CONNECT WITH US
Tuesday 3 February 2026
US Judge dismisses Samsung FRAND lawsuit, strengthening ZTE's global hold
The ZTE Corporation has scored a major win in its global patent dispute with Samsung Electronics after a US federal judge dismissed Samsung's FRAND contract and antitrust lawsuit, shifting legal leverage toward the Chinese telecom equipment maker
Tuesday 3 February 2026
iPhone gains in China squeeze MediaTek, Qualcomm revenues
Last week, Apple released its latest financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, with the iPhone 17 series continuing to post strong sales. Overall, iPhone shipments grew 23% year over year, with particularly standout performance in the Chinese market. Apple CEO Tim Cook said the number of users switching from Android to Apple far exceeded expectations. Considering that China's overall smartphone market did not actually grow in the previous quarter, this implies a relative decline in market share for other Chinese smartphone brands. This undoubtedly adds revenue pressure for other SoC vendors such as MediaTek and Qualcomm
Tuesday 3 February 2026
China's AI competition heats up: ByteDance and Alibaba ready new flagship models
ByteDance and Alibaba are intensifying their battle for AI dominance in China with planned releases of new flagship models around the 2026 Lunar New Year. This competition marks one of the most significant tech rivalries in the country's booming AI sector
Tuesday 3 February 2026
China's AI chip swarm hits mass scale, chipping away at Nvidia's China stronghold

US export controls are accelerating China's localization of data-center AI chips, with shipment data now pointing to rapid commercial scaling. Across more than a dozen domestic brands, at least nine Chinese AI chip vendors have shipped or secured orders exceeding 10,000 units, spanning platforms backed by major technology groups and a growing group of startups

Tuesday 3 February 2026
YMTC enters LPDDR5 battlefield as China leans on it to steady NAND flash supply
Memory shortages are worsening across the market as international suppliers shift capacity aggressively toward servers, tightening supply for consumer electronics and automotive sectors. China's leading NAND flash producer YMTC is reportedly being assigned a stabilisation role, prioritising support for key domestic industries to maintain supply chain continuity and avoid production disruptions and layoffs
Tuesday 3 February 2026
Nexperia plans Malaysia expansion in face of geopolitical risks and automotive supply concerns
Geopolitical tensions between the Netherlands and China led to Nexperia halting shipments at the end of 2025, raising concerns over potential disruptions in the automotive semiconductor supply chain and affecting multiple global carmakers. To meet customer demand for a "non-China supply chain," the company is reportedly planning to expand its packaging and testing capacity in Malaysia. The move aims to reduce reliance on its current "European wafer, China packaging" model and prevent future shipment interruptions
Tuesday 3 February 2026
Beijing officially lists 'future industries,' setting the stage for supply chain realignment
China has for the first time formally designated "future industries," with the framework for policy support now taking shape. The move signals a shift away from conceptual discussion, placing these sectors at the core of the country's upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan
Tuesday 3 February 2026
South Korea eyes X-ray lithography in response to ASML's EUV grip

As global competition in semiconductor technology intensifies and protectionist trends tied to national strategy gain momentum, South Korea's industry is emphasizing the need to localize critical equipment. With chipmakers fully reliant on ASML of the Netherlands for extreme ultraviolet lithography tools, industry participants say South Korea must invest in X-ray lithography, a technology still at an early stage of development, to secure long-term competitiveness and reduce dependence on a single supplier

Tuesday 3 February 2026
Analysis: China's AI model race tightens into a three-way contest
China's large language model sector is reaching a decisive inflection point. As requirements for computing resources, capital, and specialized talent continue to climb, the industry is moving from dozens of competing models toward consolidation dominated by three major players
Tuesday 3 February 2026
Sumitomo Bakelite to acquire Kyocera unit, paving way for Chang Wah expansion
Japanese materials maker Sumitomo Bakelite has announced plans to acquire the materials business of Japanese electronic components company Kyocera. Industry observers say the companies' product lines are highly complementary, positioning the deal to deliver stronger synergies. Leveraging Kyocera's strengths in discrete and power products in China is expected to support Sumitomo Bakelite's global market expansion
Monday 2 February 2026
SMIC reportedly sets up advanced packaging research institute in Shanghai
As Intel, Samsung Electronics, and TSMC increase investment in advanced packaging, market sources say SMIC has set up an advanced packaging research organization in Shanghai, with SMIC chairman Liu Xunfeng attending the unveiling ceremony, marking a new stage in the company's advanced packaging research and development efforts
Monday 2 February 2026
China's auto industry hits record low 4.1% profit margin in 2025
China's automotive sector faces mounting profit pressure despite growing sales volume, with the average profit margin dropping to a near five-year low of 4.1% in 2025, according to the China Automobile Dealers Association. Dong-Shu Cui, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association, revealed that total industry profits reached about CNY461 billion (US$66.3 billion) in 2025, up only 0.6% year-over-year
Monday 2 February 2026
Chinese process control powerhouse Jingce targets nearly triple profit growth in 2025
Wuhan Jingce Electronic Group forecasts net profit of CNY80 million to CNY90 million (approx. US$11.5 million to US$13 million) for 2025, representing year-over-year growth of 181.97% to 192.21%. Net profit excluding non-recurring items is expected to reach CNY21.66 million to CNY31.66 million, up 113.66% to 119.97%, reversing losses from the previous year
Monday 2 February 2026
Semco's Tianjin MLCC plant capacity runs flat out on EV, AI server expansion
Rising automotive electronics demand has pushed Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco)'s Tianjin plant to full capacity across its multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) production lines, with about 8,000 workers running operations 24 hours a day. The Tianjin site is Semco's largest global manufacturing base, focused primarily on automotive MLCCs while also supplying consumer electronics and server markets
Monday 2 February 2026
Kioxia targets data center NAND as rivals chase HBM
Kioxia Holdings sees an opportunity to expand its presence in high-density storage for AI data centers as rivals direct resources to other segments. The company's incoming president said demand tied to artificial intelligence continues to grow and Kioxia will keep capital spending disciplined