These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of November 17 to November 23, 2025

South Korean battery maker SK On has restructured its investment portfolio by exchanging shares with Chinese battery firm EVE Energy, resulting in SK On acquiring full ownership of its Jiangsu-based joint venture SKOJ and divesting its entire stake in the Guangdong-based EUE factory. This move aims to enhance operational efficiency amid challenges in the EV market

Japanese ceramics firm NGK Insulators has announced plans to triple its production capacity of support wafers by fiscal year 2027 (April 2027-March 2028). More specifically, these refer to double-sided polished alumina ceramic HICERAM Carriers used in chiplet packaging

Doosan Electronic Business Group (Doosan Electro-Materials) is on track to become the exclusive supplier of copper-clad laminate (CCL) for Nvidia's next-generation AI chip, Rubin, following Taiwan competitor Elite Material Co. (EMC)'s failure to pass quality certification for the Nvidia Blackwell GB300 compute tray

SK Hynix is reportedly preparing a major ramp-up of its next-generation 1c DRAM production, with plans to increase capacity eightfold in 2026 to meet rising demand for high-performance general-purpose memory in server and accelerator systems. The chipmaker is expected to boost output of GDDR7 and SOCAMM2 modules built on the 1c platform to support growing orders from Nvidia and global cloud service providers

The 2025 Intel Technology Innovation and Industry Ecosystem Conference was held from November 19 to 21, 2025, in Chongqing, China. At the event, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan and newly appointed chairman of Intel China Alan Wang both made their first public appearances in China following their appointments. They took office in March and September 2025, respectively. In contrast to former CEO Pat Gelsinger, their remarks focused heavily on AI

Electric vehicles continued to dominate Hon Hai Tech Day (HHTD25) this year, with Foxconn unveiling a fully realized version of its Model A concept and framing the project around the idea of "From Japan for Japan.

As control of the low-Earth-orbit satellite market consolidates among a small number of global operators, KT Group's satellite arm, KT Sat, has issued a warning that South Korea must develop an autonomous "sovereign network" and secure influence in future standard-setting

On the opening day of Hon Hai Tech Day, Foxconn introduced a new reference EV, the Model A—its most concentrated focused push yet to tailor electric vehicles for specific industries and use cases. Jun Seki, chief strategy officer for the company's electric-vehicle business, unveiled three distinct versions of the Model A on the main stage, each designed for different commercial and consumer needs. The vehicles combine advanced AI features with a modular component architecture aimed at driving down costs and broadening application scenarios

Samsung Electronics is reportedly planning to raise the monthly output of its next-generation 2nm foundry process to as many as 21,000 wafers by the end of 2026, according to new industry projections. The increase would represent a 163% jump from 2024 and could significantly narrow the company's long-standing performance and capacity gap with TSMC

SoftBank Group plans to invest up to US$3 billion to turn a former electric-vehicle plant in Lordstown, Ohio, into a manufacturing hub for OpenAI's modular AI data-center hardware. The Information reports the site is expected to enter production in the first quarter of 2026, as part of a wider White House–backed investment framework announced in January 2025 that includes SoftBank's US$18 billion commitment

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is drawing on its nine decades of experience as it seeks new opportunities in the global bus market. According to Katsuto Kora, director and head of Fuso Bus, the Fuso brand is "deeply rooted in Japan but unmistakably international," reflecting both its longevity and global reach

Lenovo expects memory costs to stay high in 2026, but unlike many PC and smartphone makers, it says long-term supply is already secured. CEO Yang Yuanqing confirmed that Lenovo has signed "optimal agreements" with major component suppliers to ensure stable supply and competitive pricing through a year he anticipates will face continued DRAM and NAND shortages

China's chip-design boom is accelerating despite US export controls, with demand for domestic semiconductors rising sharply. With advanced-node restrictions still in force, Chinese system makers and suppliers are replacing imported components with locally designed chips, propelling the IC design industry into one of its strongest growth phases in decades