A brewing conflict between SK Hynix and its long-time supplier, Hanmi Semiconductor, over thermal compression bonder (TC Bonder; TCB) equipment has intensified, potentially reshuffling the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) supply chain. Hanwha Semitech, a newer player, stands to benefit as SK Hynix explores alternative suppliers amid rising tensions

Following SK Hynix's exit from the CMOS image sensor (CIS) market, Chinese vendors are aggressively scaling shipments, gaining market share, and climbing the value chain by deepening ties with domestic smartphone brands. Armed with robust domestic foundry capacity across 40nm to 28/22nm nodes, these suppliers are now pushing into high-end CIS segments with ample supply and rising demand

The administration of US President Donald Trump has implemented exceptionally high anti-dumping tariffs on solar modules imported from Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. Most notably, Cambodia faces tariffs as high as 3,521% due to its lack of cooperation during investigations. This action reflects the administration's firm approach to combating "origin-washing," a practice where manufacturers reroute products through third countries to circumvent US trade restrictions. Market experts indicate that tariffs above 60% typically disrupt bilateral trade, and rates exceeding 3,500% effectively result in an almost complete halt of imports from the affected countries

China's decision to tighten export controls on seven rare earth elements has sent global prices soaring more than threefold since early April, raising alarms across critical industries, particularly electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy

South Korean prosecutors recently announced the indictment and detention of a former Samsung Electronics researcher suspected of leaking core semiconductor technology secrets, developed with an investment of KRW1.6 trillion (US$1.1 billion), to China's leading DRAM manufacturer, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT). Samsung may have suffered revenue losses amounting to tens of trillions of Korean won due to this security breach

YoungHyun Jun, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions (DS) division, recently led a senior executive delegation to Silicon Valley, foregoing South Korea's extended May holidays. The week-long trip focused on meetings with major US tech firms—including Apple, Nvidia, and Broadcom—to shore up demand across Samsung's semiconductor portfolio, from DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) to foundry services. US tariff policy was also a key topic on the agenda

Coretronic Intelligent Robotics Corporation (CIRC), a subsidiary of Taiwan's Coretronic Group, is carving a niche in the global drone market, capitalizing on its non-red supply chain status to secure a competitive edge over the Chinese giant DJI. Despite acknowledging technological gaps, CIRC's strategic positioning and robust contract wins signal a promising trajectory, particularly in defense and commercial applications

These are the top-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of April 28 – May 4. From China's EUV light source milestone and Intel's turnaround push to Nvidia's evolving China strategy and TSMC's AI chip roadmap, the semiconductor sector saw a week of pivotal shifts

China is accelerating the commercialization of humanoid robots, with key players UBTech Robotics Inc. and Midea Group Co. rapidly advancing deployments in factory environments. UBTech has initiated small-batch shipments of its Walker S1 and Walker C humanoid robots, according to reports from South China Morning Post, Zol.com, and The Paper. These units are being introduced into automotive plants for both manufacturing operations and customer engagement roles

Murata Manufacturing anticipates its profit for fiscal year 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026) to hit an eight-year low, citing stagnant demand for smartphones and automotive components, along with currency headwinds from a stronger yen

LG Energy Solution (LGES) of South Korea has exited its US$8.45 billion electric vehicle (EV) battery project in Indonesia, prompting the Indonesian government to court China's Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co., Ltd. (Huayou) as a potential replacement investor

China's booming auto industry is moving beyond product competition as automakers increasingly prioritize unified safety standards for intelligent driving systems. The sector is transitioning toward a technology-driven growth model built around standardization and long-term scalability

Advanced L3–L5 autonomous driving has long been a critical battleground in the technological rivalry between the US and China. Recently, as both nations aim for L5 fully autonomous vehicles, their regulatory approaches have begun to diverge sharply: the US is moving toward deregulation, while China is tightening its oversight