The world's largest contract chipmaker is weighing whether the motors inside its factory-automation equipment can run without rare-earth magnets, a sign that China's grip on rare earths now reaches the machinery that keeps fabs running, just as a key Chinese export-control pause approaches its legal expiry date.
Mitsubishi Materials will expand production of thermistors, temperature sensors used in optical communications equipment, as the spread of generative AI drives demand for optical transceivers. Its Thailand facility will gradually add equipment and raise monthly capacity to about 12 million units by November 2027, roughly six times its 2025 capacity.
More than half of China's AI token usage is reportedly concentrated in short dramas and video generation, but ByteDance's Doubao has disputed the figure, saying video-generation models account for only about 10% of overall computing resources. The conflicting estimates highlight the difficulty of assessing AI compute consumption and its commercial value.
Fujifilm Electronic Materials is expanding its advanced semiconductor materials footprint in South Korea by increasing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photoresist capacity in Pyeongtaek and expanding chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) slurry production in Cheonan. The investments will deepen local support for customers including Samsung Electronics as AI and advanced-process demand grows.
Malaysia has approved its first export of unprocessed rare earths under a new regulatory framework, with the shipment intended for research and development, although officials did not identify the recipient.
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are targeting the second quarter of 2027 to begin volume shipments of eight-layer HBM4 memory to Nvidia, ZDNet Korea reported on October 26, as the AI chipmaker reassesses its memory strategy for next-generation Rubin Ultra accelerators.
South Korean telecommunications provider SK Telecom (SKT) has reportedly established Hy-TF, a task force dedicated to AI collaboration with SK Hynix, to upgrade its digital-twin and data-platform businesses and develop new B2B services.
China’s semiconductor and electronics supply chains are reporting a wave of price increases, from Goke Microelectronics raising quotes for hybrid-packaged memory products to Hygon considering higher CPU and deep computing unit (DCU) prices. The moves reflect rising costs for raw materials, components, and upstream supplies, but whether they can help China escape deflationary pressure remains uncertain.
Vietnam's first wafer fab may miss its 2027 trial-production target, Reuters reported on October 26, citing concerns about project execution and equipment procurement. Developer Viettel, however, says the project remains on schedule.
Fine M-Tec has rejected claims that components it supplied contributed to reported display damage in Apple's first foldable iPhone, saying the issue involves multiple components and precision mechanisms. The dispute could affect perceptions of the South Korean supplier even as analysts forecast growth from expanding foldable device demand ahead.
Japan plans to provide about JPY100 billion (US$634.1 million) over four years to support mass production of next-generation perovskite solar cells, seeking to establish a domestic manufacturing base before China further widens its lead in the emerging technology, according to Nikkei Asia.
HCLTech and Japan's Rapidus have inaugurated development centers in Bengaluru and Hubli, India, expanding their semiconductor engineering collaboration across Asia. The facilities will support advanced chip work, while a planned talent pipeline could connect Indian engineers with Rapidus' manufacturing ambitions in Japan, highlighting the cross-border partnerships shaping semiconductor supply chains.
India's smartphone shipments fell 20% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, reaching a decade low as higher memory costs pushed device prices up. The downturn highlights affordability pressures for consumers and could prompt manufacturers to raise prices, reshape portfolios, and rely on premium segments globally.
India's semiconductor drive has largely been led by New Delhi, which selects projects for large central incentives while state governments add their own packages of land, infrastructure and financial support. Tamil Nadu is now giving semiconductor investors another route.
South Korean optics maker Optoelec is seeing growing interest from AI data center customers as it seeks to expand its wafer-level optics (WLO) business into high-speed optical communications, a market where Taiwanese suppliers are already moving toward commercial production.
South Korean autonomous delivery company NT1 plans to begin assembling Chinese-designed delivery vans locally in 2027, gradually adding Korean-made components as it seeks approval to operate the vehicles on public roads.
