A disclosure on China's government procurement platform shows that Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE) has won a contract to supply a step-and-scan lithography system valued at CNY109 million (US$15.5 million). The buyer, identified only by a coded designation under China's Ministry of Science and Technology, has reignited industry scrutiny of Beijing's push to localize semiconductor manufacturing equipment
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, having cleared major legal overhangs, is accelerating the group's strategic reset. Months after completing its acquisition of Germany's FläktGroup, Samsung announced another landmark deal: the purchase of ZF Friedrichshafen's advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) business for EUR1.5 billion (US$1.8 billion)
The US government has decided not to impose additional semiconductor tariffs on China for the next 18 months, despite concluding that Beijing's state-led chip industry policies involve unfair subsidies and market distortion. DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin stressed in a recent podcast that this should not be misinterpreted as a softening stance toward China
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are pushing forward their production schedules for sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory to February 2026. Industry sources and South Korean media reports confirm the accelerated timeline. The two companies aim to begin volume manufacturing of HBM4 months earlier than previously anticipated. The goal is to meet surging demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure. By accelerating their timelines, the South Korean chipmakers seek to solidify their dominance in the AI memory market before global competitors can scale similar technologies
SK Hynix is scheduled to deliver final samples of its next-generation high-bandwidth memory to Nvidia in early January 2025. This comes as the South Korean chipmaker nears a February target for mass production of HBM4. The delivery follows a revised wafer run intended to resolve technical issues identified during earlier integration testing, according to DealSite. It marks a critical step in supporting Nvidia's next wave of artificial intelligence accelerators
As demand for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors continues to surge, the market for glass substrates, which are widely regarded as a critical material for next-generation advanced packaging, is gaining momentum. South Korean companies such as Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO) and LG Innotek are gearing up to compete for leadership in this emerging segment
Google and Microsoft are stepping up efforts to secure high-bandwidth memory. Production capacity at South Korean chipmakers is approaching its limits. The supply crunch has coincided with executive dismissals and stalled negotiations. According to industry sources cited by the Seoul Economic Daily and G-enews, major cloud and artificial intelligence companies are intensifying procurement efforts. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are nearing full utilization of their advanced memory lines
Taiwan's auto market slowed markedly in 2025. Yet rather than retreat, several automakers used the downturn to recalibrate—strengthening their balance sheets, accelerating transformation efforts, and pushing more decisively into overseas markets
The semiconductor industry is increasingly central to national strategies as the US and China intensify state-led investments amid growing tech geopolitical tensions. The US CHIPS and Science Act and China's multibillion-yuan semiconductor funding illustrate a resurgence of state capitalism in high-tech sectors, reshaping global supply chains and industrial competition
SoftBank and Japanese partners are advancing a government-backed project to develop next-generation memory technology aimed at enhancing AI and supercomputer performance. The initiative, involving RIKEN, Intel, the University of Tokyo, and Taiwan's Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS), targets prototype completion by fiscal 2027 and mass production by fiscal 2029, Nikkei Asia reports
Huawei Technologies has lifted the share of Chinese-made components in its latest premium smartphones to nearly 60% by value, underscoring how years of US export controls have accelerated domestic capabilities across key technologies. Recent teardowns show that localization has moved well beyond low-cost or peripheral parts. Huawei is now sourcing processors, memory, and displays domestically — components that were once firmly dominated by suppliers from the US, Japan, and South Korea
Xiaomi stated that it is not a Chinese military-industrial company, is not affiliated with any military entity, and only provides consumer-focused civilian and commercial products, adding that the proposal to place Xiaomi on the 1260H list is unfounded, according to The South China Morning Post
As 2025 draws to a close, the US-China AI compute market is entering a phase of guarded competition and selective cooperation. While the US government has launched an inter-agency review of Nvidia's H200 exports to China—and Nvidia is reportedly planning deliveries ahead of the Lunar New Year—Huawei has already set a clear timetable. Its next-generation AI chip, the Ascend 950PR, is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2026
Rising global investment in artificial intelligence is accelerating data center construction. This is intensifying demand for power, cooling, and energy storage equipment, reinforcing reliance on Chinese-made components even as governments push to diversify supply chains
FineMat Applied Materials is retooling its business as China's push to localize its display supply chain cuts into demand for the Taiwanese company's core products, prompting new investments in drones and advanced semiconductor packaging substrates, the company said
