Huawei's next-generation flagship Mate 90 smartphone series has reportedly entered the chip packaging and testing stage, according to sources within China's supply chain. The lineup is expected to launch in September 2026 and will be the first to feature Huawei's new Kirin 2026 flagship processor, which is based on the company's Tau Scaling (τ) concept. The device is expected to be one of Huawei's flagship demonstrations of its post-Moore semiconductor strategy.

South Korea is moving to position itself as an exporter of "intelligence" rather than just the chips and equipment that go into building it, with SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won outlining an AI data center plan expected to involve more than KRW1,000 trillion (approx. US$652.7 billion) in investment, according to Hankyung.

Apple's recent price increases for Mac and iPad products are rapidly spilling into the used-device market, as consumers turn to refurbished and secondhand channels to fight inflation. Data from Chinese secondhand trading platforms show that some MacBook models have risen by nearly CNY1,000 (US$147.29) within just 10 days, signaling a new round of price swings in the end-user market.

China's IC design industry is nearing CNY1 trillion (approx. US$150 billion) ahead of schedule, but AI is exposing deeper gaps in computing architecture, high-end talent, and ecosystem control.

South Korean conglomerates will invest a combined KRW312 trillion (approx. US$203.6 billion) in the Yeongnam region, as the government moves to turn the country's southeast into a hub for advanced manufacturing, AI infrastructure, semiconductors, aerospace, defense, and energy.

SJ Semiconductor has started construction of a CNY10 billion (approx. US$1.47 billion) 3DIC manufacturing project in Shanghai's Lingang New Area, expanding advanced packaging capacity for high-performance computing, AI and data center chips.

Huawei's HarmonyOS missed one of China's largest annual government desktop operating system (OS) procurement shortlists, showing that top security certification alone is not enough for public-sector software tenders.

China's leading semiconductor equipment manufacturers are accelerating expansion through acquisitions and fundraising, as surging AI investment, memory chip capacity growth, and import substitution combine to create one of the industry's strongest growth cycles in years.

Samsung Electronics is negotiating with customers to raise average selling prices for commodity DRAM by as much as 20% in the third quarter of 2026 from the prior quarter, according to ZDNet Korea, which cited industry sources.