CONNECT WITH US
Tuesday 4 November 2025
Samsung and SK Hynix face capacity dilemma amid rising HBM profits and DDR5 demand
Driven by the corporate AI boom, demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) is expanding beyond its traditional niche into general-purpose memory. Prices for mainstream DRAM products like DDR5 continue to rise, prompting industry expectations of a profit structure reversal
LATEST STORIES
Tuesday 4 November 2025
Ibiden raises fiscal 2025 financial forecast as GenAI orders exceed expectations
Japanese IC substrate giant Ibiden announced an upward revision of its fiscal year 2025 financial forecast, running April 2025 to March 2026, with revenue, operating profit, and net profit all expected to exceed previous estimates. The revision is mainly driven by orders for high-value-added products related to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), far surpassing expectations
Tuesday 4 November 2025
China localizes network infrastructure chips; Taiwanese IC design houses turn to the West

China's push for semiconductor self-sufficiency has extended to networking infrastructure, with Taiwanese IC design firms Realtek Semiconductor and RichWave Technology noting that Beijing's localization of network infrastructure chips is accelerating rapidly

Tuesday 4 November 2025
China's Beidou satellites power a new era of homegrown navigation chips

As China completes the global deployment of its BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System, officials are now focused on exporting the technology under Beijing's "Belt and Road" initiative, signaling a shift from building the constellation to driving widespread international adoption. The move also opens a new frontier for China's navigation chipmakers, which see rising opportunities to challenge Western dominance in positioning and timing technologies

Tuesday 4 November 2025
Nvidia Blackwell chips expose policy-corporate divide on China exports
During an interview aboard Air Force One on November 2, 2025, US President Donald Trump stated that only US customers should have access to Nvidia's advanced Blackwell AI chips. According to Reuters, these new chips are ten years ahead of their competitors, positioning the US ahead of the game. On the flip side of Trump's intentions to gatekeep valuable technology, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is encouraging cooperation because it serves everyone's best interests
Monday 3 November 2025
China's AI app users hit 700 million as most native apps lose ground
China's artificial intelligence (AI) mobile app sector has surpassed 700 million monthly active users (MAUs), yet a majority of AI-native apps are facing significant user losses, according to data from QuestMobile cited by the South China Morning Post. As of September 2024, AI-native apps—those built with AI at the core—and in-app services, which provide intelligent AI features, combined reached 729 million MAUs, increasing by nearly 50 million since June 2024. Despite this growth, nearly 60% of native AI apps saw user decline in the third quarter of 2024
Monday 3 November 2025
China's Big Fund III invests in Nantong Crystal to boost semiconductor materials supply chain
As China's 15th Five-Year Plan approaches, Big Fund III is accelerating its investments in core semiconductor materials and equipment sectors
Monday 3 November 2025
Humanoid robots and AI drive smart factory transformation in auto industry
With the electric vehicle market approaching maturity and growth momentum slowing, automakers are turning to artificial intelligence and robotics as the "second curve" of manufacturing transformation
Monday 3 November 2025
Samsung challenges Chrome dominance with new PC browser launch
Samsung Electronics has officially launched its new PC web browser, Samsung Internet PC, marking a major step in its effort to extend its mobile ecosystem to desktop platforms. The company said the browser aims to deliver a more personalized and connected user experience, with plans to evolve into an AI-powered browser in future updates
Monday 3 November 2025
In South Korea's 'Silicon Valley,' AI startups look beyond software
Just south of Seoul, a dense grid of R&D towers known as Pangyo Techno Valley has evolved from an industrial cluster into a crucial testbed for South Korea's artificial intelligence ambitions
Monday 3 November 2025
Nexperia China accuses Dutch parent of US$140 million debt
The Chinese arm of Dutch semiconductor maker Nexperia has publicly accused its headquarters of owing more than CNY1 billion (approximately US$140 million) in unpaid fees, escalating an already fraught dispute between the two sides over control and supply-chain operations
Monday 3 November 2025
Japan's materials makers scale up for 2nm chip era
As TSMC and Samsung Electronics move closer to mass production of 2nm chips, Japan's semiconductor materials makers are accelerating investments to strengthen their global supply chain presence and meet surging demand for advanced materials
Monday 3 November 2025
Taiwan manufacturing set to gain as traditional and electronics sectors strengthen
The recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping has eased tensions between the two countries, de-escalating rare earth export controls and soybean trade barriers. It remains uncertain whether Trump will come up with other threats when dealing with China. But for Taiwan, the speculation about the US sacrificing the island nation in return for better ties with China has not materialized. Neither has the US taken concrete steps to impose semiconductor tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. Taiwan's manufacturing sector may gain momentum over the next two months if geopolitical and economic conditions remain stable
Monday 3 November 2025
Xi gifts Lee Xiaomi phones, sparks backdoor security exchange at APEC
At a recent summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, the leaders exchanged carefully chosen gifts and engaged in an unexpected dialogue that captured industry and public attention. The interaction, held on November 1, 2025, at the Gyeongju National Museum, highlighted both diplomatic symbolism and technological cooperation amid ongoing geopolitical sensitivities
Monday 3 November 2025
Can a new US-China deal reset global trade tensions?
The US and China reached a wide-ranging trade and economic agreement in the Republic of Korea. The deal addresses fentanyl precursors, rare earth export controls, tariffs, and semiconductor trade restrictions, signaling a possible stabilization in US–China relations after years of escalating tensions over trade, security, and technology
Monday 3 November 2025
Tongfu Microelectronics taps AMD synergy to command the AI packaging frontier
Tongfu Microelectronics, a leading Chinese semiconductor packaging and testing company, made a significant leap in advanced packaging after acquiring 85% of AMD's Suzhou and Penang facilities in 2015. The deal gave it access to key CPU, GPU, APU, and game-console packaging platforms, including FCBGA, FCPGA, FCLGA, and MCM technologies. It also laid the foundation for a long-term strategic alliance with AMD, placing Tongfu among the frontrunners in advanced chip packaging