Jensen, tariffs, and tech titans—Taiwan’s mega-show is back, and hotter than ever. Computex 2025 is shaping up to be less of a tech trade show and more of a battleground. The stakes? The future of AI computing, PC performance, and possibly even the global chip supply chain. From May 19 to 23, over 1,400 exhibitors will descend on the Nangang Exhibition Center to show off silicon, brag about AI breakthroughs, and flex geopolitical alliances.
This isn’t just a tech showcase—it’s a high-stakes summit wrapped in RGB lighting. And once again, all eyes are on Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s leather-jacketed rockstar CEO, who returns to home turf with a keynote that promises sparks. Last year gave us “Jensanity”—this year, expect Jenscalation.
Nvidia’s Computex Coup: Domination or Diversion?
Jensen Huang will hit the stage Monday at the Taipei Music Center in what’s already being called the biggest Computex keynote since AI became the main character of global tech. Huang is expected to unveil fresh collaborations with Taiwanese AI server juggernauts like Foxconn and Quanta, expanding Nvidia’s silicon empire deeper into the island, which has already fabricated its crown jewels.
Remember: Nvidia pledged in April to manufacture $500 billion worth of AI servers in the U.S. by 2029, but it still relies heavily on Taiwan’s ecosystem. This dual allegiance—part patriotism, part pragmatism—could get spicy fast, especially with U.S. tariffs looming and export controls tightening on AI GPU shipments to China.
“If last year’s headline was AI PCs, this year it’s probably going to be about collaboration, driven by the macroeconomics,” says Ian Cutress, chief analyst at More Than Moore.
Translation: Everyone’s watching Jensen not just for the tech drops, but for how he tiptoes around geopolitical landmines with Foxconn, TSMC, and Wistron on one side, and Washington’s hawks on the other.
N1, N1X, and the Ghost of Qualcomm Future
Speaking of geopolitical tension, Nvidia and MediaTek are reportedly cooking up something game-changing: an Arm-based SoC for laptops, dubbed N1 and N1X, aimed straight at the Copilot+ PC ecosystem. Nvidia handles the graphics (surprise), and MediaTek handles the CPU. If this thing exists—and we think it does—expect Huang to drop at least a wink and a tease.
Qualcomm, now suddenly Nvidia’s frenemy in the AI laptop wars, will try to keep up. CEO Cristiano Amon is in town, likely to remind everyone that Snapdragon X is still breathing.
AMD: CPUs, GPUs, and a Threadripper Revival?
Don’t count out AMD, either. CEO Lisa Su is saving her keynote magic for Wednesday, with expected updates on Ryzen AI 300, RDNA 4 GPUs, and maybe—just—maybe—a Threadripper Zen 5 revival for creators and budget workstation buyers who don’t want to remortgage their house.
On the GPU front, AMD might unveil the Radeon RX 9060, finally answering Nvidia’s incoming GeForce RTX 5060, which is set to debut right as the show kicks off. With both cards expected to feature 8GB of RAM and 128-bit buses, it’s less about specs and more about price wars and who blinks first in the budget segment.
Intel: CEO Swap, Silenced Stage, and Strategy Rehab
Once Computex royalty, Intel is having a quiet quarter-life crisis. Pat Gelsinger is out. Lip-Bu Tan is in. There’s no keynote, no fireworks—just a private dinner and what insiders expect to be whispers about Panther Lake, the chipmaker’s next-gen Core Ultra 300 processors.
Intel is regrouping after the Arrow Lake-S backlash and some internal misfires (13th and 14th Gen CPUs, we’re looking at you). Meanwhile, questions swirl about whether it should spin off its foundry arm or finally pull the plug on Arc graphics.
And Qualcomm and Nvidia are both circling like sharks in laptop waters.
The AI Server Wars: DGX Spark, Meet the Ascent GX10
Consumers might drool over Copilot+ laptops, but Computex is where AI servers go beast mode. Nvidia’s DGX Spark mini PC and the full-fat DGX Station will go head-to-head with competitors like Asus’s new Ascent GX10. We’re talking 1,000+ TOPS monsters, designed for enterprises to train local models with billions of parameters.
These aren’t NPU novelty boxes—they’re desktop data centers.
Budget CPUs? Budget GPUs? About Time.
While the AI showstoppers hog the spotlight, the rest of us peasants still want value. With Ryzen 9000 and Intel Core Ultra 200S out in the wild, we’re desperately overdue for budget-class CPUs. Will AMD finally release a Ryzen 3 9000 chip? Will Intel drop a Core Ultra 3?
Hope lives, but we’re not holding our breath. We’ll settle for one budget-friendly surprise.
Clean Cables and Cooler SSDs: PC DIY Still Rules Here
Let’s not forget Computex’s spiritual heart: the PC enthusiast scene. Expect reverse motherboards (MSI’s Project Zero, Asus’s BTF) to make more waves, giving builds that clean, cable-free aesthetic. Meanwhile, PCIe Gen 5 SSDs will arrive en masse—some with fanless designs, finally addressing the heat issues that made earlier models impractical.
And yes, the modding gods will be here, unleashing a new wave of insane custom builds. Computex still holds the crown as PC DIY’s Super Bowl.
Glasses-Free 3D and AI Everywhere Else
Will Acer’s SpatialLabs Eyes cameras or other glasses-free 3D tech make a comeback? Probably. AI-enhanced TVs, displays, and peripherals will dominate floor demos—some helpful, others sheer vaporware. But AI hype fatigue is real, and Computex may finally push vendors to show tangible benefits, not just Tensor-tinted buzzwords.
Final Thought: Collaboration Is the New Competition
Yes, AI is still king. Yes, Nvidia still owns the throne. But this year’s theme—AI Next!—also masks an undercurrent of economic realignment. Tariffs. Alliances. Fab independence. Arm vs. x86.
If 2023 was the year of AI PC hype, 2025 is about finding stable footing in a world where every chip, partner, and policy could tilt the balance.
Let’s hope Jensen doesn’t defect to MediaTek, Lisa doesn’t launch a Threadripper with 256 cores “just because,” and Intel doesn’t start selling coffee instead of CPUs.
Though honestly… we’d probably still cover it.
