US President Donald Trump stated on September 23 that Ukraine, with support from the EU, could potentially reclaim territory from Russia, marking a departure from his previous stance favoring Ukraine ceding land for peace. Concurrently, Indian media reports suggest India may adjust its policy on Russian oil purchases, potentially expediting peaceful resolutions in Ukraine.

China is ramping up its nuclear fusion drive with the launch of a new state-backed firm. China Fusion Energy Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), was founded in Shanghai in July 2025 and made its public debut on September 24, 2025, at the 25th China International Industry Fair (CIIF), emerging as the nation's newest "national team" player in the fusion race.

As the global demand for AI chips skyrockets, a new challenge is emerging for the semiconductor industry: how to balance explosive growth with environmental responsibility. The production of advanced chips requires massive amounts of energy, driving up both electricity consumption and carbon emissions. TSMC, the world's leading contract chipmaker, is tackling this head-on with a new strategy it calls the "three arrows" to manage its carbon footprint.

Global semiconductor leader TSMC is tackling water scarcity with a new large-scale water recycling plant in Southern Taiwan. Operated by engineering firm CTCI Corp., the facility currently provides 67,000 metric tons of recycled water daily for chip production and aims to increase output to over 100,000 tons per day by 2027.

AiSails, a subsidiary of Wistron, has announced a strategic partnership with Germany's SkySails Power to deepen collaboration on kite-based airborne wind energy technology and integrate artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities across multiple applications.

The Yongin Semiconductor Cluster in South Korea, which is anchored by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, is currently under development. However, experts caution that there are unresolved power grid issues, mainly due to the massive energy demands of the cluster. Additionally, the current energy supply plan may conflict with the national goals for carbon neutrality.

The Taiwan Expo in the Philippines opened on September 17, 2025 in Manila after a six-year hiatus. James Huang, chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), noted that Taiwan's return to the Philippines comes amid drastically changed international supply chains and geopolitical dynamics. Both the Philippine government and business sectors now have stronger trust in the technological solutions Taiwan offers.

Taiwan's green energy market is confronting a severe electricity shortage, raising concerns among renewable energy providers and large enterprises, particularly in the semiconductor industry. Despite rising commitments to sustainability through the RE100 initiative, insufficient green power supply threatens to derail companies' environmental targets and potentially cause significant order shifts to overseas competitors.

The global artificial intelligence (AI) boom is not only driving demand for AI servers and AI data center hardware construction but also pushing high-voltage direct current (HVDC) to become the future mainstream in power supply due to the AI sector's massive energy consumption. This shift is accelerating investments from power grids, heavy electrical equipment, and power supply manufacturers, while the technical and capital barriers are expected to trigger a new round of market shakeouts.

The South Korean government is accelerating the development of its hydrogen economy, focusing on three key policy directions: demand market expansion, supply planning, and infrastructure support. The goal is to become a global leader in the hydrogen economy by 2030, capturing emerging market opportunities.

Chinese wind turbine manufacturers are stepping up their presence in India's wind power sector, but government measures aimed at strengthening domestic players are set to raise costs and complicate operations.

The Indian government is pushing ahead with its national green hydrogen initiative, aiming to meet nearly 10% of the world's renewable hydrogen demand and position itself as a major exporter. Power and Renewable Energy Minister Shripad Naik said that 19 companies have been authorized to produce an annual capacity of 862,000 tons of hydrogen, while 15 firms have been allocated 3,000MW of electrolyzer manufacturing capacity, according to Nikkei.

The global market for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) has slowed in recent years, with overall sales declining and many multinational automakers scaling back their hydrogen investments. However, Hyundai Motor has been bucking the trend, driven by its industry-leading EV technology, proprietary technological heritage, and confidence in the long-term potential of hydrogen.

Sinbon Electronics, a Taiwanese electronics component design and connector manufacturer, announced on September 2 its strategic collaboration with Berlin-based climate technology startup Swobbee through equity investment. The partnership reflects their shared vision of promoting sustainable urban transportation and accelerating the global transition toward a green market economy.

A group of 12 Japanese companies, including Mitsubishi Corporation, NTT, and Kansai Electric Power, announced on September 2, 2025, an investment in Massachusetts-based nuclear fusion energy startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), the first time Japanese firms have invested in CFS, with the intent to acquire construction and operational technologies to expedite nuclear fusion power commercialization in Japan.

Hyundai Motor Group recently participated in the 16th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM16), emphasizing the necessity of establishing a hydrogen energy ecosystem and reinforcing its position as a global leader in the hydrogen sector. However, with South Korea's hydrogen budget reduced for two consecutive years and infrastructure investment still insufficient, how businesses and the government overcome these challenges has become a focal point.

Sony has announced plans to encourage its key component suppliers to use 100% renewable energy in their production processes by the fiscal year ending March 2031. According to Nikkei Asia, this goal is part of Sony's new environmental action guidelines, which include mid-term targets from fiscal 2026 to 2030.

During his visit to South Korea, Microsoft founder Bill Gates met with President Lee Jae-myung and SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won to explore business cooperation in small modular reactors (SMRs). President Lee underscored South Korea's readiness to become a leading SMR nation, citing the country's competitiveness in both domestic and international markets.

The global surge in energy demand has brought a turnaround to South Korea's once-stagnant nuclear power industry. However, at the beginning of 2025, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) faced scrutiny for signing an unequal agreement with US-based Westinghouse Electric Corporation (WEC) while competing for the Czech Republic's nuclear power plant project. The medium- to long-term implications of the agreement have raised significant concerns.

Greenet, the electricity retail arm of green energy investment group J&V Energy Technology, signed a green energy purchase agreement with Capital Securities on August 26. The three-year deal will see Greenet supply more than one million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy to Capital Securities.

South Korean and US companies signed a total of 11 agreements across various sectors, including shipbuilding, nuclear energy, aviation, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and minerals, during the recent Korea-US Business Roundtable in Washington, D.C. Four of these deals focused on nuclear energy, marking it as the largest category of cooperation.

South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung's three-day trip to Washington began with a flurry of business deals, as companies from both countries signed 11 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) to expand cooperation across strategic industries.

The 2025 Meet Greater South, held August 22-23 at the Kaohsiung Exhibition Center, brought together 300 startup teams from nine countries. Centered on the themes of semiconductors, AI, and sustainability, the event underscored how these sectors are becoming the core drivers of industrial upgrading and international integration in southern Taiwan.

South Korea will allocate a record KRW35.3 trillion (approx. US$25.2 billion) to R&D in 2026, up 19.3% from a year earlier. The budget shift underscores a decisive break from the spending cuts under former President Yun Seok-yeol and highlights Seoul's renewed focus on artificial intelligence (AI), renewable energy, and other strategic technologies.

During his recent visit to South Korea, Microsoft founder Bill Gates met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won to discuss future cooperation in the energy sector, particularly small modular reactors (SMRs). The two sides agreed to deepen their business ties and strategic partnerships, drawing significant attention from the global nuclear industry.