Intel is grappling with an operational crisis as its IDM 2.0 transformation plan has yet to yield results, casting doubt on when its foundry business might finally become profitable. This raises the question of whether Intel should consider abandoning its IDM model and separating its product design and manufacturing divisions—a move with both potential advantages and drawbacks. Industry leaders, including former board members, are offering advice in hopes of helping Intel find a viable path forward. However, the conflicting nature of their advice highlights the complexity of the company's dilemma
Rising AI startups, including OpenAI and Perplexity, have shown interest in acquiring the Google Chrome browser, with Perplexity offering US$34.5 billion. Yahoo has also expressed acquisition intentions. However, Google has not indicated any willingness to sell Chrome, despite ongoing antitrust pressures
Beijing E-Town Semiconductor Technology has sued US chipmaking equipment leader Applied Materials in a Chinese court, seeking nearly CNY100 million (approx. US$13.9 million) in damages for alleged trade secret misappropriation. Beyond the immediate legal battle, the case signals a strategic shift: Chinese semiconductor equipment firms, once largely reactive in disputes, are now asserting themselves on the global stage
Over the past five years, Huawei's drive to localize smartphone components has shifted from a crisis response into a calculated, strategic effort to build a self-reliant supply chain. With the Kirin 9030 set to debut in the Mate 80, the series is widely seen as a near-fully domestic flagship, a culmination of Huawei's transformation from relying on stopgaps to reshaping its position in the industry
On August 7, 2025, Eastern Time, US President Donald Trump publicly accused Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan of a conflict of interest due to his investments in China and demanded that he resign immediately. Intel and Tan quickly responded with an open letter to employees
US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 15% revenue levy on Nvidia Corporation's downgraded AI chips, such as the H20 model, sold to China, has ignited intense reactions within the Chinese technology sector. This move diverges from traditional trade sanctions, embodying a novel form of "political taxation" that closely merges technology commerce with international geopolitics
Despite positive news that Nvidia and AMD's H20 and MI308 chips have received official approval from the US government to resume exports to China, this permission comes with an unprecedented condition: Nvidia must remit 15% of its sales revenue from these chips in the Chinese market back to the US government. This move immediately sparked uproar in Chinese public opinion
On August 7, 2025, Washington dropped the hammer. A fresh wave of "reciprocal tariffs" crashed into Taiwanese imports, sending shockwaves through an already jittery tech ecosystem. Yet amid the chaos, one man's diplomatic gesture may have carved out salvation for his supply chain: Apple CEO Tim Cook's strategic audience with President Donald Trump appears to have secured a crucial verbal exemption for Apple's offshore components, throwing a lifeline to the company's embattled Taiwanese partners. While Taiwan's ICT export powerhouse enjoys some shelter under Annex II exemptions, Cook's intervention offers a rare glimmer of hope in an increasingly treacherous trade landscape
US President Donald Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook held a press conference to announce upcoming semiconductor tariffs and Apple's new US$100 billion investment in the US, increasing their total investment to US$600 billion
As Taiwan races toward its 2030 goal of fully electrifying city buses and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the pressure on the domestic electric vehicle supply chain — especially battery manufacturers — is rapidly mounting
A recent incident involving employees from TSMC and Japan's Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) has sparked a Taiwanese investigation into a possible breach of national security-level semiconductor technology. But beyond the headlines, a more pressing question emerges: was this an act of deliberate espionage, or a symptom of internal security complacency within one of the world's most advanced chipmakers
TSMC is dealing with a high-stakes internal security breach after several employees were dismissed over attempts to leak confidential information regarding its 2nm process technology, according to a report from Nikkei Asia
China's electronics manufacturing sector has surged over the past decade, driven by the Made in China 2025 (MIC2025) initiative and strong demand from global brands like Apple and Tesla. Domestic contract manufacturers, including Luxshare Precision, Lingyi iTech, and Lens Technology, have increasingly captured business once dominated by Taiwanese firms. Luxshare's rise, led by chairwoman and co-founder Wang Laichun, often called "the female Terry Gou," embodies China's transformation from basic assembly operations to full-system, high-value manufacturing
As product iteration cycles come increasingly under client control and the manufacturing technology gap narrows, competition among electronics manufacturers, including Foxconn, has intensified. The window of opportunity for exclusive or custom-designed products is shrinking, and this dynamic is now unfolding across the AI server integration market
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently made headlines with a large order placed with Samsung Foundry. Aside from the reported eight-year contract valued at US$16.5 billion, speculation about Samsung adopting 2nm process technology for this deal remains unconfirmed
