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Thursday 3 September 2026
Samsung Electro-Mechanics eyes 30% MLCC price hikes, ABF up too
Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO) is set to expand the scope of its price increases, with market reports saying the company will raise direct-supply prices for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) sold to OEMs and ODMs in the fourth quarter of 2026, while ABF substrate prices are also climbing. With supply constrained and demand for AI servers strong, further price increases are likely in the near term.
Thursday 3 September 2026
Thailand AiPASS unlocks premium AI after lessons
Thailand has launched its TH-AI Passport and core AiPASS platform, taking a different path from South Korea's national AI push by buying access to overseas commercial AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude and offering them free to citizens. The move aims to expand AI access while addressing the country's widening AI usage gap.
Thursday 3 September 2026
Samsung to add 1,612 new equipment units at Vietnam chip plant
Samsung Electronics is set to install 1,612 brand-new critical semiconductor back-end processing tools manufactured in South Korea at its factory under construction in Vietnam's Thai Nguyen province. Industry analysts say the move shows Samsung is accelerating efforts to turn Vietnam into a major semiconductor back-end manufacturing base.
Thursday 3 September 2026
Macronix boosts sustainability spending to NT$780 million
Macronix (MXIC) said in its latest sustainability report for 2025 that greenhouse gas emissions fell 19.8% from 2024 and 32% from the business-as-usual (BAU) baseline, beating its original 20% reduction target. The memory chip maker also said it invested about NT$780 million (approx. US$24.66 million) in environmental, safety, and health initiatives in 2025.
Thursday 3 September 2026
MiniMax, Z.ai revenues surge on API demand but adjusted losses widen
Two of China's first listed foundation-model developers are showing that demand for their technology can translate into rapidly growing revenue. Turning that demand into profit remains a much harder problem.
Thursday 3 September 2026
TIME AI 100 spotlights China's new AI guard, from Moonshot, Z.ai to AgiBot, Manus
TIME recently unveiled its 2026 list of the 100 most influential people in AI. Alongside leaders of major technology companies, the list includes a new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs spanning AI models, humanoid robots, and AI agents, highlighting how China's AI industry is expanding beyond large language models into a broader range of technologies and applications.
Wednesday 2 September 2026
Samsung, SK Hynix inventories surge as valuation reserves fall
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix ended the first half of 2026 holding sharply more inventory than six months earlier, an unusual development in a memory market where demand continues to strain available supply.
Wednesday 2 September 2026
World's first legged robot standard sets global benchmark for humanoids, robot dogs
China-led experts have released what CCTV described as the world's first international standard for legged robots, creating a common framework for evaluating humanoid robots, robot dogs and other machines designed to walk, run, climb slopes and cross obstacles.
Wednesday 2 September 2026
India reportedly readies AI agent payments on UPI, its national payment rails
India is preparing a framework that would allow AI agents to make small digital payments without requiring user approval for every transaction, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. This would be a step that would put one of the world's largest payment networks behind agentic commerce.
Wednesday 2 September 2026
China's Galactic Energy puts PALLAS-1 in orbit, raising stakes in reusable rocket race
Chinese private launch company Galactic Energy Space Technology Co. has successfully flown PALLAS-1, its medium-to-large reusable liquid-fuel rocket, marking its expansion into a dual solid- and liquid-fuel portfolio.
Wednesday 2 September 2026
Meta reportedly taps SeeYA for Phoenix OLEDoS panels as BOE fails to qualify

Meta has reportedly tapped Chinese microdisplay maker SeeYA Technology to supply OLED-on-silicon (OLEDoS) panels for its next-generation lightweight mixed-reality headset, codenamed Phoenix, while rival BOE failed to obtain supplier qualification, according to South Korea's The Elec.

Wednesday 2 September 2026
Manus resumes independent operations after Meta deal collapses
Manus has resumed independent operations under its founding team, closing a turbulent chapter that began with Meta Platforms' multibillion-dollar acquisition of the AI agent startup and ended after Chinese regulators ordered the transaction canceled.
Wednesday 2 September 2026
ByteDance-ZTE Nubia NaviX Ultra clears launch hurdle, takes agentic AI beyond smartphone assistants
ByteDance and ZTE are preparing to launch the Nubia NaviX Ultra in September after the AI smartphone received China's network access approval, clearing the regulatory process from large-model filing to device certification.
Wednesday 2 September 2026
Chinese foundry Hua Hong Grace adds 55,000-wpm Wuxi capacity in US$4.17 billion Phase III buildout
Chinese foundry Hua Hong Grace Semiconductor (HHGrace) is preparing another major expansion of its 12-inch wafer capacity, reinforcing its specialty-process footprint after a sharp earnings rebound and record shipments in the first half of 2026.
Wednesday 2 September 2026
China moves to curb overseas price wars as automakers accelerate global expansion

China has introduced new guidelines aimed at steering its automotive industry toward more orderly competition overseas as domestic automakers and suppliers expand rapidly into international markets.