DIGITIMES news - East Asia

Thursday 27 August 2026

Xiaomi's Xring O3, O100 and D100 define a three-tier AI chip strategy beyond smartphones

Xiaomi is expanding Xring from a smartphone chip program into a broader AI computing platform spanning consumer devices, vehicles, and edge inference, with three processors assigned to distinct workloads.

Thursday 27 August 2026

Nvidia reportedly shifts HBM4 mix toward 8-high as memory supply stays tight

Nvidia has reportedly asked Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to increase the share of 8-high products in their HBM4 supply mix, as the chipmaker seeks greater flexibility in balancing thermal constraints, packaging yields and memory availability amid tight supply.

Thursday 27 August 2026

Apple, Huawei foldables to collide in September, lifting ultra-thin glass, hinge and cooling demand

Huawei and Apple are set to intensify competition in foldable smartphones in September, accelerating demand across a supply chain spanning foldable OLED panels, ultra-thin glass, hinges, flexible printed circuits and thermal components.

Thursday 27 August 2026

China open-source AI usage hits record high as DeepSeek leads

China's open-weight AI models have surged in usage and have now overtaken proprietary models for the first time. South China Morning Post (SCMP), citing data from US web development platform Vercel, reported that on August 25, Chinese open-weight AI models accounted for 54% of total token usage across its own calls and the agent layer AI Gateway, surpassing proprietary models for the first time.

Thursday 27 August 2026

Research Insight: US humanoid supply chains pivot away from China as Taiwan moves from parts to actuator modules

As the humanoid robot supply chain moves closer to mass-production readiness, Taiwan's precision manufacturing sector is gaining new opportunities to enter the US market, according to DIGITIMES observations.

Thursday 27 August 2026

Beijing's AI4Chip plan puts AI to work on EDA, fabs, advanced packaging

Beijing is extending artificial intelligence deeper into semiconductor production, targeting chip design, wafer fabrication, packaging, testing, equipment, and materials under what local authorities describe as China's first dedicated "AI4Chip" policy.

Thursday 27 August 2026

WRC 2026 signals a new humanoid robot race as competition shifts from bodies to embodied AI models

The 2026 World Robot Conference (WRC 2026) has concluded in Beijing. While the commercial prospects of humanoid robots remain a subject of debate, they once again took center stage at the event. With China continuing to lead the world in humanoid robot shipments, more than 100 robotics-related companies showcased new technologies and unveiled their latest products, making the event not only a magnet for capital but also a window into where the industry is heading.

Wednesday 26 August 2026

YMTC targets global NAND lead by 2027 as parent seeks US$5 billion IPO

Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) is aiming to become the world's largest NAND flash supplier by the end of 2027, setting an aggressive target as its parent prepares a nearly US$5 billion Shanghai listing to fund production upgrades and research.

Wednesday 26 August 2026

Malaysia mobility sector embraces Chinese firms as investment catalyst

Malaysia's mobility industry is welcoming a larger role for Chinese automakers, with investment, technology exchange and supplier development emerging as key themes at GATE 2026. Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii) chairman Aminar Rashid bin Salleh said the growing presence of Chinese car brands is adding new momentum to the country's mobility sector.

Wednesday 26 August 2026

Foxconn shifts China manufacturing from expansion to upgrade

Foxconn is accelerating the geographic diversification of its global manufacturing capacity as AI server demand surges and supply-chain regionalization continues, with 2026 capex expected to rise more than 30% year on year. In China, however, the company is not mounting large-scale capacity expansion in step with the U.S., Mexico, India, and Vietnam. Instead, it is shifting investment toward equipment restructuring, precision manufacturing upgrades, and higher-end production capabilities at existing plants.

Wednesday 26 August 2026

South Korea, US clash over reactor choice in US$350B nuclear deal

South Korea and the United States are at odds over which reactor design to build — and who runs the project — in the nuclear power component of Seoul's US investment package, according to industry sources cited by Korean outlet Edaily.

Wednesday 26 August 2026

China's chip-tool makers are winning share and paying for it in margins

The first-half 2026 accounts now on file from China's listed semiconductor equipment makers describe an industry that has largely settled the question of whether domestic tools can be built and has moved on to a harder one: whether they can be built profitably. Nine of the ten grew revenue by between 13.9% and 49.1% year on year. Gross margins mostly did not follow, and the two largest reported profit jumps turn out, on inspection, to rest heavily on items unrelated to selling equipment.

Wednesday 26 August 2026

China fusion consortium targets 25T superconducting magnet prototype by 2030

China's nuclear fusion supply chain is stepping up work on high-temperature superconducting magnet technology. At the 2026 Fusion Energy Conference on August 25, China Fusion Energy Co. (CFEC) joined Shanghai Superconductor, Eastern Superconducting, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Group, Chaomagnet New Energy, Energy Singularity Energy Technology, Hangzhou Oxygen Plant Group, and Shanghai Yixi Tech to form a Yangtze River Delta innovation consortium focused on China Circulation No. 4 and the development and engineering of high-temperature superconducting high-field tokamak magnets.

Wednesday 26 August 2026

China chip equipment maker Naura posts 25% revenue growth, but R&D and margins squeeze profit

Naura Technology Group posted faster revenue growth than profit in the first half of 2026, with stronger semiconductor equipment sales offset by heavier R&D spending, higher sales costs and weaker gross margins.

Wednesday 26 August 2026

SK hynix production union rejects stock-heavy pay deal by 25 votes

SK hynix's production-worker union has rejected the company's tentative 2026 wage and collective bargaining agreement by just 25 votes, sending the two sides back to the negotiating table as production workers push back against a proposed shift from cash-heavy profit sharing toward stock-based compensation.

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Aug 27, 08:00

ASMPT Showcases Advanced Packaging Innovation at SEMICON Taiwan 2026

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