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Thursday 15 January 2026
Japan fortifies rare-earth supply chain against China risk
China has tightened export controls on rare earths and other dual-use materials bound for Japan, prompting Tokyo to formalise a rare-earth stockpiling policy and work with G7 partners to accelerate efforts to reduce supply-chain dependence on China
Thursday 15 January 2026
China's WUS to build US$300m optical-electrical PCB hub for AI systems
WUS Printed Circuit (Kunshan) Co. plans to invest up to US$300 million in a high-density optical-electrical printed circuit board (PCB) project aimed at supporting next-generation packaging and interconnect requirements for AI servers, high-performance computing (HPC), and advanced networking systems
Wednesday 14 January 2026
China tech restrictions complicate Reliance battery cell plans
Reports that Reliance Industries has paused plans to manufacture lithium-ion battery cells have reignited debate over India's clean-energy ambitions, highlighting technology bottlenecks even as the conglomerate insists its net-zero strategy and investment roadmap remain firmly on track
Wednesday 14 January 2026
China lifts semiconductor equipment localization to 35%
China's push to localize its semiconductor equipment supply chain has reached an unexpected milestone. Domestic tools accounted for 35% of chipmaking equipment used in 2025, up from 25% a year earlier and well above the government's original 30% target. Data from Jiemian News, SCMP, and Cacnews show localization has risen from just 7% in 2020, a nearly 400% increase in five years. In key process steps such as etching and thin-film deposition, Chinese tools now exceed 40% adoption
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Ola Electric enters residential energy storage market with Shakti BESS launch
EV manufacturer Ola Electric has rolled out Ola Shakti, a residential battery energy storage system (BESS), from its gigafactory in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, marking the company's formal entry into India's residential energy storage market and an expansion beyond its core automotive business, according to ANI, PV Magazine, and the Economic Times
Wednesday 14 January 2026
SK Hynix to invest in new advanced packaging plant amid AI memory demand
SK Hynix has announced plans to invest KRW19 trillion (US$13.02 billion) to construct a new advanced packaging facility, P&T7, in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The move aims to meet growing demand for AI memory and bolster the company's semiconductor capabilities, particularly in high bandwidth memory (HBM)
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Samsung will adopt South Korea-made mask blanks to EUV process to reduce reliance on Japan
Samsung Electronics is set to introduce South Korea-made mask blanks into its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) process starting as early as the second quarter of 2026. According to ET News and The Elec, Samsung is in the final evaluation stages of its EUV mask blanks with local supplier S&S Tech and is expected to be completed by January 2026, or by February at the latest. This is the first time Samsung will use domestically produced mask blanks in its EUV process
Wednesday 14 January 2026
SK Hynix reportedly trims consumer memory, shifts focus to servers

Surging demand for AI hardware is prompting memory makers to reassess their product portfolios as resources shift toward higher-margin enterprise and data center markets. Following Micron's decision to exit its Crucial consumer business late last year, market speculation has emerged that SK Hynix may also be reviewing its exposure to consumer-grade memory products

Wednesday 14 January 2026
Iluvatar CoreX sets three-generation GPU plan, eyes H200 performance
As China's domestic GPU developers accelerate public listings and expand both technological and capital investment, competition is shifting toward next-generation computing power. Iluvatar CoreX said it will unveil a three-generation GPU roadmap on January 26, 2026, outlining a new GPGPU architecture, cloud-based AI training and inference products, and high-performance computing infrastructure plans
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Google reportedly looks to shift high-end Pixel development to Vietnam to address export scrutiny
Google is reportedly planning to move the New Product Introduction (NPI) process for its high-end Pixel smartphones to Vietnam, a step that could mark a major shift in the tech giant's supply chain strategy, though export controls from Beijing may slow implementation, according to Nikkei Asia
Wednesday 14 January 2026
China's new export trio drives 2025 trade growth
China's total trade in goods reached CNY45.47 trillion (approx. US$6.51 trillion) in 2025, marking a 3.8% year-over-year increase and setting a new record, the General Administration of Customs announced on January 14. Exports rose 6.1% to CNY26.99 trillion, while imports edged up 0.5% to CNY18.48 trillion, maintaining China's status as the largest merchandise trader globally
Wednesday 14 January 2026
China extends anti-dumping tariffs on US and Korean polysilicon
As China–US technological and industrial rivalry intensifies, Beijing is strengthening its trade defence measures. China's Ministry of Commerce announced on the 13th that anti-dumping duties on imported solar-grade polysilicon from the US and South Korea will be extended for another five years from January 14, 2026
Wednesday 14 January 2026
DeepSeek V4 and the new economics of AI compute
In early 2025, as most Silicon Valley AI firms focused on stacking high-end GPUs and expanding parameter counts, Chinese startup DeepSeek took a different path. Using a pragmatic engineering approach under constrained computing resources, it delivered model performance that exceeded market expectations and caught the AI community off guard. At the time, many dismissed it as a one-off "cost-performance ambush." In hindsight, it now appears more like a prelude
Wednesday 14 January 2026
South Korea's tech independence drive under scrutiny over China links
South Korea's push to build sovereign artificial intelligence foundation models is facing heightened scrutiny as several domestic contenders in a government-backed selection process are accused of relying on Chinese technologies, raising questions about how independence should be defined in national AI development
Wednesday 14 January 2026
CXMT launches US$4bn bid to break DRAM market control
Surging artificial intelligence (AI) workloads have triggered a global shortage of HBM, tightening DRAM and NAND supply and pushing prices sharply higher. US PC maker HP is now evaluating memory procurement from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) to relieve mounting supply pressure