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Wednesday 6 November 2024
To split or not to split: Intel's dilemma has no clear-cut solution
Intel is grappling with an operational crisis as its IDM 2.0 transformation plan has yet to yield results, casting doubt on when its foundry business might finally become profitable. This raises the question of whether Intel should consider abandoning its IDM model and separating its product design and manufacturing divisions—a move with both potential advantages and drawbacks. Industry leaders, including former board members, are offering advice in hopes of helping Intel find a viable path forward. However, the conflicting nature of their advice highlights the complexity of the company's dilemma
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Thursday 21 May 2026
Analysis: Lens Technology seeks control of Ju Teng to expand beyond Apple
Lens Technology's bid for control of Ju Teng International Holdings is putting renewed focus on changes in the notebook supply chain, as the Chinese supplier seeks to reduce its reliance on Apple and broaden its product portfolio
Thursday 21 May 2026
Column: Agentic AI's autonomy problem—the security risks from machines that act
Artificial intelligence is undergoing a fundamental shift. Generative AI — passive, prompt-dependent, inert without input — has given way to agentic systems that reason, plan, and act on their own. The change is not incremental. It is architectural
Thursday 21 May 2026
Analysis: Why Taiwan's telcos aren't following the US playbook on satellite
Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have formed a joint venture to expand direct-to-device (D2D) satellite service and eliminate mobile coverage dead zones across the US, prompting scrutiny over whether Taiwan's three major telecom operators could replicate that model. The US move throws into relief the contrasts in market size, competition, and regulatory context that shape incentives for cooperation
Wednesday 20 May 2026
Commentary: China hardens AI self-reliance push after Trump-Xi talks
After the Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, China's senior leadership has stepped up inspections of artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing and computing infrastructure, offering a clear signal of where Beijing wants its technology policy to move over the next three years
Wednesday 20 May 2026
Commentary: Musk, Huang, and H200—Nvidia's last chip in China
US President Donald Trump's trip to China with 17 business leaders thrust Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang back into the spotlight — as Beijing's position on Nvidia's H200 chips and China's broader AI supply chain continue to reshape the market narrative
Tuesday 19 May 2026
Commentary: TSMC Arizona profit tops SMIC and UMC combined, fueled by three key drivers
TSMC's Arizona fab has turned profitable, surprising the market and supply chain after years of warnings from founder Morris Chang and others that overseas fabs could lose money. Supply-chain sources say the US plant has now benefited from six years of process tweaks and ramp-up, while three factors drove the turnaround
Tuesday 19 May 2026
Analysis: CXMT's profit surge highlights tighter memory-logic ties in China
ChangXin Memory Technologies' latest IPO financial disclosures have sent a strong signal across China's semiconductor industry, revealing how quickly the country's top DRAM maker has moved from years of losses to sharply higher profitability
Tuesday 19 May 2026
Commentary: Sanctions reshaped China's foundry sector — just not in the way markets expected
China's foundry sector is charting a different course as the global semiconductor market remains focused on AI GPUs, the 2nm process node, and advanced packaging. Led by Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) and Hua Hong Semiconductor, domestic Chinese foundries have not stalled under US sanctions; instead, they are accelerating efforts to build a China-specific foundry ecosystem amid the AI boom, recovering demand for mature nodes, and a push for supply-chain self-reliance
Friday 15 May 2026
Commentary: The Thucydides trap and TSMC's COUPE
On May 14, Xi Jinping opened his summit with Donald Trump in Beijing by invoking the Thucydides Trap — the idea that a rising power and an established hegemon are structurally destined for conflict. Then he turned to Taiwan. If not handled properly, he warned, the two countries face clashes and even conflicts
Friday 15 May 2026
Analysis: Mythos sparks access fight as AI models become strategic assets
Anthropic's decision to limit access of its advanced model, Claude Mythos, to only the US government and a circle of more than 40 Project Glasswing partners has broad implications for global users and policymakers. It signals that leading AI systems are now being treated as strategic assets, reshaping who can compete, defend, and innovate worldwide
Friday 15 May 2026
Analysis: Europe embraces Chinese EVs while North America loses momentum
Despite persistent uncertainty in the global economy, volatility in energy markets is accelerating a structural shift in the auto industry. New data released May 13 by the consultancy Benchmark Mineral Intelligence shows that surging gasoline prices — driven in large part by turmoil in the Middle East — pushed global electric-vehicle demand higher for a second consecutive month in April 2026, as consumers increasingly turn away from conventional combustion-engine cars
Thursday 14 May 2026
Analysis: Samsung labor standoff underscores diverging Taiwan-Korea semiconductor workforce models
The ongoing Samsung Electronics labor dispute highlights sharply different labor models in South Korea and Taiwan, where firms such as TSMC operate with minimal union presence and rely instead on compensation-driven workforce stability. Industry observers say the Samsung conflict reflects broader tensions over profit sharing during the AI-driven semiconductor upcycle, while Taiwan's tech sector continues to favor high mobility and individual incentives over collective bargaining
Thursday 14 May 2026
Analysis: How OpenAI is playing the Cerebras card to reshape its AI supply chain
OpenAI's deep partnership with chipmaker Cerebras has taken a public turn as Cerebras prepares to list in the US, a development that underscores OpenAI's effort to restructure its compute supply chain without abandoning existing suppliers. The listing arrives amid OpenAI's ongoing legal dispute with Elon Musk
Wednesday 13 May 2026
Commentary: AI server ODMs face margin squeeze as memory costs soar
As AI server orders surge, system assembly makers are finding that more business does not always mean better profits. High-priced GPUs and soaring memory costs are pushing up revenue without lifting manufacturing fees at the same pace, leaving original design manufacturers (ODMs) facing lower gross margins as assembly orders grow
Wednesday 13 May 2026
Commentary: Trump's China dealbook favors Boeing, soybeans, and Wall Street over AI chips
Against a backdrop of persistently high tensions between the US and China, the upcoming Trump-Xi summit is being closely watched not only for its implications for trade, technology controls, and geopolitics, but also as a key signal of how both sides are reassessing the remaining areas where cooperation may still be possible