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Friday 27 March 2026
SK Hynix targets KRW100 trillion net cash as AI demand surges, eyes US listing

SK Hynix plans to build more than KRW100 trillion (approx. US$66 billion) in net cash to support long-term investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, as surging demand reshapes the memory industry and drives a new round of capital spending

LATEST STORIES
Sunday 29 March 2026
Samsung's 2026 strike poses bigger challenges despite economic shift and tripled scale
Samsung Electronics is facing a looming labor strike in May as its memory and foundry businesses take off, marking a more complex challenge than the initial 2024 walkout. The upcoming strike reflects significant changes in industry conditions and union size, highlighting Samsung's structural difficulties with labor issues amid evolving laws and its broad business portfolio
Sunday 29 March 2026
A race to the bottom: China’s auto boom turns brutally competitive
The global auto industry is entering a turning phase of structural transformation, and nowhere is the upheaval more intense than in China, where a fierce competitive shakeout is underway
Sunday 29 March 2026
Semicon China 2026: AI spending nears US$800 billion, IBS flags 2028 chip cycle risk

SEMICON China 2026 spotlighted the scale of the AI investment boom, with Handel Jones, CEO of International Business Strategies (IBS), estimating that global AI and data center capital expenditure has surged from about US$110 billion in 2020 to roughly US$600 billion in 2026

Sunday 29 March 2026
AMD, Meta reportedly audit Samsung HBM4 lines as supply shifts from pledges to validation

Samsung Electronics' next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) program is entering a customer validation phase, according to NewDaily, as major technology firms reportedly begin on-site audits of its production lines

Saturday 28 March 2026
OmniVision invests US$145 million in wafer foundry to secure chip supply

OmniVision Group said on March 20 it will invest CNY1 billion (US$145 million) in Rong Semiconductor (Ningbo) Co. (RongSemi) via a capital increase, taking a 5.88% stake based on a CNY4 billion funding round. The move targets tighter upstream integration, aiming to secure wafer capacity and improve supply chain resilience

Saturday 28 March 2026
Samsung bets on turnkey strategy as non-memory strength becomes critical
Samsung Electronics is aggressively pushing its semiconductor "super-gap" core strategy centered on a turnkey solution model. However, the success of this approach hinges on restoring and rebuilding competitiveness in its non-memory businesses
Friday 27 March 2026
SK Hynix CEO expected to meet Microsoft executive on memory supply

SK Hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung is expected to meet Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud and AI at Microsoft, in Seoul this week to discuss memory supply, according to Maeil Business Newspaper, citing industry sources

Friday 27 March 2026
Nexchip revenue rises 17.7% to US$1.58bn, foundry capacity stays tight

Nexchip reported 2025 revenue of CNY10.89 billion (approx. US$1.58 billion), up 17.69% year-over-year, with net profit rising 32.16% to CNY704 million and earnings per share increasing 33.33% to CNY0.36. Growth was driven by higher shipment volumes, expanding revenue scale, and gains from the transfer of photomask-related technologies

Friday 27 March 2026
Taiwan weighs response as China expands 'long-arm jurisdiction' reach
More than a decade after Taiwanese display makers were swept up in a global antitrust crackdown, officials in Taipei are again warning of the risks posed by expanding legal reach across borders—this time from China
Friday 27 March 2026
Taiwan reviews National Security Act, targets hybrid threats; no link to TSMC's Wei-jen Lo case

Taiwan's Legislative Yuan Internal Administration Committee held its second public hearing on proposed amendments to the National Security Act on March 26. Attendance from civil society groups and academic experts was limited, and only a small number of lawmakers spoke

Friday 27 March 2026
South Korea's M.AX Alliance warns against funding China's robotics
Facing rapid advances in automation and AI from China's manufacturing sector, South Korea is accelerating its manufacturing AI transformation (AX) through the government-led Manufacturing AI (M.AX) Alliance. Established by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) just six months ago, the alliance has already attracted over 1,300 companies across 11 specialized fields, including robotics, autonomous vehicles, shipbuilding, and biomedicine
Friday 27 March 2026
Eikei targets automotive and AI markets, establishes Slovakia subsidiary
Automotive printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer Eikei Group announced plans to establish a subsidiary in Slovakia, aiming to diversify geopolitical risks across its three major markets in Europe, the Americas, and Asia in 2026. Company chairman Shih-lin Liu added that the rapid growth momentum of artificial intelligence (AI) servers is expected to drive profitability higher
Friday 27 March 2026
SK Hynix keeps HBM shipments steady, targets HBM4E sample this year

SK Hynix expects stable growth in its high-bandwidth memory (HBM) business this year and plans to keep shipments in line with initial projections as it advances its next-generation roadmap amid evolving market conditions

Friday 27 March 2026
Japanese automakers diverge: EV retreat vs. hydrogen ambition

Sony Honda Mobility, the joint venture between Sony and Honda, has scrapped the two "Afeela"-branded electric vehicles it had been developing, citing Honda's recent strategic shift that canceled three planned US EVs—moves that could cost the automaker nearly US$16 billion. The decision leaves the joint venture's hundreds of employees in Tokyo and California facing uncertainty, as the companies evaluate the venture's future

Friday 27 March 2026
Samsung and SK Hynix expand microscope procurement to boost HBM yield
As AI compute demand surges, the rising need for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) testing and failure analysis is reshaping semiconductor inspection equipment markets, affecting chipmakers, foundries, and equipment suppliers worldwide. Demand for integrated microscopy platforms and localised service hubs is increasing to control yield, reduce costly iterations, and secure AI supply-chain positions