The Trump administration has launched an interagency review to determine whether to authorize the first exports of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, Reuters reported.

Japan plans to guarantee up to 80 percent of private-sector loans raised by Rapidus as the government intensifies financial backing for the chipmaker’s plan to mass-produce 2nm semiconductors, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on December 18.

TI has begun shipping chips from its newest 12-inch semiconductor fabrication plant in Sherman, Texas, marking a key milestone in the company's long-term manufacturing expansion in the US. The facility, known as SM1, is the first fab at TI's Sherman mega-site and comes online about three and a half years after construction began.

According to Yonhap News and The Korea Herald, Samsung Electronics has posted a full specification sheet for its mobile application processor (AP), the Exynos 2600, on its official website. The Exynos 2600 was designed by Samsung Semiconductor's Device Solutions (DS) division under the System LSI business unit and manufactured using the company's most advanced 2nm process based on Gate-All-Around (GAA) technology. With the specifications now public, the industry's first 2nm mobile AP is expected to attract increased attention from the tech sector.

China has begun easing restrictions on rare earth exports by approving a series of general licenses for qualified suppliers, according to the Ministry of Commerce on December 18, 2025. The move allows for smoother shipments to overseas customers and signals a measured loosening of trade controls that had tightened earlier this year.

TSMC Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer Y.J. Mii has been awarded the Executive Yuan Award for Outstanding Science and Technology Contribution, underscoring both his personal achievements and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's long-standing leadership in advanced semiconductor innovation.

Former COO of TSMC and a veteran semiconductor industry leader, J.K. Wang, shared insights from his 30-plus-year career at the company in an exclusive interview with DIGITIMES' IC Broadcasting podcast, marking his first media interview since retirement.

China's GPU start-ups are back at the center of a capital-market frenzy. Following Moore Threads, five-year-old MetaX has listed on Shanghai's STAR Market, with its shares surging more than sevenfold on debut. At its peak, the company's market capitalization briefly hit CNY330 billion (US$46.9 billion)—a striking number for a business generating just CNY1.5–2 billion in annual revenue, and one that would raise eyebrows even by global semiconductor standards.

As memory shortages and price increases extend through 2026, smartphone companies are considering downgrading memory capacities in their devices. Despite this, Jacob Chen, president of Samsung Taiwan's Mobile Communications Division, stated that Samsung's vertically integrated structure across the supply chain allows the company to benefit from memory shortages, supporting stronger smartphone sales. He expects Taiwan's smartphone sales volume in 2026 to continue growing and confirmed that Samsung currently has no plans to reduce memory capacities in its devices.

SK Hynix is reportedly establishing a new office in Bellevue, Washington, aiming to strengthen collaboration with key clients, including Nvidia, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft. The move is seen as a strategic step to enhance the company's presence within the Seattle tech ecosystem.