DIGITIMES Asia news

Thursday 12 February 2026

HBM4 first-mover fog: Samsung and Micron duel for supremacy amid Nvidia supply tension

Samsung Electronics has officially commenced the mass production and commercial shipment of its HBM4 memory, marking a pivotal moment in the global semiconductor landscape

China dominates 90% of South Korea's EV fast-charger modules

Thursday 12 February 2026

Applied Materials settles with BIS for US$252.5 million over SMIC shipments

Thursday 12 February 2026

SMIC warns AI pull-forward is rewriting chip cycle, lifts mature-node pricing

Thursday 12 February 2026

The Netherlands draws a harder line on Nexperia’s Chinese parent

Thursday 12 February 2026

LATEST STORIES

Thursday 12 February 2026

China's Lenovo profit drops 21% even as revenue climbs 18%, flags memory shortage pressure

Lenovo Group reported a 21% decline in third-quarter profit but exceeded analyst expectations as strong revenue growth, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) demand, helped offset margin pressures. The company also warned of mounting pressure on PC shipments due to a worsening memory-chip shortage

Thursday 12 February 2026

Column: USA Rare Earth acquisition of UK's LCM marks milestone in Western rare earth autonomy

Rare earth metals are essential to modern industry and defense. They are found in high-performance motors, precision weapon guidance systems, and a range of green energy technologies. Yet the global rare earth supply chain has long suffered severe imbalances

Thursday 12 February 2026

Z.ai unveils GLM-5, advances AI agents and China chip compatibility

Ahead of the Lunar New Year, Chinese AI startup Z.ai (formerly Zhipu AI) released its open-source model GLM-5, highlighting AI agent capabilities and coding performance. The company said the user experience is "approaching Anthropic Claude Opus 4.5.

Thursday 12 February 2026

Samsung's premium TV discounts reflect pressure from China's expanding mini LED push

Samsung Electronics' pricing for premium televisions is drawing scrutiny in South Korea as significant gaps emerge between official online prices and aggressive in-store promotional bundles, reflecting mounting competitive pressure from Chinese brands

Thursday 12 February 2026

Samsung weighs Europe chip expansion after Intel retreat opens German window

Samsung is reportedly evaluating a potential European semiconductor expansion alongside its South Korea and US manufacturing base, as the region tightens local production requirements and Germany seeks a replacement for a cancelled flagship chip investment

Thursday 12 February 2026

Analysis: Singapore rises as SEA hub as Taiwan, China firms shift strategy

As global supply chains shift from globalization toward regionalization and the "China plus one" strategy persists, Singapore's role in Southeast Asia has undergone a fundamental transformation. Once primarily a transshipment hub for trade, the city-state has evolved into a regional coordination and compliance center. Observations indicate that Taiwanese and Chinese companies are now utilizing Singapore to pursue distinctly different strategic approaches

Wednesday 11 February 2026

Rapidus aims for 2nm ramp in FY2027 with fourfold capacity boost

Rapidus is expected to begin full-scale production in fiscal 2028. Mass production of 2nm-class chips is scheduled to commence in the second half of fiscal 2027, according to Kyoto News. The company's business plan, submitted to Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, outlines a strategy to enter volume production in late fiscal 2027. The plan calls for expanding output approximately fourfold within the first year of operation

Wednesday 11 February 2026

ByteDance reportedly in talks with Samsung on chip development amid US Nvidia curbs

China's ByteDance is developing an artificial intelligence (AI) chip and is in talks with Samsung Electronics to manufacture it, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, as the TikTok parent seeks to secure a supply of advanced processors

Wednesday 11 February 2026

Globe's direct-to-cell satellite service aims to boost coverage and resilience across the Philippines

Globe Telecom stated that it will be the first operator in Southeast Asia to offer direct-to-cell satellite connectivity, becoming the second Asian carrier to collaborate with SpaceX on satellite data communications, following Japan's KDDI

Wednesday 11 February 2026

Netherlands' China-hawk cabinet signals tighter grip on chip tech

Europe's technology security posture toward China is tightening. The Netherlands is emerging as an early indicator. A new Dutch cabinet dominated by China hawks signals tighter export controls, stricter investment screening, and deeper coordination with US and allied technology-security frameworks. The shift carries potential spillover effects across semiconductor supply chains and EU industrial policy

Wednesday 11 February 2026

AI demand fuels photonics-semiconductor convergence at APE 2026

As artificial intelligence workloads push traditional computing architectures to their limits, the photonics industry is emerging as a critical enabler of next-generation data center infrastructure. The third Asia Photonics Expo (APE 2026), which concluded on February 6, 2026, reflected this shift, bringing together more than 240 exhibitors and nine international pavilions to showcase how optical technologies are becoming increasingly intertwined with semiconductor manufacturing and high-performance computing systems

Wednesday 11 February 2026

TSMC Japan expansion mirrors broader Taiwan tech retreat from China

C. C. Wei, chairman and chief executive of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, announced that the company's 3-nanometer manufacturing technology will be deployed in Japan, marking another major overseas expansion following its investment in advanced fabrication in the US. By contrast, TSMC's plant in Nanjing will remain focused on advanced mature and specialty processes, primarily at the 12- and 16-nanometer nodes

Wednesday 11 February 2026

India broadens deep tech definition and extends startup eligibility to spur frontier innovation

India has overhauled its startup policy framework to broaden the definition of deep tech and extend eligibility for government support to 20 years, a move aimed at better aligning regulation and funding with the long development cycles of science- and engineering-led companies, according to TechCrunch, Bloomberg, and ThePrint

Wednesday 11 February 2026

ASE focuses on Malaysia expansion, ADI plant acquisition expected to close in 2Q26

After US President Donald Trump took office, he vigorously promoted the reshoring of the chip manufacturing supply chain, prompting some Taiwanese companies to shift the focus of their overseas expansion from previously favored new hubs in Southeast Asia to Arizona, where TSMC is located. Dr. Tien Wu, chief operating officer of ASE Technology Holding, said that the group's future overseas manufacturing footprint will still center on Penang, Malaysia, with the Philippines and South Korea serving as complementary bases, targeting automotive and robotics orders from global IDM customers

Wednesday 11 February 2026

Silan raises device prices about 10% from March, signaling wider cost pass-through

On February 9, 2026, Hangzhou Silan Microelectronics said that it will raise prices on certain device product categories by about 10% on average starting March 1, 2026, citing severe global metal price volatility and sustained increases in the cost of precious metals used in wafer processing

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