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Wednesday 4 November 2026
Decoy processors carry Korean HBM past US export controls into China
A loophole in US export controls reportedly lets high-bandwidth memory (HBM) made by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix reach China's AI chip industry. The loophole shows how much Huawei's next-generation processors still depend on foreign memory, while China's domestic suppliers struggle to close the gap.
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Thursday 5 November 2026
Samsung reportedly plans 2nm fab to boost HBM base-die output
Samsung Electronics is preparing to build a 2nm- and 4nm-class foundry fab at its Giheung campus in Yongin, South Korea, to expand production of logic base dies used in high-bandwidth memory (HBM). The fab is estimated to cost KRW25 trillion (approx. US$18.6 billion), with the broader project potentially reaching KRW30 trillion if an existing production line is converted into an advanced packaging facility, Seoul Economic Daily reported on November 4.
Thursday 5 November 2026
MUFG, SMBC to renew JPY600 billion credit lines for scandal-hit Nidec
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group's MUFG Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking (SMBC) plan to renew a combined JPY600 billion (approx. US$3.8 billion) in credit facilities for Nidec through November 2027, providing financial support as the Japanese electric motor maker works to restore confidence following an accounting scandal, according to Nikkei Asia.
Thursday 5 November 2026
CXMT prepayments surge 16x with DRAM shortage lifting market share
Global memory supply constraints are creating opportunities for Chinese DRAM maker CXMT to expand its market share. As major international manufacturers prioritise high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and advanced DRAM, the tightening supply of mainstream DRAM is allowing CXMT to capitalise on domestic demand and capacity expansion.
Thursday 5 November 2026
Mitsui Chemicals reportedly plans US$8.2B acquisition of JSR in Japan chip materials push
Mitsui Chemicals is planning to acquire semiconductor materials maker JSR from state-backed Japan Investment (JIC) in a deal potentially worth more than JPY1.3 trillion (US$8.2 billion), which would rank as the largest acquisition in Japan's chemicals sector, according to reports by Nikkei Asia and Reuters on November 4, 2026.
Thursday 5 November 2026
Corning starts optical connectivity output in western India, plans larger adjacent plant for 2027
Corning's move to begin making optical connectivity products in Pune and add a larger adjacent plant by 2027 shows the AI-driven surge in data center fiber demand, so far strongest in the US, starting to reshape the company's manufacturing footprint in India.
Thursday 5 November 2026
FPT starts chip-testing plant trials in northern Vietnam, plans packaging expansion
FPT has begun trial operations at a semiconductor testing and packaging plant in Vietnam's Bac Ninh province, initially focusing on chip testing as it prepares to expand into packaging technologies. The facility has six production lines and a maximum designed capacity of 300 million chips annually, the company said in a November 3 release.
Thursday 5 November 2026
Google commits US$15 billion to expand Malaysian data centers in 2027 and 2028
Google's plan to invest US$15 billion in Malaysia over 2027 and 2028 deepens its bet on what AFP calls Southeast Asia's fastest-growing data center hub, and ties the expansion to commitments on power, water, and skills as Malaysian authorities scrutinize the facilities' demands on national resources.
Thursday 5 November 2026
Empyrean's EDA acquisitions could give Korean chip designers cheaper tools—and stronger Chinese rivals
China's efforts to build a complete domestic chip-design software stack are gathering pace through acquisitions and strategic investments. Empyrean Technology's latest transactions target gaps in verification, placement and routing, and logic optimisation, strengthening its challenge to established electronic design automation (EDA) suppliers.
Thursday 5 November 2026
Taiwan's power density tops Japan, South Korea as AI drives Southern Taiwan Science Park load
AI expansion and rising household electricity demand are pushing Taiwan's power consumption higher, with Taipower forecasting that the Southern Taiwan Science Park's electricity load will reach about 4GW in 2031, accounting for 9% of Taiwan's total power use. Taiwan's electricity consumption per unit of land is already about 2.7 times Japan's and 1.3 times South Korea's, Taipower said.
Wednesday 4 November 2026
Taiwan launches first maritime unmanned vehicle expo
Taiwan has launched its first maritime unmanned vehicle exhibition, drawing major military unmanned boat makers from the US, UK, Singapore, and other countries to showcase technologies and explore opportunities in the island's expanding defense technology market.
Wednesday 4 November 2026
LG Energy Solution expects fourth-quarter profit to slip as storage ramp costs linger
LG Energy Solution expects revenue to keep rising in the fourth quarter while profit dips. On its November 3 earnings call, it told analysts that its North American energy storage system (ESS) business is improving its profitability more slowly than the market expected. Executives also said tighter sourcing rules in the US and Europe are shaping how the battery maker buys materials, chooses customers, and plans its balance sheet.
Wednesday 4 November 2026
CAS Space's Kinetica-2 joins Spacesail deployment, raising stakes for China's commercial rockets
Chinese commercial launch provider CAS Space launched its Kinetica-2 rocket at 8:15:25am on 3 November from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Experimental Zone, placing 18 Spacesail Constellation satellites into their designated orbit. It was the rocket's first deployment mission for the low-Earth-orbit network, also known as G60 Starlink.
Wednesday 4 November 2026
Huawei's Hubble builds AI optics supply chain through minority stakes in 22 companies
AI data centers are increasing demand for high-speed optical communications, making optoelectronics supply chains increasingly strategic. Marvell's announced acquisition of Lumentum highlights chipmakers' growing integration of optical technologies. Huawei has pursued its own supply-chain strategy through sustained equity investments by Hubble Technology.
Wednesday 4 November 2026
DeepSeek V5 reportedly targets Huawei Ascend 950 training in 2027, a crucial test for a Chinese alternative to Nvidia
DeepSeek plans to use Huawei's Ascend 950 chips as the core training hardware for its next-generation V5 model, potentially extending the companies' partnership from inference to full model training in 2027.
Wednesday 4 November 2026
Screen doubles investment as Kyoto equipment site takes shape
Screen Holdings is expanding production of semiconductor cleaning equipment with a JPY25 billion (US$157.53 million) site in Nagaokakyo, Kyoto, while raising its capex budget for the year ending March 2027 to JPY58 billion (US$367.33 million). The new facility is scheduled to begin operating in January 2028.