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Friday 11 July 2025
Taiwan's machinery exporters brace for US tariff verdict while handling FX pain
Taiwan's machinery exporters face growing uncertainty as the US confirms 25% reciprocal tariffs for Japan and South Korea, while Taiwan's status remains unresolved. With the US as Taiwan's top machinery export market, concerns are mounting, especially amid a sharp appreciation of the Taiwan dollar that's already compressing margins
Friday 11 July 2025
China's 'trade-in' subsidy policy aims to stabilize panel prices amid funding crunch concerns
The Chinese government has been vigorously promoting the "trade-in" subsidy policy since the second half of 2024, positioning it as a key tool to stimulate consumption and stabilize the economic situation. However, recent reports indicate that funds for China's trade-in subsidies have been overspent, with some regions even suspending subsidies temporarily, raising concerns among industry observers
Friday 11 July 2025
Subsidy hangover? China's June auto sales surge may be last hurrah
China's auto sales reached 2.08 million units in June, marking the highest monthly total since June 2022. Analysts believe the spike was likely driven by consumers accelerating purchases in anticipation of cuts or shifts to government subsidy programs
Friday 11 July 2025
Apple's foldable smartphone expected in 2026 as China's hinge and display suppliers gear up
Global foldable smartphone shipments rose only 9% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2025, a steep decline from the triple-digit growth seen in earlier years, according to Counterpoint Research. Now entering its sixth year of commercialization, the segment is losing steam, largely due to Apple's continued absence from the market
Friday 11 July 2025
NXP plots wafer shift to China as new CEO joins push for local supply chain
Kurt Sievers, the CEO of Dutch semiconductor giant NXP Semiconductors, who is set to officially step down at the end of October 2025, recently visited Shanghai and met with the mayor of Shanghai, Zheng Gong. Sievers stated that the Chinese market has become NXP's largest single global market. The company values its cooperation with Chinese enterprises and believes that success in China will translate into global success. Notably, Sievers' successor, Rafael Sotomayor, also accompanied him on this trip, underscoring NXP's strong emphasis on the Chinese market
Friday 11 July 2025
Qualcomm losing presence in Chinese flagship phones with MediaTek catching up

In a surprising change within the smartphone industry, MediaTek, long seen as the second largest chipmaker in the high-end sector, is gaining ground against American semiconductor giant Qualcomm in China's premium smartphone segment

Friday 11 July 2025
China tackles auto supplier payment crisis with complaint platform
Facing growing frustration from suppliers, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has launched a national complaint platform to address delayed payments by automakers — a widespread issue that has plagued small and medium-sized suppliers amid the country's ongoing automotive price wars. Whether the platform can offer effective relief, however, remains uncertain
Friday 11 July 2025
Manus AI flees China for Singapore following US$75 million Benchmark round
Chinese AI Agent startup Manus has relocated its headquarters to Singapore and slashed most of its China-based workforce, just four months after its global debut. The move reflects mounting geopolitical and investment pressures and highlights Manus's push to build a global presence in the AI application space
Friday 11 July 2025
GaN surge: Innoscience targets 20K/month 8-inch wafer milestone by year-end

Innoscience, a leading Chinese GaN specialist, plans to expand its monthly production of 8-inch (200mm) wafers from 13,000 to 20,000 by the end of 2025, advancing toward its five-year target of 70,000 wafers per month. As the first IDM to mass-produce 8-inch GaN-on-silicon wafers, Innoscience's expansion highlights the growing global pivot to GaN technologies in power electronics

Friday 11 July 2025
Korea’s Rebellions taps Taiwan alliance to challenge Nvidia in AI chip race
Seoul-based AI chip startup Rebellions is moving fast to stake its claim as South Korea's top domestic supplier of artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors. The company is ramping up production of its second-generation chip and forging new partnerships across Asia to grow its footprint
Friday 11 July 2025
Meituan fuels embodied AI ambitions while robot IPOs hit Hong Kong despite losses

Meituan has made another move in the robotics sector, investing US$100 million in Galaxea AI, its second major robotics deal in two months following a stake in Independent Variable Robot Technology (Jinan) Co., according to Yicai. The investment underscores Meituan's deepening commitment to embodied intelligence amid a broader robotics market challenged by slowing funding, mounting losses, and heightened competition

Friday 11 July 2025
Topco Scientific denies rumors of cooperation with Chinese firms, stresses compliance with export controls
In response to external allegations regarding collaboration with Chinese companies to develop chips and the involvement in exporting sensitive semiconductor materials to China, Topco Scientific Co. (TSC) issued a statement on July 10, 2025, to clarify the matter
Friday 11 July 2025
SK Hynix narrows gap with Samsung as AI boom fuels HBM chip sales in Q2
SK Hynix is rapidly closing the gap with Samsung Electronics in the global memory chip race, driven by surging demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI applications. According to a newly released report by Counterpoint Research, SK Hynix posted US$15.5 billion in combined DRAM and NAND revenue in the second quarter of 2025, placing it in a virtual tie with Samsung for the top spot in the global memory market
Friday 11 July 2025
Swancor divests materials unit to back smart robotics investors
Swancor Holding Co., Ltd. has approved the sale of a 60% stake in its Shanghai STAR Market-listed unit, Swancor Advanced Materials Co., Ltd., at CNY7.78 per share, valuing the deal at approximately CNY1.86 billion (approx. US$259.3 million). The transaction was cleared by the board and audit committee on July 8
Friday 11 July 2025
India's EMS giants pivot to East Asia partnerships for US$2.68 billion component push
Indian electronics makers are accelerating joint venture talks with South Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese partners as they prepare final bids for a component manufacturing scheme. The push reflects a strategic shift away from Chinese alliances amid foreign direct investment curbs and rising geopolitical tensions
Research Report Database
Intel signals overhaul of IDM 2.0 and foundry strategy with Lip-Bu Tan's appointment, says DIGITIMES