SK Telecom (SKT) has recently released several AI models in 2025, as it seeks to earn a place in the South Korean government project for developing the country's sovereign AI

ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China's leading DRAM manufacturer, is under renewed pressure as the US escalates export controls on advanced chipmaking equipment. The tightened restrictions threaten to stall CXMT's expansion and offer a potential reprieve to South Korean rivals Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix

Large-scale US tariffs launched in the second quarter of 2025 aimed to curb China's technological advancement through stricter import restrictions on high-tech and advanced manufacturing goods

China's government has recently imposed a series of export and overseas technology-transfer restrictions targeting lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode materials. Notably absent from the restrictions are ternary battery materials—a decision that has prompted speculation across the battery industry

Japanese utility firm Kyushu Electric Power has entered a strategic partnership with Taiwan-based ProLogium to jointly develop superfluid inorganic all-solid-state lithium battery 24V modules

China's auto and parts industries have historically been entangled in cutthroat price wars. Even with Chinese authorities repeatedly calling for an end to the involution, no improvement has been seen. Taiwanese firms with production bases in China bluntly report the futile nature of the situation

During Apple's third-quarter fiscal year 2025 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook highlighted renewed momentum in Greater China, where revenue rose 4% quarter-over-quarter. This improvement was largely driven by a notable surge in iPhone sales and strong year-over-year growth in Mac revenue

Murata released its financial results for the second quarter of 2025, reporting consolidated operating profit of JPY61.6 billion (US$414.5 million), down 7.2% year-over-year; net profit was JPY49.7 billion, a decrease of 25% year-over-year. Although these figures exceeded market expectations, net profit declined for the first time in nearly two years due to yen appreciation and intense competition from Chinese manufacturers in the smartphone electronic components market

LG Energy Solution (LGES) has signed a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery supply deal worth KRW5.94 trillion (approx. US$4.25 billion). Although the customer was not named due to a confidentiality clause, industry sources widely identify Tesla as the likely buyer

Amid rising US-China tech tensions, Taiwan-based PCB suppliers have accelerated factory expansions in Southeast Asia since 2022. However, despite new PCB clusters reaching full production, most PCBs for server orders remain manufactured in China, except for security-sensitive items such as low-earth orbit satellite parts. The server supply chain still depends largely on China's mature and cost-effective facilities

Nvidia's H20 chips were recently cleared for export to China again, but industry reactions vary. Some companies are actively stockpiling out of concern that renewed tensions between China and the US could lead to another supply cutoff. Others remain calm, as they had already secured sufficient inventory through existing channels. Notably, sources say companies have been instructed by both the US and China not to comment on H20 sales or shipment status

Chinese regulators have summoned Nvidia to address mounting concerns that its H20 artificial intelligence chip may contain backdoor vulnerabilities and tracking features, in a move that threatens to derail the company's sales prospects in the world's second-largest AI market

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun will visit Washington on July 30 to back South Korea's final-stage trade negotiations with the US, joining Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hanwha Vice Chair Dong-kwan (DK) Kim in lobbying efforts. The talks aim to reduce the 25% US import tariff on cars, a key issue for Korean automakers seeking to maintain price competitiveness

Japanese chip equipment maker Screen Holdings reported a 12.2% year-over-year decline in operating profit for the second quarter of 2025, reaching JPY24.3 billion (US$163 million), as subdued demand from China and elevated fixed costs from growth-related investments weighed on earnings

Tensions are rising at South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix after wage negotiations between the company and its labor union collapsed, setting the stage for possible large-scale protests. At the heart of the dispute lies a disagreement over performance-based bonuses, which the union deems insufficient given the company's record-breaking earnings in 2024