The global ICT exhibition COMPUTEX 2026 has concluded, expanding its scope beyond AI computing to include robots, smart mobility, and industrial automation. This year's event demonstrated that following Generative AI, market interest is shifting from data center infrastructure to 'Physical AI,' which is applied to actual industrial sites.

COMPUTEX was held from June 2 to 5 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and Hall 1 of the World Trade Center (TWTC) in Taipei, Taiwan. According to the organizers, 111,312 buyers and industry professionals from 152 countries and regions visited this year's event. Under the theme "AI Together," the event showcased AI computing, robotics and smart mobility, and next-generation technologies as its key sectors.

The most notable change is the rise of physical AI. The organizers have established a new AI robot zone in Hall 1 of TWTC and placed technologies related to AI robots, embedded AI, and industrial automation at the forefront. This configuration reflects the fact that AI is expanding beyond software and cloud services to become a technology that operates in physical environments such as manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and mobility.

Major corporate announcements also aligned with this trend. In their keynote speeches, top executives from Qualcomm, Marvell, Intel, and NXP introduced strategies for AI computing, edge AI, next-generation mobile platforms, and smart mobility. The organizers stated that over 6,000 people attended the four keynote speeches.

At the COMPUTEX Forum, 28 industry leaders and technology experts discussed six areas, including AI computing, robotics, and data governance. Registration for the forum increased by more than three times compared to the previous year. This indicates that the adoption of AI is moving beyond the experimental stage and becoming a task for improving business operations and productivity, as well as for application in industrial settings.

The startup exhibition hall InnoVEX has also expanded. This year, over 500 startups from 23 countries and regions participated in InnoVEX. The number of participating companies increased by more than 11% compared to the previous year. Startups in the fields of AI, robotics, and smart mobility presented the potential for technology commercialization to global companies and investors.

In terms of exhibition operations, sustainability was also addressed as a major agenda item. The organizers applied the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle principles, and ASUS and Transcend were selected as winners at the Sustainable Design Awards.

The industry assesses that this year's COMPUTEX was an event that demonstrated the axis of competition in the AI industry is shifting from infrastructure construction to actual application capabilities. Competition centered on AI semiconductors, servers, and PCs is expanding into robots, industrial automation, and edge computing, and future market leadership is increasingly likely to be determined by how quickly ecosystems for on-site application are established.

The next COMPUTEX is scheduled to be held from June 1 to 4, 2027, at Halls 1 and 2 of the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and Hall 1 of TWTC.