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Tuesday 4 August 2026
Samsung Foundry nears full utilization, but 2nm yields remain a hurdle
Samsung Electronics' contract chipmaking business could approach full utilization in the second half of 2026, marking a potential turning point after prolonged underuse weighed on earnings.
Tuesday 4 August 2026
China claims 8 in 10 robots worldwide are made at home

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said humanoid robots have become a key symbol of the country's emerging manufacturing sector, claiming that 8 of every 10 humanoid and quadruped robots sold globally are produced by Chinese companies. The remarks came at a July 31 press briefing and also highlighted progress in IC design, semiconductor equipment, wafer fabrication, and packaging and testing.

Tuesday 4 August 2026
HP, Asus and Acer reportedly turn to CXMT for laptop memory

HP, Asus and Acer have begun using limited quantities of DRAM from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) in selected budget notebooks sold outside the US, Nikkei Asia reported, as a global memory shortage pushes PC makers to widen their supplier base.

Tuesday 4 August 2026
Intel China adds day 0 support for MiniMax H3 after DeepSeek

Intel China has completed day-0 adaptation for MiniMax H3, the latest multimodal generative model from Chinese AI startup MiniMax, following its earlier support for the DeepSeek model family. The move underscores Intel's push to capture local AI deployment opportunities in China's growing open-source model ecosystem.

Tuesday 4 August 2026
Samsung Electro-Mechanics reportedly fast-tracks Philippine MLCC plant in wake of AI-driven price hikes

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO) is reportedly pulling forward the start-up of its first overseas multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) plant, a move that underscores how an AI-driven scramble for the tiny components is reshaping pricing and investment across the industry.

Tuesday 4 August 2026
Alibaba unveils biggest Qwen model as DeepSeek deepens China's AI price war
Alibaba Group unveiled Qwen3.8-Max on August 3, calling it its largest and most capable artificial intelligence (AI) model to date, as DeepSeek's low-cost V4-Flash intensified competition over the price of running advanced AI systems.
Tuesday 4 August 2026
China tightens chip layout design protection to strengthen domestic semiconductor innovation

China has revised its regulations on the protection of integrated circuit (IC) layout designs, introducing stricter registration requirements, stronger enforcement measures and clearer commercialization rules as Beijing steps up efforts to strengthen its domestic semiconductor industry amid ongoing US technology restrictions.

Tuesday 4 August 2026
Kumamoto semiconductor production recovers, TSMC's Japan subsidiary returns to normal operations

TSMC has announced that Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM), its subsidiary in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, has resumed normal operations following production disruptions caused by the recent Kumamoto earthquake.

Tuesday 4 August 2026
CXMT reportedly weighs second Beijing DRAM fab as Chinese cities compete for memory chip investment

China's leading DRAM maker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is considering building a second 12-inch memory chip fabrication plant in Beijing's Yizhuang district while holding early-stage financing talks with entities backed by the Beijing municipal government, according to a Reuters report. The proposed project would further expand the company's manufacturing footprint as AI-driven demand continues to tighten global memory supply.

Tuesday 4 August 2026
Taiwan-Japan semiconductor ties go beyond supply chain partnerships
Cooperation between Taiwan and Japan in semiconductors will go beyond supply-chain partnerships towards joint technological innovation and talent development, according to Taiwan's former Minister of Economic Affairs Jyh-huei Kuo.
Tuesday 4 August 2026
India rumored to move to extend electronics tax breaks to 2041, widening pitch against China

India is reportedly proposing to extend key tax exemptions for foreign electronics manufacturers until 2041, a move that hands Apple a lobbying win and deepens a widening set of incentives designed to pull global hardware production away from China.

Tuesday 4 August 2026
ispace turns to H3 for 2028 mission as Japan builds domestic lunar transport stack

Japan's effort to localize lunar transportation is gaining momentum as the government and private sector seek to reduce reliance on overseas launch services and establish a domestically supported lunar logistics system.

Tuesday 4 August 2026
Montage brings CXL 3.2 memory expansion to AI data centers with Samsung, SK Hynix support

Montage Technology has begun pilot production of what it says is the industry's first CXL 3.2 memory expansion controller, targeting growing memory capacity and pooling requirements across AI, cloud computing and data centers.

Tuesday 4 August 2026
Unitree sees 1H26 revenue rise over 35% on humanoid robot demand

China's leading humanoid robot maker Unitree Technology expects first-half 2026 revenue to reach roughly CNY1.1 billion (US$155.8 million), an increase of 35.6% to 45.4% year on year, as demand for embodied AI continues to grow and the company expands its business scale.

Tuesday 4 August 2026
Roborock beats Samsung, LG to win over 70% of South Korea's robot vacuum market
Roborock Technology has grown from its roots in China to become the world's leading robot vacuum brand, securing the top spot in the global market for three years in a row and beating the runner-up in 2025 by more than 10pp with a commanding 27% share of the market worldwide. As competition in its home market of China grows increasingly fierce, Roborock has instead seen overseas revenue surpass domestic revenue for the first time in 2025.