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Wednesday 9 July 2025
What Trump’s ‘tariff fines’ mean for Asia
US President Donald Trump has officially issued the latest round of tariff notices, targeting 14 countries, including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, South Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Serbia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar
LATEST STORIES
Wednesday 9 July 2025
Amazon's Project Kuiper targets South Korea in global satellite push

Amazon's satellite internet venture, Project Kuiper, is accelerating its expansion into Asia, with a focus on South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan — three strategically vital nations amid rising demand for resilient communications infrastructure and growing competition in low-Earth orbit (LEO) connectivity

Wednesday 9 July 2025
Ex-SEMI China head leads E-Town Semiconductor to explosive STAR Market debut
Beijing E-Town Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. (E-Town), a Chinese supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, went public on the Shanghai STAR Market on July 8, 2025. The listing marks a key milestone in the company's growth, driven in large part by its president and CEO, Allen Lu, the former head of SEMI China
Wednesday 9 July 2025
Trump to impose 25% tariffs on South Korean exports, raising pressure ahead of August deadline

US President Donald Trump has formally notified South Korea of plans to impose a 25% tariff on select imports, with implementation set for August 1. While a three-week window for negotiations remains, industry observers widely anticipate that talks will face significant headwinds

Wednesday 9 July 2025
Is a 25% US tariff on Japan high? Combined impact of auto and steel tariffs significant
US President Donald Trump notified trade partners on July 7, 2025, Eastern Time, of new tariff rates set to take effect on August 1. He first informed Japan and South Korea that a 25% reciprocal tariff would be imposed on their goods, warning that rates could increase further if retaliatory measures are taken
Wednesday 9 July 2025
Volvo cuts jobs in China as EV ambitions stall and global restructuring accelerates
Volvo Cars has begun laying off staff in its China operations, with the majority of the cuts affecting its Shanghai-based technical and research and development center, according to employees familiar with the matter. The affected departments include engineering, research and development, and supply chain management. Employees have reportedly been offered severance packages equivalent to three months' salary plus one month for each year of service (N+3)
Wednesday 9 July 2025
Commentary: Foxconn’s EV triangle may hinge on Nissan’s Oppama plant
With global EV growth decelerating, Taiwan's Foxconn is pressing ahead with its electric vehicle ambitions. The company is reportedly in advanced talks with Nissan Motor over a potential joint venture at the automaker's Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, a development that analysts say could mark a turning point for both firms
Wednesday 9 July 2025
Foxconn eyes Nissan factory as EV gateway in Japan

Nissan Motor Co. has initiated discussions with Foxconn over a possible collaboration to convert its Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, into a manufacturing site for EVs. If finalized, Foxconn plans to inject fresh capital into Oppama and leverage the facility's sprawling supply network and experienced workforce to strengthen its EV supply chain in Japan

Wednesday 9 July 2025
Rockchip sees 1H25 profit tripling on China's AIoT gold rush

Rockchip Electronics projects a sharp jump in first-half 2025 net profit, forecasting a year-on-year increase of 185% to 195% to reach CNY520–540 million (approx. US$71.5–74.2 million). The Chinese chipmaker also expects non-recurring net income to rise 186%–197% to between CNY505 million and CNY525 million

Wednesday 9 July 2025
Hanmi's HBM4 tools go live, but is 2029 too late for hybrid bonding?
Hanmi Semiconductor has begun mass production of its thermal compression bonder (TCB) for HBM4, targeting the rapidly expanding high bandwidth memory market driven by AI workloads. But its delayed roadmap for hybrid bonding, essential for future HBM generations, has drawn criticism for lagging behind industry trends
Wednesday 9 July 2025
US lifts EDA ban, revives Synopsys-Ansys China deal prospects
The US and China have reached a preliminary trade agreement that includes the resumption of rare earth exports from China. In tandem, several electronic design automation (EDA) software vendors have confirmed that the US Department of Commerce will lift its short-lived export ban on EDA tools. The reversal offers relief to companies such as Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens, which had faced rising uncertainty over their business continuity in the Chinese market
Tuesday 8 July 2025
Mitsubishi Heavy unveils hybrid drone to replace helicopters in remote, high-stakes missions
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is advancing the development of a multirotor drone designed to carry a maximum payload of 200 kilograms and achieve a flight range of 200 kilometers. While this payload capacity remains below that of a typical light-duty truck, which averages around 350 kilograms, the prototype already surpasses industry norms, where multirotor drones commonly carry only a few to several dozen kilograms
Tuesday 8 July 2025
Chinese display maker BOE set to dominate Apple MacBook panel supply in 2025
China's BOE Technology Group is poised to become Apple's largest MacBook panel supplier for the first time in 2025, capturing 51% market share as the iPhone maker shifts orders away from South Korean rival LG Display
Tuesday 8 July 2025
CXMT files for IPO to expand DRAM capacity as AI, geopolitics rewire global memory market
CXMT Corp., China's top domestic DRAM manufacturer, has initiated its IPO process, signaling a key step in the nation's pursuit of semiconductor independence. On July 7, 2025, China's securities regulator confirmed that the company had entered IPO counseling, with China International Capital Corporation (CICC) and China Securities Co. (CSC) serving as financial advisors
Tuesday 8 July 2025
Whistleblower exposes Huawei's PanGu AI model copycat scandal
On June 30, 2025, Huawei released the source code for its PanGu 7B dense parameter model and the larger PanGuPro mixture-of-experts (MoE) 72B model, both tailored for inference on its in-house Ascend AI chips. Initially lauded as a landmark in China's drive for AI independence, the announcement was quickly overshadowed by a technical analysis published on GitHub just days later
Tuesday 8 July 2025
China's semiconductor dreams stumble as another fab collapses
On June 13, 2025, Jiangsu Advanced Memory Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (AMS) announced that its restructuring plan had been abandoned. The planned investment from Huaxin Jiechuang Integrated Circuits Manufacturing (Guangdong) Co., Ltd. was canceled after multiple delays in fund transfers, leading both sides to terminate the agreement