Samsung Display (SDC) is facing a shortage of automotive OLED panels supplied to Chinese EV maker Li Auto, prompting Li Auto to temporarily ship some new Mega vehicles with LCD panels. Strong vehicle sales have driven demand for high-specification displays beyond expectations, potentially giving SDC's automotive OLED business fresh momentum.

Apple has opened testing of its China-specific Apple Intelligence service with the iOS 27.3 developer beta released on November 4, integrating Alibaba's Qwen model into Siri. The full version is expected in December, as Apple works to close the gap in its generative AI offerings in China.

AI data centers are accelerating demand for high-speed optical communications, extending competition in the optical transceiver market beyond chips and module manufacturing to critical upstream materials. Indium phosphide (InP), a key substrate for high-speed optical lasers and optoelectronic devices, is increasingly sought after as 800G and 1.6T transceivers gain traction. With capacity expansion requiring time and product qualification presenting technical hurdles, securing InP wafer supplies has become a strategic priority for optical communications companies.

South Korean AI software developer Moreh says AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs running its inference software delivered more than twice the throughput of Nvidia B200 GPUs in company tests, as South Korea moves ahead with plans to build AI infrastructure combining AMD processors with locally developed chips.

South Korean cloud services provider Naver Cloud now runs AMD EPYC processors in about 35,000 servers and plans to deploy 144-core fifth-generation EPYC chips in its public cloud services in the second half of 2026. The company turned to AMD after high prices for Intel's higher-core-count processors slowed its server expansion.

Samsung Electronics is preparing to build a 2nm- and 4nm-class foundry fab at its Giheung campus in Yongin, South Korea, to expand production of logic base dies used in high-bandwidth memory (HBM). The fab is estimated to cost KRW25 trillion (approx. US$18.6 billion), with the broader project potentially reaching KRW30 trillion if an existing production line is converted into an advanced packaging facility, Seoul Economic Daily reported on November 4.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group's MUFG Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking (SMBC) plan to renew a combined JPY600 billion (approx. US$3.8 billion) in credit facilities for Nidec through November 2027, providing financial support as the Japanese electric motor maker works to restore confidence following an accounting scandal, according to Nikkei Asia.

Global memory supply constraints are creating opportunities for Chinese DRAM maker CXMT to expand its market share. As major international manufacturers prioritise high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and advanced DRAM, the tightening supply of mainstream DRAM is allowing CXMT to capitalise on domestic demand and capacity expansion.

Mitsui Chemicals is planning to acquire semiconductor materials maker JSR from state-backed Japan Investment (JIC) in a deal potentially worth more than JPY1.3 trillion (US$8.2 billion), which would rank as the largest acquisition in Japan's chemicals sector, according to reports by Nikkei Asia and Reuters on November 4, 2026.

China's efforts to build a complete domestic chip-design software stack are gathering pace through acquisitions and strategic investments. Empyrean Technology's latest transactions target gaps in verification, placement and routing, and logic optimisation, strengthening its challenge to established electronic design automation (EDA) suppliers.

South Korean company UTI, the second supplier of ultra-thin glass (UTG) cover glass for Apple’s first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, has begun shipments to Samsung Display (SDC), but mass production is running about one quarter behind schedule.

LG Energy Solution expects revenue to keep rising in the fourth quarter while profit dips. On its November 3 earnings call, it told analysts that its North American energy storage system (ESS) business is improving its profitability more slowly than the market expected. Executives also said tighter sourcing rules in the US and Europe are shaping how the battery maker buys materials, chooses customers, and plans its balance sheet.

A loophole in US export controls reportedly lets high-bandwidth memory (HBM) made by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix reach China's AI chip industry. The loophole shows how much Huawei's next-generation processors still depend on foreign memory, while China's domestic suppliers struggle to close the gap.

Apple's Greater China revenue rose 21% year-over-year to a record US$17.5 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, ended September, while full-year revenue increased 28%, driven by the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro series. The results underscore the flagship iPhone's continued competitiveness in China, while rising memory prices threaten to pressure profit margins and growth.

Dutch chipmaker Nexperia is seeking US$2 billion in damages from its Chinese owner Wingtech and three other defendants, alleging they established a competing supply chain in China that disrupted its business.