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Wednesday 14 January 2026
China lifts semiconductor equipment localization to 35%
China's push to localize its semiconductor equipment supply chain has reached an unexpected milestone. Domestic tools accounted for 35% of chipmaking equipment used in 2025, up from 25% a year earlier and well above the government's original 30% target. Data from Jiemian News, SCMP, and Cacnews show localization has risen from just 7% in 2020, a nearly 400% increase in five years. In key process steps such as etching and thin-film deposition, Chinese tools now exceed 40% adoption
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Thursday 15 January 2026
Maxscend's first annual loss exposes fab-lite strain and legal risks
Maxscend Microelectronics is heading for its first annual loss since going public, marking a sharp reversal for one of China's leading RF chipmakers as it struggles with a costly business transition, intensifying competition, and mounting legal pressure from Japan's Murata Manufacturing
Thursday 15 January 2026
Hanmi Semiconductor leans into EMI shielding as satellite and 6G demand grows
Hanmi Semiconductor has drawn industry attention in recent years for its thermal compression bonding equipment used in high-bandwidth memory production. As low-earth-orbit satellite deployments expand and the industry moves toward 6G, the company's electromagnetic interference shielding equipment is also gaining importance
Thursday 15 January 2026
Samsung reportedly files new HBM trademarks as HBM4 advances
Samsung Electronics has reportedly filed a series of new trademarks related to high bandwidth memory as it advances preparations for its sixth-generation HBM4 products
Thursday 15 January 2026
Foxconn-HCL semiconductor joint venture to be named India Chip Private Limited
Electronics manufacturing services major Foxconn and India's HCL Group have formally named their semiconductor joint venture India Chip Private Limited, according to a regulatory filing made on January 14, marking a key step in operationalising their collaboration in India's chip ecosystem, according to PTI and the Economic Times
Thursday 15 January 2026
Trump invokes Section 232 to levy 25% tariff on Nvidia H200, AMD MI325X chips
On January 14, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation invoking Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to impose an immediate 25% tariff on a narrow category of advanced semiconductors, citing national security risks from heavy US reliance on foreign chip supply chains
Thursday 15 January 2026
Rapidus forecasts 2nm supply shortfall by 2030, flags talent gap versus TSMC

As global governments accelerate investments in the semiconductor sector, Japan's Rapidus is moving forward with its goal of mass-producing 2nm AI chips. The company maintains that its primary concern is not a potential surplus of capacity, but rather structural constraints, specifically a significant shortage of skilled professionals

Thursday 15 January 2026
Japan fortifies rare-earth supply chain against China risk
China has tightened export controls on rare earths and other dual-use materials bound for Japan, prompting Tokyo to formalise a rare-earth stockpiling policy and work with G7 partners to accelerate efforts to reduce supply-chain dependence on China
Thursday 15 January 2026
China's WUS to build US$300m optical-electrical PCB hub for AI systems
WUS Printed Circuit (Kunshan) Co. plans to invest up to US$300 million in a high-density optical-electrical printed circuit board (PCB) project aimed at supporting next-generation packaging and interconnect requirements for AI servers, high-performance computing (HPC), and advanced networking systems
Wednesday 14 January 2026
China tech restrictions complicate Reliance battery cell plans
Reports that Reliance Industries has paused plans to manufacture lithium-ion battery cells have reignited debate over India's clean-energy ambitions, highlighting technology bottlenecks even as the conglomerate insists its net-zero strategy and investment roadmap remain firmly on track
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Ola Electric enters residential energy storage market with Shakti BESS launch
EV manufacturer Ola Electric has rolled out Ola Shakti, a residential battery energy storage system (BESS), from its gigafactory in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, marking the company's formal entry into India's residential energy storage market and an expansion beyond its core automotive business, according to ANI, PV Magazine, and the Economic Times
Wednesday 14 January 2026
SK Hynix to invest in new advanced packaging plant amid AI memory demand
SK Hynix has announced plans to invest KRW19 trillion (US$13.02 billion) to construct a new advanced packaging facility, P&T7, in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The move aims to meet growing demand for AI memory and bolster the company's semiconductor capabilities, particularly in high bandwidth memory (HBM)
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Samsung will adopt South Korea-made mask blanks to EUV process to reduce reliance on Japan
Samsung Electronics is set to introduce South Korea-made mask blanks into its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) process starting as early as the second quarter of 2026. According to ET News and The Elec, Samsung is in the final evaluation stages of its EUV mask blanks with local supplier S&S Tech and is expected to be completed by January 2026, or by February at the latest. This is the first time Samsung will use domestically produced mask blanks in its EUV process
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Iluvatar CoreX sets three-generation GPU plan, eyes H200 performance
As China's domestic GPU developers accelerate public listings and expand both technological and capital investment, competition is shifting toward next-generation computing power. Iluvatar CoreX said it will unveil a three-generation GPU roadmap on January 26, 2026, outlining a new GPGPU architecture, cloud-based AI training and inference products, and high-performance computing infrastructure plans
Wednesday 14 January 2026
China's new export trio drives 2025 trade growth
China's total trade in goods reached CNY45.47 trillion (approx. US$6.51 trillion) in 2025, marking a 3.8% year-over-year increase and setting a new record, the General Administration of Customs announced on January 14. Exports rose 6.1% to CNY26.99 trillion, while imports edged up 0.5% to CNY18.48 trillion, maintaining China's status as the largest merchandise trader globally
Wednesday 14 January 2026
China extends anti-dumping tariffs on US and Korean polysilicon
As China–US technological and industrial rivalry intensifies, Beijing is strengthening its trade defence measures. China's Ministry of Commerce announced on the 13th that anti-dumping duties on imported solar-grade polysilicon from the US and South Korea will be extended for another five years from January 14, 2026