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Wednesday 4 March 2026
Strait of Hormuz closure threatens China auto exports, triggers 15-25% cost surge
Following US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global energy and shipping flows. The move has lifted prices for petrochemical feedstocks, synthetic rubber and plastic components, creating 15-25% raw material cost pressure for automakers and compressing margins
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Wednesday 4 March 2026
Hisense leads 100-inch TV shipments as Chinese brands surge in 2025
The global flat-panel TV market continues to see shifting sales shares, with Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics maintaining overall leadership. However, Chinese brands like TCL and Hisense are rapidly closing the gap, breaking into the top five TV sellers worldwide
Wednesday 4 March 2026
SmartSens raises CIS prices 10-20% for Samsung, Nexchip output on memory cost pressure

China-based CMOS image sensor (CIS) supplier SmartSens Technology has notified customers of price increases, stating that from March 1, 2026, prices for its smart security and AIoT product lines will rise by 10% or 20%, depending on the upstream wafer foundry manufacturing the products

Wednesday 4 March 2026
South Korean startups propose charging hubs as AI computing resources, battery-free smart cities
South Korea's vibrant startup ecosystem is advancing the country's smart city ambitions through AI-driven infrastructure. Uniqconn—a CES 2026 Innovation Awards Honoree—and Warp Solution have proposed blueprints for distributed AI infrastructure and battery-free smart cities, respectively, aiming to address massive national computing demands and reduce maintenance costs for urban traffic sensors
Tuesday 3 March 2026
US Congress and industry clash over new semiconductor security mandates
The US House Foreign Affairs Committee has advanced legislation that would grant Congress the authority to review and block advanced chip sales to adversarial nations, mirroring the oversight typically reserved for arms deals. This move, alongside the proposed Chip Security Act, has sparked a sharp divide between national security hawks in Washington and semiconductor industry leaders regarding the future of American technological leadership and export control strategies
Tuesday 3 March 2026
Rohm outsources back-end processes to India's Suchi Semicon
Rohm and Suchi Semicon have announced a strategic manufacturing partnership intended to strengthen semiconductor production capacity in India and support both domestic and international markets. The collaboration pairs Rohm's expertise in device technology and its global semiconductor presence with Suchi Semicon's back-end manufacturing capabilities and operational experience to create a reliable, scalable manufacturing framework responsive to changing industry requirements
Tuesday 3 March 2026
Nasdaq-listed AI chipmaker Blaize bets on India for sovereign edge inference growth
As much of the global semiconductor industry remains fixated on AI training accelerators and hyperscale GPUs, US-based AI processor company Blaize is making a different wager in India: large-scale inference embedded in sovereign public infrastructure
Tuesday 3 March 2026
US moves to bar federal purchases of China-linked chips

The US is moving to bar federal agencies from buying certain semiconductors tied to major China-based chipmakers, widening procurement restrictions even as memory shortages and rising prices strain electronics supply chains

Tuesday 3 March 2026
Rapidus to partner with Canon on 2nm image-processing chips, raising supply and investment implications
Rapidus will co-develop 2nm image-processing semiconductors with Canon for cameras and surveillance devices, Nikkei reported, and will trial-produce chips at Rapidus's Chitose, Hokkaido, facility with Synopsys also participating
Tuesday 3 March 2026
Samsung, SK Hynix expand hiring as HBM, DRAM demand enters supercycle

With the semiconductor industry entering a supercycle and reporting record earnings, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are preparing to launch large-scale semiconductor hiring

Tuesday 3 March 2026
Strait of Hormuz threat tests South Korea's memory recovery
After the US and Israel launched joint air strikes on Iran, Middle East tensions escalated sharply. South Korea activated an emergency response system, with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok chairing daily reviews of energy, financial, and supply chain conditions. The Ministry of Economy and Finance formed three cross-ministerial task forces to monitor risks around the Strait of Hormuz and track global oil price and exchange rate volatility amid rising crude prices
Tuesday 3 March 2026
Commentary: Merz at Unitree as China's humanoid robotics push unsettles Europe

During German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to China, the most closely watched stop was Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics. Footage showed Merz standing with arms crossed, nodding and reacting with visible surprise to a humanoid robot's martial arts demonstration

Tuesday 3 March 2026
DRAM prices to surge up to 70% in 2Q26; Nvidia GTC 2026 ignites AI memory rally
AI-driven data centre expansion has pushed the memory market beyond traditional supply-demand cycles, creating a structural shortage that continues to deepen. Industry sources say the gap between spot and contract prices has widened to 40–50%, pressuring memory suppliers to raise contract prices in successive rounds to close the spread
Tuesday 3 March 2026
China hits 140 humanoid robot OEMs, 330 models; supply chain ramps

By 2025, China had more than 140 humanoid robot OEMs, with over 330 products launched in a single year. The rapid increase in vendors and models is prompting synchronized expansion across the upstream, midstream and downstream supply chain

Tuesday 3 March 2026
South Korea, Singapore launch FTA upgrade focused on AI, SMR nuclear, space, and quantum
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on March 2 and agreed to launch negotiations to upgrade the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). The upgrade expands cooperation beyond traditional trade into artificial intelligence (AI), small modular reactors (SMR), space and satellite technology, and quantum science, reflecting a shift toward structured technology and energy collaboration
Tuesday 3 March 2026
Fulltech plans THB3.1 billion Thailand plant to support CCL southward shift
Taiwan-based Fulltech Fiber Glass (FFG) said it approved a capex plan via its Thailand subsidiary to build a new plant with about THB3.1 billion (approx. US$99 million) in investment, aiming to begin production capacity by 2027