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Thursday 6 August 2026
Samsung pitches 5nm as HBM4, Nvidia orders push 4nm lines to full capacity
Samsung Electronics' foundry arm is stepping up sales of its 5nm process as its more advanced 4nm capacity is expected to remain fully booked through 2027, driven by HBM4 base-die production and Nvidia inference-chip orders, according to ZDNet Korea, which cited semiconductor industry officials.
LATEST STORIES
Friday 7 August 2026
Analysis: Five years of US polysilicon imports show why Washington set the price floor at $21
US imports of high-purity polysilicon jumped to US$190 million in 2025. Still, the bigger story is in the volume: 6,791 tonnes, more than five times the 1,286 tonnes imported in 2024, according to UN Comtrade trade data.
Friday 7 August 2026
Analysis: Trump’s polysilicon tariffs split solar industry into winners and losers
US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on August 6 imposing minimum import prices and a 15% tariff on polysilicon and its derivatives, a move that hands a durable pricing advantage to US and non-Chinese producers while squeezing Chinese manufacturers out of price competitiveness in the American market.
Friday 7 August 2026
Nvidia seeks China AI-RAN partners to bring GPU computing into 6G networks

Nvidia is seeking Chinese telecom equipment partners to develop 6G AI radio access network base stations for overseas markets, according to Chinese media reports, as the chipmaker looks to extend its computing platform beyond data centres and into wireless networks and edge AI infrastructure.

Friday 7 August 2026
Chinese optical suppliers confront FCC threat after US$19.1B sell-off

Chinese optical transceiver suppliers are trying to calm investors after reports that the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may restrict new China-made data-center components, threatening a supply chain central to global AI infrastructure.

Friday 7 August 2026
Huawei's Richard Yu warns of smartphone price hikes as memory costs soar
Huawei executive director and Consumer Business Group chairman Richard Yu warned on August 5 that sharply rising memory costs could trigger widespread smartphone price increases, saying handset makers risk losses if they continue selling devices at previous price levels.
Friday 7 August 2026
Ex-White House official urges South Korea to avoid excessive digital regulation
Former White House National Security Council chief of staff Alexander Gray has called on South Korea to deepen supply chain cooperation with the US and avoid following the European Union's digital regulation path.
Thursday 6 August 2026
Unitree's impending IPO draws Meituan and Tencent as investors

Chinese robotics company Unitree is entering a critical stage in its initial public offering. The IPO is expected to raise about CNY4.2 billion (approximately US$622 million), while the company's post-listing valuation could range from CNY40 billion to CNY50 billion. It would become the first company on China's A-share market whose primary investment theme is humanoid robotics.

Thursday 6 August 2026
ByteDance founder shuns AI distillation, wary of more US scrutiny

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming recently said that the company would not use distillation to train its AI models, even if they fall behind those of other Chinese rivals. His comments come as China's advances in AI have accelerated faster than expected, leading to accusations that its developers are training them based on outputs from US models.

Thursday 6 August 2026
China steps up EV battery and smart-driving inspections on five automakers

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology launched surprise inspections in late July 2026 at five electric vehicle makers as Beijing widened its crackdown on "involution" industries. The checks focused on battery quality, smart-driving safety and marketing claims after years of intense price competition had raised concerns over product consistency and safety.

Wednesday 5 August 2026
Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin expand US production to meet data center cooling demand

Mitsubishi Electric is establishing a cooling-equipment production company in Ohio, joining Daikin Industries in bringing manufacturing closer to US data center customers as delivery times, tariffs and local service become more important competitive factors.

Wednesday 5 August 2026
China halts US-based factory audits for CCC certification amid raging tech feud

The US-China technology and supply chain conflict has spread to product certification, opening a new front beyond semiconductors and telecom equipment.

Wednesday 5 August 2026
China launches 15th Five-Year 'leader' awards on low-carbon credentials

China's State Council has launched a new recommendation program for "leader" companies in energy efficiency and carbon efficiency, with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issuing the notice on August 4, 2026. The program is designed to push heavy industry to cut energy use and emissions, as low-carbon certification increasingly becomes a key credential for future market competition.

Wednesday 5 August 2026
Fanuc raises fiscal 2026 outlook as costs and supply bottlenecks weigh on profits
Fanuc said first-quarter orders for fiscal 2026 surged 37% year-on-year to a record JPY281.9 billion, even as the industrial robot maker drew market concern for raising its full-year operating profit forecast by only about 3%. The update came after its July 31 earnings briefing and highlighted strong demand alongside persistent cost pressure.
Wednesday 5 August 2026
Naver taps Brookfield for up to US$9 billion in data center financing

Naver is considering an asset-light structure for a US$10 billion data center expansion under which a Brookfield-led investment vehicle would own GPUs and other infrastructure. At the same time, a Naver subsidiary would sell computing capacity and related services to customers.

Wednesday 5 August 2026
Samsung, SK Hynix expansion puts Korea's chip supply chain to the test

Daeduck Electronics plans to invest KRW497 billion(US$349.50 million) in semiconductor production facilities through 2027, its second major expansion announcement this year, Seoul Economic Daily reported, citing a regulatory filing with South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service.