpassing the prior record of 652,000 yen set on April 20, 2022. The company cited rising international prices and a weaker yen. Meanwhile, copper and lead prices were cut in the same week, showing a clear divergence among Japanese base metals.
According to UDN Money and CNA reports, the second phase of Chiayi Science Park held its groundbreaking ceremony on July 12, 2026. The site spans about 90 hectares and is expected to complete overall development by 2031. TSMC will build 3 more advanced packaging plants there, adding to the 2 already set up in Phase 1.
According to CNA and MoneyDJ citing The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration treats reviving Intel as a semiconductor strategic priority, using government funding and policy to help it compete with TSMC in advanced packaging. The U.S. government converted a USD 9 billion federal grant into roughly 10% equity, becoming Intel's largest single shareholder. Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also asked Apple to use Intel foundries.
According to ettoday.net and technews.tw, SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung warned on July 10, 2026 that the global memory industry will face its worst-ever supply shortage in 2027, and that even beyond 2030 customer demand will exceed the company's output. SK Hynix posted record 2025 operating profit of KRW 47 trillion (about USD 31 billion), reversing its 2023 operating loss.
According to udn Money and CNA reports, Taiwan's stock market halted trading July 10 due to Typhoon Bawi and reopens July 13. During the closure, US indices rose—the PHLX Semiconductor Index gained 3.12%. But Foreign Institutional Investors sold NT$47.132 billion on July 9, a sixth straight session of net selling, and the US launched its third round of airstrikes on Iran this week, adding uncertainty to any catch-up move.
According to INSIDE, the new cloud version of Hermes Agent compresses launch into two clicks and roughly 60 seconds, with a headline focus on letting teams deploy agents at scale. INSIDE also cautions that pricing, data handling, and supported models remain undisclosed. Meanwhile, per Business Next, NVIDIA at GTC Taipei declared "practical AI has arrived" and unveiled a full agent infrastructure stack including the 550-billion-parameter Nemotron 3 Ultra.