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Monday 5 January 2026
Kawasaki banned by Japanese defense ministry over submarine engine fraud, raising export trust concerns
Japan's Ministry of Defense announced in December 2025 that it had suspended Kawasaki Heavy Industries from bidding on defense contracts until March 11, 2026, a 2.5-month ban following revelations of falsified fuel efficiency data for submarine engines supplied to the Maritime Self-Defense Force
Monday 5 January 2026
Nexchip Semiconductor launches US$5.1bn Hefei fab to scale 28nm mature-node capacity

China's domestic foundry expansion gained momentum this week as Nexchip Semiconductor broke ground on its Phase IV project in Hefei, committing CNY35.5 billion (approx. US$5.07 billion) to expand 12-inch wafer capacity and deepen its position in mature-node manufacturing

Monday 5 January 2026
Weekly news roundup: TSMC widens 2 nm edge as South Korea boosts chip spending; Huawei eyes memory bottlenecks
These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of Dec 29 - Jan 4
Monday 5 January 2026
SK Telecom unveils South Korea's first 500-billion-parameter AI model A.X K1
South Korea's leading telecom operator SK Telecom (SKT) has introduced A.X K1, a 500-billion-parameter AI model developed under a national AI initiative to establish a foundational platform for the country, highlighting SKT's efforts to align AI technology with national strategy and industrial applications
Monday 5 January 2026
SK On slows investment and delays Seosan factory expansion with EV market uncertainty
SK On, a battery unit of SK Innovation, has scaled back its investment plans and postponed the expansion of its new factory in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, due to a slowdown in the electric vehicle (EV) market and uncertain battery demand. Initially planning to invest KRW17.534 trillion (approx. US$12.15 billion) to develop a third plant and upgrade the second plant, SK On has cut the committed investment to KRW936.3 billion so far, with around KRW820 billion to be spent later as part of the revised expansion schedule
Monday 5 January 2026
Trump orders divestment of EMCORE chip assets, tightening US scrutiny of foreign semiconductor deals
US President Donald Trump has ordered the divestment of certain semiconductor assets of EMCORE Corporation following a national security review that identified risks linked to foreign ownership, according to a White House executive order and a statement from the US Treasury Department
Monday 5 January 2026
South Korea steps up race to build sovereign AI foundation model
South Korea is intensifying competition to develop a sovereign AI foundation model, with five leading teams from industry and academia unveiling first-phase results. The contenders highlighted differences in parameter scale, multimodal capabilities, and vertical applications. By mid-January 2026, four teams will be selected to advance to the next stage
Saturday 3 January 2026
Analysis: Japan targets advanced packaging to crack TSMC's manufacturing edge
Japanese semiconductor firms are pivoting toward advanced packaging and alternative lithography as TSMC extends its scale advantage in artificial intelligence chips. TSMC's 3nm and 2nm capacity is largely locked in. Advanced packaging now contributes a growing share of sales. The company is on track to see annual revenue exceed US$250 billion around 2029 or 2030. That widening gap has pushed Japanese companies to focus on panel-level packaging and nanoimprint technologies. Both emerged at SEMICON Japan 2025 as key levers to bypass manufacturing bottlenecks and secure a foothold in the fast-expanding AI accelerator supply chain
Friday 2 January 2026
Global auto market faces turning point in 2026 as competition in China intensifies
The global automotive market reached a critical turning point in 2025 amid unprecedented pressures from tariffs, policies, and inflation, triggering preemptive buying before expected downturns. In China, domestic sales are estimated to have hit 27 million units in 2025, nearing the historic peak of 2017
Friday 2 January 2026
Baidu's AI chip unit Kunlunxin confidentially files for Hong Kong IPO
Baidu is moving forward with plans to spin off its AI chip unit, Kunlunxin, and list it in Hong Kong, highlighting the company's push for semiconductor self-sufficiency. On January 1, 2025, Baidu said Kunlunxin confidentially filed a listing application with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, formally setting the stage for a potential initial public offering, though key details such as the offering size, structure, and timing remain undecided
Friday 2 January 2026
CXMT logs first annual profit on DRAM price rebound

ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) returned to profitability in 2025, recording its first full year of net income after a rebound in global DRAM prices and a sharp increase in the value of its chip inventory reversed years of losses. The turnaround followed an extended period of heavy capital spending and came as accelerating demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure tightened global memory supply

Friday 2 January 2026
US approval of TSMC equipment exports to China reflects strategy shift
Following reports that the US government had granted annual export licenses to South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) has also approved TSMC to export chip manufacturing equipment containing US technology to its wafer fabs in Nanjing and other locations in China over the next year. The approval ensures existing production lines can continue operating normally and meet product delivery schedules
Friday 2 January 2026
China's CXMT moves toward IPO with global DRAM share nearing 4%
China's leading DRAM producer, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), has entered the initial public offering phase as it targets a rapid increase in global market share, aiming to surpass the 4% threshold in the near term, according to its IPO prospectus and market estimates. The move comes as the company accelerates capacity expansion and technology upgrades to close the gap with industry leaders Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology in a market dominated by a handful of suppliers
Friday 2 January 2026
Samsung reportedly seals land deal, paving way for Yongin semiconductor complex
Samsung Electronics has taken a key step toward building a massive semiconductor manufacturing complex in Yongin after finalizing a land purchase for a national industrial park, moving the long-planned project into its execution phase
Friday 2 January 2026
Samsung aims for 2026 HBM4 mass production after customer validation
Samsung Electronics plans to begin mass production of its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory chips in 2026, citing positive feedback from customers as the South Korean tech giant seeks to reclaim its lead in the competitive artificial intelligence hardware market