Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan met recently with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdullah Al-Swaha, to discuss potential collaborations in semiconductor manufacturing, advanced computing, and artificial intelligence infrastructure, according to reports from Arab News and Wccftech.

All eyes are turning to Daegu, South Korea, as the 2025 Future Innovation Tech Expo, or FIX 2025, is set to open on October 22, 2025, at the EXCO center. Running for four days through October 25, 2025, the event is built around the theme "The Future Already Begun, All on AI." The expo will showcase cutting-edge developments in mobility, robotics, information and communication technology (ICT), and startups, highlighting Daegu's growing role in South Korea's AI-driven industrial transformation.

At the OCP Global Summit, Broadcom and Arm presented a joint call for a radical architectural shift in PCI Express, arguing that the industry must move beyond long-standing ordering constraints to unlock the full potential of PCIe 7.0 for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads.

Below are the top DIGITIMES Asia stories from October 13 to 19, 2025.

Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) announced the winners of the 2025 Future Tech Award. Among the winners is the infant cardiac robotic surgical system (iCROSS) developed by Professor Cheng-wei Chen's team from National Taiwan University's (NTU) Department of Electrical Engineering. The system achieves a level of precision beyond what the da Vinci surgical system is capable of.

South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) has launched a Rare Earth Supply Chain Task Force to shield domestic industries from China's tightened export controls.

DIGITIMES attended SEMICON West 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona, where the event set an 18-year record for both attendance and exhibitor participation. In an exclusive interview, SEMI president and CEO Ajit Manocha shared insights on the show's success and the evolving semiconductor market landscape.

Dixon Technologies reported strong growth across its mobile, telecom, and IT hardware divisions in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, driven by new joint ventures, expanding production capacities, and rising export opportunities.

Apple CEO Tim Cook received a custom Labubu during his recent visit to China, where he met with Pop Mart founder Wang Ning and Labubu creator Kasing Lung. This meeting has sparked heated discussions and marks a shift for Apple in China.

On October 17, 2025, Dixon Technologies posted robust results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 (April 2025 to March 2026), with revenue rising 28.8% year-on-year to INR148.55 billion (US$1.69 billion), driven by higher demand across its electronics manufacturing segments. The company's operating income grew 29.1% to INR4.65 billion, reflecting improved efficiency and scale benefits from expanding production volumes.