As the global memory market enters its sharpest price upswing in nearly five years, one top-tier PC maker has moved quickly to lock in supply, dispatching senior executives to negotiate directly with major memory producers, including Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology

South Korean memory giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have reportedly hiked prices for fifth-generation high-bandwidth memory by nearly 20% for 2026 deliveries, as soaring demand for artificial intelligence accelerators outstrips supply, according to industry sources. The price increase for HBM3E chips comes as manufacturers pivot production resources toward next-generation HBM4 technology, creating an unusual supply crunch for the current industry standard

Following the launch of its first AI glasses, Vive Eagle, HTC has continued to expand its sales channel footprint. Beyond its official rollout in Hong Kong, the company has increased physical demo locations and after-sales service points in Taiwan. HTC is also expected to hold an event in China in January 2026. If AI glasses are introduced in the country, market attention will center on local partnerships, AI function localization, as well as sales targets and go-to-market strategy

Samsung Electronics is poised to capitalize on US demand due to Taiwan's N-2 policy restricting TSMC's advanced process transfers and its capacity being booked by Apple and Nvidia. The company is testing its second-generation 2nm process with AMD and collaborating with Google for 2026 production, outpacing TSMC's planned 3nm output in 2027

Beijing authorities have officially issued the city's first license plates for Level 3 (L3) autonomous vehicles, marking the first such approvals in China for highway-capable self-driving cars. Three smart, connected cars received the plates, signaling a shift from pilot testing to conditional commercial deployment and representing a milestone in the country's push toward intelligent vehicles

As US-China technology controls continue to shape the global semiconductor supply chain, the operation of TSMC in China remains under close scrutiny from the market

As the global auto industry accelerates its shift toward software-defined vehicles (SDVs), Samsung Electronics is moving to strengthen its position through its wholly owned subsidiary, Harman. The company announced it will acquire the advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) business of Germany's ZF Group for EUR1.5 billion (approx. US$1.77 billion), marking one of Samsung's most significant automotive investments in years

The rapidly increasing electricity demand from global artificial intelligence (AI) data centers is placing significant pressure on power grids worldwide. Chinese battery, energy storage, and transformer manufacturers are well-positioned to benefit from their technological expertise, cost efficiency, and rapid delivery capabilities. As data center operators seek solutions to upgrade aging power infrastructure, the reliance on Chinese suppliers is growing sharply

China's leading foundry, SMIC, is reported to have issued price increase notices to selected customers, marking the start of a pricing adjustment. The company has yet to formally confirm the move

In mid-December 2025, a China-based assembler for Apple was reportedly targeted in a cyberattack, potentially compromising production-line information linked to the tech giant's operations. This situation has raised concerns among customers regarding supply stability and cybersecurity risks

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has concluded a year-long Section 301 investigation into China's acts, policies, and practices related to its semiconductor industry, determining that they are actionable under US trade law. The findings were published in a notice dated December 23, 2025, and are scheduled to appear in the Federal Register on December 29

Samsung Electronics is preparing to escalate the foldable smartphone race. Industry sources say the company plans to launch a new foldable handset, internally dubbed "Wide Fold," in autumn 2026, positioning it directly against Apple's long-anticipated foldable iPhone. If timelines hold, the two products will debut within the same launch window, setting up a rare head-to-head between the world's two largest smartphone vendors

Just 15 days after listing, China-based AI chip maker Moore Threads moved quickly to signal confidence. At a new-generation chip launch, founder and CEO James Zhang said companies training large language models on Nvidia's Hopper GPUs could achieve better results by switching to Moore Threads' S5000 platform

Backed by South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA), a new cohort of Korean startups are accelerating their push into global markets, highlighting how "digital content" now extends far beyond traditional games and films into generative AI, extended reality (XR), human-machine interface (HMI), digital healthcare, and educational technology