Chinese suppliers at MWC 2026 are showcasing premium smartphones, AI-driven hardware, and vertically integrated ecosystems, signaling a strategic shift toward higher-end global competition and deeper control over key technologies

Japan's PC market began 2026 with an unexpected jolt, as shipments plunged at their fastest pace in 30 months, abruptly ending a 19-month streak of year-over-year growth and catching industry players off guard

South Korean fintech startup Softment is set to expand into Taiwan following rapid domestic growth, bringing its QR code and NFC-based ordering and payment solutions to the market. The company aims to capture the international tourism segment by offering multilingual menus, cross-border payment options, and seamless POS integration, enhancing both the customer experience and merchant efficiency

Germany's automotive giants—Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi (collectively known as BBA)—have engaged in aggressive price cuts in China's auto market, sparking fierce competition that has extended from electric vehicles (EVs) to internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. This price war threatens the long-standing asset value preservation moat these German luxury brands have built over 30 years

Huawei and ByteDance have jointly unveiled a next-generation AI acceleration chip based on resistive random-access memory (RRAM), developed with Tsinghua University and other Beijing research institutions

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have notified customers of plans to raise DRAM prices in the second quarter of 2026 and have begun price negotiations, South Korean outlet SEDaily reports. Industry sources say the move reflects surging AI-driven demand and changing trading practices that favor large purchasers

With Northvolt, Cellforce, and ACC all defunct, Europe's battery ambitions have collided with a brutal market reality: Chinese manufacturers now own nearly 70% of global lithium battery installations, led by CATL's commanding 39.2% share. The numbers make clear this isn't a run of bad luck; it's a structural problem

As AI-driven demand continues to lift global semiconductor output, TSMC is accelerating the localization of electroplating additives used in advanced packaging to secure a stable supply. Through four measures — production line guidance, equipment optimization, quality inspection, and sample validation — the company has supported Japanese suppliers in establishing production in Taiwan, cutting production cycles from 60 days to 20 days and improving logistics efficiency by 90%

Samsung Electronics on February 26 unveiled its flagship Galaxy S26 series, but industry attention has quickly shifted to what sits inside: mobile DRAM. According to market sources, roughly 50% of the initial shipments will use memory supplied by Micron, with the remainder provided by Samsung's Device Solutions (DS) division

Japan is planting its flag in India's semiconductor sector — and doing so fast. The market is projected to reach US$110 billion by 2030, and Japanese firms are racing to claim a piece of it

A new era of automated geopolitical warfare has arrived in East Asia. In its recently published "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI" report, OpenAI reveals that Chinese state-sponsored actors have moved well beyond simple bot networks. They are now deploying artificial intelligence as a strategic "operational manager" — coordinating complex "cyber special operations" (wǎngluò tèzhàn) against Japan's leadership and Taiwan's digital sovereignty

Samsung Electronics will halt 2D NAND flash production at its Hwaseong Line 12 and convert the facility into a 1c DRAM end fab, formally exiting planar NAND manufacturing and reallocating capacity toward advanced memory nodes

Nvidia's ability to sell high-performance AI chips in China has been sharply limited by US export licensing rules, which have restricted shipments of its H20 and H200 products. The controls have already forced Nvidia to take a US$4.5 billion inventory charge and have left the company uncertain about future revenue from China. Meanwhile, local competitors, some strengthened by recent IPOs, are expanding rapidly, potentially reshaping the global AI market

DeepSeek, the Chinese AI lab that unsettled global markets with its low-cost models last year, has withheld early access to its upcoming V4 flagship from US chipmakers, breaking with long-standing industry practice, according to two sources familiar with the matter