Below are the top DIGITIMES Asia stories from October 13 to 19, 2025.
Nvidia set to overtake Apple as TSMC's biggest customer in 2025
A major shift is underway in the global chip industry. Nvidia is poised to surpass Apple as TSMC's largest customer in 2025, marking a major turning point as the artificial intelligence (AI) boom reshapes the supply chain. Apple, once TSMC's dominant client, has long contributed over 20% of the foundry's revenue through its massive iPhone orders. But Nvidia's surging GPU business is rapidly closing the gap. The AI leader's share of TSMC's revenue rocketed from 6% in 2023 to more than 10% in 2024. It is now expected to reach as high as 21% in 2025.
Netherlands seizes control of Nexperia, deepening Europe-China tech rift
In a stunning and dramatic escalation, the Dutch government has seized control of Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia, invoking a rarely used emergency wartime law for the first time against a private company. Citing serious national security risks and governance failures, authorities effectively stripped parent company Wingtech of control by ousting its founder from Nexperia's board and transferring shares to a court-appointed custodian, though operations will continue.
Google reportedly tests MediaTek modem for Pixel 11, signaling potential break-up with Samsung
Google is reportedly testing MediaTek's modem chips for its upcoming Pixel 11 smartphones, a move that could end its long-standing reliance on Samsung's Exynos platform and mark a deeper shift in its semiconductor strategy. According to SamMyFans and South Korean outlet G-enews, Google had initially considered using MediaTek's modems for the Pixel 10 but opted to retain Samsung's Exynos 5400i, with the supplier change now expected for the Pixel 11 series.
How a viral Taiwan dinner photo put Nvidia and its partners under Washington's microscope
A viral photo from a private dinner in Taiwan showing Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang with executives from Gigabyte, MSI, and Singapore-based Megaspeed has sparked scrutiny over potential breaches of US export controls on advanced chips. The image, shared publicly in mid-2024, fueled speculation about whether Nvidia's partners may have enabled restricted AI hardware to reach China, especially after another photo surfaced online showing MSI GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards allegedly awaiting distribution inside the country.
DRAM price surge shows no end, Innodisk chairman says there are surprises every month
Innodisk chairman Chuan-Sheng Chien said the company has experienced steady monthly growth in 2025 as AI-driven demand fuels an unprecedented surge in DRAM prices and triggers severe DDR4 shortages. He noted that while consumer demand remains weak, industrial and control markets continue to expand, and soaring AI applications are straining production capacity, pushing manufacturers toward HBM and DDR5 products.
Nvidia GB300 powers strong 4Q25 momentum for server supply chain
Nvidia's GB300 AI server chassis, which began shipping in late September 2025, is driving a strong rebound across the server supply chain and setting up a robust fourth quarter for system integrators and cooling suppliers. ODMs, including Foxconn, Quanta, and Wistron, have reported record revenues as shipments ramp faster than expected, easing earlier concerns about transition delays from the GB200 platform. Dell confirmed early GB300 deliveries to CoreWeave, while Wistron and Quanta both noted smooth production ramp-ups supported by familiar designs.
Historic memory shortages across DRAM, NAND, SSD, HDD, says Adata chairman
The global memory market is facing an unprecedented supply crunch as AI demand surges and cloud service providers (CSPs) place massive component orders that memory foundries were unprepared for. Adata chairman Simon Chen said shortages now affect all major product lines—DRAM, NAND Flash, SSDs, and HDDs—with inventories at record lows and prices expected to keep rising into late 2026.
Article edited by Jack Wu
