Samsung is reportedly manufacturing Nvidia's robot application processors (APs), a move that could accelerate its expansion in physical AI, the convergence of artificial intelligence and robotics. As this new era unfolds, industry watchers are questioning whether Samsung's robotics division, one of its four strategic pillars, can deliver concrete outcomes

SK Hynix has reportedly increased the price of its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) supplied to Nvidia by over 50% compared to the previous generation HBM3E. Industry sources say this successful pricing negotiation with Nvidia will further solidify SK Hynix's dominant position in the HBM market and drive revenue growth

Since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, his administration has escalated technology export restrictions with unprecedented aggression. Beyond raising overseas H-1B visa application fees to US$100,000 and demanding that Nvidia and AMD remit 15% of their advanced chip revenues from China to the US Treasury, Trump has now banned sales of Nvidia's cutting-edge Blackwell AI chips to China entirely

Taiwan's Foxconn plans to transform Sharp's Kameyama No. 2 factory in Mie Prefecture, Japan, into an AI server production facility, while also pursuing collaborations with Japan's top 10 automakers in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, according to Foxconn chairman Young Liu

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced on November 5, 2025, that, effective November 10, 2025, it will end anti-circumvention measures on certain cut-off shifted single-mode optical fiber (G.654.C optical fiber) imported from the US. This change means that related products will no longer face anti-dumping duties ranging from 33.3% to 78.2%, restoring their standard import status

Samsung Electro-Mechanics is reportedly set to supply advanced semiconductor glass substrates to Broadcom. The move comes as Broadcom, a key chip supplier for tech giants like Google and Meta, secured a US$10 billion deal with OpenAI for next-generation AI accelerators. This partnership highlights Broadcom's aggressive push into AI hardware and signals a major opportunity for South Korean component makers

Chip supply disruptions at Nexperia continue to ripple through Japan's auto industry. Following Honda's partial production halt at some overseas plants on October 28, Nissan has become the latest automaker affected, with plans to scale back output at domestic factories

The easing of trade tensions between the US and China has prompted electronics manufacturers to reassess their supply chain strategies. Following recent tariff reductions implemented by President Donald Trump's administration and an extended tariff truce lasting another year, original design manufacturer (ODM) companies are now reconsidering the pace and scale of relocating production lines outside China. Industry sources suggest that the share of manufacturing outside China could decline from 60% to around 40%

Following the Trump-Xi summit in South Korea, US-China relations appear to have stabilized temporarily, avoiding immediate escalation in hostilities. However, senior Taiwanese officials emphasize that underlying structural contradictions remain unresolved and fundamental strategic competition between the two powers is expected to continue

ASML has introduced the TWINSCAN XT:260, its first lithography system purpose-built for 3D integration and advanced packaging. The launch marks a major step beyond front-end wafer production as lithography expands into mid- and back-end processes, unlocking new opportunities for 3D heterogeneous integration in the post-Moore era

In the AI era, competition among chipmakers goes beyond compute power and centers on ecosystem and full-stack integration. Beijing-based Cambricon Technologies, an AI chip designer affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, announced that its in-house software suite, Cambricon NeuWare, is now fully mature, marking a key shift away from local developers' reliance on Nvidia's CUDA ecosystem and underscoring China's pursuit of technological self-reliance

In 2025, the autonomous vehicle industry has become the focal point of a technological cold war. The United States and China are engaged in a high-stakes competition where chips, algorithms, and geopolitical factors not only influence market share but also impact national sovereignty and industrial survival

In less than a week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has orchestrated two of the largest national AI infrastructure deals in history—first delivering 260,000 AI chips to South Korea, then unveiling a EUR1 billion (US$1.15 billion) AI factory in Germany. The rapid-fire announcements signal a deliberate strategy: building sovereign AI capabilities that allow nations to control their own technological destinies

Just 12 days after Samsung Group reached a market capitalization of KRW900 trillion (US$626.21 billion), it has surpassed the KRW1 quadrillion mark. Meanwhile, SK Group's market capitalization has already exceeded KRW500 trillion. Together, the two conglomerates now have a combined market cap of over KRW1.5 quadrillion

The Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) Authority has concluded its fifth annual Boom-Up Festival at Incheon Startup Park. The event, themed "Beyond Limits, Toward Unicorns," underscored Incheon's goal to become the center of South Korea's innovation economy