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Wednesday 9 July 2025
How China's trade-in policy is reviving South Korea's 8‑inch chip sector
In the escalating US-China tensions, China's aggressive drive to boost domestic semiconductor production—coupled with a sweeping "trade-in" subsidy program—has led to a surge of orders flowing to South Korean 8-inch wafer foundries, creating an unexpected boon for the nation's mature chip manufacturing sector.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
IBM taps Samsung's 5nm process for Spyre AI chip in new Power11 servers
IBM has introduced its latest Power11 enterprise servers in Germany, featuring the Spyre accelerator chip designed for AI inference. The chip is manufactured using Samsung Electronics' 5nm process and is integrated into various server models aimed at multiple industries, including finance, healthcare, government, and manufacturing.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
GlobalFoundries goes full-stack on AI chips with MIPS buy
GlobalFoundries has announced an agreement to acquire MIPS, a supplier of AI and processor intellectual property (IP). The acquisition aims to broaden GlobalFoundries' customizable IP portfolio and enhance its process technologies with integrated IP and software capabilities.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
MediaTek and Realtek go head-to-head in Ethernet chips battleground
High-end Ethernet chips continue to advance, while mid-range chips have expanded into broader applications. Particularly, automotive Ethernet is seeing a significant rise in adoption. Competition intensifies across sectors as Broadcom and Marvell wrestle for dominance in high-end cloud and AI server markets, while Taiwanese IC design companies such as MediaTek and Realtek are building more comprehensive product lines to stack up against the competition. As leading chip manufacturers in Taiwan and the US have launched a variety of strategies, chip designers affirm that Ethernet chips are becoming a new battlefield.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
US lifts EDA ban, revives Synopsys-Ansys China deal prospects
The US and China have reached a preliminary trade agreement that includes the resumption of rare earth exports from China. In tandem, several electronic design automation (EDA) software vendors have confirmed that the US Department of Commerce will lift its short-lived export ban on EDA tools. The reversal offers relief to companies such as Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens, which had faced rising uncertainty over their business continuity in the Chinese market.
Tuesday 8 July 2025
US-China semiconductor standoff sees tactical shifts as rare earths and EDA tools enter the fray

Industry insiders said US-China relations have been flammable ever since the trade war ignited, especially in the high-stakes arena of semiconductors. But in recent weeks, a series of diplomatic signals suggests the two sides may be testing the boundaries of each other's political and economic endurance.

Tuesday 8 July 2025
Realtek's Q2 results remain stable, but sustainability in 2H25 remains uncertain
Taiwan-based network IC design giant Realtek announced its revenue for June 2025, reporting a monthly revenue of NT$10.207 billion (US$351 million), showing less than a 1% decline compared to both the previous month and the same period last year, indicating minimal variance.
Tuesday 8 July 2025
Intel repositions chip strategy, scales back 18A in favor of 14A

Intel's once-touted 18A chipmaking process, which former CEO Pat Gelsinger emphasized as a critical factor for surpassing competitor TSMC by 2025, appears to have lost its position as the focal point of the company's strategic plans.

Tuesday 8 July 2025
EDA tool ban lifted, China's PCB industry seizes strategic opening

As demand surges for AI, HPC, and high-speed communications, the PCB industry is entering a new phase of advanced innovation. Chinese PCB manufacturers are aggressively moving into the AI server and HDI segments, seizing the opportunity through technical breakthroughs, expanded capacity, and ambitious market expansion.

Monday 7 July 2025
US tariff rates: 10% or 70%? Industry says it will determine chip supply direction
Following the announcement of a preliminary tariff agreement framework with Vietnam, US President Donald Trump recently told the media that letters would soon be sent to several related countries outlining subsequent tariff regulations. Regarding the scope of tariffs, Trump's statements were ambiguous, indicating some countries would face rates between 10-20%, while others could see tariffs as high as 60-70%, a significant disparity.
Monday 7 July 2025
WPG's three-way merger sets stage for glocalization chip distribution reboot

WPG Holdings' planned restructuring is already stirring the semiconductor distribution sector, even in the absence of formal announcements. Attention is centered on the potential repositioning of World Peace Industrial (WPI) as a global consignment hub, one that could reroute orders away from rival distributors.

Monday 7 July 2025
Weekly news roundup: Samsung secures patents, Intel leadership shakeup, Apple foldable prototype
Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from June 30 to July 6, 2025. This week's highlights include Samsung's strategic licensing of Intel patents to avoid global IP battles, Intel's executive shakeup, and Apple edges closer to launching a foldable iPhone. Meanwhile, China's domestic AI chipmakers face steep uphill battles, while Taiwan's semiconductor ecosystem formed a new alliance backing TSMC's international expansion.
Monday 7 July 2025
Xiaomi's T1 follows Apple's lead in wearable chips: insights into architecture strategy
Since launching its T1 wearable chip in May 2025, Xiaomi has intensified competition in the smartwatch market, raising concerns among chip design partners. The move mirrors Apple and Samsung's strategy of using self-developed SoCs to secure greater control, optimize performance, and break into the high-end wearable segment.
Monday 7 July 2025
WPG Holdings partners with Axelera AI to accelerate edge AI applications
WPG Holdings' subsidiary, Silicon Application Corporation Group (SACG), announced on July 3 that it has secured exclusive distribution rights in the Asia-Pacific region for European edge AI chip startup Axelera AI.
Monday 7 July 2025
Rising AI ASIC use drives surge in SLT chip testing; Market to grow 30% in 2026
As artificial intelligence fuels rapid growth in high-performance computing, it's also triggering a shift in how semiconductor chips are tested. Beyond leading AI GPU makers, major cloud providers—known as hyperscalers—are doubling down on custom-built AI chips, or ASICs, sparking a sharp rise in demand for system-level testing, or SLT. These tests are designed to handle the higher speeds and power levels of next-generation processors.
Sunday 6 July 2025
From behind the curve: Apple and Xiaomi chase long-dominated 5G modem self-reliance
Apple and Xiaomi are doubling down on efforts to develop in-house 5G baseband chips, joining a race long dominated by tech heavyweights like Qualcomm and MediaTek. Both companies signaled their ambitions in 2025 to break away from reliance on third-party modem suppliers and take fuller control of their mobile silicon strategies.
Friday 4 July 2025
With d-Mode GaN, Renesas seeks edge in high-power semiconductor market
Following its acquisition of US-based GaN pioneer Transphorm, Renesas Electronics is ramping up its ambitions in the wide-bandgap power semiconductor space. With a bold pivot away from the crowded fast-charging market for consumer electronics, Renesas is positioning its new generation of GaN products for higher-power applications, including electric vehicles, industrial automation, infrastructure, networking, and even AI servers.
Friday 4 July 2025
Malaysia lays quiet groundwork to become regional IC design hub
Malaysia is advancing its integrated circuit (IC) design capabilities through a recent 10-year technology licensing deal worth US$250 million with Arm Holdings, aiming to strengthen local IC design firms like Oppstar, Key ASIC, and SkyeChip.
Friday 4 July 2025
Huawei's semiconductor matriarch charges forward with dual front: chips and talent
As US-China tech tensions intensify, Huawei is accelerating efforts to achieve technological independence after being added to the US Entity List in 2019. He Tingbo, president of HiSilicon and a central figure in Huawei's semiconductor strategy, is stepping into a pivotal role. She has been appointed head of Huawei's Senior Talent Compensation Division, expanding her authority over executive pay and talent development, key pillars in the company's long-term innovation agenda.
Friday 4 July 2025
WPG's split-path strategy signals deeper shift in chip distribution model
WPG Holdings, Asia's largest semiconductor distributor, is reportedly preparing a major organizational revamp centered on a "dual-engine" strategy, designed to break through global distribution bottlenecks while shoring up its core business capabilities.
Friday 4 July 2025
AOS to settle US export violation with US$4.25 miilion over Huawei shipments
Alpha and Omega Semiconductor (AOS), a California-based chipmaker, has agreed to pay US$4.25 million to resolve allegations that it violated US export controls by shipping restricted components to Huawei Technologies in 2019, the year Huawei was placed on the US Entity List.
Friday 4 July 2025
SEMICON Taiwan 2025 to launch AI chip packaging alliance, highlighting advanced packaging and ecosystem resilience
SEMICON Taiwan 2025 is scheduled to take place from September 10 to 12 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, with a series of technical forums kicking off on September 8. A key highlight will be the official launch of the SEMI 3DIC Advanced Manufacturing Alliance (SEMI 3DICAMA) on September 9, which will delve into critical topics such as breakthroughs in advanced packaging technologies for AI chips.
Friday 4 July 2025
Uneven customer demand and development keep ASIC providers walking on thin ice
While optimism about cloud ASICs is rising, demand and development vary widely among clients. Some with strong development teams are steadily increasing their ASIC needs, while others struggle with cost-efficiency or low production volumes. For ASIC designers, working with different clients can result in very different outcomes.
Friday 4 July 2025
China's local CPU and GPU companies cultivate talent alliances with universities
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the demand for computing power continues to rise, placing AI chips at the heart of global tech competition. To secure a dominant position in the future of computing, China's local CPU and GPU companies are accelerating efforts to cultivate AI talent through collaborations with universities and research institutions.
Friday 4 July 2025
Infineon targets 4Q25 for 12-inch GaN sample rollout as scaling accelerates
Infineon Technologies AG has announced progress in its scalable gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor manufacturing using 12-inch wafers, aiming to supply customer samples by the fourth quarter of 2025. This development positions Infineon to expand its leadership in the GaN market segment amid rising demand for advanced power semiconductors.