"On this forum we continue to see approvals for patents for Dr. Taylor's research. So, therefore, that might be another indicator that the project is not permanently shelved but still quietly moving forward below the radar"

IMO, I don't believe that GaAs is permanently shelved, and I would be thrilled if it was secretly moving forward, however we can't bank on this. It is likely just a question of when this starts up again. As far as the approval of patents, best to keep in mind that there is a significant lag time between the work done, the submittal of a patent for approval, and the approval itself. In other words, just because patents are approved now, does not necessarily mean any work has been done recently. It also does not mean there is no work going on. If there was, I doubt we will hear about it for quite some time. I think any potential movement in the SP will be specific to the new direction (interposer etc.), in the near to medium term.

Good luck!!