China's auto market entered the year with a sharp jolt. In the first quarter, the long-dominant new energy vehicle (NEV) segment saw its market share slip to 45.1%, down from 47.7% in 2025, while sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) also contracted. The shift suggests that as Beijing scales back subsidies and tightens oversight to curb dumping, the market is reverting to more disciplined commercial dynamics

Japan's Yaskawa Electric is pointing to a turning point in its earnings trajectory, with AI-driven robotics and semiconductor equipment demand converging to lift orders, margins, and outlook

Japan is accelerating efforts to rebuild a domestic advanced semiconductor ecosystem, with Rapidus at the center of a state-backed push spanning 2nm logic, advanced packaging, and AI chip demand creation

China's push for AI self-sufficiency is lifting Hygon Information Technology from a server CPU supplier into a broader AI compute platform player. Its "CPU + DCU (Deep Computing Unit)" strategy is now taking shape, positioning the company to serve both general-purpose and AI workloads in a market racing to localise computing power

The choice of sensing architecture and the efficiency of data iteration have emerged as decisive factors in the competitiveness of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and higher-level autonomous driving. Increasingly, they shape not only technological leadership but also brand perception and sales performance