Japan's latest election is being read by global markets as a turning point in industrial policy, capital flows, and technology sovereignty across Asia — not a routine political cycle. Following the February 2026 lower house election, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party secured 316 seats, crossing the two-thirds threshold and delivering one of the strongest mandates in postwar Japan. The broader ruling bloc with the Japan Innovation Party reached about 352 seats, giving the coalition effective legislative control in the 464-seat chamber.
The Trump administration is preparing to spare major US technology companies from a new round of semiconductor tariffs as they expand data center capacity to support the artificial intelligence boom, according to the Financial Times. The plan would grant tariff carve-outs to US hyperscalers, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Relief is tied directly to investment commitments by TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker.
Alphabet Inc. has executed a financial maneuver that fundamentally alters the landscape of the AI arms race.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.(TSMC) reported a sharp 36.8% jump in January revenue, underscoring an acceleration in global demand for advanced semiconductors that outpaced market expectations.
Europe has taken a decisive step toward advanced semiconductor leadership with the launch of the NanoIC pilot line at Imec's Leuven headquarters, positioning the region to accelerate development of sub-2nm systems-on-chip (SoCs) and strengthen its role in next-generation chip manufacturing.
Onsemi's revenue declined in the fourth quarter as its two largest business units continued to post year-over-year sales declines, highlighting persistent weakness across key parts of its portfolio.
China's foundry sector is accelerating expansion across mature and specialty nodes. Nexchip Semiconductor, the country's third-largest foundry, plans to invest CNY2 billion (approx. US$288 million) in Hefei Jingyi Integrated via equity transfer and capital injection to secure full ownership. Upon completion, Hefei Jingyi Integrated will become a wholly owned Nexchip subsidiary.
Because of rising raw material costs, Taiwanese chip resistor manufacturers have begun increasing prices, with the wave spreading from major passive component makers such as Yageo and Walsin to smaller players like Ta-Yi Technology and Ever Ohms. After issuing a price increase notice to customers, Ever Ohms said that long-term competition in the Chinese market had kept chip resistor prices under pressure. However, recent surges in the costs of silver, palladium, ruthenium, tin, and copper have forced several Taiwanese and Chinese passive component suppliers to raise prices.
South Korean IoT startup NUCODE is leveraging ultra-low-power communication technology to streamline hardware development and bridge the gap between prototyping and mass production. The company, which has already drawn interest from industry leaders Nordic Semiconductor and Infineon Technologies, is now pivoting toward Taiwan's semiconductor ecosystem with a strategic focus on Realtek as its primary partner.
According to The Economic Times, India's Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) inaugurated its largest pre-silicon validation facility in Bengaluru on February 6, 2026. Named PRITVI-ACE (Platform for Reconfigurable Integrated Testing and Validation of IPs – Advanced Chip Evaluation), the facility offers large-scale, near-silicon-speed prototyping and validation of complex semiconductor designs before fabrication. It addresses a critical bottleneck in India's chip design ecosystem.
Onsemi reported fourth-quarter revenue of US$1.53 billion, with management citing early signs of stabilization across its core markets and continued growth in AI data center demand. The company posted non-GAAP earnings per share of US$0.64 for the quarter, exceeding the midpoint of its prior guidance.
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