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Monday 3 November 2025
Xi gifts Lee Xiaomi phones, sparks backdoor security exchange at APEC
At a recent summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, the leaders exchanged carefully chosen gifts and engaged in an unexpected dialogue that captured industry and public attention. The interaction, held on November 1, 2025, at the Gyeongju National Museum, highlighted both diplomatic symbolism and technological cooperation amid ongoing geopolitical sensitivities
Monday 3 November 2025
Can a new US-China deal reset global trade tensions?
The US and China reached a wide-ranging trade and economic agreement in the Republic of Korea. The deal addresses fentanyl precursors, rare earth export controls, tariffs, and semiconductor trade restrictions, signaling a possible stabilization in US–China relations after years of escalating tensions over trade, security, and technology
Monday 3 November 2025
India triples rare-earth incentives as China eases export curbs
India is preparing to nearly triple incentives for rare-earth magnet manufacturing to over INR70 billion (US$788 million) as part of efforts to reduce reliance on China. The move comes just days after Beijing agreed to relax export restrictions following the latest US-China trade deal, easing immediate supply pressures
Monday 3 November 2025
US signs critical minerals cooperation MOUs with Thailand and Malaysia amid domestic concerns
The ASEAN summit concluded on October 28 with US President Donald Trump signing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on critical minerals cooperation with Thailand and Malaysia. The agreements have raised concerns domestically in both countries, prompting official responses to clarify their implications
Monday 3 November 2025
Tongfu Microelectronics taps AMD synergy to command the AI packaging frontier
Tongfu Microelectronics, a leading Chinese semiconductor packaging and testing company, made a significant leap in advanced packaging after acquiring 85% of AMD's Suzhou and Penang facilities in 2015. The deal gave it access to key CPU, GPU, APU, and game-console packaging platforms, including FCBGA, FCPGA, FCLGA, and MCM technologies. It also laid the foundation for a long-term strategic alliance with AMD, placing Tongfu among the frontrunners in advanced chip packaging
Monday 3 November 2025
Supply disruptions push Nissan into fiscal-year deficit

Nissan Motor on October 30 announced it expects an operating loss of JPY275 billion (approx. US$17.8 billion) for the 2025 fiscal year (April 2025–March 2026), a sharp reversal from a JPY69.8 billion operating profit in 2024

Monday 3 November 2025
Samsung’s 2nm Tesla gamble: a long shot or a long-awaited comeback?
Samsung Electronics' foundry division appears poised for a long-anticipated recovery after winning consecutive chip orders from Tesla. Following reports that Samsung would handle Tesla's AI6 chip, new industry sources now say the automaker's AI5 chip, once thought to be TSMC's exclusive project, will also be fabricated by Samsung using a 2nm process
Monday 3 November 2025
Radiant builds unprecedented team, eyes 2027 for meta-optics launch
Backlight module leader Radiant Opto-Electronics has completed three acquisitions within two years, forming what Chairman Justin Wang calls an unprecedented team. With key technologies secured, the company plans to focus on integration and aims to begin mass production of meta-optic products by 2027
Monday 3 November 2025
US becomes largest production base for South Korean's top conglomerates
South Korea's major corporate groups have significantly expanded their production assets in the US over the past eight years, overtaking China and Vietnam as the leading overseas manufacturing hub. Data from CEO Score, cited by CEO Score Daily and Newsis, shows the top ten conglomerates increased their combined overseas production assets from KRW209.2 trillion (US$146.27 billion) in 2016 to KRW490.7 trillion by the end of 2024
Monday 3 November 2025
Moore Threads secures CSRC approval for IPO, set to become China's first AI GPU listing

Chinese GPU maker Moore Threads has received CSRC approval for its IPO on Shanghai's STAR Market, marking a key milestone in the country's push to advance its domestic AI GPU industry. The CSRC approved the registration on October 30, according to Securities Times and Guancha.cn, prompting multiple listed firms to reveal their equity stakes and partnerships with Moore Threads

Monday 3 November 2025
Huawei server spin-off xFusion eyes IPO after four years of rapid growth

Singapore-based xFusion International (xFusion) is preparing for an IPO nearly four years after it separated from Huawei's x86 server division, according to Chinastarmarket.cn

Sunday 2 November 2025
Samsung's Exynos 2600 chips challenge Apple and Qualcomm in early benchmarks
Samsung Electronics' next-generation application processor, the Exynos 2600, appears poised to reclaim the spotlight in the high-end smartphone chip market, with early benchmark tests suggesting it outperforms Apple's A19 Pro and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in multi-core performance
Sunday 2 November 2025
Nvidia strengthens South Korea ties, turning AI drive into geopolitical strategy
As world leaders gather for the APEC Summit in Gyeongju amid tense geopolitics, South Korea is quietly taking on a new strategic role in the global AI race. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's landmark decision to allocate 260,000 of its latest Blackwell-architecture GPUs to Korea's top companies, including Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, and Naver Cloud, marks one of the most concentrated AI infrastructure deployments ever made in a single country
Saturday 1 November 2025
Jensen Huang's Seoul dinner with Samsung, Hyundai chiefs sparks 'AI Korea' speculation
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with Samsung chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Eui-sun for a 70-minute dinner at Kkanbu Chicken in Seoul's Gangnam district on October 30, 2025. After the meal, the trio appeared together at the GeForce Gamer Festival, celebrating the 25th anniversary of GeForce's debut in South Korea and demonstrating their close rapport
Saturday 1 November 2025
Japan accelerates HAPS and Ka-band networks as South Korea eyes LEO self-reliance

Both Japan and South Korea are accelerating plans for Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), aiming to expand satellite-based communications beyond traditional ground infrastructure. In the early stages, both nations collaborated with Starlink, but Japan has outpaced South Korea in developing mobile direct-to-satellite services