The US imposed export controls on Chinese entities, prompting China to retaliate against US semiconductor companies. In response, China has launched investigations into Nvidia and restricted the export of critical materials, highlighting the escalating tech war between the two nations. These actions could lead to significant fines and hinder foreign businesses' operations in China
Micron Technology is set to secure up to US$6.2 billion in US subsidies this week, marking the final major agreement under the Biden administration's semiconductor initiative, while Asian tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix remain waiting
China's overall IC design sales are expected to reach CNY646 billion (US$89.66 billion) with a year-over-year increase of around 11.9% in 2024, marking the first time it has been outpaced by the global semiconductor industry growth, estimated at 19% by World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS)
Global EV battery demand outside China increased by 12.7% from January to October 2024. South Korea's top battery makers—LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On, and Samsung SDI—recorded growth in battery installations during this period
Chinese domestic electronic design automation (EDA) leader Empyrean announced on December 9 that the state-owned China Electronic Corporation (CEC) will become its largest shareholder. Empyrean was included in the latest batch of the US Department of Commerce's Entity List on December 2, and with this new partnership, Empyrean is seen as receiving strong backing from the Chinese government, enhancing control over key semiconductor component enterprises
Japan-based Rohm Semiconductor and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) have announced a strategic partnership to advance the development and mass production of gallium nitride (GaN) power devices for electric vehicle (EV) applications. The collaboration combines Rohm's expertise in device development with TSMC's GaN-on-silicon process technology to address the growing demand for high-performance power solutions in the automotive sector
China's automotive sector is witnessing a strategic shift from new energy vehicles to intelligent driving technology in 2024. At the forefront of this transformation is Huawei, whose advanced driving systems, powered by its revitalized self-developed chips, are gaining significant market traction. Leading this momentum is AITO, a key Huawei partner, which has posted record sales of new energy vehicles this year
Japanese company Rohm is collaborating with French automotive component manufacturer Valeo to develop a new generation of electric vehicle (EV) components. Rohm will supply silicon carbide (SiC) power modules for Valeo's inverters, with mass production scheduled to begin in 2026
China's antitrust probe into Nvidia may be followed by similar actions against other firms, as Beijing ups the ante in retaliation for the latest US trade restrictions
Sharp and KDDI Corporation have announced a joint venture to develop an AI data center in Osaka. The two companies have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to transform Sharp's former Sakai facility into a state-of-the-art AI data center, marking a strategic initiative to address the growing demand for data infrastructure
LG Display (LGD) and Samsung Display (SDC) dominate high-end OLED technology, but their reliance on Apple orders faces pressure from cheaper Chinese OLED panels supplied to local IT firms
In a bid to enhance economic security and strengthen supply chains, the Japanese government is providing subsidies for domestic production in sectors such as semiconductors, advanced electronic components, and batteries
Despite the low profitability of SK Hynix's CMOS image sensor (CIS) business, the company has decided to retain this segment and reorganize its CIS development team under the Future Technology Research Institute, possibly hoping to replicate the successful narrative seen in high bandwidth memory (HBM)
The US House of Representatives is preparing to vote on the fiscal year 2025 national defense budget, which includes a US$3 billion provision aimed at helping US telecoms completely remove Chinese-supplied equipment. The measure specifically targets Huawei and SMIC equipment to prevent potential network communication attacks from Chinese hackers
China-based Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC) has dismissed speculation of a "backdoor listing," issuing a rare public statement on December 9, 2024, to refute rumors connecting it to All Ring Tech, another Hubei-based company
Samsung Electronics is exploring the development of discrete package low-power DRAM (LPDDR) for Apple's iPhones to meet the tech giant's evolving requirements, though Samsung has not confirmed these reports
