DIGITIMES Asia news

Monday 19 January 2026

Tariffs reshuffle global supply chains, but US manufacturing revival remains elusive

Geopolitics has become an unavoidable force shaping business decisions in 2026. Shifting tariff policies under President Donald Trump have pushed global supply chains away from pure globalization and toward regional and localized production. While Washington has repeatedly called for manufacturing to return to the United States, executives across the industry say the economic and structural obstacles remain formidable

Research Insight: The rising chip cost inside every car is forcing a rethink in China

Monday 19 January 2026

China's rare earth supply hit by factory blast as exports slip

Monday 19 January 2026

Glass fiber supply crunch hits AI hardware and Apple's 2026 devices

Monday 19 January 2026

Trump questions USMCA, opens door to Chinese carmakers

Monday 19 January 2026

LATEST STORIES

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Samsung foundry utilization reportedly nears 60% as losses narrow

Samsung Electronics' foundry business is showing signs of a gradual recovery, with fab utilization expected to average in the low-60% range in the first half of 2026, up from the 50% range in the second half of 2025, according to a report by ZDNet Korea

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Trump's Greenland ambition triggers EU tariff war, shipping rates plunge

The four-year Russia-Ukraine war stalemate persists, while escalating US-EU tensions linked to the US attempt to purchase Greenland have triggered retaliatory tariffs and market disruptions. Europe's imposition of tariffs and restrictions worth EUR93 billion (US$107.95 billion) on US companies is contributing to a sharp decline in global shipping indexes

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Foxconn lighthouse factory brings sustainable manufacturing and GenAI-driven decarbonization to Vietnam

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has named Foxconn Industrial Internet's (FII) Bac Ninh Province facility in Vietnam as the country's first Sustainable Lighthouse Factory, recognizing its use of generative AI (GenAI) to deliver measurable carbon reductions and set a new benchmark for green manufacturing

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Supply chain shifts strategies as China tightens rare earth export controls

Amid escalating geopolitical tensions between China and Japan, China has recently imposed stricter review measures on rare earth exports to Japan. Chinese authorities now reportedly require exporters to submit more detailed declarations, including the actual use of rare earths, the products they are applied to, and whether these products are re-exported to the US or other third countries

Tuesday 20 January 2026

US semiconductor tariffs may weigh on Malaysia's export-driven industries

The US' recent announcement of a 25% tariff on certain advanced computing chips, including Nvidia's H200 and AMD's MI325X, could have implications for Malaysia's semiconductor sector, though experts suggest immediate effects may be limited. The tariffs, justified by the White House on national security grounds, aim to incentivize domestic chip production and reduce reliance on overseas suppliers such as Taiwan

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Nvidia Alpamayo sparks VLA computing power race as South Korea preps for autonomous ecosystem

At CES 2026 in the US, Nvidia unveiled its open-source vision-language-action (VLA) model series, Alpamayo, signaling a new phase in the development of autonomous driving technologies. The launch has intensified competition among global automakers, which are now ramping up investment and racing to secure computing power centered on VLA architectures

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Kaynes Semicon secures ISM fiscal support in India chip push

Kaynes Semicon Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kaynes Technology India Limited, has signed a Fiscal Support Agreement and related transaction documents with the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM), marking a key procedural milestone in the implementation of government-backed incentives for semiconductor manufacturing

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Alibaba's Qwen expansion links AI directly to consumer services

Alibaba is repositioning its Qwen artificial intelligence app as more than a chatbot, turning it into a gateway to the company's vast consumer ecosystem. The app now connects directly with core Alibaba services, including Taobao, Alipay, and Fliggy, enabling users to shop, make payments, and book travel all within one app

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Foxconn deepened its manufacturing presence in China with new joint venture

Foxconn has established a joint venture, Henan Hongchuang Technology, in Zhengzhou, China, to enhance its manufacturing capabilities and supply chain resilience, with production set to begin in the second quarter of 2026

Tuesday 20 January 2026

China's rare earth prices rise for 6th consecutive quarter, inflation pressure returns to supply chain

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has tightened export controls on dual-use items to Japan, underscoring the growing strategic role of rare earth elements amid complex geopolitical and resource considerations. Concurrently, two leading Chinese rare earth producers, China Northern Rare Earth High-Tech Group and Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union, announced a 2.4% price increase for rare earth concentrates in the first quarter of 2026, marking the sixth consecutive quarterly hike since the third quarter of 2024

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Memory supply constraints and rising costs force China's smartphone brands to scale back 2026 shipment forecasts

China's major smartphone manufacturers are revising their 2026 shipment forecasts downward amid tightening memory supply and surging prices, according to Jiemian News. Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Transsion have reportedly reduced their full-year smartphone shipment forecasts amid escalating upstream material costs that are increasingly pressuring mid- to low-end device segments, particularly those targeting overseas markets

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Alibaba-backed PixVerse introduces real-time AI video tool with interactive control

PixVerse, a platform operated by Alibaba-backed Aishi Technology, has launched a real-time, interactive artificial intelligence (AI) video-generation tool that lets users control character actions during video creation. The new feature potentially enables novel business models by offering an unprecedented level of user engagement, according to reports from CNBC and Forbes

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Naver Cloud fails South Korea's AI foundation model selection

Based on the results of the first phase of South Korea's independent AI foundation model selection, LG AI Research, SK Telecom, and Upstage have advanced to the next stage. However, Naver Cloud and NC failed to pass the evaluation. Naver was judged as insufficiently autonomous because of controversy that it uses a Chinese-made vision encoder

Tuesday 20 January 2026

AUO turns Suzhou plant into 'Talent Lighthouse' with AI at the core

AUO Corporation has transformed its Suzhou manufacturing facility into what it calls a "Talent Lighthouse Factory," a first for the global display industry. The designation underscores how AI has become central not only to the company's digital transformation, but also to a parallel reinvention of how talent is recruited, managed, and retained

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Samsung Device Solutions eyes 47% bonuses after profit surge

Samsung Electronics on January 16 announced payout ratios for its 2025 excess profit performance incentive, with the Device Solutions (DS) division set to receive bonuses equivalent to 47% of annual base salary. The level represents a sharp rebound from 14% for 2024 and zero in 2023

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