Japan is aiming to secure an additional JPY1.49 trillion (US$10 billion) in subsidies for two key semiconductor projects, according to a key ruling party lawmaker for chips.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is allocating up to JPY192 billion (US$1.29 billion) in subsidies for US chipmaker Micron Technology's work in Hiroshima prefecture, Nikkei has learned, in a move to bolster domestic semiconductor supply chains.

Sony Semiconductor Solutions president Terushi Shimizu on Friday said that the land the company plans to acquire in Kumamoto Prefecture will be the site of a planned image sensor plant.

TSMC plans to construct a second chip plant in Japan to manufacture 5- and 10-nanometre chips from the second half of the decade, the Nikkan Kogyo newspaper reported on Friday.

Apple is set to sign up Chinese contract manufacturer Luxshare Precision Industry to produce premium iPhone models, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. Luxshare has been producing small numbers of the iPhone 14 Pro Max at its Kunshan plant, to make up for lost production at Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory last year.

Sony Group is considering building a new factory to make smartphone image sensors in the Kumamoto prefecture of Japan and sourcing chips from TSMC's planned chip plant in the area.

Mario Draghi's outgoing government and Intel have picked the town of Vigasio in the northeastern Veneto region as their preferred site for a new multibillion-euro chip factory in Italy, two people familiar with the matter said.

China's CATL will build a ??.3bn battery plant in Hungary, increasing its foothold in Europe and cementing its status as the world's largest car battery manufacturer.

SK Hynix aims to select a US site for its advanced chip packaging plant and break ground there around the first quarter of next year, two people familiar with the matter said, helping the United States to compete as China pours money into the burgeoning sector.

Italy is close to clinching a deal initially worth $5 billion with Intel to build an advanced semiconductor packaging and assembly plant in the country, two sources briefed on discussions told Reuters on Thursday.

Samsung Electronics has scaled back production at its massive smartphone plant in Vietnam, employees say, as retailers and warehouses grapple with rising inventory amid a global fall in consumer spending.

The British government has delayed for another two months its final judgment on whether to allow the acquisition of Britain's largest semiconductor plant by a Chinese company.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will offer subsidies worth up to JPY476 billion (US$3.5 billion) for a semiconductor plant being built in Kumamoto Prefecture by TSMC, Sony and Denso, the ministry said on Friday.

TSMC is considering building a semiconductor factory in Singapore to help address a global supply shortage, according to people familiar with the matter.

Tesla has halted most of its production at its Shanghai plant due to problems securing parts for its electric vehicles, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters, the latest in a series of difficulties for the factory.

Tesla is suspending production at its Shanghai factory for two days as China tightens restrictions to contain the latest Covid outbreak, according to people familiar with the matter.

Rivian Automotive is "making progress" in the increase of production for electric vehicles at its Normal, Illinois, assembly plant and is aiming to take 10% share in the EV market by 2030, CEO RJ Scaringe said on Thursday.

Construction of TSMC's first advanced chip plant in the US is three to six months behind schedule.

Sony said Tuesday that it has completed the initial funding of TSMC's chipmaking subsidiary in Japan, a key milestone in their joint venture.

More global automakers have been caught in China's latest coronavirus outbreak in Tianjin, adding further stress to already strained supply chains.

Apple said it had placed the southern Indian factory of iPhone assembler Foxconn on probation after both companies found that some worker dormitories and dining rooms did not meet required standards.

Intel and Italy are intensifying talks over investments expected to be worth around 8 billion euros ($9 billion) to build an advanced semiconductor packaging plant, two sources close to the matter told Reuters.

SK Hynix System IC, a subsidiary of SK Hynix, will close down its M8 plant in Cheongju, Korea in February 2022 and relocate all its equipment to its plant in Wuxi, China by May.

Amkor Technology has announced plans to build a state-of-the-art smart factory in Bac Ninh, Vietnam. The first phase of the new factory will focus on providing advanced SiP assembly and test solutions to the world's leading semiconductor and electronic manufacturing companies.

Intel's plans for a multibillion-dollar investment in a new US semiconductor plant hang in part on Congress moving on a stalled plan to bolster the domestic chip industry, the company's chief executive said.

Micron Technology is planning to build a DRAM plant in Hiroshima prefecture, western Japan, for as much as JPY800 billion (US$6.98 billion), the Nikkan Kogyo newspaper reported Wednesday, without attribution.

The city of Taylor, Texas - one of two locations in the state under consideration by Samsung Electronics for a $17 billion chip plant - plans to offer extensive property tax breaks if it is chosen by the South Korean tech giant.

Infineon chief executive Reinhard Ploss on Tuesday supported the idea of Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) building a chip fabrication plant in Germany, expressing a clear preference for its technology over that of Intel.

TSMC is finalizing a decision to put its first chip plant in Japan into operation as early as 2023, Nikkei has learned.

Renesas Electronics on Tuesday said restoring full production capacity at a fire-damaged chip plant in Japan would take longer than expected, predicting a return to normal by mid-June rather than the previously estimated end of May.

Japan's government wants TSMC and Sony to invest JPY1 trillion (US$9.2 billion) to build the country's first 20 nanometre chip plant, the Nikkan Kogyo newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Taiwan imposed power cuts on Monday evening following a spike in demand amid a heatwave and drought and failure at a power plant, in the second such outage in a week, although far fewer homes were affected.

TSMC is weighing plans to pump tens of billions of dollars more into cutting-edge chip factories in the US state of Arizona than it had previously disclosed, but is cool on prospects for an advanced European plant, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

TSMC is planning to build several more chipmaking factories in the U.S. state of Arizona beyond the one currently planned, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Intel said on Sunday it will invest another $600 million in Israel to expand its R&D and confirmed it was spending $10 billion on a new chip plant.

Intel wants EUR8 billion (US$9.7 billion) in public subsidies towards building a semiconductor factory in Europe, its CEO was quoted as saying on Friday, as the region seeks to reduce its reliance on imports amid a shortage of supplies.

Samsung Electronics' Austin plant is expected to be fully normalized in June at the earliest.

According to cellphone location data analyzed by Nikkei, 14,000 people from among the Japanese company's business partners and other organizations participated in the recovery of Renesas Electronics, which resumed semiconductor production on April 17 at its Naka plant in Ibaraki Prefecture. The plant had been partially shut down because of a fire.

Samsung Electronics likely saw a 45% jump in profit for January-March on robust sales of smartphones, TVs and home appliances, though chip division earnings are seen tumbling after a storm suspended production at its US plant.

Subaru will reduce vehicle production by about 10,000 autos at a Japanese assembly plant as the industry struggles with a shortage of chips.