China's GPU developer MetaX reported strong revenue growth for fiscal 2025, driven by rising demand for domestically produced AI chips. In a preliminary earnings release on January 27, 2026, the Shanghai-based company said revenue is expected to reach CNY1.6 billion (US$230 million) to CNY1.7 billion, up from CNY743 million a year earlier, a year-over-year increase of 115% to 129%

A fresh wave of memory price hikes is sweeping across the semiconductor supply chain, spreading from AI memory products into manufacturing, packaging, and testing, and upstream materials and critical components. Known Good Die (KGD), long a low-profile yet tightly linked segment of the ecosystem, is now emerging as a key pressure point in the latest pricing surge

In recent years, Chinese companies have significantly increased their investment in automotive semiconductors, aiming to accelerate the development of a domestic supply chain. Yet in key technologies—particularly power semiconductors used in electric vehicle (EV) drivetrains—expertise remains firmly in the hands of European and American integrated device manufacturers (IDMs). These technologies are unlikely to be displaced in the near term

China will continue implementing its national subsidy policy in 2026, but with stricter conditions and higher thresholds. Judging from TV sales trends in 2025, the subsidies had already lost momentum in the later stages. Although the policy will be extended into 2026, it is expected to struggle to stimulate consumer demand, and TV shipments in China are therefore projected to continue declining in 2026

South Korea's total export value surpassed US$700 billion for the first time in 2025, with Vietnam remaining the third-largest trading partner and the second-largest source of South Korea's trade surplus. Booming semiconductor exports largely drove the growth

Honda announced on January 26, 2026, that its previously halted Chinese auto factories had gradually resumed production since January 19. The shutdowns were primarily caused by a temporary suspension of shipments from automotive chip supplier Nexperia, which led to critical component shortages, forcing multiple Honda plants to halt operations

Chinese GPU startup Iluvatar CoreX has unveiled a multi-generation product roadmap that it says could see its fourth-generation architecture surpass Nvidia's upcoming Rubin platform by 2027, marking one of the latest efforts by domestic Chinese chipmakers to advance their AI computing capabilities

Samsung Electronics' television and home appliance divisions are struggling to secure memory supplies as rising prices prompt the company's semiconductor arm to prioritize higher-margin customers and products, according to South Korean industry outlet Dealsite

China is moving into the semiconductor glass substrate market, with both chip-related suppliers and display makers entering the field, according to Korean industry reports

Samsung Electronics said on January 26, 2025, that it will launch its new Galaxy A07 5G smartphone in Taiwan, aiming to lift shipment momentum in the mass-market segment

South Korea's artificial intelligence industry is bracing for tighter regulation following the implementation of the AI Basic Act, particularly provisions aimed at protecting personal rights. The manufacturing AI segment, however, is widely viewed as gaining a foothold for growth, as its data characteristics, lighter regulatory exposure, and clearer legal grounds for government support are expected to work in its favor

After navigating pandemic tailwinds, US-China conflicts, and tariffs under US President Donald Trump, the global semiconductor and electronics industries are emerging from inventory adjustments and price bottoms starting in 2025. While China's electronics sector has yet to fully recover, AI infrastructure, high-performance computing (HPC), automotive, and industrial control applications are driving a new AI-led pricing cycle across components and semiconductor supply chains

While global political and economic elites were still exchanging remarks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang exited and flew straight to Shanghai