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Wednesday 14 January 2026
China lifts semiconductor equipment localization to 35%
China's push to localize its semiconductor equipment supply chain has reached an unexpected milestone. Domestic tools accounted for 35% of chipmaking equipment used in 2025, up from 25% a year earlier and well above the government's original 30% target. Data from Jiemian News, SCMP, and Cacnews show localization has risen from just 7% in 2020, a nearly 400% increase in five years. In key process steps such as etching and thin-film deposition, Chinese tools now exceed 40% adoption
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Wednesday 14 January 2026
China tech restrictions complicate Reliance battery cell plans
Reports that Reliance Industries has paused plans to manufacture lithium-ion battery cells have reignited debate over India's clean-energy ambitions, highlighting technology bottlenecks even as the conglomerate insists its net-zero strategy and investment roadmap remain firmly on track
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Ola Electric enters residential energy storage market with Shakti BESS launch
EV manufacturer Ola Electric has rolled out Ola Shakti, a residential battery energy storage system (BESS), from its gigafactory in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, marking the company's formal entry into India's residential energy storage market and an expansion beyond its core automotive business, according to ANI, PV Magazine, and the Economic Times
Wednesday 14 January 2026
SK Hynix to invest in new advanced packaging plant amid AI memory demand
SK Hynix has announced plans to invest KRW19 trillion (US$13.02 billion) to construct a new advanced packaging facility, P&T7, in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The move aims to meet growing demand for AI memory and bolster the company's semiconductor capabilities, particularly in high bandwidth memory (HBM)
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Samsung will adopt South Korea-made mask blanks to EUV process to reduce reliance on Japan
Samsung Electronics is set to introduce South Korea-made mask blanks into its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) process starting as early as the second quarter of 2026. According to ET News and The Elec, Samsung is in the final evaluation stages of its EUV mask blanks with local supplier S&S Tech and is expected to be completed by January 2026, or by February at the latest. This is the first time Samsung will use domestically produced mask blanks in its EUV process
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Iluvatar CoreX sets three-generation GPU plan, eyes H200 performance
As China's domestic GPU developers accelerate public listings and expand both technological and capital investment, competition is shifting toward next-generation computing power. Iluvatar CoreX said it will unveil a three-generation GPU roadmap on January 26, 2026, outlining a new GPGPU architecture, cloud-based AI training and inference products, and high-performance computing infrastructure plans
Wednesday 14 January 2026
China's new export trio drives 2025 trade growth
China's total trade in goods reached CNY45.47 trillion (approx. US$6.51 trillion) in 2025, marking a 3.8% year-over-year increase and setting a new record, the General Administration of Customs announced on January 14. Exports rose 6.1% to CNY26.99 trillion, while imports edged up 0.5% to CNY18.48 trillion, maintaining China's status as the largest merchandise trader globally
Wednesday 14 January 2026
China extends anti-dumping tariffs on US and Korean polysilicon
As China–US technological and industrial rivalry intensifies, Beijing is strengthening its trade defence measures. China's Ministry of Commerce announced on the 13th that anti-dumping duties on imported solar-grade polysilicon from the US and South Korea will be extended for another five years from January 14, 2026
Wednesday 14 January 2026
South Korea's tech independence drive under scrutiny over China links
South Korea's push to build sovereign artificial intelligence foundation models is facing heightened scrutiny as several domestic contenders in a government-backed selection process are accused of relying on Chinese technologies, raising questions about how independence should be defined in national AI development
Wednesday 14 January 2026
CXMT launches US$4bn bid to break DRAM market control
Surging artificial intelligence (AI) workloads have triggered a global shortage of HBM, tightening DRAM and NAND supply and pushing prices sharply higher. US PC maker HP is now evaluating memory procurement from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) to relieve mounting supply pressure
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Luxshare and Wingtech clash over India asset transfer, take dispute to Singapore arbitration
Luxshare Precision Industry said it has moved to terminate an agreement to buy an India-based business asset package from Wingtech Technology after the transfer was blocked by legal restrictions, including seizures and freezes, escalating a cross-border dispute that both sides have now taken to arbitration in Singapore
Wednesday 14 January 2026
US clarifies AI chip rules, opens conditional export pathway for Nvidia H200 and peers
The US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has shifted its license review policy for exports of certain advanced computing chips to China and Macau from a "presumption of denial" to a case-by-case review, provided exporters meet new certification and testing requirements
Wednesday 14 January 2026
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek drives global adoption, raises geopolitical concerns
Microsoft's AI for Good Lab has revealed that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's free, open-source generative model is rapidly gaining adoption in developing countries, contributing to a notable rise in global AI usage while prompting geopolitical and information security concerns
Wednesday 14 January 2026
China signals photoresist localization shift in supply chain standoff with Japan

China has imposed export controls on selected Japanese dual-use goods, including rare earths, and launched an anti-dumping investigation into Japanese dichlorosilane, further straining bilateral ties. Against this backdrop, Beijing's latest comments on localizing key semiconductor materials have attracted industry attention

Wednesday 14 January 2026
South Korea's fusion energy future questioned with sole focus on magnetic confinement fusion
South Korea's exclusive focus on magnetic confinement fusion technology has raised concerns about its position in the evolving global fusion energy landscape, as other advanced countries pursue dual development paths that combine magnetic and laser nuclear fusion. Experts warn that this singular strategy could limit the nation's competitiveness in next-generation energy solutions
Wednesday 14 January 2026
China's GPU makers go public, advance to 6nm/7nm nodes
China's domestic GPU sector has entered a new phase of capitalization. Moore Threads and MetaX have listed on the STAR Market, Biren debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in early January 2026, Iluvatar CoreX completed its Hong Kong IPO, and Enflame has finished listing counseling ahead of a STAR Market filing. Within one month, five Shanghai-based GPU firms accessed public capital markets, accelerating the commercialization of China's AI chip industry