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Saturday 18 July 2026
Column: South Korea's semiconductor strategy faces foresight and structural gaps
South Korea's technology policies—including the two semiconductor strategies discussed previously and the broader K-Moonshot initiative introduced more recently—have been drafted by different government bodies, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), the Presidential Office, and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT). Yet they share several common characteristics.
Saturday 18 July 2026
As AI expands nanotech, Samsung fortifies ecosystem and LG pivots to chip equipment
Nanotechnology is increasingly seen as a key enabler in the AI era, with competition broadening from semiconductors, manufacturing to home appliances. At Nano Korea 2026 held in Goyang, South Korea, Samsung Electronics again highlighted its integrated semiconductor solutions, while the LG Group moved beyond home appliances to showcase its deployment in semiconductor equipment and materials.
Saturday 18 July 2026
Dutch report frames Chinese interference in chips, ports and aerospace as a systemic threat
Chinese foreign interference in the Netherlands' strategic industries should be treated as a systemic, long-term threat rather than a series of isolated incidents, according to "Beyond Borders," a report published under the China Knowledge Network (CKN) and written by analysts at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS). The study warns that while individual acts of espionage, coercion, or influence may look manageable on their own, their aggregate effect risks eroding the Netherlands' technological edge, economic independence, and strategic autonomy.
Saturday 18 July 2026
TCL starts OLED monitor panel production ahead of Guangzhou fab opening
TCL CSOT has started producing a 27-inch inkjet-printed OLED monitor panel at its Gen 5.5 line in Wuhan, giving the Chinese display maker an early foothold in consumer OLED monitors before its larger Guangzhou factory comes online, according to ETNews.
Saturday 18 July 2026
JNTC-TOPPAN glass substrate push signals AI packaging supply-chain shift
As AI accelerators and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) packages grow larger and more complex, substrate technology is becoming a new constraint in advanced packaging. Organic substrates remain widely used, but rising demand for high-density interconnects, lower signal loss, and better dimensional stability is pushing glass substrates closer to commercial adoption.
Saturday 18 July 2026
China's AI sector pivots to system-level "super-nodes" as chip curbs bite at WAIC 2026
The largest World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) to date opened in Shanghai on July 17, and its dominant signal was strategic: China's answer to US limits on advanced chips is shifting from chasing single-chip performance toward lashing thousands of domestic processors together into system-level "super-nodes."
Friday 17 July 2026
Japan's ACSL eyes Taiwan drone supply chain expansion, commits to TADTE 2027
Japanese industrial drone maker ACSL is open to expanding procurement from Taiwan as it strengthens its international supply chain strategy, with the company accepting an invitation to participate in the 2027 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE) during a visit by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Chairman James C.F. Huang to ACSL's R&D headquarters on July 15.
Friday 17 July 2026
Taiwan drone sector expands Japanese tie-ups

Taiwan's drone industry has grown rapidly in recent years, with output surging from about NT$5 billion (US$154.87 million) in 2024 to NT$12.9 billion in 2025, while export value jumped from NT$140 million to NT$2.9 billion. Still, compared with semiconductors and electronics assembly, the drone sector remains small, making it critical for the industry to expand technology cooperation and secure government subsidies.

Friday 17 July 2026
China unveils first official commercial space roster, backing established players and the NTN ecosystem

An organization under China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) released the membership list of the National Commercial Space Alliance's Commercial Space Entrepreneurship Consortium on July 1, offering a rare look at 271 officially recognized space-related organizations. Covering everything from launch services and satellite development to ground infrastructure and financial services, the list signals Beijing's increasingly institutionalized approach to identifying and supporting established commercial space companies.

Friday 17 July 2026
Taiwan-Japan AI tech forum seeks closer partnerships

A Taiwan-Japan AI technology forum held at Taiwan Expo Japan brought together government, industry, academia and research representatives to discuss AI applications, semiconductor supply chains, smart manufacturing and innovation. Terry Tsao, SEMI's global marketing chief and head of the organization's operations in Taiwan, told DIGITIMES before the event that IBM has already demonstrated 2nm chip manufacturing capability in the lab, but the biggest challenge for its licensed partner, Japanese chipmaker Rapidus, to achieve mass production in Hokkaido will be yield.

Friday 17 July 2026
WAIC 2026 puts China's AI race on supernodes, domestic chips, and real-world deployment

China's AI industry is shifting from model scale to the infrastructure needed to train, deploy and commercialize AI, with supernodes, high-speed interconnects, and computing efficiency dominating WAIC 2026.

Friday 17 July 2026
China moves to institutionalize its vision for global AI governance as Xi launches cooperation body
China used the opening of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai to institutionalize its bid to shape global governance of artificial intelligence (AI), with President Xi Jinping unveiling a package of measures aimed at the developing world and endorsing a new Shanghai-based intergovernmental body. The push positions Beijing as a self-styled champion of the "Global South" on AI at a moment of intensifying rivalry with the US over who writes the rules for the technology.
Friday 17 July 2026
Hygon forecasts higher first-half 2026 revenue and profit
Hygon Information Technology said its first-half 2026 results are expected to rise sharply, signaling continued demand for domestic high-end chips as AI, cloud computing, and localization trends reshape technology supply chains for global customers, investors, and competitors. The company said the forecast is preliminary and unaudited.
Friday 17 July 2026
Japan steps up sovereign AI ambitions as Noetra launches multimodal AI project, plans infrastructure of 27,500 Nvidia Rubin GPUs
Noetra has launched full-scale R&D for a Japan-developed multimodal foundation model, a move that could shape the future of AI robots, industrial automation, and so-called physical AI worldwide. The project highlights Japan's push for sovereign AI, with implications for how countries build and control advanced AI infrastructure and data.
Friday 17 July 2026
South Korean suppliers ramp up hybrid bonding R&D beyond HBM5
As high-bandwidth memory (HBM) stacks add more layers, requirements for chip-to-chip bonding accuracy and signal transmission efficiency are becoming more demanding.