Morning World: NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Concludes Taiwan Trip, 4 Major Tech Highlights Explained

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang concluded his 14-day visit to Taiwan on the 5th and headed to South Korea. During an interview at the airport, Huang revealed that NVIDIA has doubled its production capacity for the second half of this year. He stated that the overall supply chain capacity is currently extremely tight, making it necessary for everyone to prepare for growth from the second half of this year into next year. Upon arriving in South Korea, he first visited an internet cafe run by the esports team T1, where he met with esports player Faker and others to discuss issues related to the esports industry. During his time in Taiwan, Huang demonstrated a flexible approach, engaging in a series of high-level and high-density interactions with the supply chain, once again highlighting Taiwan's indispensable role in the global AI core puzzle. A central news agency review summarized four major highlights and their indicator significance from his 14-day itinerary.

President Lai Ching-te gave a media interview covering topics such as 18 new strategic measures for population policy, industrial development, economic development strategies, and national vision. President Lai emphasized that Taiwan must take the path of becoming Asia's NASDAQ. He stated that Taiwan is the country with the most complete artificial intelligence industry ecosystem in the world, making it a veritable technology island. Based on this niche, he hopes Taiwan can become a global hub for technological capital. As large multinational corporations continue to set up factories in Taiwan, there are external concerns about whether the power supply can remain stable. The President stated that Taiwan's water and power supplies are both stable, welcoming NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang or anyone else concerned about Taiwan's power supply to visit power plants together or listen to relevant briefings. In response, Huang expressed that it would be a great honor, noting that if Taiwan wants to seize the massive opportunity of this AI revolution, it must have energy, as energy is essential for industrial and manufacturing growth.

The Central Weather Administration (CWA) stated that the low-pressure system is moving away today, and the rainfall is easing compared to the 5th, but the western half of the island must still be cautious of localized heavy rain. Next week, due to the influence of a stationary front and southwesterly winds, the western half, northeastern parts, and mountainous areas of Hualien and Taitung should guard against localized heavy rain or torrential rain from the 9th to the 12th. Affected by the southwesterly winds and low-pressure system, multiple counties and cities across Taiwan experienced heavy to torrential rainfall between the 4th and the 5th. The Water Resources Agency (WRA) reported that statistics from 7 AM on the 4th to 3 PM on the 5th estimate an inflow of 54 million tons into reservoirs nationwide, with water storage in the south also rebounding. The WRA mentioned that the CWA expects cumulative rainfall of at least 200 millimeters across Taiwan from the 6th to the 12th, and the mountainous areas of Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan, where water storage rates have been low recently, could see 500 to 800 millimeters. They plan to make maximum efforts to draw water into reservoirs for storage during the rainfall period.

The report cards for the Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students were mailed out on the 5th. The Research Center for Psychological and Educational Testing (RCPET) at National Taiwan Normal University simultaneously released national statistical data. This year, a total of 712 students nationwide achieved 5A and a writing score of level 6, accounting for 0.4% of all test-takers. A total of 16,293 students achieved the 5A threshold, which is widely considered the basic requirement for star high schools. For the writing test, under the prompt "giving things a new appearance," 1,262 students achieved level 6, the highest number in the past three years. However, 2,187 students received a level 0 for only rewriting the examples without incorporating their own experiences, an increase of twofold compared to last year.

Incidents of drugged driving involving etomidate, known as "zombie smoke bombs," which use electronic cigarettes as a carrier, have been occurring frequently. The Executive Yuan recently approved 14 response strategies, including deterrence at the source. Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (Shi Chung-liang) explained the key points of the legal amendments on the 5th. Currently, only "usage" is penalized, but after future amendments, possession of e-cigarettes will lead to "confiscation" and fines, and the fines will be increased from NT$2,000 to NT$10,000 up to NT$30,000 to NT$100,000. Furthermore, in the future, manufacturers and importers will be subject to criminal penalties, facing potential prison sentences of 1 to 3 years, to eradicate the illegal supply chain from the source.

The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) of the Executive Yuan announced that the annual growth rate of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May was 2.2%, breaking through the 2% inflation warning line and hitting a near 14-month high. Among them, fuel costs surged by 20.09%, marking the largest increase in four and a half years. DGBAS officials stated that the price push mainly comes from three factors: weather affecting vegetable and fruit prices, continued expansion in fuel price increases, and higher international airfares and overseas group tour fees driven by national airlines raising fuel surcharges. Officials noted that current price increases are mild, and there is currently no phenomenon of imported inflation in the domestic market.

On the 37th anniversary of the June Fourth incident, the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) released a report on China's transnational repression and malign influence. The section concerning Taiwan pointed out that China is integrating lawfare into its broader strategy against Taiwan, and the targeting of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Puma Shen is a notable example. He was placed on China's sanctions list in 2024, and subsequently, in October 2025, the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau launched a formal criminal investigation against him under the guise of being a "diehard Taiwan independence separatist." Judging from this case, the Chinese authorities are escalating from administrative sanctions to overseas criminal prosecutions, reflecting Beijing's narrative that "Taiwan is part of China."

According to an internal reference investigation report shared with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, Russia has significantly increased the use of mesh networks in unmanned combat platforms this year. This helps the Russian side enhance long-range and multi-point strike, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare capabilities, while also improving the tactical flexibility and success rate of drone swarm operations. The report named two Chinese companies playing key roles in the relevant supply chain: Shenzhen-based Xingkai Technology and Huaxia Sheng Technology. In addition, related Russian and Chinese companies are using a company called "Haiwan Yingtong Global," incorporated in Hong Kong at the end of March last year, as a transit channel for transaction payments, to obscure the connection between Chinese production suppliers and Russian end customers as much as possible.

As purchases of land on remote Japanese islands by Chinese nationals attract attention, coupled with the deteriorating regional security situation, the Japanese government will conduct a comprehensive survey of the ownership of more than 13,000 uninhabited islands nationwide for the first time, and consider nationalizing some islands without owners. In recent years, information about Chinese nationals buying an uninhabited island in Okinawa and part of the land on Kasasa Island in Yamaguchi Prefecture has circulated on social media, sparking widespread discussion. Furthermore, border island areas including the Ogasawara Islands and Okinawa, as well as the Seto Inland Sea surroundings which have numerous uninhabited islands, host bases for the Japan Ground, Maritime, and Air Self-Defense Forces. There are external concerns that foreign forces might use neighboring islands as strongholds, operating drones to gather intelligence, or they could become bases of operation for domestic criminal organizations.

Teng Li-chieh from Taiwan delivered a speech at the doctoral graduation ceremony of the UC Berkeley College of Engineering. Using the familial story between her and her 96-year-old grandmother as the central theme, she interpreted the family support carried behind a degree and highlighted that an engineer's role is not just to create technology, but also a force to illuminate society. The video of this speech went viral on the internet, sparking widespread discussion. Teng stated that she did not expect to attract such attention but was very grateful for the goodwill from all sides. When the dean introduced her as being from Taiwan, she felt very honored and hoped to bring a positive impact to her beloved hometown. Having crossed over from humanities to STEM, she believes that Taiwan is not only at the forefront of technology but also retains a delicate humanistic foundation; this unique combination gives Taiwan the opportunity to play a more important role in the AI revolution.