South Korea is stepping up policy support for next-generation power semiconductors as part of a broader push to strengthen domestic chip manufacturing and reduce reliance on overseas suppliers, with local foundries accelerating the commercialization of silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices.

India's semiconductor ambitions are beginning to extend beyond fabrication and conventional packaging into secure chip personalization and cryptographic control, as Kaynes Semicon and SEALSQ detailed the roadmap for their newly approved joint venture (JV).

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories of the first full week of 2026: January 5-11.

Electronic component distributor Honey Hope Honesty Enterprise (3H) reported December 2025 revenue of NT$652 million (US$20.63 million), up 52.01% year over year. The strong growth was primarily driven by urgent customer orders, which boosted sales. For the full year of 2025, cumulative revenue reached NT$5.43 billion, up 15.75% compared to 2024.

TSMC is rapidly expanding its advanced packaging operations and is reportedly poised to appoint its first-ever "general plant manager" to oversee all facilities. The role is expected to be filled by Cheng-Xian Chen, the current head of TSMC's SoIC operations division, who is under 60 years old. Chen has held key positions, including deputy director of backend technology and services, as well as plant manager at Zhunan.

Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing side turned in a distinctly split performance in December 2025. The month can be summed up as: AI keeping advanced logic and advanced packaging near peak utilization, mature nodes staging a mild recovery, memory posting a clear cyclical reversal, and downstream segments such as outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) and power devices diverging by end market and product mix.

On January 6, 2026, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced that, to safeguard national security and interests, it would strengthen export controls on dual-use items to Japan. It also initiated an anti-dumping investigation on specialty gases exported to Japan's chip industry. This goes far beyond its previous rare earth controls, with vague definitions for military and civilian applications.

Samsung Electronics has reportedly secured KRW800 billion (US$550 million) through a low-interest loan program from the Korea Development Bank, according to sources cited by Korean media.

Taiwan and Europe will continue to strengthen collaboration in advanced fields such as drones, robotics, and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites in 2026, according to Chao-chung Kuo, director general of the Department of Industrial Technology (DOIT) at the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). Kuo made the announcement at a press conference hosted by the DOIT on January 7, which showcased the results of cross-national collaborative R&D efforts with Europe. These include Innolux's entry into the market for high-voltage EV charging, and MediaTek's collaboration with Eutelsat OneWeb. In addition, the number of countries participating in the Eureka Network's Globalstars program is expected to increase to seven in 2026.

Tai-Tech Advanced Electronics posted record revenue in December, the fourth quarter, and the full year of 2025, driven by strong AI-related demand and an initial round of price increases for ferrite bead products, the company said.

Rayzher Industrial, a supplier of gas supply systems for high-tech semiconductor fabs, recorded consolidated revenue of NT$228 million (approx. US$7.21 million) in December 2025, a 3.31% decrease year-over-year, primarily due to adjustments in some engineering project schedules. Despite this monthly decline, the company posted strong quarterly and annual results.