Consolidation chatter within China's automotive industry has reignited following an announcement by Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC Group). Late on September 14, GAC disclosed that it had entered into a non-binding intent agreement with China First Automobile Group (FAW). Under the proposed transaction, GAC intends to acquire a partial stake in an undisclosed vehicle joint venture held by FAW via the issuance of new GAC shares. Upon completion of the share swap, FAW is expected to emerge as GAC's second-largest shareholder.
Foreign commitments timed around SEMICON India are moving deeper into the supply chain. In the three days before the 2026 edition opened on September 17, Lam Research, Applied Materials, and Fujifilm announced India plans worth a combined INR144 billion (US$1.50 billion), covering silicon components, chip equipment, and process chemicals rather than chip production itself.
Japan's Fujifilm plans to set up a greenfield semiconductor materials manufacturing facility in India with a total investment of approximately INR8 billion (US$83.33 million), the company said in a statement on September 16, 2026. Construction of the first phase is scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2026, with commercial production targeted for fiscal year 2028.
South Korea's semiconductor boom is spilling over from corporate profits into government tax revenue. Corporate tax revenue for fiscal 2027 is projected to reach KRW216.7 trillion (about US$160 billion), up 113.9% from the 2026 supplementary budget, topping KRW200 trillion for the first time and, after 15 years, overtaking income tax as the country's largest tax source.
Huawei's internal Heart Voice Community recently published minutes from a discussion between Guo Ping, chairman of Huawei's supervisory board, and newly hired employees, offering a glimpse into the company's ambitions in AI, computing, semiconductors, and future technologies.
SK Hynix's production workers' union has approved a revised pay agreement that raises the cash share of employee profit-sharing bonuses, ending weeks of uncertainty after members rejected the previous proposal by just 25 votes.
