Samsung Electronics is dismantling a key building at its Giheung campus as part of plans to construct a large-scale advanced research center, according to Hankyung. The site, known as SR5, is regarded as the birthplace of the company's semiconductor business and the location where Samsung developed its 65-megabit DRAM in 1992.
China is pushing ahead with its semiconductor materials strategy. Shanghai, one of the country's leading cities, has included brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and fourth-generation semiconductors among its priority future industries, signaling early preparation for a new materials era beyond third-generation semiconductors.
German state governments are stepping up efforts to secure new semiconductor partners in South Korea after Intel shelved plans to build fabs in Europe, leaving gaps in the region's advanced chip supply chain, according to Korean industry reporting by The Guru.
As global competition in semiconductor technology intensifies and protectionist trends tied to national strategy gain momentum, South Korea's industry is emphasizing the need to localize critical equipment. With chipmakers fully reliant on ASML of the Netherlands for extreme ultraviolet lithography tools, industry participants say South Korea must invest in X-ray lithography, a technology still at an early stage of development, to secure long-term competitiveness and reduce dependence on a single supplier.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang issued a sharp rebuke to market speculation regarding the rise of custom silicon (ASIC) during an interview in Taipei on January 31, 2026.
