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Thursday 21 May 2026
Samsung averts strike with last-minute labor deal, but deeper divisions remain
With less than an hour remaining before a planned strike was set to begin, Samsung Electronics and its labor union reached a tentative agreement late on May 20, narrowly avoiding what industry observers estimated could have triggered supply-chain disruptions worth more than KRW100 trillion (approx. US$66.8 billion)
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Friday 22 May 2026
AMD deepens China packaging alliance with TF-AMD expansion in Suzhou
AMD CEO Lisa Su appeared in Suzhou on May 20 to attend the launch ceremony for the second-phase expansion of Suzhou TF-AMD Semiconductor Co. (also known as Suzhou Tongfu Advanced Microelectronics), underscoring AMD's growing focus on advanced packaging capacity as AI and high-performance computing demand accelerate globally
Friday 22 May 2026
Tesla ramps up hiring for self-driving team in China
Tesla has begun recruiting for driver-assistance roles in China as it pushes ahead to bring its full self-driving (FSD) system to market. The move comes after repeated delays and amid growing pressure from local competitors — including Xpeng Motors, Xiaomi Auto, and Huawei Technologies — on the US electric vehicle (EV) maker's market share
Friday 22 May 2026
Japan, South Korea deepen energy ties: LNG, supply chains and AI security top summit agenda

Japan and South Korea have agreed to deepen cooperation on energy security and supply chain resilience, placing crude oil, petroleum products, LNG, and critical industrial materials at the centre of a wider effort to manage geopolitical shocks from the Middle East to North Korea

Friday 22 May 2026
Xiaomi expands YU7 lineup with new GT model and entry-level variant
On May 21 in Beijing, Xiaomi held its "Human–Car–Home" ecosystem product launch event, where founder, chairman, and CEO Lei Jun unveiled the updated Xiaomi YU7 family, introducing two new variants: the YU7 GT and the YU7 Standard Edition
Friday 22 May 2026
Tata's Assam OSAT plant nears production as India expands chip manufacturing ambitions
Tata Group's semiconductor facility in Assam is expected to begin production soon, marking a significant milestone in India's push to build a domestic semiconductor manufacturing industry and strengthen its standing in global technology supply chains
Friday 22 May 2026
China's Wuhan optics hub bets big on AI with 12.8T module debut
The rapid adoption of generative AI, large language models, and AI agents is accelerating global data center construction and driving a new growth cycle in optical communications. Wuhan East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, also known as Optics Valley of China, has re-emerged as a focal point in China's optoelectronics industry
Friday 22 May 2026
Samsung's GaN setback puts foundry shift in focus

Samsung Electronics is reportedly preparing to shift more of its gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductor strategy toward foundry services after struggling to secure customers for its own GaN devices and modules, according to The Elec

Friday 22 May 2026
Memory shortage reaches smartphone OLED market as shipments fall 12%

A global memory shortage is spreading into the smartphone OLED market, cutting handset production and adding pressure on display makers and their component suppliers, according to ETNews and UBI Research

Friday 22 May 2026
China telcos launch token billing, AI inference goes mass-market
China's three major telecom operators introduced token-based billing plans in May as they packaged large-model inference resources into standardized products for consumers, developers, and enterprises, signaling a shift toward mass-market AI compute services. China Telecom rolled out a nationwide group-level token package on May 17 with tiered plans for individual and household users, developers, small and medium-sized enterprises, and ecosystem partners; its lowest-priced individual plan costs CNY9.9 (US$1.46) per month for access to 10 million tokens
Friday 22 May 2026
Analysis: Samsung deal prevents walkout but deepens internal rifts over compensation
Samsung Electronics and its union signed a provisional agreement late at night, about an hour before a scheduled May 21 strike, averting an industry estimate of more than KRW100 trillion (approx. US$66.8 billion) in supply chain disruption. The deal eases an immediate labor crisis but leaves unresolved structural conflicts and rising personnel costs
Friday 22 May 2026
South Korea aims for 50% domestic defense semiconductor supply by 2029
South Korea announced a national plan to raise domestic production of defense semiconductors to 50% by 2029, targeting heavy reliance on US and Taiwan supply chains to bolster national security. The initiative, unveiled at the 2026 Advanced Strategic Semiconductor Innovation Conference, covers research and development, manufacturing, ecosystem building and workforce training and follows the recent passage of the Defense Semiconductor Act by the National Assembly on May 7, 2026
Friday 22 May 2026
BOE, Corning target glass substrates for AI chip packaging

BOE Technology, China's leading display panel maker, is expanding its push into new businesses beyond panels. The company said on the evening of May 20 that it had signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with US glass materials supplier Corning to cooperate in glass-based packaging substrates, foldable glass, perovskite glass substrates and optical interconnects

Friday 22 May 2026
AI agents reshape enterprise computing, Lisa Su and Kai-Fu Lee say
At AMD AI DevDay 2026 in Shanghai, AMD CEO Lisa Su and 01.AI founder Kai-Fu Lee outlined what could become the next major shift in artificial intelligence: the transition from generative AI chatbots to autonomous AI agent systems. Their discussion focused on AI agents, multi-agent collaboration, open-source ecosystems and next-generation AI computing infrastructure, signalling a broader industry shift from "question-and-answer" AI towards systems capable of independently executing enterprise goals
Thursday 21 May 2026
xFusion drives CNY58.2 billion revenue as China backs domestic AI supply chain
Chinese server maker xFusion reached a revenue of CNY58.2 billion (approx. US$8.6 billion) for the year 2025. The figure indicates the company's rising profits as it benefits from China's push for a domestic AI supply chain and the benefits for companies breaking into the country's high-end server market
Thursday 21 May 2026
GigaDevice sees niche DRAM and NAND prices rising through 2026
GigaDevice said tight supply and rising prices across DRAM, NOR Flash, and SLC NAND Flash continued to fuel strong first-quarter 2026 earnings growth, supported by recovering demand from AI, server, and industrial applications