South Korean space AI solutions provider TelePIX is accelerating the development of high-resolution optical payloads and onboard AI technologies, with plans to launch its next-generation system into space for validation in 2027.
On October 16, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) approved a revised plan from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to build 3nm logic chips at its second fab in Kumamoto Prefecture, on the southern island of Kyushu. 3nm is one of the most advanced chip processes in commercial production. The plan replaces the 6nm and 12nm production approved in February 2024.
Taiwan Mask Corporation (TMC) is expanding its presence in Japan through the acquisition of semiconductor equipment services provider TCK, extending its business beyond precision photomask manufacturing to equipment assembly and engineering support in Japan's growing Kyushu semiconductor market.
Chinese EV giant and AI mobility manufacturer XPeng has made a major appearance at the Paris Automotive Summit by bringing not just its automotive expertise into the European collaborative space, but a broader technology stack built on the automaker's existing strengths in EV manufacturing and humanoid robotics.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) faces potential equipment procurement bottlenecks in its KRW6.78 trillion (approx. US$5.1 billion) expansion of semiconductor substrate production for AI servers, as machinery manufacturers struggle with component shortages and longer delivery times. The South Korean company maintains that its investment is proceeding as planned. No production delay has been confirmed.
FICG is aggressively expanding optical communications production in Malaysia and China to meet surging AI-driven demand, which the company estimates is 3-4x current supply capacity. Chairman Leo Chien described the next three years as a "frenzied expansion period," with the company's Johor, Malaysia, facility set to increase capacity 4x by the end of 2027.
Five senior Samsung Electronics executives, including the heads of its semiconductor and consumer electronics businesses, reportedly traveled to Tokyo on October 13 while chairman Lee Jae-yong was visiting Japan, bringing together the company's three executive directors and key corporate decision-makers as it expands cooperation with Japanese semiconductor suppliers.
Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion into humanoid robotics, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, electric drive systems, and supply chain resources developed through their automotive businesses, according to DIGITIMES Intelligence.
Chinese display manufacturer BOE has made further progress in advanced semiconductor packaging, extending its panel manufacturing expertise to glass-core packaging substrates. At an investor relations event on October 15, BOE said it had completed the full manufacturing process for glass-core substrates, producing 24-layer samples measuring more than 100 × 100mm. The samples have been delivered to customers and passed multiple reliability tests, with further validation underway.
AI-driven NAND demand is entering a supercycle, positioning Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) as the fastest-growing memory supplier. According to Counterpoint Technology Market Research, YMTC's revenue in 2026 is projected to grow six times faster than that of the overall industry and its peers as it expands aggressively into server-related business.
China's semiconductor and computing hardware companies reported or forecast strong earnings growth in the first nine months of 2026, fueled by AI infrastructure investment, demand for domestic processors and optical interconnects, and recovering chip markets. However, diverging quarterly results reveal a widening gap between AI-driven growth and the traditional memory pricing cycle.
Japan is stepping up its push into physical AI, with major technology companies and research institutions showcasing advances in autonomous robot learning, motion sensing, and agricultural automation at CEATEC 2026.
LG Innotek expects to begin supplying glass substrates for advanced semiconductor packaging around 2028 and sees its chip substrate business improving in 2027, as the South Korean components maker seeks to reduce its reliance on smartphone camera modules and expand into automotive technologies.
Japan's automakers are presenting autonomous-driving systems that connect vehicles with road infrastructure as a route toward deployment, highlighting a strategic choice beyond vehicle-only artificial intelligence. At Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2026, Nissan, Subaru, and Toyota are demonstrating technologies that combine onboard systems, cloud data, sensors, and communications to improve safety.
China's leading DRAM manufacturer CXMT has disclosed progress in its 4F² DRAM architecture and plans to introduce DDR5 registered dual in-line memory modules (RDIMMs) by the end of 2026, drawing renewed attention to the country's development of next-generation memory technologies.
