China's car market has been grappling with the fallout from intense competition and cutthroat price slashing, forcing the government to repeatedly intervene. Misleading marketing language promising autonomous or smart driving has been banned since April 2024, and more recently China's Ministry of Commerce has hosted a conference with automakers and industry representatives to address the issue of zero-mileage secondhand cars
The US Court of International Trade ruled on May 28, 2025, that US President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs are invalid. Yuan-Kai Chung, chairman and president of Audix, commented that Trump may find other ways to pressure specific companies. However, the tariff impact on Apple is relatively limited. The real focus remains on overall market innovation momentum and consumer willingness to upgrade devices
Samsung Foundry has boosted utilization with fresh 7nm and 8nm chip orders from Nintendo and multiple AI chipmakers. Yet its persistent setbacks at the 3nm node continue to spotlight serious cracks in its advanced process competitiveness. After a long dry spell, Samsung's foundry unit is generating some positive buzz with its 3nm Exynos 2500 chip slated for the next Galaxy foldables, alongside a gaming system-on-chip reportedly secured for Nintendo
In a sweeping crackdown on international students, US President Donald Trump has barred Harvard University from admitting foreign students—a policy likely to extend to other major US universities. Simultaneously, all US embassies and consulates worldwide have been instructed to immediately halt new student visa interviews while plans are underway to intensify social media scrutiny of visa applicants
When Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun set his sights on replicating Apple's vertical integration playbook, he may have overlooked how unceremoniously Apple's own chip journey began. The A4, Apple's first in-house SoC introduced 15 years ago, arrived with little fanfare, hardly a precursor to the powerhouse Apple Silicon era that now defines the Tim Cook era
Nvidia reported first-quarter 2025 revenue of US$44.1 billion, a 69% year-over-year increase that exceeded guidance of US$43 billion, even as export restrictions on H20 chips forced the company to recognize over US$4 billion in inventory costs. Data center revenue climbed 73% year-over-year
Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics has scrapped its plan to mass-produce silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors, originally set to begin in early 2025 at its Takasaki plant in Gunma Prefecture. The company has also disbanded the dedicated team behind the project
Samsung Electronics is nearing a wide-ranging deal to invest in Perplexity AI Inc. and put search technology from the artificial intelligence startup at the forefront of the South Korean company's devices
Applied Materials has entered the semiconductor glass substrate market, reportedly developing the industry's most advanced lithography equipment dedicated to this emerging segment. According to South Korea's ET News, the tools will be first supplied to Absolics, a subsidiary of SKC, for its upcoming facility in Georgia, US
Samsung Electro-Mechanics announced that preparations for its glass substrate sample production line are nearing completion, with plans to begin supplying samples to two to three major US technology firms in 2025, according to ET News. The company is also deepening strategic collaboration with Samsung Electronics, particularly in areas related to the construction of a glass interposer supply chain
The US Department of Commerce (DOC) is tightening export restrictions on electronic design automation (EDA) software for China, shifting from broad bans to case-by-case licensing. Sources indicate this could lead to a full suspension of services by Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens EDA, affecting all Chinese chip design clients, not just those working on 3nm nodes
These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from May 26 to June 1. Top highlights include Huawei's 5nm HarmonyOS PC as a milestone in China's chip self-sufficiency, Wolfspeed's looming bankruptcy threatening Renesas' US$2 billion SiC deal, China's EUV-free 5nm efforts, mounting export control risks, Samsung Electronics' delayed entry into Nvidia's HBM3E supply chain, and Malaysia's US$270 billion pivot to IC design and advanced packaging
At Computex 2025, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang quipped, "The more you buy, the more you save" — a punchline that underscored the escalating arms race in AI infrastructure. According to Yicai, the AI boom is driving global tech firms to ramp up investments in data centers and compute capacity. Nvidia now estimates enterprise AI infrastructure spending is nearing the trillion-dollar threshold
