Chinese officials have renewed calls to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) more deeply into manufacturing as Beijing seeks to modernize traditional industries, strengthen industrial competitiveness, and cultivate new growth drivers

Baidu said its core AI businesses became the majority of the company's revenue in the first quarter of 2026, driven by rapid growth in AI cloud infrastructure, expanded foundation-model support on its model-as-a-service platform Qianfan, and stronger commercial adoption of its Kunlunxin AI chips

Analysts offered mixed assessments of Baidu after the Chinese internet company posted first-quarter revenue that topped market expectations, with some pointing to stronger AI monetization. In contrast, others warned that profitability remains under pressure from rising investment and lower-margin AI businesses

Prices for semiconductor-grade hydrogen fluoride supplied to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are expected to rise sharply between late June and July, as higher costs for a key China-sourced raw material ripple through South Korea's chip supply chain, according to industry sources cited by The Elec

China's foundry sector is charting a different course as the global semiconductor market remains focused on AI GPUs, the 2nm process node, and advanced packaging. Led by Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) and Hua Hong Semiconductor, domestic Chinese foundries have not stalled under US sanctions; instead, they are accelerating efforts to build a China-specific foundry ecosystem amid the AI boom, recovering demand for mature nodes, and a push for supply-chain self-reliance

China's auto market is entering a far more difficult phase. Domestic demand has slowed sharply, and for many carmakers the industry increasingly resembles a road with no visible end. Yet from the perspective of the automotive supply chain, two very different stories are unfolding inside the same market

Samsung Electronics has significantly improved yields for its latest DRAM technologies used in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), according to IT Chosun, underscoring the intensifying race among memory makers to secure leadership in AI-related semiconductors

Asus is accelerating its push into the server market in South Korea, leveraging its manufacturing prowess, long-term ties with major memory makers, and flexible design and supply strategies to take advantage of mass procurements in South Korea's government-led sovereign AI infrastructure initiative and GPU server roll-outs at Hyundai Motor, telecom operators, and financial institutions in the country

China's top DRAM maker ChangXin Memory Technologies is entering its Shanghai IPO push with a much stronger story for investors, as a global memory shortage turns years of losses into sharply higher revenue and profit

China's Ministry of Public Security announced on May 18 that authorities had uncovered nearly 10 cases nationwide involving illegal modification of drone flight-control systems that removed no-fly zone restrictions, bypassed maximum altitude limits, and altered payload parameters. The agency said the actions created potential public-safety, civil aviation, and military-control risks and pledged continued high-pressure enforcement against illegal decryption and unauthorized flights

At the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, China's shift toward "disposable cars" carries global repercussions: faster refresh cycles could reshape vehicle lifespans, aftermarket ecosystems, and supply-chain standards worldwide. International automakers and suppliers, notably in Taiwan, may face new demands as cars are increasingly designed to iterate like consumer electronics rather than endure as durable assets

As American battery startups continue working to commercialize next-generation silicon-carbon batteries, Chinese manufacturers are already deploying the technology at scale and now pushing it into aviation-grade territory