Samsung Electronics planned a US$1.9 billion investment to upgrade its wafer foundry in Austin, Texas, aiming to produce Apple's next-generation CIS chips starting late 2026. The Austin City Council will vote on extending Samsung's eligibility for local tax incentives by November 20, 2025.

Samsung Electronics posted a sharp rebound at its Austin semiconductor plant in the third quarter of 2025. The results signal renewed momentum for the company's US foundry operations following several loss-making quarters.

Nvidia has announced key partnerships to expand its supply chain and manufacturing capacity in the US, aiming to meet rising global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips. The company is collaborating with Amkor Technology and Taiwan's SPIL to scale up domestic packaging operations, alongside launching a new testing chip technology with startup Menlo Micro.

Amkor, one of the largest US-based outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) providers, has begun investing over KRW260 billion (approx. US$177 million) in South Korea to expand capacity for rising AI chip demand. The company said it will increase back-end production in Songdo, Incheon, where it already runs a key advanced packaging facility.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stressed that strengthening ASEAN trade and investment, while focusing on digital technology and AI, is essential for national success. He highlighted the need for support from major economies like the US and China to ensure the continued growth of Malaysia's semiconductor and electrical & electronics sectors.

The Netherlands has suspended its ministerial order under the Goods Availability Act concerning Nexperia, signaling a potential easing of tensions with China. The move carries implications for global semiconductor supply chains, particularly for the automotive industry, but key governance and control issues at the company remain unresolved.

Pegatron has announced a strategic three-party collaboration with AI cloud service provider Together AI and AI digital infrastructure supplier 5C Group to jointly deploy a next-generation AI factory. It will be based on Nvidia platforms, including Pegatron-developed Nvidia GB300 and B200 server racks.

Chung Hyun-ho, long regarded as Samsung Electronics' "second-in-command," stepped down from his frontline role on November 7, prompting renewed scrutiny of potential changes within Samsung Group's top decision-making structure.

GlobalFoundries (GF) will host a webcast at 10:00 a.m. ET on December 3, 2025, to outline its strategy for the fast-emerging physical AI market. Executives will detail demand trends, technology roadmaps, and the company's work with MIPS on ultra-low-power compute solutions.

Huawei is accelerating acquisitions, factory builds, and investment across China's semiconductor sector, advancing a multi-year effort to establish a self-reliant supply chain for high-performance chips, including its Ascend AI processors. The effort began after Washington restricted the company's access to US technology in 2019 and has since grown into one of China's largest semiconductor initiatives.

GlobalFoundries (GF) announced it will acquire Singapore-based silicon-photonics foundry Advanced Micro Foundry (AMF), a move that represents a critical step in its push to advance photonics innovation and solidify its leadership in the field. The acquisition underscores GF's growing confidence in photonics as a cornerstone of future semiconductor and AI infrastructure.

The US is intensifying its use of four key non-tariff measures—anti-dumping duties, balancing taxes, antitrust actions, and forced labor bans—creating mounting compliance and operational challenges for Taiwanese manufacturers. These tools have become central to Washington's trade strategy under President Donald Trump and now pose greater business risks than traditional tariff actions, according to insights shared at workshops hosted by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

China's rapid advance in legacy semiconductors presents a geopolitical risk that is "more dangerous than rare earths," warns Chip War author and economic historian Chris Miller. In an interview with Nikkei, Miller said Beijing's heavy subsidies for mature-node chip production are reshaping global supply chains and increasing worldwide dependence on Chinese suppliers.

Taiwanese authorities have launched an investigation into Wei-Jen Lo, a former SVP for corporate development at TSMC, following allegations that he copied advanced process technology data before leaving the company and subsequently joined Intel Corporation. The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the High Prosecutors' Office are involved in examining whether Lo's actions violate national security laws.

Samsung Electronics confirmed the first performance results from its upcoming 2nm chip process, signaling a more aggressive push into next-generation foundry manufacturing as it tries to narrow the gap with market leader TSMC.

Silicon Valley venture firm Playground recently showcased seven semiconductor startups at a media event in Taiwan. Beyond the well-known Ayar Labs, d-Matrix, and NextSilicon, two HPC power component startups—PowerLattice and Vertical Semiconductor—stood out.

The 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium opened in Taipei on November 17, with experts highlighting that Taiwan's future economic growth faces challenges from extreme climate events, geopolitical conflicts, US tariff uncertainties, and constraints on critical material supplies. Among these, extreme drought poses the most severe threat to Taiwan's industries, especially the water-intensive semiconductor sector.

Silicon Valley venture firm Playground recently held a media event in Taiwan featuring a fireside chat with Ayar Labs, a silicon photonics startup backed by leading chipmakers including Nvidia and AMD. Founder and CEO Mark Wade and former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger discussed the future of silicon photonics.

Three AI giants have formed a strategic partnership that will once again reshape the AI industry. Announced just before Microsoft Ignite 2025, Microsoft and Nvidia have committed to investing US$5 billion and US$10 billion, respectively, into Anthropic. In turn, Anthropic will purchase US$30 billion in computing capacity on Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform. This deal will deepen Microsoft's shift toward a multi-model strategy, strengthen Nvidia's competitiveness against rival OpenAI, and provide Anthropic with the computing scale needed to leverage next-generation AI systems.

Pat Gelsinger, after stepping down as Intel's CEO, continues to influence the semiconductor sector through his role as a venture capitalist. On November 18, he led seven portfolio companies on a tour of Taiwan, presenting advanced technologies and reflecting on his four-decade-long relationship with the island's semiconductor industry.

After resigning as CEO of Intel in December 2024, Pat Gelsinger has maintained an active presence in the global AI and semiconductor industries. In March 2025, he joined Silicon Valley venture firm Playground Global as a partner and took on the role of executive chairman at US-based tech platform Gloo, which connects religious faith ecosystems.

The global semiconductor sector is at a critical juncture as demand for AI servers and high-performance computing (HPC) accelerates. A structural memory shortage is emerging across the supply chain, pushing SMIC back into a prominent role as a foundry.

Taiwan's solar industry is facing a severe setback due to amendments to three key laws: the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the Act for the Development of Tourism, and the Geology Act. Large-scale solar projects will be comprehensively impacted, possibly causing green energy supply to stall and forcing Taiwan's semiconductor sector, critical to national security, into unprecedented strategic dilemmas under RE100 commitments.

The 66th edition of the global TOP500 supercomputer rankings was officially released at the 2025 International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC25). The dominance of the US in high-performance computing (HPC) was yet again put into the spotlight during the conference, with other notable highlights including Europe's Jupiter becoming the first exascale system on the continent. Taiwan also earned a spot on the list.