Zhipu AI, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup, introduced its open-source AI agent AutoGLM at the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum. Designed to bridge advanced reasoning with task execution, AutoGLM will be supported by proprietary large language models (LLMs) that are set to open-source on April 14

On April 1, Rapidus inaugurated its first semiconductor fabrication facility, IIM-1, in Chitose City, Hokkaido, marking a pivotal step in Japan's leap from 40nm technology to the cutting-edge 2nm process. Rapidus is spearheading Japan's ambition to restore its semiconductor manufacturing autonomy. The consortium includes elite talent from Renesas, Tokyo Electron (TEL), and international firms like United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), ensuring technological advancements and yield rates align with expectations

LCD TV panel prices are losing steam following a brief rally that began in late 2024, initially fueled by front-loaded orders. Rising inflation concerns and renewed tariff threats from US President Donald Trump are dampening global trade confidence, prompting consumers to pull back. At the same time, China's trade-in policy is losing momentum, softening demand. As a result, both panel makers and TV brands are slowing their purchasing pace

Chinese AI startup Butterfly Effect has rolled out a subscription service for its Manus AI agent just weeks after launching its preview version, with its top-tier Manus Pro plan priced to compete directly with OpenAI's ChatGPT Pro at US$199 per month

Hiroshi Kawamoto, Division Officer, Finance Division of Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL), one of Japan's leading semiconductor equipment manufacturers, projects that demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) equipment—vital for powering generative AI—will continue to grow. However, he anticipates that sales of front-end semiconductor manufacturing processes in 2025 will likely remain on par with 2024 levels

SEMICON China 2025 opened at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre to large crowds and packed booths, a full display of China's forward momentum for its semiconductor industry. Beneath the prestige, however, domestic chip equipment makers are embroiled in a brutal price war, with some reportedly cutting prices to just 40% of list value in a scramble for market share

Three months into 2025, Apple's senior leadership is back in China. CEO Tim Cook posted "Hello, Beijing" on Weibo, marking his fourth visit in just over a year. COO Jeff Williams also returned, focusing this time on deepening ties with Apple's supply chain partners across the country

Amid the AI boom, much of the spotlight has focused on Chinese chips like Huawei's Ascend. Yet, general-purpose computing power, still dominated by CPUs, remains a critical foundation. Most enterprise servers continue to adopt a "CPU plus AI accelerator" setup. Even Nvidia, known for its GPUs, is developing its own Arm-based Grace CPU to meet this demand

Huawei Chairman Liang Hua said at the Guangdong High-Quality Development Conference in early February that the company's total sales revenue for 2024 surpassed CNY860 billion (approx. US$118.42 billion)

Nvidia's relationship with Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has evolved dramatically, affecting Nvidia's stock price and driving strong demand for its China-specific H20 GPU in China. Since late January 2025, major Chinese technology companies have been aggressively purchasing servers to deploy DeepSeek AI models, creating unprecedented demand for Nvidia's H20 chips

DeepSeek's meteoric rise as an open-source large language model (LLM) has shaken up China's generative AI industry, redrawing the competitive map in record time. As the Financial Times observed, the model's rapid global uptake is pushing Chinese AI startups into a corner: pivot fast or risk being left behind

On March 16, 2025, Baidu launched its latest AI models, Ernie 4.5 and Ernie X1, and announced they would be available free for all users. Ernie 4.5 also marks Baidu's first fully multi-modal large language model (LLM)

China Resources Microelectronics (CR Micro) has appointed He Xiaolong as its new chairman in a rapid leadership reshuffle. According to a regulatory filing cited by East Money and Cinastarmarket.cn, He was elected during the company's 23rd board meeting and will serve through the remainder of the current board's term, effective immediately

Most Chinese chief executives are focusing on corporate survival rather than growth strategies, with geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions ranking as their top concerns for the next three years, according to KPMG's "2024 China CEO Outlook" survey

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said on March 31, 2025, it will provide up to JPY802.5 billion (US$5.4 billion) in fresh funding to Rapidus, a domestic startup developing next-generation semiconductors. The funding signals Japan's renewed push to revive its advanced chipmaking industry and secure a homegrown supply chain amid growing geopolitical uncertainty