Micron Workers in Taiwan to Strike in Push for Bigger Profit Share

The newly opened Micron Advanced Assembly and Test Taiwan 2 (AATT2) facility in Taichung, Taiwan, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
The newly opened Micron Advanced Assembly and Test Taiwan 2 (AATT2) facility in Taichung, Taiwan, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
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Micron Workers in Taiwan to Strike in Push for Bigger Profit Share

The newly opened Micron Advanced Assembly and Test Taiwan 2 (AATT2) facility in Taichung, Taiwan, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
The newly opened Micron Advanced Assembly and Test Taiwan 2 (AATT2) facility in Taichung, Taiwan, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Workers at a Micron Technology plant in Taiwan plan to strike on Thursday as they aim to pressure the US chip firm into proposing a "concrete profit-sharing plan," a labor union representing the employees said.

Huge global appetite for chips used in AI data centers has sent revenues soaring for firms that design, produce and assemble them but as their earnings skyrocket, workers are demanding a bigger cut of profits.

Monday's announcement came as Micron held talks over remuneration with two unions representing 12,000 of the 15,000 workers at its Taoyuan and Taichung plants.

The union representing hundreds of workers in Taoyuan said Thursday's strike would coincide with mediation talks with the company. It did not specify how long the strike could last.

"The strike aims to strengthen the union's position in mediation and urge Micron to put forward a concrete profit-sharing plan," the union said in a statement.

"We call on all Micron Taiwan Union members to stand together, fight together, and negotiate collectively," AFP quoted the union as saying.

"Through our actions, we will make our dissatisfaction with the current system heard and demonstrate our determination to establish a fair profit-sharing system."

In a statement, Micron said the company was "committed to constructive engagement with the Taoyuan and Taichung Unions to reach a solution that works for all parties."

The workers have the legal right to strike and stage picket lines after voting earlier this month in favor of action, the union said previously.

The unions are seeking a one-off bonus of 83 months' salary as well as a permanent system that allocates 15 percent of the company's operating profits to worker bonuses, distributed quarterly rather than annually.

Micron, which makes around 50-60 percent of its chips in Taiwan, said last month it would give the equivalent of up to 68 months of pay to staff but the one-off payment was rejected by workers.



Micron Workers in Taiwan to Strike in Push for Bigger Profit Share

The newly opened Micron Advanced Assembly and Test Taiwan 2 (AATT2) facility in Taichung, Taiwan, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
The newly opened Micron Advanced Assembly and Test Taiwan 2 (AATT2) facility in Taichung, Taiwan, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
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Micron Workers in Taiwan to Strike in Push for Bigger Profit Share

The newly opened Micron Advanced Assembly and Test Taiwan 2 (AATT2) facility in Taichung, Taiwan, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
The newly opened Micron Advanced Assembly and Test Taiwan 2 (AATT2) facility in Taichung, Taiwan, October 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Workers at a Micron Technology plant in Taiwan plan to strike on Thursday as they aim to pressure the US chip firm into proposing a "concrete profit-sharing plan," a labor union representing the employees said.

Huge global appetite for chips used in AI data centers has sent revenues soaring for firms that design, produce and assemble them but as their earnings skyrocket, workers are demanding a bigger cut of profits.

Monday's announcement came as Micron held talks over remuneration with two unions representing 12,000 of the 15,000 workers at its Taoyuan and Taichung plants.

The union representing hundreds of workers in Taoyuan said Thursday's strike would coincide with mediation talks with the company. It did not specify how long the strike could last.

"The strike aims to strengthen the union's position in mediation and urge Micron to put forward a concrete profit-sharing plan," the union said in a statement.

"We call on all Micron Taiwan Union members to stand together, fight together, and negotiate collectively," AFP quoted the union as saying.

"Through our actions, we will make our dissatisfaction with the current system heard and demonstrate our determination to establish a fair profit-sharing system."

In a statement, Micron said the company was "committed to constructive engagement with the Taoyuan and Taichung Unions to reach a solution that works for all parties."

The workers have the legal right to strike and stage picket lines after voting earlier this month in favor of action, the union said previously.

The unions are seeking a one-off bonus of 83 months' salary as well as a permanent system that allocates 15 percent of the company's operating profits to worker bonuses, distributed quarterly rather than annually.

Micron, which makes around 50-60 percent of its chips in Taiwan, said last month it would give the equivalent of up to 68 months of pay to staff but the one-off payment was rejected by workers.


OIC Members Select Riyadh to Host Organization's 1st Cybersecurity Ministerial Council

 Buildings and construction sites fill the skyline, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)
Buildings and construction sites fill the skyline, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)
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OIC Members Select Riyadh to Host Organization's 1st Cybersecurity Ministerial Council

 Buildings and construction sites fill the skyline, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)
Buildings and construction sites fill the skyline, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)

The 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) approved the establishment of an OIC council of ministers of cybersecurity, following a proposal by Saudi Arabia, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Monday.

The council aims to strengthen cybersecurity across OIC member states, protect their vital interests and national security, deepen cooperation, and safeguard their interests in international organizations dealing with cybersecurity.

The decision establishes the council as a subsidiary body of the OIC and the organization's main reference for cybersecurity-related matters. Its general secretariat and executive office will be based in Riyadh, with each headed by a representative of the host country. The council will comprise the cybersecurity authorities of OIC member states.

Governor of the National Cybersecurity Authority Majed Al-Mazyed said Saudi Arabia's proposal came amid growing cyber threats worldwide that pose risks to nations' vital interests, critical infrastructure, priority sectors, and government services and activities.

He stressed the importance of strengthening cybersecurity across OIC member states as a key driver of economic growth, community well-being, and individual prosperity, as well as a fundamental pillar of international peace and security.

Al-Mazyed also expressed appreciation for the Saudi leadership's strong support for the cybersecurity sector and thanked the members of the National Cybersecurity Authority's Board of Directors, chaired by Saudi Minister of State and Cabinet Member Musaed Al-Aiban, for their continued attention and oversight.

Saudi Arabia draws on a long track record of leading international initiatives to strengthen cyberspace stability, hosting regional and international cybersecurity entities, and supporting strategic initiatives in the field, he added.

Riyadh's selection as the headquarters of the OIC cybersecurity ministerial council - the world's second-largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations, with 57 member states - reflects the Islamic world's confidence in Saudi Arabia's ability to lead international initiatives and projects and advance their strategic objectives, Al-Mazyed said.

The selection is expected to help strengthen cooperation among member states across various fields, including cybersecurity, he stressed.

Al-Mazyed also highlighted Saudi Arabia's role in establishing regional and international cybersecurity entities, including the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF) and the Arab Cybersecurity Ministers Council, which was established following a Saudi proposal, with Riyadh selected to host its secretariat and executive office.

Other initiatives include the Center for Cyber Economics (CCE), established through a partnership between the GCF and the World Economic Forum, and Riyadh's recent hosting of the first cybersecurity office affiliated with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).


Nvidia Wins Fast-Growing AI Startup Modal for New Central Processors

The Nvidia logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. (Reuters)
The Nvidia logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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Nvidia Wins Fast-Growing AI Startup Modal for New Central Processors

The Nvidia logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. (Reuters)
The Nvidia logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Nvidia ‌has won central processor chip business with another fast-growing AI startup that until now relied entirely on chips from Intel and AMD, an early sign that its push into a market long controlled by those two rivals has traction.

Modal, a cloud-computing startup that rents out computing power to AI developers, said it plans to start using Nvidia's new Vera central processor for the first time for hosting agents, the AI systems that can carry out long-running tasks for human users. Modal until ‌now has ‌run such work only on Intel and AMD ‌chips.

Modal ⁠last week raised $750 ⁠million in a funding round led by Accel at a $15.75 billion valuation, saying it is on track to record $1 billion in sales over the next year. Modal said usage of its services has tripled and revenue has grown more than 15 times year-over-year.

Modal said Monday that early tests showed the ⁠new Nvidia chip doubled the amount of work ‌that AI agents can ‌get done, prompting the company to support Nvidia's chip design for the first ‌time, which will require some deep software changes ‌on Modal's side.

But Chief Executive Erik Bernhardsson was careful to stress it is not abandoning its existing suppliers. The company said it will run the Nvidia chips alongside its current Intel and AMD offerings in ‌a mixed fleet, putting each job on whatever hardware runs it best.

Bernhardsson said the tests ⁠were run ⁠against the Intel and AMD chips already on the market. Both Nvidia rivals are developing newer models that could narrow the gap with Nvidia.

"We'll test them when they're available," he said, adding that running a mixed setup means the company "can always deploy whatever hardware performs best."

Nvidia has told investors it expects to generate at least $20 billion from Vera chip sales this fiscal year, its opening bid for a market it values at roughly $200 billion. Nvidia has previously said OpenAI, Anthropic and Oracle also plan to use the chips, along with AI startups such as Perplexity.