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Friday 13 March 2026
AW 2026: a reality check for the fully autonomous era
Global headlines may proclaim a fully autonomous era, but AW 2026 told a different story. The show made clear that robots are not yet fully autonomous — a fact obscured by modern robotics coverage. The industry is heading in the right direction, but independent operation remains out of reach. A surprising number of robots were teleoperated via controllers. Those left unsupervised often struggled with basic environmental navigation
Friday 13 March 2026
India's PC shipments hit record in 2025 on AI notebook and enterprise demand
India's traditional PC market reached a record 15.9 million shipments in 2025, rising 10.2% year over year, according to IDC. Strong enterprise demand, rising adoption of AI-enabled notebooks, and robust notebook sales drove the market to its highest annual volume ever
Thursday 12 March 2026
Middle East conflict rattles energy markets, squeezes IC distributors
The ongoing Middle East conflict is disrupting global oil and natural gas supplies and triggering an energy crisis that has pushed up international crude prices. Market expectations for higher inflation have risen, potentially delaying the US Federal Reserve's timeline for interest rate cuts, industry participants say
Thursday 12 March 2026
Middle East conflict raises helium supply risks for South Korean chipmakers
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are reviewing their helium supply strategies as tensions in the Middle East disrupt key logistics routes, raising concerns over the availability of a gas essential to semiconductor manufacturing
Thursday 12 March 2026
Samsung reportedly wins foldable iPhone DRAM supply deal; 12GB LPDDR5X prices double
Samsung has reportedly secured an order to supply 12GB LPDDR5X DRAM for Apple's first foldable iPhone, negotiating a sharply higher price than in previous memory contracts
Thursday 12 March 2026
AMD CEO Lisa Su reportedly plans South Korea trip for Samsung, Naver talks during Nvidia GTC

Reports indicate AMD CEO Lisa Su will visit South Korea in the coming days to discuss cooperation with Samsung Electronics and Naver. Some observers view the trip as an effort to challenge Nvidia's dominance in the AI market by strengthening AMD's partnerships with South Korean companies

Thursday 12 March 2026
India's 2026 semiconductor ramp unlikely to move global wafer supply needle, analysts say
India's plan to bring four semiconductor facilities into commercial production in 2026 marks an important milestone for the country's semiconductor ambitions, but analysts say the move will have only a limited impact on global chip manufacturing capacity
Thursday 12 March 2026
China's space surge: reusable rockets and mega-constellations reshape rivalry with US
China conducted more than 90 orbital launches in 2025 and achieved several milestones, including collecting samples from the far side of the Moon, constructing a low-Earth orbit (LEO) space station, and landing a Mars rover. The progress highlights China's rapid rise in space capabilities and its growing challenge to the US's long-standing leadership
Thursday 12 March 2026
SMIC flags supply squeeze in memory, BCD chips
China's largest contract chipmaker, SMIC, says orders for mature-node memory and BCD processes are running at full capacity, pushing prices higher as AI demand tightens supply across the semiconductor industry
Thursday 12 March 2026
US-Iran clash seen as short-term shock as markets look toward possible de-escalation
The US-Iran military clash has raised concerns about oil supply disruptions and economic fallout. Still, hopes of a quick de-escalation have helped oil prices retreat and capital markets refocus on AI development. US President Donald Trump predicted the conflict would ease by the end of March, shifting market sentiment
Thursday 12 March 2026
Compound semiconductors emerge as critical components in modern air defense radar systems, as seen during Iran conflict
Iran's air defense shortcomings amid persistent US and Israeli strikes underscore the growing importance of high-power radar components and the supply chains that provide them. South Korea's Sky Bow 2 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reportedly intercepted multiple Iranian missiles at an over 90% success rate, highlighting capability disparities
Thursday 12 March 2026
CATL profit jumps 42% in 2025, R&D spending tops US$3.2 billion

CATL released its 2025 annual report on March 9, reporting revenue of CNY423.7 billion (approx. US$61.3 billion), up 17.04% year-over-year. Net profit reached CNY72.2 billion, rising 42.28%, indicating profit growth outpaced revenue expansion

Wednesday 11 March 2026
India eases investment rules for border countries, signaling cautious economic thaw with China
India has relaxed parts of its foreign direct investment screening rules for neighboring countries, including China, in a move aimed at boosting manufacturing while maintaining safeguards. The changes suggest a cautious shift in India-China economic relations after years of tighter restrictions
Wednesday 11 March 2026
China moves to curb OpenClaw use at banks, agencies due to security concerns

Chinese authorities have moved to curb the use of OpenClaw AI software across government agencies and state-owned enterprises (SOEs), including major banks, amid rising concerns over potential security risks linked to the rapidly spreading AI agent platform

Wednesday 11 March 2026
Commentary: Tencent quietly builds WeChat AI agent to reclaim China's super-app lead

Tencent is reportedly developing an AI agent for its flagship messaging platform WeChat, a move that could reshape how users interact with services across China's largest digital ecosystem