The US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has revoked the "Validated End-User" (VEU) status for Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, ending a key exemption that allowed the companies to ship equipment to their fabs in China without prior approval. The move tightens Washington's grip on the two South Korean chipmakers' operations in China, forcing future expansions and equipment upgrades through a burdensome case-by-case review

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has begun mass production and turned a profit at its Arizona plant in 2025, a milestone that marks not only a breakthrough in its global expansion but also a reversal of long-standing skepticism about America's ability to sustain advanced chip manufacturing

With global smartphone sales leveling off, Qualcomm and MediaTek are taking their long-running rivalry into the fast-growing cloud AI ASIC market. DIGITIMES Research estimates MediaTek controlled 37% of the smartphone application processor market in 2024, ahead of Qualcomm at 27%. Together, the two suppliers accounted for more than 60% of shipments. With handset growth expected to remain stuck in the low single digits, both companies are turning to cloud computing chips as a new source of expansion

The global market for high-end cloud AI accelerators is approaching a major turning point. DIGITIMES forecasts that beginning in 2026, the supply chain will enter a new "decentralized" phase shaped by three forces: the expansion of custom ASICs, diversification of advanced packaging, and intensifying competition in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) pricing

J-Star Holding, a composite materials company with extensive patents and expertise in carbon fiber design, supplies products for bicycles, rackets, automotive parts, and medical robotic arms. Its carbon fiber bicycles have supported athletes in winning major events like the Tour de France and Olympic road races. Recently, J-Star launched the electric-assisted bike brand Litzmo

Global electric vehicle (EV) sales rose 29.4% year-over-year to 9.29 million units in the first half of 2025, driven by strong momentum in China, Europe, and the US. The three markets delivered 8.4 million units, accounting for 90.4% of the total. China retained its position as the world's largest EV market and the sector's key growth driver

Foxconn has been promoting its "3+3+3" innovation strategy, positioning digital health as a core element. Chih-Hsiung Chiang, general manager of Foxconn's Business Group B, clearly outlined in an exclusive interview with DIGITIMES how the unit has gradually transformed from focusing on EMS manufacturing for ICT products into a pioneer driving smart healthcare and digital health

Nvidia projected third-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue of about US$54 billion, beating market consensus but trailing the most optimistic forecasts of US$60 billion. Crucially, the outlook excludes sales of its H20 chips to China, underscoring how US export curbs continue to weigh on one of its biggest potential markets

Humanoid robots remain far from commercial readiness, with ongoing doubts about their practicality and technical feasibility. As debate continues over when — or even if — humanoids will gain traction, momentum is shifting to alternative designs. Quadruped and wheeled robots, prized for their stability and load capacity, are emerging as the more realistic entry point for companies seeking near-term robotics applications

Meta Platforms has reportedly signed a six-year agreement worth US$10 billion with Google Cloud, marking an unprecedented partnership between two dominant companies in digital advertising. The collaboration underscores both Meta's growing need for cloud computing resources and Alphabet's expanding presence in the cloud services market

Since August 11, 2025, when Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan met with US President Donald Trump at the White House, and following the White House confirmation on August 22 that it would subsidize Intel through the CHIPS and Science Act in exchange for about a 10% equity stake, speculation has swirled around Trump's special mission to save Intel and promote "Made in America.

At the OCP APAC Summit, Ethernet and UALink advocates clashed over data center interconnect architectures. Kurtis Bowman, UALink board chair and AMD's director of architecture and strategy, questioned Ethernet's latency performance in scale-up scenarios, arguing that its technical limits hinder high-performance application scaling

Nvidia's framing of the next AI wave as "physical AI" has fueled investor and industry excitement around humanoid robots, accelerating development. But according to a DIGITIMES report, 2025: The first year of humanoid robots — Global market trends and key technologies, humanoids will represent only 0.2% of the global robotics market in 2025, with usage largely confined to logistics, warehousing, and manufacturing. Broader adoption remains a distant prospect

Tesla and Samsung have struck a US$16.5 billion chip deal seen as a win-win, with Samsung's Texas fab set to produce Tesla's next-gen AI6 chips. Tesla gains customized supply chain support, while Samsung strengthens its foundry credibility and expands its external client base

The US government's acquisition of a 9.9% stake in Intel, alongside TSMC's exclusion from such equity participation, highlights contrasting subsidy approaches under shifting US administrations. For TSMC, the exclusion preserves operational independence, and the US-Intel deal may temper regulatory scrutiny over its dominant market position, even as global semiconductor competition intensifies