Taiwan Space & Rockets: Taiwan’s TASA successfully launched its first domestically developed sounding rocket, Maraho, reaching 8.1 km in just over 7 minutes and validating key systems like a carbon-fiber high-pressure tank, with data transmitted back and a roadmap toward orbital rockets by 2034. Semiconductors & AI Supply Chain: AMD plans to invest over $10B in Taiwan through 2029, targeting advanced chip packaging (EFB 2.5D) and ecosystem partners tied to TSMC processes to ease AI hardware bottlenecks. Chip Equipment Pricing Pressure: Nvidia is set to raise AI server rack prices by up to 17% early next year, driven by higher memory costs—an indirect hit to data-center build budgets. Cross-Strait Tech Tension: China is reportedly delaying germanium and quartz exports to Taiwan at customs, creating production bottlenecks for aerospace, optical, and semiconductor-linked firms. Agriculture Innovation: Hualien researchers developed “Lanyang No. 1” black soybean, bred from Yilan heirlooms to improve lodging resistance and consistent ripening for more mechanized farming. Economy & Society: With AI-driven GDP per capita rising, economists warn Taiwan’s gains are concentrated in ICT and push a “K-shaped” recovery, calling for stronger social welfare funding to balance incomes. Public Health Note: Guidance on hormone therapy for dementia prevention hasn’t changed despite new observational findings, with major health bodies still not endorsing it for brain protection.