Wednesday 24 December 2025
Japanese startup pushes diamond semiconductors toward commercialization in EVs and satellitesA Japanese startup originating from Waseda University, Power Diamond Systems (PDS), showcased its diamond-based semiconductors at SEMICON Japan 2025, presenting for the first time an evaluation system that confirmed the devices' operation after packaging.
Wednesday 24 December 2025
Unimicron leases Dajia plant to Uniflex, spins off flexible PCB businessTaiwan-based IC substrate maker Unimicron recently announced that it will sublease part of its Taichung Dajia land and factory to its flexible PCB (FPCB) subsidiary Uniflex Technology. The move addresses overseas customers' non-China production requirements.
Wednesday 24 December 2025
US sets June 2027 deadline for China chip tariff spikeThe Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has concluded a year-long Section 301 investigation into China's acts, policies, and practices related to its semiconductor industry, determining that they are actionable under US trade law. The findings were published in a notice dated December 23, 2025, and are scheduled to appear in the Federal Register on December 29.
Wednesday 24 December 2025
Moore Threads challenges Nvidia as S5000 targets Hopper-class LLM trainingJust 15 days after listing, China-based AI chip maker Moore Threads moved quickly to signal confidence. At a new-generation chip launch, founder and CEO James Zhang said companies training large language models on Nvidia's Hopper GPUs could achieve better results by switching to Moore Threads' S5000 platform.
Wednesday 24 December 2025
PQC security chips likely to adopt plug-in deployment for data protectionAs cybercriminals gain access to increasingly more computing power capable of breaking existing encryption algorithms in seconds, the standard for cybersecurity has shifted. It is no longer measured by how long it can hold but by ensuring attackers gain absolutely nothing. Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) security chips will therefore adopt a scorched-earth policy to guarantee that critical data cannot be accessed.
Tuesday 23 December 2025
ByteDance reportedly to increase 2026 capex with major focus on AI chipsByteDance is preparing to raise its capex to CNY160 billion (approx. US$22.70 billion) in 2026, allocating over half of this amount, CNY85 billion, towards purchasing artificial intelligence chip processors, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. The planned increase from CNY150 billion in 2025 reflects ByteDance's intensified emphasis on AI development.
Tuesday 23 December 2025
EdgeCortix accelerates low-power chip launch to take on NvidiaTokyo-based startup EdgeCortix plans to deliver samples of its next-generation Sakura-X artificial intelligence (AI) processor by the end of 2026, accelerating its production timeline to address the growing energy demands of AI infrastructure. The company is positioning the new silicon as a low-power alternative to Nvidia's dominant graphics processing units as data center operators and industrial users face increasing pressure to curb electricity consumption.
Tuesday 23 December 2025
Iluvatar CoreX: China's first commercial GPGPU builder steps onto the public stageShanghai-based Iluvatar CoreX is moving closer to a Hong Kong listing, positioning itself as one of the most commercially advanced domestic contenders in China's push to build a self-sufficient AI computing stack.
Tuesday 23 December 2025
Under 1% market share: Moore Threads faces long road to 'China's Nvidia.'As Moore Threads completes its stock market debut, the capital market has been flooded with bullish rhetoric, from "a domestic GPU champion" to "China's Nvidia." The pitch is familiar and effective, blending domestic substitution, AI compute scarcity, national strategy, and the halo of a founding team with deep Nvidia roots.
Tuesday 23 December 2025
Moore Threads takes on CUDA with MUSA as China's GPU race shifts to developer ecosystemsCompetition in the GPU industry ultimately comes down to developer ecosystems. Against that backdrop, Moore Threads' inaugural MUSA Developer Conference (MDC 2025) on December 20-21 marked a clear pivot away from headline benchmarks toward ecosystem depth.
Tuesday 23 December 2025
Exclusive: Why photons beat copper in AI factories—Celestial AI Co-founder on Marvell's acquisitionIn a year when artificial intelligence spending has begun to resemble a national infrastructure program, Celestial AI has chosen to stop being a standalone startup. Preet Virk, the company's co-founder and chief operating officer, says the decision to sell to Marvell was less about scale for its own sake than about physics, efficiency, and timing.
Tuesday 23 December 2025
China's space launch surge exposes Taiwan's tech gapAs privately owned rocket and satellite manufacturers in the United States continue to surge, China has been accelerating its own commercial space ambitions. Beyond its extensive low-Earth-orbit satellite deployment plans, the privately held Chinese launch company LandSpace Technology achieved a milestone on December 3, 2025, when its Zhuque-3 rocket completed a successful maiden flight.
Tuesday 23 December 2025
TI, ADI price hikes split Taiwan's analog IC designersTexas Instruments (TI) and Analog Devices (ADI) are reportedly preparing selective price increases across product lines in early 2026, citing rising semiconductor supply chain costs. The plans have put Taiwan's analog IC design houses on alert, with industry views sharply divided.
Tuesday 23 December 2025
Aspeed opens Kaohsiung R&D center to boost chip development effortsAspeed Technology, a global leader in remote server management chips, officially launched its Kaohsiung research and development (R&D) center on December 22. Located at the Pier F Cangsan Warehouse in the Port of Kaohsiung's Penglai Commercial Port Area, the new facility highlights the company's strategy of operating with its headquarters in Hsinchu and R&D center in Kaohsiung. This north-south operating model is expected to accelerate R&D efficiency and inject fresh momentum into the advancement of southern Taiwan's tech industry.
Tuesday 23 December 2025
Nvidia targets pre-holiday H200 shipments to China via inventory; production ramp remains uncertainNvidia is reportedly planning to resume shipments of its second-most powerful artificial intelligence chips to China before the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February, underscoring how the US chipmaker is navigating shifting export controls while testing the limits of political approval in Washington and Beijing.
Tuesday 23 December 2025
Nexperia's China unit secures local wafer supply under governance disputeThe Chinese subsidiary of Nexperia, the Dutch semiconductor manufacturer, has moved to secure wafer capacity from domestic suppliers to support production of key products in 2026, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. The shift underscores a widening rupture between the China operation and its European parent, as disputes over corporate governance and control continue to reshape the company's global supply chain.
Monday 22 December 2025
Samsung taps former AMD exec to reboot Exynos from AustinSamsung has recruited semiconductor veteran John Rayfield, formerly a vice president at AMD, to bolster its Exynos GPU and system IP roadmap, signaling a renewed effort to regain competitiveness in mobile and AI-focused SoC design.
Monday 22 December 2025
Central bank raises Taiwan's 2025 growth forecast to 7.31%Taiwan's Central Bank has sharply revised its economic growth forecast for 2025 to 7.31% from the 4.55% projected in September, citing the absence of US semiconductor tariffs under Section 232 and a stronger-than-expected surge in AI demand driving export momentum.
Monday 22 December 2025
How is India's AI governance framework reshaping where AI runs?India's tightening AI governance rules are no longer just shaping compliance strategies. They are beginning to influence where artificial intelligence workloads are deployed, pushing sensitive applications toward India-hosted and on-premise infrastructure.
Monday 22 December 2025
IDM automotive revenue becomes uncertain as new chip entrants seize smart cockpit and ADAS market shareUnlike IC design brands, IDM companies are typically conservative regarding demand conditions for the automotive chip market. The difference is partly related to operating base levels. New entrants continue to expand their market share in certain emerging automotive electronics functions and are in a growth phase. On the other hand, IDMs and some more traditional analog chip suppliers face relatively fixed market structures. With overall vehicle sales momentum not particularly strong, their 2026 outlook is more cautious.
Monday 22 December 2025
South Korea examines challenges in building a strong AI semiconductor industryThe National Academy of Engineering of Korea (NAEK) recently convened a seminar, gathering industry and academic experts to assess South Korea's position in the AI semiconductor sector. The discussion underscored concerns about the country's heavy focus on memory chips and drew attention to Taiwan's comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem as a model.
Monday 22 December 2025
Rafael Micro pivots to optical links and ASICs for 2026 growthRafael Microelectronics is positioning optical communications and custom ASIC services as the twin pillars of its growth strategy heading into 2026, as the company accelerates its transition from a niche receiver-chip supplier into a broader high-speed signal transmission solutions provider.
Sunday 21 December 2025
Biren targets Hong Kong's first GPU listing after US$890M lossesShanghai-based Biren Technology has cleared its Hong Kong listing hearing, positioning itself as Hong Kong's first listed domestic GPU pure-play and a key test for China's capital-intensive AI chip sector.
Sunday 21 December 2025
Taiwan academics seek to break through SiPh yield bottlenecksCloud computing, GenAI, and high-performance computing continue to drive bandwidth and energy efficiency demands. Line rates have now been pushed beyond 100–200Gbps. The intense heat generated by machines poses serious rack management challenges at data centers.
Saturday 20 December 2025
Foxconn's quantum advancement earns UNESCO recognitionMarking the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched the Quantum 100 initiative, recognizing key contributors who have made pivotal contributions to the advancement of quantum science, technology, and the broader quantum community.
- Taiwan's AI Basic Act passed, but poses further questions about AI regulations
- Exclusive: Samsung slows DDR4 phase-out, reportedly requires NCNR contracts for server customers
- Moore Threads challenges Nvidia as S5000 targets Hopper-class LLM training
- TSMC's N-2 restrictions hand Samsung US advanced chip opening
- Samsung, SK Hynix reportedly hike HBM3E prices nearly 20% ahead of 2026 shift
Forget the Cloud. AI is heading into Orbit.
Will Taiwan, South Korea, Japan join semiconductor alliance with US?