GeoWatch

Essential technology and geopolitical news recap.

Essential technology and geopolitical news recap, GeoWatch, focuses on the tech supply chain, providing effortless insights.

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IN THE NEWS

Thursday 6 November 2025

China bolsters rare earth export controls with major hiring push

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has launched its largest recruitment campaign in nearly a decade, planning to add approximately sixty new officials in 2026. According to a MOFCOM...

Thursday 6 November 2025

China bans Nvidia from state data centers, mandates domestic AI chips

China has escalated its campaign to reduce dependence on foreign technology. The country now requires all new state-funded data centers to use domestically produced artificial intelligence...

Thursday 6 November 2025

China eases trade curbs on US optical fibers, suspends entity restrictions

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced on November 5, 2025, that, effective November 10, 2025, it will end anti-circumvention measures on certain cut-off shifted single-mode optical...

Thursday 6 November 2025

ODMs slash non-China manufacturing targets to 40% as tariff eases

The easing of trade tensions between the US and China has prompted electronics manufacturers to reassess their supply chain strategies. Following recent tariff reductions implemented...

Thursday 6 November 2025

Tech war embroiled Taiwan sees fragile truce in Trump-Xi summit

Following the Trump-Xi summit in South Korea, US-China relations appear to have stabilized temporarily, avoiding immediate escalation in hostilities. However, senior Taiwanese officials...

Thursday 6 November 2025

ASML reframes its China strategy with advanced packaging debut of TWINSCAN XT:260

ASML has introduced the TWINSCAN XT:260, its first lithography system purpose-built for 3D integration and advanced packaging. The launch marks a major step beyond front-end wafer...

Thursday 6 November 2025

China takes the self-driving wheel as chip war pushes Nvidia out

In 2025, the autonomous vehicle industry has become the focal point of a technological cold war. The United States and China are engaged in a high-stakes competition where chips,...

Thursday 6 November 2025

From Seoul to Munich: Nvidia's AI sovereignty goes global

In less than a week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has orchestrated two of the largest national AI infrastructure deals in history—first delivering 260,000 AI chips to South Korea,...

Wednesday 5 November 2025

Trump prepares Plan B as world awaits Supreme Court hearing

In Learning Resources v. Trump, the administration states that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 authorizes the president to impose tax rates...

Wednesday 5 November 2025

China reportedly ties Nexperia negotiations to CEO reinstatement and asset unfreeze

Talks between China and the Netherlands over Nexperia have made notable progress, attracting scrutiny from the European Union. EU Trade...

Wednesday 5 November 2025

US Treasury Chief hints Nvidia's Blackwell chips could one day reach China, but not right now

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has suggested that the government may eventually permit Nvidia's high-end Blackwell-architecture...

Tuesday 4 November 2025

China localizes network infrastructure chips; Taiwanese IC design houses turn to the West

China's push for semiconductor self-sufficiency has extended to networking infrastructure, with Taiwanese IC design firms Realtek Semiconductor...

Tuesday 4 November 2025

US govt partners with two local firms to scale domestic rare earth magnet production

Vulcan Elements and ReElement Technologies announced a US$1.4 billion partnership with the US government to scale a fully domestic rare earth magnet supply chain. The agreement includes...

Tuesday 4 November 2025

Nvidia Blackwell chips expose policy-corporate divide on China exports

During an interview aboard Air Force One on November 2, 2025, US President Donald Trump stated that only US customers should have access to Nvidia's advanced Blackwell AI chips. According...

Monday 3 November 2025

Chinese president calls for global AI cooperation organization at APEC summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the creation of a global artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation organization during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders'...

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