Westcon-Comstor has reported record first-half gross sales of US$3.37 billion, marking a 21.3 percent increase from the prior year. The distributor saw strong demand for cybersecurity, hybrid cloud and AI-enabling infrastructure across all operating regions, including Asia Pacific. Adjusted EBITDA reached a record US$86.7 million, up 13.5 percent, while recurring sales accounted for 67 percent of total revenue.
Within that growth, cybersecurity remained the largest category with a 21.6 percent sales increase, and networking grew 11.9 percent. Hardware made up just 28 percent of gross sales but still grew nearly 24 percent year-on-year. Data centre and cloud infrastructure emerged as the fastest-growing segments at 75 percent growth, reflecting the pull of AI workloads.
Separately, Asian chip firms also reported strong AI-driven demand despite broader market worries. Foxconn Chairman Young Liu stated AI is not a bubble and that demand remains clear. Tokyo Electron forecast an 87 percent jump in operating profit to 1.17 trillion yen, while SK Hynix plans to return about $75 billion to shareholders as memory prices rise.
Yageo added to the positive picture with record third quarter revenue of NT$49.53 billion, up 49.7 percent year over year. AI applications grew to 19.8 percent of sales from just 5 percent a year ago, and gross margin reached 41.0 percent. Management guided fourth quarter revenue higher and plans to expand capacity by 10 to 15 percent in 2027.
Not all news has been equally positive. China's stock market has underperformed despite a major AI and tech boom, with the CSI 300 Index down about 20 percent from its February peak. China's AI industry has been growing at roughly 20 percent annually, but experts say that growth has not been enough to offset domestic economic problems. Meanwhile, a Guernsey survey found that 73 percent of people consider harm to children the greatest online risk, and only a very small number felt confident recognizing when AI was being used.
In the legaltech space, Harvey acquired Aida, an AI-powered sales assistant platform co-founded by Piyush Prahladka and Atish Das Sarma. The deal marks Harvey's fifth acquisition in 2026. Aida's founders will join Harvey, with Prahladka becoming VP and Das Sarma heading the context graph team. Aida's ability to connect information across fragmented systems is expected to help businesses build structured knowledge systems for AI agents.
Key Takeaways
- <ul><li>Westcon-Comstor posted record H1 gross sales of US$3.37 billion, up 21.3 percent year-on-year, with cybersecurity sales rising 21.6 percent</li><li>Adjusted EBITDA hit a record US$86.7 million, up 13.5 percent, as data centre and cloud infrastructure grew 75 percent</li><li>Yageo reported record Q3 revenue of NT$49.53 billion, up 49.7 percent, with AI sales climbing from 5 percent to 19.8 percent of total</li><li>Tokyo Electron forecast an 87 percent profit jump to 1.17 trillion yen, while SK Hynix plans to return about $75 billion to shareholders</li><li>China's CSI 300 Index is down about 20 percent from its peak despite AI industry growth of roughly 20 percent annually</li><li>Harvey acquired AI sales assistant Aida, its fifth acquisition of 2026, bringing co-founders Prahladka and Das Sarma into the company</li><li>A Guernsey survey found 73 percent of people see child harm as the top online risk, and few feel confident detecting AI use</li><li>Asian chip demand remains strong despite investor concerns about high capital spending returns, with Foxconn calling AI 'not a bubble'</li><li>Westcon-Comstor hardware grew nearly 24 percent despite representing only 28 percent of gross sales</li><li>Yageo plans to expand capacity by 10 to 15 percent in 2027 and guided Q4 revenue higher despite seasonal headwinds</li></ul>
Westcon-Comstor hits record US$3.37B half-year sales
Westcon-Comstor reported record first-half gross sales of US$3.37 billion, a 21.3 percent increase from the prior year. The distributor cited strong demand for cybersecurity, hybrid cloud and AI-enabling infrastructure across regions including Asia Pacific. Adjusted EBITDA reached a record US$86.7 million, up 13.5 percent. Recurring sales made up 67 percent of total revenue, with data centre and cloud infrastructure growing the fastest at 75 percent.
Westcon-Comstor posts record sales amid APAC AI demand
Westcon-Comstor saw gross sales reach US$3.37 billion for the six months ending 31 August 2026. Cybersecurity remained the largest category with a 21.6 percent sales increase, while networking grew 11.9 percent. Hardware accounted for just 28 percent of gross sales but still grew nearly 24 percent year-on-year. The company said growth occurred across all three operating regions despite macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty.
Harvey acquires AI sales assistant platform Aida
Legaltech company Harvey acquired Aida, an AI-powered sales assistant platform founded about two years ago by Piyush Prahladka and Atish Das Sarma. Aida records meeting details, updates customer relationship management systems and retains client information. The acquisition is Harvey's fifth of 2026. Aida's founders will join Harvey, with Prahladka becoming VP and Das Sarma becoming head of context graph.
Harvey acquires Glean co-founder's startup Aida
Harvey acquired Aida, an AI-focused sales execution software company, marking its fifth acquisition in 2026. The deal brings Aida co-founders Piyush Prahladka and Atish Das Sarma into Harvey's product and engineering teams. Harvey said Aida's ability to connect information across fragmented systems will help businesses build structured knowledge systems for AI agents. Previous 2026 acquisitions include Hexus, Lume, Benchmark and Guardrails AI.
China's AI boom fails to lift struggling stock markets
China's stock market has underperformed despite a major AI and tech boom. The CSI 300 Index is down about 20 percent from its peak in February, while the Shanghai Composite Index has been stuck in a rut. China's AI industry has been growing at roughly 20 percent annually this year. Experts say the tech sector's growth has not been enough to offset the country's domestic economic problems.
Asia chip firms report strong AI demand amid market worries
Asian chip companies report strong demand for AI products despite investor concerns. Foxconn Chairman Young Liu says AI is not a bubble and demand remains clear. Tokyo Electron forecast an 87 percent jump in operating profit to 1.17 trillion yen due to strong equipment demand. SK Hynix plans to return about $75 billion to shareholders as memory prices rise. Technology stocks faced pressure as markets worried about high capital spending returns.
Generative AI device oversight may affect healthcare providers
New rules around generative AI medical devices could change how providers operate. Medicare enrollment is rising and affordability pressures are growing. ACO architects and providers want CMS to modernize the Shared Savings Program. The FDA oversight of generative AI tools may create new challenges for healthcare delivery.
Guernsey survey shows child safety is top online concern
A Guernsey survey found that harm to children is the greatest online risk. About 73 percent of people surveyed highlighted concerns about online harm to children. The data protection commissioner noted that people understand AI's potential and risks. Only very few people felt confident recognizing when AI was being used. The survey also found 60 percent of businesses were not using AI despite 73 percent of individuals using it for work.
Agent Transfer Protocol enables cross-organization agent communication
Researchers proposed ATP, a protocol for agents from different organizations to communicate. ATP uses a domain mediated architecture where servers maintain stable addresses for agents. The system allows messages to be verified after delayed reading even when instances go offline. A prototype was tested through cross organization LLM agent workflows. The independent verifier confirmed domain source and content integrity of saved messages.
Yageo posts record revenue as AI sales surge 20 percent
Yageo reported record third quarter revenue of NT$49.53 billion, up 49.7 percent year over year. AI applications grew to 19.8 percent of sales from 5 percent a year ago. EPS jumped 88.4 percent to NT$5.83 as gross margin reached 41.0 percent. Management guided fourth quarter revenue higher despite typical seasonal declines. The company plans to expand capacity by 10 to 15 percent in 2027.
Why sovereign AI is now a top priority for business leaders
AI is now a key tool for companies and countries. A post-pandemic push for digital independence and security concerns are driving this change. Leaders must create plans to control their own data and AI systems. This helps avoid data breaches, high costs, and reliance on a single tech company. Local AI models also better understand regional languages and culture.
Sources
- Westcon-Comstor posts record US$3.37B first-half sales as APAC demand for AI, cloud and cyber accelerates
- Westcon-Comstor posts record US$3.37B first-half sales as APAC demand for AI, cloud and cyber accelerates
- Harvey acquires AI-powered sales assistant platform Aida
- Harvey Goes On AI Shopping Spree, Acquires Glean Co-Founder’s Latest Startup
- Why isn’t China’s AI and tech boom saving its stock markets?
- Asia chip firms see strong AI demand; market jitters continue
- How generative AI device oversight may impact providers
- Children's safety tops online worries, Guernsey survey says
- Agent Transfer Protocol: Server-Mediated Agent-to-Agent Communication Architecture for the Agentic Web
- [國巨 Q3 2026 Earnings Call] Yageo Posts Record NT$49.5B Revenue, EPS Jumps 88% as AI Hits 20% of Sales; Guides Q4 Higher Despite Seasonality
- The new geopolitics of IT: Why sovereign AI is the next boardroom mandate
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