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US lawmakers are advancing bipartisan legislation to prohibit companies receiving federal semiconductor subsidies from purchasing chipmaking equipment manufactured in China for the next decade. The proposal aims to harden supply chain security and ensure that American tax dollars do not indirectly strengthen Beijing's technology sector.
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.
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.
Samsung Electronics is reportedly planning to raise the monthly output of its next-generation 2nm foundry process to as many as 21,000 wafers by the end of 2026, according to new industry projections. The increase would represent a 163% jump from 2024 and could significantly narrow the company's long-standing performance and capacity gap with TSMC.
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has rejected reports that a new company hire brought confidential TSMC information into the US chipmaker, calling the allegations unfounded.
Electronics components distributor Audix saw its manufacturing division revenue drop 13% year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2025. Its share of voice coil motor (VCM) products is also declining, affected by weak end-market demand and China's rare earth export controls. Audix stated that it has switched production lines to non-rare-earth magnets to reduce geopolitical impact and is simultaneously expanding AI server testing capacity, with revenue contributions expected to emerge gradually.
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.
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%.
Sumitomo Chemical announced it will acquire all shares of Asia Union Electronic Chemical Corp, a Taiwanese manufacturer of semiconductor cleaning agents, with the deal expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The transaction amount has not been officially disclosed but is estimated at around JPY10 billion (approx. US$63.85 million), according to Nikkei Asia.
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.

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.