Supply-chain sources cited in local media say Largan Precision has extended its optical component work from FA, or fiber arrays, into FAU, the fiber array unit used in co-packaged optics systems. That shift would move the company from an indirect role to a direct supplier in Nvidia’s optical communications chain, while also placing it inside Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s COUPE process ecosystem. The report says mass production tied to this supply chain could begin as early as the second half of next year, with the market speculating that Nvidia’s Rubin Ultra platform may be the first launch vehicle. The report ties the move to rising demand from AI data centers, where growing traffic is pushing network operators toward CPO architectures. Nvidia’s Spectrum and Quantum CPO switch lines are described as major drivers of scale-out network upgrades, and the article says Spectrum-X silicon photonics Ethernet switches have already entered full production. Based on an estimated 20,000 Spectrum-X units shipping this year, the report puts FAU demand at roughly 600,000 to 700,000 units, rising to the millions by 2027. It also says Largan’s alignment precision has reached below 0.3 microns, versus 0.5 to 0.8 microns for outside rivals cited in the piece.

WuBlockchain’s WhiteLine Daily said large US technology companies have issued about $220 billion in AI-related bonds so far this year through Aug. 10, up sharply from roughly $12.5 billion a year earlier. The report said big tech firms that had largely funded AI spending from internal cash flow are turning more heavily to debt markets to finance data centers and other infrastructure, and the added supply has started to push borrowing costs higher. Average spreads on tech corporate bonds have risen to 89 basis points, or 9 basis points above the broader US investment-grade market, according to the report. It added that some large new deals now need to offer higher yields to attract buyers. WhiteLine Daily’s takeaway was straightforward: AI capital expenditure has not run into a funding freeze, but money is getting more expensive. The report also highlighted other parts of the AI supply chain. Zayo expanded a long-term fiber supply agreement with Corning and plans to add about 24,000 kilometers of network by 2030, with more than 12,900 kilometers of long-haul fiber to be built with NVIDIA. In China, Eoptolink reported first-half revenue of 41.778 billion yuan and net profit attributable to shareholders of 13.651 billion yuan, while Yangtze Memory parent Changcun Holding saw its STAR Market IPO filing accepted, with a planned 33 billion yuan raise.

Pakistan’s virtual asset licensing regime has officially gone live, according to the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA). Existing virtual asset service providers (VASPs) must submit a no-objection certificate (NOC) application by Sept. 5, 2026, under Section 70 of the Virtual Assets Act 2026, or stop operating. PVARA said the country moved from basic legislation to implementing rules and an open licensing process in less than six months.

Xiaomi held its smartphone gross margin at 8.5% in the second quarter, even as rising memory costs pushed the company to lift average selling prices by nearly 300 yuan. That helped protect profitability, but global smartphone shipments fell 26.5% year over year. The company’s electric vehicle business delivered more than 104,000 cars and generated 23.9 billion yuan in revenue, yet the automotive and AI division still posted losses. Internet services remained the main profit anchor, with gross margin at 76.8% and revenue of 9 billion yuan. Management also used the earnings call to discuss MiMo, system upgrades, and humanoid robots, but those businesses are still early. The key issue for Xiaomi now is timing: its growth engines are moving on different schedules, and the next one has not fully taken over from the old one.

A group of South Korean lawmakers has introduced a bill that would widen the Financial Intelligence Unit’s powers over unregistered crypto businesses. Filed Thursday by People Power Party lawmaker Eom Tae-young and nine other lawmakers, the proposal would amend the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information by adding a new provision tied to suspected violations. If passed, the measure would allow anyone to report suspected breaches to the FIU. The agency would be able to investigate and analyze alleged violations, file complaints with relevant authorities, request criminal probes, or share information directly with investigators. Under the current framework, the FIU can identify suspected unregistered operators but still depends on police and other authorities to carry investigations forward. According to Yonhap, police suspended investigations or preliminary inquiries into 23 of 25 unregistered virtual asset service providers referred by the FIU between August 2022 and August 2025. The companies and related individuals were reportedly based overseas. South Korea requires crypto companies serving local customers to register with the FIU. In June, the regulator said 28 providers were registered and that it had referred 40 suspected illegal operators to investigative authorities.

Taiwan’s Virtual Asset Service Act cleared its third reading on June 30, 2026 and was promulgated on July 22, formally putting virtual asset service providers under a dedicated legal regime. But former premier and former Financial Supervisory Commission chairperson Chen Ching said the law’s success should not be judged by how many licenses are issued. His main test is whether the government gives the sector sustained attention at the highest level. Speaking on episode 100 of XREX Group’s podcast Web3 Big Westward Expansion, Chen said the hardest questions begin after passage of the law: how Taiwan wants to develop virtual assets and stablecoins, who has final authority when agencies disagree, and whether firms will get a review process that is clear and predictable. He pointed to a structural issue in the law’s stablecoin provisions, where the Financial Supervisory Commission is the competent authority but approval for issuance also requires the central bank’s consent. Chen argued that stablecoins should be viewed not only as a financial product subject to compliance rules, but also through the lens of monetary sovereignty and national strategy. XREX co-founder and Group CEO Wayne Huang added that if trading can remain legally onshore, local currency has a chance to remain on-chain as well, especially as tokenized real-world assets become more important.

Rosenblatt said in an August 19 optical industry report that supply, not demand, remains the main constraint across the sector, with order visibility now stretching to 2028. The note was based on first-hand interviews conducted at the firm’s Age of AI Technology Summit and focused on Lumentum, Coherent and Applied Optoelectronics, while reiterating Buy ratings on all three names. The firm argued that as AI server architecture shifts from scale-out to scale-up, optical components are entering the next major growth cycle, with scale-up optics emerging as the key variable to watch. Rosenblatt also said no vendor had indicated delays to CPO or NPO deployment schedules, while spot prices for 100G and 200G EML and CW lasers had moved from high-single-digit increases to low-double-digit percentage gains. On competition, the report said Chinese laser suppliers can expand capacity quickly but still trail market leaders by roughly two generations in high-end CPO and NPO lasers. It added that U.S. suppliers retain their strongest advantage in ultra-high-power and long-reach CPO laser segments, even as lasers used in China-made 1.6T silicon photonics transceivers could become competitive within the next 18 months.

BitGo said its South Korean unit, BitGo Korea, had its Virtual Asset Service Provider, or VASP, registration application accepted by the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit on Aug. 18, according to Yonhap News Agency. The company said this makes BitGo Korea the first foreign crypto corporate entity to complete a direct VASP registration process in South Korea. BitGo Korea was established in 2024. Rather than following a route often used in the industry by acquiring an existing VASP company, BitGo said it chose to enter the market by directly meeting local regulatory requirements. The move sets up the company’s formal business rollout in the country. Based on that registration step, BitGo Korea plans to launch virtual asset custody and transfer services in South Korea. Its initial business focus will be on financial institutions and corporate clients.