DIGITIMES Asia news

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

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

Tuesday 20 January 2026

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

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Kaynes Semicon secures ISM fiscal support in India chip push

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Foxconn deepened its manufacturing presence in China with new joint venture

Tuesday 20 January 2026

LATEST STORIES

Wednesday 21 January 2026

Thailand emerges as ASEAN PCB hub with Zhen Ding Tech's US$2.1B investment

Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) recently approved a major investment plan led by Zhen Ding Tech (ZDT), the world's largest printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer, in partnership with local firm Saha Pathana Inter-Holding (SPI). The project involves approximately THB65 billion (US$2.1 billion) to establish advanced PCB production capacity, aiming to position Thailand as a key PCB manufacturing center in Southeast Asia

Wednesday 21 January 2026

China tightens rare earth export controls to Japan, further fueling geopolitical tensions

Chinese authorities have increased scrutiny on rare earth exports bound for Japan, as export volumes declined in December 2025 compared to the previous month. The move reflects Beijing's intent to exert greater control over essential materials amid escalating tensions with Tokyo

Wednesday 21 January 2026

China's semiconductor equipment leaders push HBM autonomy as US tightens restrictions

US export restrictions on advanced semiconductor equipment to China have become the biggest obstacle to China's domestic production of high-bandwidth memory (HBM). It has been reported that Chinese companies have begun investing heavily in equipment localization. For example, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is moving towards mass production of more advanced HBM in 2026, and other related equipment vendors are making all-out efforts to build an HBM equipment ecosystem

Wednesday 21 January 2026

China's AI industry reshapes as GPUs rise to be core strategic asset

As geopolitical tensions escalate, China's AI industry development is shifting from the application layer to underlying computing power and core chip technologies, with GPU- and AI chip-related companies becoming key focal points for both capital and policy resources. The Hurun Research Institute recently released the Hurun Global Unicorns Index 2025

Wednesday 21 January 2026

South Korea plans US talks as chip tariffs heighten risks for Samsung, SK Hynix

South Korea said it will seek negotiations with the US after Washington imposed a 25% tariff on selected semiconductor products, a move that has placed the country's leading chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, on heightened alert over potential knock-on effects

Wednesday 21 January 2026

China races to catch up with memory chip leaders in LPDDR6

China's semiconductor supply chain is accelerating plans to bring sixth-generation low-power DRAM, known as LPDDR6, into commercial use in 2026, seeking to close a long-standing technology gap with global memory leaders as edge AI raises demand for higher bandwidth and lower power consumption

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

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

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

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

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

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