Since early 2025, global memory and storage chip prices have surged past industry expectations. Analysts say booming demand for AI infrastructure and high-performance servers is driving the rally, pushing costs quickly down the supply chain. Smartphone and PC makers are already under mounting cost pressure, a trend likely to extend into 2026.
Apple's iPhone 17 series has surpassed sales expectations, with South Korean manufacturers dominating the supply of its crucial OLED panels. Meanwhile, China's largest panel maker, BOE Technology Group, has struggled with quality issues, disrupting its deliveries and likely forcing further cuts to its originally planned supply.
Silicon Motion Technology's president and CEO, Wallace Kou, has highlighted a severe and ongoing memory shortage, driven by structural changes in the memory industry caused by artificial intelligence (AI) growth. Speaking at a charity event co-hosted with the Chung Yi Social Welfare Foundation, Kou said this shortage surpasses even the semiconductor scarcity seen during the pandemic and is expected to continue through the end of 2026.
Asia Optical announced its third-quarter 2025 financial results, reporting consolidated revenue of NT$7.15 billion (US$232.35 million), up 4% from the previous quarter and 5% year-over-year. Gross profit rose 14% quarter-over-quarter and 7% year-over-year to NT$1.57 billion, driven by sustained revenue growth that boosted gross margin. Operating income hit a new high for the period at NT$878 million, increasing 30% from the previous quarter and 16% year-over-year. Net profit attributable to the owners of the company reached NT$520 million.
US radio frequency and power amplifier manufacturer Skyworks Solutions announced it will merge with Qorvo. The combined company is estimated to be valued at US$22 billion, with plans to integrate both companies' radio frequency front-end (RFFE) product lines, strengthening technological advantages in smartphones and wireless communications.
Samsung Electronics currently leads the foldable phone market and holds the largest share of foldable phone sales in the US, alongside Motorola and Google. However, Apple is expected to enter the competition by the end of 2026. With foldable hardware design, component durability, and supply chain maturity improving, Apple is expected to challenge Samsung in the US market and potentially compete with Huawei for the top shipment position in China.
Apple's updated Vision Pro headset, launching this week, may not bring sweeping new features, but the packaging reveals a quietly significant shift: it's assembled in Vietnam.
Samsung Electronics will reportedly equip its next-generation Galaxy flagship series with its own flagship mobile SoC platform, the Exynos 2600, resuming a shared chip supply with Qualcomm. This shift is largely due to Samsung's latest 2nm GAA process, which has finally demonstrated acceptable manufacturing results.
Samsung Electronics will begin mass production of its next-generation mobile application processor (AP), the Exynos 2600, in November 2025, according to several South Korean media outlets. Reports indicate the Exynos 2600 is highly likely to be used in the upcoming Galaxy S26 series smartphones. Notably, the neural processing unit (NPU) performance of the Exynos 2600 is reportedly more than six times faster than Apple's A19 Pro.
LG Display (LGD) is reportedly planning to invest in production line conversion in 2026 for Apple's next-generation iPhone. According to the latest reports from Korean media, LGD began placing orders for related equipment in the fourth quarter and is expected to start installing them in the first quarter of 2026.
Apple's iPhone 17 is shaping up to be the best-performing model since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to multiple analysts cited by The Financial Times. The new generation's sales have significantly exceeded expectations, fueling a robust upgrade cycle.
In a massive strategic bet on the next wave of tech demand, South Korea's leading semiconductor testing provider, Doosan Tesna, is pouring over KRW170 billion (approx. US$120 million) into new testing equipment. Industry observers believe this huge capex plan is a direct move to prepare for a sharp surge in orders from its primary customer, Samsung Electronics, which is set to ramp up production of CMOS image sensors (CIS) for Apple.
Airoha Technology has continued to secure new collaboration opportunities in the international telecom market in 2025, with some of its previously developed markets now entering mass production and shipment phases, driving steady growth in its overall revenue. The company has also integrated MediaTek's Wi-Fi chips into its solutions.
Apple has announced its latest system-on-chip (SoC), the M5, marking a major step forward in the company's in-house silicon roadmap. Built on third-generation 3nm process technology, the M5 powers Apple's newest 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Apple Vision Pro, delivering notable gains in graphics, CPU efficiency, and on-device AI processing.
A seismic shift is underway in the global semiconductor industry. After a decade as the undisputed top client for chipmaking giant TSMC, Apple is on the verge of being unseated by Nvidia, whose business is skyrocketing amid the artificial intelligence boom.
Vivo unveiled its new X300 flagship series in Shanghai on October 13, 2025, highlighting deepened collaboration with Zeiss to differentiate and enhance imaging and video recording capabilities. The company also launched OriginOS 6, optimizing the user interface and AI integration to strengthen brand and product competitiveness.
On October 9, 2025, China announced expanded export controls on rare earths. In response, US President Donald Trump vowed to impose 100% tariffs on goods from China starting in November. These rare earth controls have a considerable impact on the tech supply chain, one being the optics industry.
As memory and storage prices enter a rapid growth cycle, Chinese memory supply chains are expanding their influence by targeting domestic smartphone brands. Leveraging upstream manufacturers' resources and localized partnerships, these Chinese firms are gradually capturing market share traditionally dominated by major global memory companies. Suppliers for smartphone giants like Transsion and Xiaomi are seeing significant increases in their footprint.
Google is reportedly conducting internal tests of MediaTek's modem chips for its upcoming Pixel 11 series, signaling a possible departure from Samsung Electronics' long-standing Exynos partnership, according to reports from SamMyFans and South Korean outlet G-enews.
Pegatron saw its September 2025 revenue rebound, driven by strong shipments of Apple's new iPhone 17 series, reaching NT$114.91 billion (US$3.76 billion), a 74.52% sequential and 5.17% year-over-year increase. This marks the first time in five months that the company's revenue has surpassed the NT$100 billion mark.
Apple is set to launch a 7.6-inch folding iPhone in 2026, with Samsung Display (SDC) expected to be the exclusive supplier of its OLED panels, capturing about 40% of Samsung's total foldable panel shipments.
Huawei smartwatches have recently seen a steady rise in sales in the Japanese market, particularly favored by middle-aged and elderly consumers. Retail channels indicate that since April 2025, when Takuya Kimura became the brand ambassador, the number of customers aged 40 to 70 has noticeably increased. Many have chosen Huawei smartwatches as their first smart wearable device, mainly focusing on health monitoring features that meet their needs.
Largan Precision reported consolidated revenue of NT$6.235 billion (approx. US$204 million) for September 2025, marking a 4% month-over-month increase, but a 4% decline year-over-year. Consolidated revenue for the third quarter of 2025 reached NT$17.677 billion (approx. US$579 million), up 51% from the previous quarter, but down 7% compared to the same period last year. For the first nine months of 2025, consolidated revenue stood at NT$43.929 billion (US$1.44 billion), reflecting a 7% growth year-on-year.
Samsung Electronics has begun mass production of its next-generation application processor (AP), the Exynos 2600, which is expected to power the standard models of the Galaxy S26 flagship smartphone series, set to launch in spring 2026. According to South Korean media reports, Samsung has reportedly improved its 2nm process yield from 30% to around 50%, prompting the company to start mass production ahead of schedule.
