South Korea is intensifying competition to develop a sovereign AI foundation model, with five leading teams from industry and academia unveiling first-phase results. The contenders highlighted differences in parameter scale, multimodal capabilities, and vertical applications. By mid-January 2026, four teams will be selected to advance to the next stage

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has approved an additional 22 proposals under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), marking a significant expansion of the country's push to expand electronics manufacturing. The newly cleared projects involve a projected investment of INR418/63 billion and an estimated production of INR2,581.52 billion, and are expected to generate 33,791 direct jobs

Singapore is drawing a new wave of semiconductor investment as global chipmakers expand advanced manufacturing tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure, reinforcing the city-state's strategy of attracting investments to enable next-generation technologies and position Singapore higher up the semiconductor value chain

Japanese semiconductor firms are pivoting toward advanced packaging and alternative lithography as TSMC extends its scale advantage in artificial intelligence chips. TSMC's 3nm and 2nm capacity is largely locked in. Advanced packaging now contributes a growing share of sales. The company is on track to see annual revenue exceed US$250 billion around 2029 or 2030. That widening gap has pushed Japanese companies to focus on panel-level packaging and nanoimprint technologies. Both emerged at SEMICON Japan 2025 as key levers to bypass manufacturing bottlenecks and secure a foothold in the fast-expanding AI accelerator supply chain

Baidu is moving forward with plans to spin off its AI chip unit, Kunlunxin, and list it in Hong Kong, highlighting the company's push for semiconductor self-sufficiency. On January 1, 2025, Baidu said Kunlunxin confidentially filed a listing application with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, formally setting the stage for a potential initial public offering, though key details such as the offering size, structure, and timing remain undecided

China's leading DRAM producer, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), has entered the initial public offering phase as it targets a rapid increase in global market share, aiming to surpass the 4% threshold in the near term, according to its IPO prospectus and market estimates. The move comes as the company accelerates capacity expansion and technology upgrades to close the gap with industry leaders Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology in a market dominated by a handful of suppliers

Samsung Electronics has taken a key step toward building a massive semiconductor manufacturing complex in Yongin after finalizing a land purchase for a national industrial park, moving the long-planned project into its execution phase

South Korea's ruling and opposition parties have reached a preliminary consensus on the Semiconductor Special Act, though its passage may be delayed until 2026, and the law faces criticism for offering comparatively weak support measures against competing countries

Nvidia is in talks with TSMC to expand production of its H200 artificial intelligence chips as Chinese technology companies move to secure large orders for 2026, according to Reuters. The negotiations signal that Chinese demand continues to strain global supply chains even as the company faces a complex and unresolved regulatory environment in both Washington and Beijing

Chinese semiconductor companies are returning to the initial public offering (IPO, including additional and rights offering) market in force, raising funds that are critical for the nation's push toward technological self-reliance and leadership in artificial intelligence

Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions (DS) division is set for a strong 2025, driven by robust performance in general-purpose DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM)

Facing stiff competition in the domestic market, Chinese technology companies are accelerating their push into international markets, with artificial intelligence (AI) firms spearheading efforts in Singapore. According to The Straits Times, these companies plan to introduce a wide range of AI products, including robots, large language models (LLMs), and cloud solutions by 2026 to tap into Singapore's growing technology sector

The 28-nanometer process has become the most popular node among mature processes. It boasts the highest utilization rates and the strongest price support. However, market conditions are changing. Demand for many chips using the 28nm process has weakened, and some chips are beginning to migrate to more advanced process nodes