Taiwan's biggest chip show drew a record turnout from Western allies, a positive sign for Taiwan's standing at the center of the global chip supply chain.

• The U.S., U.K. and France each opened their own pavilions in Taipei, part of a record 18 national pavilions and 220 booths.
• The top U.S. envoy to Taiwan called the chip partnership stronger than ever, spanning design, materials, equipment, manufacturing and packaging.
• Britain brought its largest delegation yet, betting that the AI race is now a hardware race won with photonics, advanced packaging and quantum.
• France showed up with a record 10 companies, while Sweden and Finland ran a joint pavilion for the first time.
• Taiwan's message: its edge is trust and reliability, not just chip volume.

Outlook: Expect more Western governments and companies to deepen chip ties with Taiwan as AI demand keeps pulling investment toward the island.