South Korean semiconductor packaging and testing company LB Semicon reportedly plans to invest KRW30 billion (approx. US$22.4 million) to expand its power management IC (PMIC) back-end capacity under a 10-year supply agreement with Qualcomm.

Samsung Display (SDC) President Lee Chung-hwan recently met with senior executives from US equipment maker Applied Materials as SDC accelerates development of fine metal mask (FMM)-free OLED technology. The meeting has drawn attention as SDC and Chinese panel maker Visionox compete to advance FMM-free technologies such as MPO and ViP, along with the related equipment infrastructure.

China's luxury car market is undergoing a major brand reshuffle. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Porsche all recorded significant sales or delivery declines in China in the third quarter of 2026, while domestic automakers continued moving upmarket with new energy vehicles (NEVs), smart cockpits, and driver-assistance technology.

Taiwan's Ministry of Environment (MOENV) will establish an urban forestry smart governance demonstration site around National Taipei University of Technology and the cultural site at the former Air Force Command Headquarters, using digital twin technology to simulate shade and cooling. The system is scheduled to be completed and launched by the end of 2026, with the goal of expanding it to more cities.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are undertaking their largest-ever equipment investments in 2026, but the memory supply increase is not expected to materialize until 2028. By then, however, new South Korean plants and expanded capacity at China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) are expected to come online simultaneously, potentially triggering price competition in commodity DRAM.

China's cooling auto price war is creating an opportunity for the automotive supply chain to upgrade, as regulators tighten oversight of the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry and curb malicious price cuts. Automakers are being pushed to compete through technological improvements and service quality rather than aggressive discounting, easing margin pressure on parts suppliers.

As Elon Musk predicts that more than 200 new cloud providers, or neoclouds, face impending bankruptcy or acquisition in a global market consolidation, a new report from Frost & Sullivan and LeadLeo Research indicates that SenseTime Group secured nearly half of China's neocloud market in the first half of 2026. The market share was captured primarily through its AI infrastructure platform, SenseCore.

LG Display (LGD) is increasing its investment to upgrade its OLED plant in Guangzhou, China, with plans to build the world's first dedicated 111-inch OLED module production line. The move targets the premium TV and commercial display markets, expanding customers' choices with ultra-large displays and strengthening LGD's product competitiveness.

Soaring memory prices have pushed some IC design firms to develop and manufacture their own SRAM as a substitute for DRAM, while electronics assemblers and brand manufacturers that still need DRAM face challenges in passing on higher costs and securing supply through long-term contracts.

Samsung Electronics' next-generation semiconductor process data was allegedly removed without authorization by a university-industry research partner in South Korea, raising concerns over security vulnerabilities in industry-academia collaborations. The researcher, who reportedly retained Samsung employee access while working on the project, was indicted after allegedly transferring extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography information to a personal cloud account for use in the collaboration.

Taiwan's AI and semiconductor stocks have delivered substantial gains for foreign investors, who have recently taken profits, converted the proceeds into US dollars, and repatriated them, driving the New Taiwan dollar lower.

Memory module maker Team Group reported record third-quarter results for 2026, with earnings per share soaring 1,482.55% year-over-year, while its board approved plans for a new plant in New Taipei City that is scheduled to begin production in the second quarter of 2027 and increase total capacity by about 50%.

LG Electronics used its third-quarter earnings call on October 28 to add physical milestones to its two main AI bets. In data center cooling, it named a US production site and new Korean lines, and listed the Nvidia qualifications its liquid-cooling units have won. In robotics, it outlined an actuator production ramp, a robot-data hub opening this quarter, and a plan to enter the home humanoid market around 2030. It did not provide a revenue target for either business.

Foxconn Technology Day (HHTD) is set to take place at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center on October 30, with "Accelerating Intelligence" as its theme for 2026. While AI infrastructure and smart manufacturing will feature prominently, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) remain a major focus of industry attention.

South Korean chip designer Global Technologies (GT) has secured a place in Hyundai Motor and Kia's supply chain with its first automotive semiconductor product, a smart LED module for interior ambient lighting developed with Hyundai Mobis. The product, called ID804, is scheduled to enter mass production in the second half of 2026.