CONNECT WITH US
Tuesday 23 June 2026
SK Hynix Cheongju plant accidents raise HBM expansion safety concerns
SK Hynix's semiconductor production base in Cheongju, South Korea, has seen a string of accidents since 2026, prompting questions over whether its safety management system has gaps. The incidents have drawn scrutiny because many occurred after the M15X fab began operation, as the company ramped up production to meet surging high-bandwidth memory (HBM) demand.
LATEST STORIES
Wednesday 24 June 2026
Samsung, SK Hynix weigh new Korean chip belt as concerns mount for Yongin cluster

South Korea's government is in talks with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix over a potential new phase of large-scale semiconductor investments, as the two chipmakers review plans that could include front-end fabrication plants and packaging facilities across the country's Honam and Chungcheong regions. Both companies say no final decisions have been made.

Wednesday 24 June 2026
Samsung eyes Galaxy Ultra for 2nm Exynos 2700

Samsung Electronics' System LSI division is pressing its mobile business to expand adoption of the in-house Exynos 2700 processor beyond the standard Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus models and into the premium Galaxy S27 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 8, according to The Bell.

Wednesday 24 June 2026
CATL turns sodium-ion batteries into grid storage contender with TENER Sodium launch
CATL has launched CATL TENER Sodium, a utility-scale sodium-ion energy storage system aimed at moving the technology from pilot projects into commercial grid infrastructure.
Wednesday 24 June 2026
China's idle EVs could become AI token factories, says CATL chairman
CATL chairman Robin Zeng said on June 23 at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Dalian that many electric vehicles (EVs) in China could be turned into computing infrastructure for the large-scale production of AI tokens by using their onboard batteries and AI chips.
Wednesday 24 June 2026
Former SMIC CEO targets China photomask IPO after 12-inch wafer bet
Former SMIC CEO Tzu-yin Chiu is extending his semiconductor materials strategy into photomasks, one of the most critical upstream links in chip manufacturing. Guangzhou Xinrui Photomask Technology, also known as New Ray Mask, where Chiu serves as chairman, has begun IPO listing guidance, marking another step in his shift from foundry operations to China's chip materials supply chain.
Wednesday 24 June 2026
Alibaba sues US Defense Department over military company label, raising contract and free-speech concerns
Alibaba Group Holding and its US subsidiary filed a suit on June 23, 2026, in federal court in California, seeking to overturn the Department of Defense's designation of Alibaba as a "Chinese military company." The case could affect the company's access to US government contracts and its standing in broader US supply chains.
Wednesday 24 June 2026
China's autonomous driving crackdown targets overpromised smart vehicle tech
China has announced its first mandatory national safety standard for Level 3 (L3) and Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving, with implementation set for July 2027.
Wednesday 24 June 2026
China's chip-equipment push starts to weigh on Japanese suppliers

China's push to build a domestic semiconductor equipment industry is beginning to cut into revenue at major Japanese toolmakers, with five major Japanese suppliers posting a combined 12% drop in China sales for the fiscal year ended March 2026, Nikkei reported.

Wednesday 24 June 2026
Samsung pushes memory supply deals as demand spreads beyond HBM

Samsung Electronics is putting long-term memory supply agreements higher on its second-half agenda as demand from data centers broadens beyond high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, into server DRAM and storage products.

Wednesday 24 June 2026
China CMP tool leader Hwatsing seeks US$550M to close chip equipment gap
Hwatsing Technology, China's leading domestic supplier of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) equipment, is seeking up to CNY4 billion (approx. US$552 million) through a private placement to expand chip equipment capacity, strengthen wafer reclamation services, and accelerate high-end semiconductor tool R&D.
Wednesday 24 June 2026
Well Shin wins China cloud orders for AI server power cords and shifts production to Vietnam
Well Shin Technology announced on June 23, 2026, that it had secured orders from cloud service providers in China for high-current AI server power cords and had entered normal shipment, executives said. The supplier disclosed the move after its shareholders' meeting and said it was accelerating its AI server power cord business as demand from cloud operators expanded.
Wednesday 24 June 2026
SoftBank rejects space data centers and commits to Earth-based AI compute

SoftBank Group said it will prioritize building large-scale terrestrial AI data-center capacity rather than pursuing space-based data centers, with founder Masayoshi Son arguing that the decisive advantage in artificial intelligence will come from compute infrastructure deployed on Earth.

Wednesday 24 June 2026
Foldable iPhone centers on South Korean OLEDs for supply in 2026
Samsung Display (SDC) has reportedly won Apple's production approval for the OLED modules used in its first foldable iPhone and has officially begun production for initial shipments. Along with LG Display (LGD), the two South Korean makers will handle OLED orders across Apple devices in the second half of 2026.
Wednesday 24 June 2026
LG's space bet targets 2030 gains, with SpaceX talks adding lift
LG Group is expanding into the space industry, using affiliate-made components, rover concepts, and CubeSat systems to enter satellite supply chains and validate its technologies in orbit. At South Korea's NextRise 2026 startup expo, LG outlined a space business strategy that links its terrestrial technologies to future space applications and potential SpaceX cooperation.
Tuesday 23 June 2026
China's Starlink challenger Qianfan seeks US$740M backers for LEO satellite expansion

Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST, also known as Ambandha), operator of China's Qianfan low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet constellation, has launched a new funding round as the country's commercial space sector transitions from proof-of-concept to scaled deployment.