The US can no longer close its artificial-intelligence talent gap with China through visa curbs or export controls alone, a new Hoover Institution and Stanford study argues, because China is now producing frontier-model researchers who never trained, worked, or published abroad, even as it also reclaims talent that spent years in American institutions.
The US National Science Foundation will prohibit the researchers it funds from collaborating with organizations on Washington's restricted-party lists, a roster heavily populated by Chinese firms and institutions, under a Dear Colleague Letter dated July 8, 2026. The agency said it intends to implement the prohibition in fiscal 2027.
Shanghai AtomIC Technology has launched what it describes as the world's first 8-inch pilot line for two-dimensional semiconductors, marking a shift from laboratory research to engineering validation, small-batch tape-outs and early industrialisation.
Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display are jointly developing a next-generation glass interposer that could lower the cost of packaging high-performance chips, with prototypes potentially ready by the end of this year, The Elec reported, citing semiconductor industry sources.
China Life Insurance Company Limited plans to invest CNY4.999 billion (US$697 million) in a new CNY5 billion semiconductor private equity fund, extending Beijing's effort to direct long-term insurance capital into strategic chip technologies.
Reports have emerged that Apple may have managed to avoid 100% tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, partly by agreeing to partner with Intel to manufacture its chips. While Apple could benefit from expanding its chip suppliers, the episode also shows the power of Intel's government backing as the US seeks to reshore its semiconductor industry.
China is tying its climate agenda more closely to industrial policy. The State Council's newly released Action Plan for Carbon Peaking in the 15th Five-Year Plan sets ambitious targets that could further accelerate domestic new energy vehicle (NEV) adoption while intensifying pressure on foreign automakers.
Tencent is in talks to become the largest shareholder in Manus, leading a proposed buyback of the AI agent startup after Chinese regulators ordered Meta Platforms to unwind its US$2 billion acquisition.
SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won said the South Korean conglomerate is preparing a US investment plan that would far exceed US$35 billion—the amount he said the group is already putting into the country—though he did not disclose the plan's size, timing or components.
Huawei is reportedly partnering with Chinese DRAM maker Shenzhen Shengweixu Technology (SwaySure) and the Chinese government to build a state-backed 12-inch memory fabrication plant in Shenzhen, a move aimed at easing DRAM shortages while reducing reliance on overseas suppliers amid continued US export controls.
