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Tuesday 25 November 2025
Japan's AIST opens shared GAA pilot line to support 2nm-class process development
Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has opened a new shared pilot line capable of producing gate-all-around transistors, a move aimed at helping domestic companies develop 2nm and next-generation chip technologies. The facility, located at AIST's Advanced Semiconductor Research Center in Tsukuba, gives Japanese firms access to production-grade tools needed to prototype and validate GAA structures.
Tuesday 25 November 2025
Investors pile into Moore Threads as China seeks its own Nvidia alternative
China's "first domestic GPU stock," Moore Threads, is preparing for its STAR Market IPO, drawing strong investor interest as Beijing prioritises homegrown AI compute. The overwhelming subscription and ultra-low allotment rate highlight how closely the market is tracking China's GPU self-sufficiency effort.
Tuesday 25 November 2025
Samsung reportedly begins mass production of Exynos 2600
Samsung Electronics has reportedly launched mass production of its latest mobile application processor, the Exynos 2600, sparking increased activity across South Korea's semiconductor ecosystem. Local test and assembly firms, including Doosan Tesna and Hana Micron, have begun increasing utilization rates in response to the new production phase.
Tuesday 25 November 2025
Meta reportedly eyes Google TPU adoption, intensifying pressure on Nvidia
Meta is reportedly negotiating to adopt Google's tensor processing units (TPUs) in its data centers starting in 2027, with plans to lease TPUs from Google Cloud as early as 2026. According to Bloomberg, citing The Information and insiders, this potential partnership positions Google as a viable alternative AI accelerator supplier to Nvidia, potentially reshaping the industry landscape.
Tuesday 25 November 2025
Samsung vanishes from Baidu's AI chip roadmap amid rising geopolitical tensions
Samsung Electronics' long-running foundry partnership with Baidu is facing renewed questions after the Chinese tech giant unveiled a five-year roadmap for its Kunlun AI chips without identifying a manufacturing partner. Industry analysts say the omission reflects growing pressure from geopolitical and regulatory headwinds that are reshaping cross-border semiconductor cooperation.
Tuesday 25 November 2025
Commentary: SoftBank folds Ampere into its AI stack, turning up pressure on x86
Bloomberg reports that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has closed its antitrust review of SoftBank Group's planned US$6.5 billion acquisition of US chip designer Ampere Computing, clearing the final obstacle to the transaction.
Tuesday 25 November 2025
China edges toward self-reliant robot compute with Black Sesame's SesameX
Amid rising US–China tech tensions and China's "Robot Plus" initiative, humanoid and service robots have emerged as the next major strategic sectors. Yet even as China's humanoid robotics market expands rapidly, core compute remains heavily reliant on suppliers such as Intel and Nvidia, fueling concerns over technological autonomy.
Tuesday 25 November 2025
Stratio eyes mobile 'fourth lens' with low-cost germanium SWIR sensor
South Korean startup Stratio has developed a mass-producible short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging sensor based on germanium, costing just 1% of comparable market products. By integrating AI algorithms, the company targets applications across recycling, agriculture, food safety, home appliances, and security industries, aiming to become the smartphone's "fourth camera lens."
Monday 24 November 2025
South Korea seeks joint strategy with Taiwan on US chip tariffs
South Korea's trade chief said Seoul sees room to coordinate with Taiwan on upcoming US chip tariffs, signaling potential cooperation between the two Asian semiconductor powerhouses as Washington reshapes tariff rules under President Donald Trump. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said Taiwan's ongoing negotiations create space for both sides to seek the most favorable treatment.
Monday 24 November 2025
Lightmatter's silicon photonics solution aims for commercial shipments in 2027
GlobalFoundries (GF) has recently acquired Singapore-based silicon photonics chip company Advanced Micro Foundry. Meanwhile, Lightmatter, a US silicon photonics chip company that works with GF, is expanding the number of systems it is building. Seeing huge growth potential in the silicon photonics market, the company expects that after completing integration and testing with switch and XPU customers, it will move toward commercial shipments in 2027.
Monday 24 November 2025
Tesla accelerates AI chip roadmap: A15 nears tape out as A16 development begins
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed in a post on X that the company is close to taping out its next-generation AI5 chip while simultaneously beginning development of AI6. Tesla plans to introduce a new AI chip design into volume production every twelve months, positioning the company to become the world's largest producer of AI silicon.
Monday 24 November 2025
Weekly News Roundup: US moves to ban Chinese chipmaking equipment; Tesla eyes in-house fab; Intel hires TSMC veteran
These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of November 17 to November 23, 2025.
Monday 24 November 2025
Qualcomm Innovate in Taiwan Challenge supports local AI teams
Qualcomm announced the winners of the 7th Qualcomm Innovate in Taiwan Challenge (QITC) on November 21. First place went to MoBagel, which provides high-efficiency, energy-saving, enterprise-level artificial intelligence (AI) agent solutions. Second place was awarded to Moovo, noted for its performance in smart city applications and global electric bike (e-bike) rental services. Third place went to Paia Technology, which focuses on AI education.
Monday 24 November 2025
Intel's EMIB becomes potential alternative to TSMC's CoWoS
TSMC's advanced CoWoS packaging capacity has become extremely tight, resulting in only a few leading AI chipmakers having the means to book capacity in large quantities. Other ASIC makers and second-tier AI chip companies have struggled to secure sufficient capacity. There is market speculation that Intel's EMIB advanced packaging process is becoming the main alternative option that chipmakers are considering. Marvell and MediaTek are both rumored to try it, following a new business model that involves front-end water fabrication at TSMC and back-end packaging with Intel.
Monday 24 November 2025
India roundup: Fujifilm to build semiconductor materials factory in India, targeting regional exports

Fujifilm will build a semiconductor materials plant in India for regional exports; Ziroh Labs promotes CPU-first AI compute; India approves 17 ECMS projects worth US$810 million to expand component manufacturing.

Sunday 23 November 2025
Intel's China debut highlights AI expansion, Gaudi 2E, and disaggregated supernodes
The 2025 Intel Technology Innovation and Industry Ecosystem Conference was held from November 19 to 21, 2025, in Chongqing, China. At the event, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan and newly appointed chairman of Intel China Alan Wang both made their first public appearances in China following their appointments. They took office in March and September 2025, respectively. In contrast to former CEO Pat Gelsinger, their remarks focused heavily on AI.
Saturday 22 November 2025
AI workloads propel revolution in photonic chips, as startups jostle for position and tech giants seek to integrate
Rapid advances in AI technology have exposed fundamental network bottlenecks, since traditional connections can no longer keep up with the massive transmission demands of AI. Billions of dollars have thus been funneled into photonic chip startups, amid an ongoing seismic shift in how chips communicate.
Friday 21 November 2025
Taiwan foundry and tech manufacturing remains irreplaceable as exports surge
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced on November 20 that Taiwan's export orders reached US$69.37 billion in October 2025, down slightly by US$850 million or 1.2% from September but up significantly by US$13.92 billion, or 25.1%, compared to the same month of 2024. In New Taiwan dollars, this represents a 19.4% increase year-over-year. Cumulative export orders from January to October 2025 nearly hit US$600 billion, marking a 22.6% annual growth.
Friday 21 November 2025
White House seeks to block GAIN AI Act, easing Nvidia and AMD export risks
The White House is reportedly pressuring Congress to exclude the Guaranteeing AI National Access and Innovation (GAIN AI) Act from the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sources told Bloomberg and Axios. The move could benefit chipmakers Nvidia Corporation and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) by preventing export restrictions to China.
Friday 21 November 2025
Marvell plans to expand India workforce amid AI-driven growth
US semiconductor company Marvell Technology has announced plans to significantly increase its workforce and research spending in India, aiming to meet the surging global demand for AI infrastructure. Navin Bishnoi, Marvell's India head, told Reuters the company intends to grow its 1,700-strong Indian team by 15% annually over the next three years, though details of the expanded R&D budget were not disclosed.
Friday 21 November 2025
Semiconductor boom sustains WPG through 2026 amid CSP compute buildout
WPG Holdings, a major semiconductor component distributor, hit a new record with its operating profit exceed NT$5 billion (US$160.1 million) for the first time in the third quarter of 2025. AI-driven demand for servers and supply chain services has made core components and memory the two primary growth engines. Computing-related core components accounted for about 40%, and memory 27%.
Friday 21 November 2025
China's IC design surge heads for US$100bn milestone in 2025
China's chip-design boom is accelerating despite US export controls, with demand for domestic semiconductors rising sharply. With advanced-node restrictions still in force, Chinese system makers and suppliers are replacing imported components with locally designed chips, propelling the IC design industry into one of its strongest growth phases in decades.
Friday 21 November 2025
Nvidia's strong quarter lifts markets, but the AI bubble question still lingers

Nvidia's record third-quarter earnings provided rare relief for markets facing rising geopolitical risks. Jensen Huang remained characteristically optimistic, once again rejecting claims that artificial intelligence (AI) is drifting toward a bubble. He highlighted the overwhelming demand for Blackwell chips and cloud GPUs, which continue to sell out across major customers, as evidence of lasting momentum.

Friday 21 November 2025
Samsung Electronics maintains dual-CEO structure in 2026 executive reshuffle
Samsung Electronics' 2026 executive reshuffle reinforces its dual-CEO structure, maintaining continuity in mobile and memory leadership while appointing top technology experts to accelerate AI, semiconductor, and advanced research, signaling a strategic focus on long-term innovation and competitiveness amid intensifying global industry pressures.
Friday 21 November 2025
Huawei lifts Shenzhen to China's No. 2 chip design hub

China's latest IC design forecast projects Shenzhen's chip design revenue will reach CNY204.23 billion (approx. US$28.7 billion) in 2025, keeping it firmly in second place behind Shanghai. Its growth has outstripped other major tech centres in recent years, positioning the city as one of the fastest-rising semiconductor design hubs in the country.