Samsung has secured a major deal with Tesla, creating new opportunities for its foundry business and providing leverage in South Korea-US tariff negotiations. The partnership extends beyond commercial interests, aligning with US semiconductor policy, investment attraction strategies, and Washington's push for technological independence from China. Samsung will produce Tesla's next-generation autonomous driving chip AI6, at its Texas Taylor plant starting in 2026, using Samsung's 2nm process technology

Samsung Electronics has landed a next-generation AI chip order from Tesla, a deal seen as a potential inflection point for its lagging foundry business. The deal involves Tesla's AI6 chip, which will be built using Samsung's advanced 2nm process technology, and could help the South Korean firm claw back ground it has ceded to industry leader TSMC

The US has introduced an AI Action Plan emphasizing the expansion of open-source artificial intelligence models as a core strategy to compete globally with China. The plan also aims to export comprehensive AI technology stacks to allied nations and promote the embedding of American values in AI development

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong departed for Washington, DC, on July 29 in a bid to bolster South Korea's final efforts to avert a 25% reciprocal tariff from the US. The visit marks Lee's first official international trip since his acquittal and signals a return to the global stage just ahead of the August 1 tariff negotiation deadline

After extensive negotiations, US-Japan trade talks have concluded with a significant development in tariffs on Japanese automobiles. The overall tariff rate on Japanese cars will be reduced from the current 27.5% to 15%. While this move benefits Japanese automakers, related suppliers say that although the tariff reduction is confirmed, detailed implementation plans remain undisclosed. As a result, there has been no immediate increase in orders from Japanese clients

China has developed more than 1,500 AI models, comprising approximately 40% of the 3,755 AI models worldwide, according to data from the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) and reported by state media Xinhua News Agency. This milestone highlights China's significant role in AI development, with platforms like LMArena recognizing some of the most capable open-source AI models as Chinese creations

Chinese robotics startup Unitree Robotics has launched its latest humanoid robot, the R1, at just CNY39,000 (US$5,430) — the lowest price to date in China's humanoid robot market. The company is reinforcing China's broader push to bring high-performance, low-cost robots into the consumer mainstream, narrowing the gap between industrial automation and everyday accessibility

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the company's next-generation autonomous driving chip, the AI6, will be manufactured by Samsung Electronics at its Texas-based foundry. The KRW22.8 trillion (US$16.5 billion) deal strengthens Samsung's US foundry operations and signals a strategic move to elevate its position in the global automotive semiconductor market

The US recently introduced its AI Action Plan, featuring about 90 recommendations to guide AI development. Chinese experts strongly criticize it, viewing the plan not just as a technical guide but as a strategic effort to rally allies against China's AI growth and maintain US technological dominance

The latest smartphone sales data has revealed that despite facing multiple sanctions, Huawei delivered an impressive performance in China during the second quarter of 2025, reclaiming the top spot in smartphone sales

Rising Qualcomm chip prices and improving Exynos yield rates have prompted Samsung to consider using its in-house Exynos 2600 in the 2026 Galaxy S26 base model. South Korean industry sources say the move depends on whether yield stability can be achieved

Samsung Electronics will produce 2nm chips for Tesla, targeting use in the automaker's supercomputers, autonomous vehicles, and humanoid robots. The chips will be manufactured at Samsung's Taylor, Texas facility under an eight-year contract valued at KRW22.7 trillion (US$16.5 billion). The deal is accelerating construction at the site, with Samsung now aiming to complete investment by the end of 2025, ahead of its original 2026 schedule

The US has eased export restrictions on Nvidia's H20 GPUs to China as part of wider talks tied to rare earth magnet controls, but the move has failed to meet soaring demand from Chinese firms. Jefferies estimates Nvidia holds 600,000 to 900,000 H20 units in inventory, while Chinese demand may reach 1.8 million units

Apple's official China website shows that the last operating day for its Parkland Mall store in Dalian is August 9, 2025. This marks the closure of Apple's first directly managed store in China