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Wednesday 20 May 2026
Xiaomi halts ultra-thin smartphone production as memory costs squeeze prices
Xiaomi warns memory costs could push flagship phone prices past CNY10,000 (approx. US$1,468) in 2026, a development that would affect global consumers as higher-capacity models become more expensive and manufacturers adjust portfolios. The company also withheld an ultra-thin, Apple Air-style device after concluding trade-offs would harm battery life and camera performance
Wednesday 20 May 2026
South Korea's defense chips 99% import-dependent as photonic supply chain crisis looms
Photonic semiconductors have become indispensable to modern defense — prized for their ultra-high-speed data processing, high capacity, low power consumption, and exceptional reliability. Yet despite their growing strategic importance, South Korea remains almost entirely dependent on foreign suppliers for these critical components. Industry leaders are now sounding the alarm: as global supply chains fracture along geopolitical lines, photonic semiconductors are no longer just industrial goods — they are national security assets, and South Korea's access to them is far from guaranteed
Wednesday 20 May 2026
Taipei fires back as Trump repeats chip theft claim
Trump has once again accused Taiwan of "stealing" the US semiconductor industry — his second such broadside in as many months
Wednesday 20 May 2026
South Korea sounds alarm on manufacturing hollow-out as AI server boom lifts Taiwan
As artificial intelligence reshapes the global economy, demand for data centers is rapidly redrawing the export map of nations
Wednesday 20 May 2026
Analysis: Japan's auto giants diverge—who's navigating the storm, and who's still in it
Japan's three largest automakers reported fiscal 2025 results that signal shifting production strategies and significant implications for suppliers across North America and beyond. The outcomes have varied: Toyota and Honda steadied operations amid different pressures, while Nissan moved into deep restructuring after heavy losses
Wednesday 20 May 2026
Rare-earth shadows Boston Dynamics' Atlas ambitions ahead of IPO
Hyundai Motor Group's humanoid robot ambitions are moving closer to commercialization, with Boston Dynamics preparing for a broader capital-market push and factory deployment of its Atlas robot. But analysts warn that China's control over rare-earth supply chains could become a key risk as the company looks to scale production
Wednesday 20 May 2026
As Hormuz crisis hits South Korea, Arctic route gains strategic weight
South Korea depends on the Middle East for 70% of its crude oil, and relies heavily on oil refining, petrochemicals, and power generation in its industrial sector. As a result, Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has led to wide-ranging pressures on South Korea's economic security
Wednesday 20 May 2026
CXMT profit surge shows limits of China's DRAM push
ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is approaching its planned STAR Market IPO with sharply stronger earnings, as a global memory upcycle helps China's leading DRAM maker move closer to offsetting years of accumulated losses
Wednesday 20 May 2026
Japan's startup boom draws global capital as top US tech firms accelerate Asia pivot
Plug and Play has closed a 6 billion Japanese yen fund — approximately US$40 million — making it one of the largest first-time seed funds ever raised in Japan, the firm announced on the first day of the Plug and Play May Summit in Sunnyvale
Tuesday 19 May 2026
XPeng introduces mass-produced Robotaxi built on in-house AI chips
XPeng unveiled its first mass-produced robotaxi on Tuesday, marking a major milestone in China's rapidly accelerating race to commercialize Level 4 autonomous driving
Tuesday 19 May 2026
TDK expands bonding equipment investment, launches first mass production of nanocomposite materials
Japanese electronic components manufacturer TDK will make its largest-ever capital investment in fiscal 2026, running from April 2026 to March 2027, to address surging demand related to artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on batteries, hard disk drive (HDD) components, and multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC)
Tuesday 19 May 2026
Lens Technology's Ju Teng bid puts China's notebook supply chain in focus

Lens Technology is seeking control of Ju Teng International Holdings in a deal that could cost as much as US$337 million, expanding the Chinese precision manufacturing supplier's reach in notebook casings and hardware components as electronics suppliers position for a new wave of AI-enabled devices

Tuesday 19 May 2026
Samsung narrows bonus gap as payout split threatens strike deal
Samsung Electronics and its South Korean labor union resumed talks on May 19 in a last-ditch effort to avert an 18-day strike set to begin May 21, with the two sides reportedly closing in on some differences
Tuesday 19 May 2026
AMD gains Beijing spotlight: China courts Lisa Su for AI chip ties
Shortly after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang left China following a delegation led by US President Donald Trump, Beijing officials swiftly announced a meeting with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CEO Lisa Su, drawing market attention to a possible shift in the atmosphere surrounding US-China AI chip cooperation
Tuesday 19 May 2026
Rising memory costs hit China's OLED suppliers harder than Korean rivals
Rising memory prices are squeezing the smartphone OLED panel market. Chinese suppliers are feeling it more than their Korean rivals, as handset makers scale back production plans