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Wednesday 18 March 2026
How Meta's Manus acquisition ignited a new tech war
When Meta announced its US$2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus, it was meant to be a victory lap for CEO Mark Zuckerberg. By bringing what it billed as the world's most advanced agentic AI under the Meta umbrella, the social media giant was expected to leapfrog OpenAI and Google. Instead, the deal has become a flashpoint for geopolitical tension. According to The New York Times and Alpha Spread, the acquisition is now entangled in investigations over "Singapore washing" and questions about the origins of its digital infrastructure
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Wednesday 18 March 2026
Rohm eyes India as emerging hub for power semiconductor packaging and automotive supply
Japanese semiconductor maker Rohm is expanding its engagement with India's nascent semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, positioning the country as a potential future export base while initially targeting domestic automotive and industrial demand
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Tencent joins OpenClaw as sponsor after copy dispute, aligns with OpenAI and Baidu

OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger accused Tencent of copying a GitHub open-source project without providing support, prompting Tencent on March 16 to announce it had become a sponsor alongside OpenAI and Baidu

Wednesday 18 March 2026
Russia reportedly turns to Loongson to escape x86 sanctions
Amid sustained Western sanctions, Russia is reportedly advancing an alternative CPU pathway through cooperation between local IC firm Tramplin Electronics and China's Loongson. The company is said to be developing its Irtysh processor series based on the LoongArch instruction set, with initial engineering samples released and a production target of 30,000 units
Wednesday 18 March 2026
HD Renewable Energy deepens presence in Japan's power market with 50MW Hokkaido energy storage project
Japan's 25th Smart Energy Week is taking place in Tokyo, where HD Renewable Energy (HDRE) showcased three major solutions: energy storage integration, electricity trading, and charging operations. The company stated that its target in the Japanese market is to develop 3 GW, and that its Helios 50MW storage project in the Hokkaido region has already begun trading on the electricity market
Wednesday 18 March 2026
Chinese server maker Sugon unveils 400G AI fabric to rival Nvidia InfiniBand
Chinese server maker Dawning Information Industry Co. (Sugon) has introduced scaleFabric, its first fully self-developed 400G native remote direct memory access (RDMA) data center networking architecture, aimed at hyperscale AI clusters. The platform integrates 112G SerDes IP, switching chips, network interface cards and management software, all developed domestically, reflecting the company's push to build an independent high-speed AI interconnect stack
Wednesday 18 March 2026
China price competition hits Samsung Display shipments while Korean OLED makers regain share

South Korean OLED makers face diverging trends across the global display market. Shipments to Chinese smartphone brands are weakening amid price competition and softer handset demand, while higher-value OLED products are helping Korean suppliers stabilize their market share after years of decline

Wednesday 18 March 2026
Taiwan on track to outpace China's growth again in 2026
Driven by US President Donald Trump's push for American reindustrialization and efforts to shift industries away from China through high tariffs, Taiwan's economy is set to outpace China's growth for the second consecutive year in 2026
Tuesday 17 March 2026
Memory wafer shortage to persist until 2030; SK Group chairman says collaboration with Taiwanese firms is foundation of ecosystem
Addressing the current surge in demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) driven by AI-accelerated computing, SK Group chairman Chey Tae-Won stated at Nvidia GTC 2026 on March 16, 2026, that the root cause of the memory shortage lies in "a lack of wafer capacity.
Tuesday 17 March 2026
InterBattery 2026: Solid-state battery commercialization accelerates as Posco and EcoPro set mass production targets by year-end
As major battery manufacturers accelerate the commercialization of solid-state batteries (SSBs), South Korea's battery materials industry is also speeding up product development and production, targeting the emerging demand. Efforts now span multiple areas, including cathode and anode materials, SSBs, and key raw materials. Observations from the show floor at InterBattery 2026 indicate that South Korean materials suppliers are advancing toward mass commercialization through cross-company collaboration and vertical integration
Tuesday 17 March 2026
Korean AI trio takes industry spotlight—but can early promise survive the factory floor?

At Automation World (AW) 2026, the Media Pick Awards, hosted by global news network Aving News, highlighted the transformative technologies driving the physical AI era. A competitive field of innovators was interviewed and assessed, ultimately awarding MakinaRocks, Impactive AI, and emCT as the top three picks for their potential to redefine global manufacturing and safety standards

Tuesday 17 March 2026
China reins in OpenClaw surge, flags AI agent security risks

China's Ministry of State Security on March 17 issued its first "lobster security guidelines" for AI agents, aiming to cool market hype while flagging cybersecurity risks emerging at the early stage of the sector's rapid expansion

Tuesday 17 March 2026
MetaX GPU push delivers growth, not profit, as losses hit US$560 million

MetaX, one of China's most closely watched domestic GPU developers, remains loss-making despite rapid revenue growth. According to Sina, 2025 revenue reached CNY1.64 billion (US$230 million), up 121.26% year-over-year, while net loss narrowed to CNY781 million. First-quarter 2026 revenue is expected to be CNY400-600 million, with losses of CNY90.8 million to CNY182 million

Tuesday 17 March 2026
US Defense Department agrees on rare earths purchase with Lynas at Japan-matched floor price
Lynas Rare Earths has signed a binding letter of intent to supply rare earth oxides to the US Department of Defense (DOD) over the next four years. According to Lynas, the agreement is valued at US$96 million and covers both heavy and light rare earth products
Tuesday 17 March 2026
Samsung cautious on memory expansion amid concerns over 2028 supply glut
Samsung Electronics' semiconductor division is concerned that the current memory supercycle, driven by supply shortages, could last only one to two years before the market turns downward again, according to a ChosunBiz report. Uncertainty surrounding demand forecasts following a surge in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investment is complicating decisions on expanding production capacity
Tuesday 17 March 2026
Alibaba forms 'Token Hub' unit to consolidate AI teams
Alibaba Group Holding is reorganizing its artificial intelligence operations, creating a new business unit to integrate its AI services and development efforts as the Chinese technology giant looks to accelerate the commercialization of its AI technologies