CONNECT WITH US
Thursday 29 January 2026
Analysis: China's chip price spiral has begun; a grey rhino threatening the 2026 supply chain
China's semiconductor supply chain is sending a clear signal: a wave of "chip inflation" driven by mature-node manufacturing, memory, and packaging costs is no longer theoretical; it is becoming a structural reality. Following Cmsemicon's decision to raise prices on MCU and NOR Flash products by 15% to 50%, long-stable commodity chips have officially entered an inflation cycle
LATEST STORIES
Wednesday 28 January 2026
Analysis: Does Foxconn's Mitsubishi venture make it an automaker?
The global bus industry is entering a new phase where competition extends beyond vehicle models to encompass organizational and operational transformation. Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) and Foxconn Technology Group have announced the establishment of a new, jointly owned bus company, signaling a fundamental restructuring of Fuso's bus business that moves beyond their earlier zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) collaboration, set for August 2025. This marks Foxconn's transformation from parts supplier to vehicle manufacturer—a shift with significant implications for Japan's public transport decarbonization and the broader electric vehicle sector
Tuesday 27 January 2026
Column: From black-and-white TVs to AI chips, Taiwan's export leadership continues
Taiwan's information and communications technology (ICT) sector—dominated by the semiconductor industry and Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS)—accounted for 65.2% of Taiwan's exports in 2024. This share is projected to rise to roughly 74% in 2025, reflecting the island's unique position in global industrial competition and underscoring profound implications for the country's future industrial trajectory
Tuesday 27 January 2026
Commentary: With ChatGPT saying yes to ads, why is Google still on the fence?
OpenAI began testing ads within ChatGPT in the US shortly after Google reaffirmed no ad plans for its Gemini AI, highlighting differing strategies amid generative AI competition. OpenAI aims to offset high infrastructure costs, whereas Google focuses on balancing user experience and commercial interests
Tuesday 27 January 2026
Commentary: Behind the scenes of Jensen Huang's China trip
While global political and economic elites were still exchanging remarks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang exited and flew straight to Shanghai
Tuesday 27 January 2026
Analysis: Why Foxconn and Hotai are targeting Japan's toughest market
Taiwan's industrial heavyweights are moving into Japan's commercial vehicle market with a level of ambition and visibility rarely seen before
Tuesday 27 January 2026
TSMC's capex surprise reveals blind spots in semiconductor forecasting
TSMC's recently announced capex surpassed market expectations by US$6 billion to US$8 billion, driven by factors that analysts had previously overlooked, DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin said in a podcast episode. This development signals structural changes in the semiconductor production landscape and has broader implications for global industry competition and US-Taiwan trade relations
Monday 26 January 2026
Commentary: China's RISC-V progress from C-Sky to T-Head
Alibaba is rumored to be evaluating a plan to spin off T-Head Semiconductor for a potential listing. T-Head may still appear to be a young company, but to the semiconductor industry, this Chinese IC design company's roots span more than twenty years of transformation and arduous progress. Its predecessor, C-Sky Microsystems, also plays an important role in China's development of the RISC-V architecture. In review of its evolution, the reason why Alibaba chose this critical moment to push this team onto center stage has become clear
Monday 26 January 2026
Commentary: Apple's foldable iPhone faces design questions ahead of widely expected 2026 debut
Beyond the closely watched rivalry between Samsung Electronics and Huawei in foldable smartphones—and the shifting balance of market share—another question drawing market attention is whether Apple will launch its first foldable iPhone, tentatively dubbed the iPhone Fold, on schedule in 2026
Monday 26 January 2026
Tariff uncertainty pushes US allies to rethink China ties
When US President Donald Trump erected a high wall of tariffs—and repeatedly adjusted its height—the stated goal was to protect the US industry. The unintended consequence, however, is that they have pushed some of the US's closest allies closer to China
Monday 26 January 2026
The ASIC server wars begin as Nvidia squeezes the margins
ASIC servers are emerging as the most closely watched segment of the server supply chain heading into 2026. Nvidia remains the dominant force in AI servers and continues to ship the largest volumes of GPU-based systems. However, as Nvidia tightens its control over the supply chain through high server prices and increasingly standardized specifications, gross margins across the ecosystem are coming under pressure. Competition for ASIC server orders is intensifying as suppliers seek to protect and improve profitability
Friday 23 January 2026
Analysis: How Howard Lutnick is redrawing the memory-chip map
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is driving a fundamental reordering of the global semiconductor supply chain. According to exclusive analysis from DIGITIMES analyst Luke Lin, the administration has shifted its pressure campaign away from advanced logic chips and toward memory, delivering a blunt ultimatum to South Korea's two dominant producers: build wafer fabs in the US or face tariffs of up to 100%
Thursday 22 January 2026
Commentary: In Bravia's handover, can TCL keep Sony's premium promise?
Sony Corporation and TCL Technology have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a joint venture that will take over Sony's home entertainment business, including TV and audio product R&D, manufacturing, operations, and after-sales services. The new entity is expected to begin operations as early as April 2027, effectively placing the future of the Bravia brand under TCL's operational control
Thursday 22 January 2026
Commentary: China's NPI edge comes under pressure
Geopolitical uncertainty shows little sign of easing, driving continued adjustments across the global consumer electronics supply chain. In manufacturing, the industry is moving beyond simple capacity dispersion and entering a new phase marked by the geographic redistribution of engineering capabilities. Recent market reports that Google plans to relocate portions of new product introduction (NPI) work for select high-end smartphone models to Vietnam starting in 2026 have drawn close attention across the industry
Thursday 22 January 2026
Commentary: post-CES global expansion strategies for Chinese brands like TCL and Lenovo
CES 2026 made it clear that Chinese brands are entering the global consumer electronics industry through concrete operating results. Its leaders are no longer stopping at exposure but are beginning to pursue deeper brand building and market management. From TCL Electronics' plans to form a joint venture with Sony, to Lenovo operating CES almost on par with top-tier international brands, what these moves reflect is not simply an effort to amplify marketing presence. It is a test of whether companies have the product strength, supply chains, and long-term investment capacity required to support global expansion
Wednesday 21 January 2026
Research Insight: High-end fiberglass cloth supply tightens as server demand spotlights Nittobo
As next-generation AI server platforms enter volume deployment, supply chain constraints are extending beyond high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Bottlenecks are increasingly emerging in printed circuit boards (PCBs) and critical upstream materials, according to DIGITIMES analysis