Artificial intelligence (AI) is fueling a DRAM supercycle, prompting South Korean securities firms to continuously raise their forecasts for Samsung Electronics' operating profit in 2026. Some projections now approach KRW90-100 trillion (approx. US$61.3-68.1 billion)

Samsung Electronics is undertaking one of its most significant internal restructurings in years as the company pushes to strengthen its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and regain momentum in the fast-growing HBM memory market. The overhaul includes converting its flagship research arm, the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, into a lab-based system and consolidating memory development teams under a new organization led by senior engineering executives

Optoelectronic semiconductor integration solution provider Brightek recently officially commissioned its Jiangsu factory, built with an investment of nearly CNY200 million (approx. US$28.3 million). Brightek stated that the new facility will fully support emerging applications such as international automotive manufacturers, smart mobility, intelligent sensing, and AI robotics, laying a critical foundation for growth over the next decade

Imagination Technologies made a prominent showing at the 31st ICCAD-Expo 2025 in Chengdu, where strategic partner Xiangdi Xian Computing Technology debuted its next-generation GPU built on the Imagination DXD architecture. Revealed via the company's WeChat account, the Fuxi A0 is confirmed as both the world's only mass-produced IMG DXD product and the first DXD chip to reach tape-out

China's Wingtech has appealed to the Dutch Supreme Court to regain control of chipmaker Nexperia BV, highlighting ongoing tensions despite a temporary truce that allowed some components to resume flowing. The appeal targets an Amsterdam court ruling that transferred Nexperia shares—except for one—to a court-appointed trustee and suspended Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng as CEO, actions Wingtech contests in full, according to Bloomberg

Samsung Electronics is reportedly nearing the final stage of qualification tests for its HBM4 memory chips with Nvidia, with a December decision that could mark one of the company's most significant comebacks in the high-end memory market in recent years, according to South Korean outlet Newdaily. At the same time, reports from ZDNet Korea and The Korea Herald say Samsung has overhauled its memory development organization to stabilize HBM production and challenge SK Hynix's lead

South Korea's Solvit System is rolling out new search-and-rescue technologies designed to locate missing people in areas with no mobile coverage. The company introduced two systems honored with CES Innovation Awards that aim to sharply reduce search zones and speed up rescue missions in radio shadow regions where phones cannot connect

China's leading DRAM maker CXMT has unveiled new DDR5 and LPDDR5X chips with performance now viewed as comparable to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. The launch has unsettled South Korea's memory sector, especially since CXMT reached this level in under a year after pivoting from low-cost DRAM to premium development in early 2025

China's top technology companies are shifting their LLM training to overseas data centers as Washington tightens controls on advanced AI chips and Beijing orders domestic firms to stop using foreign hardware for model development

Samsung Electronics is reportedly nearing a deal with Nvidia on 2026 HBM4 pricing, aiming to match SK Hynix's rates as the company accelerates capacity expansion and reorganizes its DRAM development teams to regain momentum in the premium AI memory market

Baidu is reportedly preparing its biggest workforce reduction in seven years, trimming staff across key divisions and reshaping its AI model unit by the end of 2025. The overhaul follows a sharp slowdown in advertising sales and rising pressure to shift spending to growth areas

A global surge in memory prices is disrupting the electronics supply chain, creating what manufacturers describe as 2025's toughest pricing season. DRAM and NAND costs are rising at record speed, pressuring margins across smartphones, PCs, home NAS devices, and industrial touch terminals

To enhance artificial intelligence (AI) performance, Meta and Nvidia are advancing plans to embed GPU compute cores directly into the base die of high-bandwidth memory (HBM). This innovation blurs the lines between memory and system semiconductors, presenting new opportunities and challenges for South Korea's semiconductor industry