CONNECT WITH US
Monday 10 August 2026
Apple tests CXMT memory chips as shortage, price pressures persist

Apple has tested DRAM from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies in iPhone and MacBook products as AI-driven memory shortages and rising prices strain global supply, according to reports. The testing has also drawn bipartisan pressure from US lawmakers, who are urging the Commerce Department and Apple leadership to tighten restrictions on Chinese suppliers.

Monday 10 August 2026
Cambricon AI chip revenue doubles as China demand surges, supply capacity holds key
Cambricon Technologies has largely settled the question of whether China's AI chip champion can make money. First-half 2026 revenue rose 108.13% to CNY6 billion (approx. US$890 million), attributable net profit climbed 122.61% to CNY2.31 billion, and adjusted net profit increased 137.30% to CNY2.17 billion. Gross margin held near 55%, extending profitability to seven consecutive quarters.
Monday 10 August 2026
SK Hynix faces US patent fight over HBM, 3D NAND

SK Hynix is facing an expanding US patent dispute with MonolithIC 3D. A second US International Trade Commission (USITC) investigation covers high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and 3D NAND products, alongside parallel litigation in federal court.

Monday 10 August 2026
Semiconductor material prices surge across silicon wafers, specialty gases and advanced packaging
Demand for advanced processes and packaging continues to rise, while the Middle East conflict is lifting energy and raw-material costs and tighter Chinese controls on strategic-mineral exports are disrupting high-purity material supplies. Together, these forces are raising prices for silicon wafers, tungsten hexafluoride (WF6), sputtering targets, electronic-grade chemicals, helium and advanced packaging materials.
Monday 10 August 2026
Taiwan sees limited chip impact from new US polysilicon tariff

The US signed a presidential proclamation on August 6 (ET) imposing a 15% tariff on polysilicon and related products from all countries, with the new measures set to take effect on December 4, 2026. Taiwan's Executive Yuan said the decision was expected to have limited impact on the island's solar sector and highlighted exemptions available to semiconductor-related firms with US investments.

Monday 10 August 2026
Ex-SK Hynix employee gets 18 months for leaking chip secrets to Chinese firms

The Seoul High Court has upheld an 18-month prison sentence for a former SK Hynix employee who leaked trade secrets tied to CMOS image sensor (CIS) technology to Chinese companies while seeking new employment, including with Huawei chip unit HiSilicon.

Monday 10 August 2026
From fabs to feedstock: Washington moves electronics supply-chain controls upstream

A cluster of measures signed and drafted since late July has shifted the center of gravity in US supply-chain policy away from finished electronics and toward the raw materials that feed them.

Monday 10 August 2026
DeepSeek takes Unitree stake to pair AI models with humanoid robots

DeepSeek has invested CNY140.8 million (approx. US$20.8 million) in Unitree's Shanghai IPO and agreed to jointly develop AI models for humanoid robots, linking one of China's highest-profile AI developers with the country's leading robotics contender at a critical stage of Unitree's public-market debut.

Monday 10 August 2026
India roundup: Chip push broadens as localization and capacity remain works in progress
India is accelerating its bid to build a broader semiconductor and electronics ecosystem, combining new packaging capacity, longer-term tax incentives and deeper localization with efforts to expand its chip workforce and sovereign AI capabilities. Investments by ASIP, Dixon, Rashi and global technology partners highlight a strategy increasingly focused on higher-value manufacturing.
Monday 10 August 2026
Kinko July revenue jumps to 12-year high on optical demand
Kinko Optical reported July consolidated revenue of NT$524 million, the highest level in nearly 12 years, as Taiwan's optical industry entered its peak season. The result rose 93.16% from the same month a year earlier and 21.17% from the previous month.
Monday 10 August 2026
Ability Enterprise July revenue hits decade high on stronger optical module shipments
Ability Enterprise posted July revenue of NT$1.159 billion, up 10.5% from June and 64% from a year earlier, reaching its highest monthly level since December 2016. The Taiwanese optics maker also reported cumulative revenue of NT$6.95 billion for the first seven months of the year, a 53% increase from the same period last year.
Monday 10 August 2026
Aurotek profit jumps on embodied AI and semiconductor automation demand
Aurotek Corporation reported stronger second-quarter and first-half 2026 results on August 6 as demand rose for embodied AI solutions, semiconductor foundry and advanced packaging equipment, high-end AI server manufacturing equipment, and service robots used in logistics and inspection. The Taiwan-based supplier said the mix of higher-value products lifted profitability across its business lines.
Monday 10 August 2026
Column: Greening the Gobi Desert—how China built Inner Mongolia's wind power ecosystem

Driven by global net-zero commitments and China's "dual carbon" goals of peaking carbon emissions before achieving carbon neutrality, Inner Mongolia is rapidly transforming from a traditional resource-based economy into a strategic hub for renewable energy and AI computing infrastructure.

Monday 10 August 2026
South Korea charges into the humanoid robot race as conglomerates mobilize

The global humanoid robot race is heating up, with the US and China battling for technological and market leadership, but a third force is rapidly emerging.

Monday 10 August 2026
China’s new renewable rules drive a surge in hydrogen investment
China’s tighter renewable-energy compliance rules have opened the way for green hydrogen, green ammonia, and green methanol to be included in the country’s minimum renewable-energy consumption framework, amid a sharp rise in investment. In the first half of 2026, investment in China’s hydrogen sector increased by more than 160% year-on-year, outpacing the other cited energy infrastructure categories.