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
A senior executive from Kaynes Semicon revealed plans for the company to become the first in India to package chips by July, noting the delay in Micron's ATMP project
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
Foxconn reportedly plans to double iPhone production in India by 2025, aiming to produce 25-30 million units annually. This expansion, driven by Apple's diversification strategy and Indian government incentives, marks a significant shift in global iPhone manufacturing
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
DeepSeek has allowed the public to witness the explosive growth of AI applications and the renewed hope brought by AI models undergoing repeated calculations. However, the questions of commercializing AI models and extending user engagement with AI super applications remain unresolved
As the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) slows, battery manufacturers are adjusting their procurement strategies to manage costs. South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI is exploring increased use of Chinese battery equipment following discussions at a recent shareholders' meeting, citing improvements in quality and cost-effectiveness
At LG Group's 63rd shareholders' meeting in Seoul, chairman Koo Kwang-mo, though absent, conveyed his strategic vision through a written message, emphasizing the company's commitment to advancing its battery business as a key driver of future growth, according to South Korean media reports, including Money Today and ZD Korea
