Samsung SDI, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, has announced plans to conduct a paid capital increase of KRW2 trillion (US$1.38 billion) to expand its Hungarian factory and invest in solid-state battery technology. The paid capital increase, a process where a company issues new shares to raise funds for strategic investments, will enable Samsung SDI to finance its ambitious expansion plans

Tencent Holdings Ltd. has reportedly ordered tens of billions of yuan worth of Nvidia H20 AI chips to support its expansion into large-scale AI applications. Caijing Magazine reports that this surge in demand has created a short-term supply crunch for H20 chips. To meet Tencent's order, Nvidia is now reallocating resources to stabilize deliveries

Baidu has introduced two new AI models, ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1. Ahead of the originally scheduled April 1 release date, they have been made available to the public through the ERNIE Bot

Samsung Electronics has struggled to retain the top-tier professionals it recruited in semiconductors, robotics, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI). The departure of these key talents points to a concerning pattern that industry watchers link to potential issues within Samsung's corporate culture and decision-making approach. As these specialized experts continue to leave, questions emerge about the company's ability to sustain innovation in critical technology sectors

AI adoption is surging, with large-scale models like DeepSeek fueling a sharp rise in memory demand. Following DeepSeek's breakthrough during Lunar New Year, China has accelerated AI deployment across healthcare, finance, and government, driving the rapid expansion of its AI infrastructure

Escalating trade tensions under President Trump's new tariff regime are forcing Tesla to recalibrate its China strategy, with deeper Baidu partnerships emerging as a crucial lifeline. The electric vehicle (EV) maker faces growing data restrictions as Chinese regulations prevent its 2 million vehicles from transmitting information back to the US for driving systems training, while US policy simultaneously blocks AI software training in China—effectively crippling Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities in the world's largest auto market

Aurotek has announced a strategic partnership with leading Chinese service robot maker Pudu Robotics to launch a range of next-generation service robots in Taiwan. Initial products will focus on areas that rely heavily on manual labor, including retail, manufacturing and warehousing, and healthcare facilities, with customizable robotics solutions tailored to specific needs in Taiwan planned for the future

SoftBank announced the acquisition of part of Sharp's Sakai Display Products (SDP) factory in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, for JPY100 billion (approx. US$6.7 million) on March 14, 2025. The company plans to transform the site into a large-scale AI data center, with operations expected to begin in 2026, reports NHK and Nikkei

On March 13, Gree Electric opened its first "Dong Mingzhu Health Home" store in Beijing's Tongzhou district, signaling a major expansion beyond air conditioning into the broader home appliance market

China's Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics, and Physics (CIOMP) is offering "uncapped" salaries to PhD researchers as the nation races to develop domestic semiconductor lithography capabilities amid escalating US technology restrictions

These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of March 10 – March 15

Baidu Inc. released a new artificial intelligence model that articulates its reasoning, in an apparent bid to regain momentum against up-and-coming rivals like DeepSeek

Since President Trump took office, China has come to view the US with increasing skepticism, prompting the Chinese government to implement several countermeasures in response to perceived US hostility

At the beginning of 2025, the US Department of Defense blacklisted China's lithium battery leader, Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), followed by US President Donald Trump imposing a 20% tariff on Chinese products, including lithium batteries. Recently, the US further prevented the US Department of Homeland Security from purchasing batteries manufactured by Chinese companies