These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of May 12 – May 18. From China's push in DUV lithography and Samsung's resurgence in foundry orders to TSMC's aggressive fab expansion and Europe's looming ban on Chinese inverters, the week highlighted shifting power dynamics across the global tech and semiconductor landscape

A new wave of capital expenditure is sweeping through Taiwan's electronics manufacturing sector, as major firms like Quanta Computer and Foxconn significantly raise their 2025 investment budgets to build new facilities and expand production capacity

Topoint Technology, a Taiwanese supplier of PCB drill bits and drilling services, anticipates revenue growth in the second quarter of 2025, fueled by stable order volumes during the tariff equivalence grace period. However, uncertainty surrounding potential US tariffs continues to cloud demand projections for the second half of the year, posing challenges for the company's planning

Following recent trade talks, the US and China have reached a temporary pause on escalating tariffs, with both sides retreating from previously announced increases. While the deal offers some relief, industry experts caution that disruption to global supply chains is already evident, with three major aftershocks now surfacing across the electronics manufacturing sector

Venture Corp reported declining revenue in the first quarter, as improved product durability in its Lifestyle Consumer segment curbed replacement demand. Despite the dip, the Singapore-based EMS provider expanded margins and saw growth across other technology domains, including Networking & Communications and Advanced Industrials

DIGITIMES visited Singapore, Malaysia, and the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) to explore how Microsoft is shaping the AI landscape in Southeast Asia. The team spoke with Jeth Lee, Microsoft's Regional Legal Director for the Asia-Pacific, and Andrew Lau, Datacenter Launch Lead and Business Program Director for Microsoft Malaysia

China has granted rare earth export permits to domestic magnet manufacturers for the first time since introducing sweeping restrictions in April 2025, in a move reflecting a calibrated stance on mineral controls amid easing trade tensions with the US

Huawei International and Keppel Ltd.'s Infrastructure Division have entered a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly develop renewable energy solutions, particularly in photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage systems (BESS)

The rising demand for high-speed transmission cables, driven by advances in AI technology, was a major topic at VSO Electronics' recent shareholders meeting. Chairman Chung-Cheng Chien acknowledged market uncertainties but assured that AI remains a strong demand area, with no major impacts on customer activity observed

The world is in the midst of an AI revolution, with data center supply chains becoming central to the electronics industry. As software and hardware converge, the focus on "sovereign AI" has heightened attention on cloud service providers' strategic moves

China's auto industry is accelerating, driven by soaring demand for electric vehicles (EVs). New figures from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers report a 9.8% year-over-year increase in new vehicle sales, including exports, reaching 2.59 million units in April. The growth is largely due to a sharp increase in sales of electric and other new-energy vehicles. EVs now account for 49.5% of all new cars sold in China, marking a rise of nearly 10pp from the previous year

CT Semiconductor has begun the second phase of its chip packaging and testing plant in Vietnam, targeting 100 million chips annually by 2027. As the country's first fully locally owned facility, it represents Vietnam's broader semiconductor push alongside major projects from Intel, Amkor, Hana Micron, and government-led initiatives

During an in-depth reporting trip to the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), DIGITIMES explored the evolving AI landscape through exclusive interviews with Microsoft executives from Singapore and Malaysia. As Nvidia and AI supply chain players increasingly highlight "AI implementation" applications, we sought to understand how cloud giants perceive this trend, what enables or hinders progress, and the appropriate role for governments

Trans-Sun Materials Technology has observed a growing demand for advanced transmission solutions in global data centers and AI servers due to the rapid advancement of generative AI and multimodal large models. Next-generation optical communication technologies like silicon photonics, co-packaged optics (CPO), and 1.6T/3.2T high-speed interconnect architectures are transitioning from research to practical application, driving substantial upgrades in AI infrastructure

Zhen Ding has signed an MoU with Thailand's Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) to launch an industry-academia partnership in late 2025. This initiative targets the growing global need for skilled technology professionals and enhanced technical expertise