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Monday 14 July 2025
Tariffs bite: China–US trade drops 9% in 1H as chip imports, rare earth exports climb

China–US trade fell 9.3% year-over-year in the first half of 2025, totaling CNY2.08 trillion (approx. US$290 billion), according to data released by the General Administration of Customs on July 14. Chinese exports to the US dropped 9.9% to CNY1.55 trillion, while imports from the US fell 7.7% to CNY530.35 billion during the same period

Monday 14 July 2025
BOE pivots beyond displays to glass substrate packaging, perovskite solar
BOE Technology chairman Chen Yanshun revealed at the 2025 BOE Investor Day that the company will pivot toward glass substrate packaging and perovskite solar cell (PSC) technology as strategic growth drivers. The initiative targets high-value semiconductor backend processes and automotive electronics, aiming to diversify beyond BOE's maturing display business
Monday 14 July 2025
Next-gen semiconductor push: SK Hynix prepares laser cutting overhaul for ultra-thin wafers

As the semiconductor industry pushes the boundaries of chip performance, manufacturing processes are being forced to adapt. In preparation for next-generation HBM4 and NAND flash memory exceeding 400 layers, SK Hynix is reportedly preparing to overhaul its wafer dicing technologies — a foundational step in semiconductor production that is becoming increasingly difficult due to thinning wafers

Monday 14 July 2025
Huawei's 'Little HiSilicon' launches all-out chip blitz: from RISC-V MCUs to AI edge SoCs
HiSilicon (Shanghai) Technologies — Huawei's application-specific chip design arm known as "Little HiSilicon" — has launched a broad lineup of self-developed chips spanning IoT, industrial automation, smart home devices, visual AI, and energy management. The company also unveiled its first RISC-V-based chips, highlighting China's accelerating push for independent innovation in semiconductor design
Monday 14 July 2025
Unigroup's US$14 billion comeback: post-restructuring push spans chips, global reach, IPOs
On July 11, 2025, Tsinghua Unigroup marked three years since its strategic overhaul with a strong performance report highlighting its resurgence in China's high-tech sector. Over the period, the group generated more than CNY100 billion (approx. US$14 billion) in annual revenue for three straight years, filed over 30,000 patents (up 25%), and won the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award twice
Monday 14 July 2025
Kioxia, YMTC jump ahead with wafer-bonded NAND in volume production
Kioxia and YMTC are pioneering the use of wafer bonding technologies— CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) and Xtacking, respectively — for next-generation NAND flash memory production. This strategic shift moves the industry beyond the traditional race to increase memory cell layer counts, focusing instead on architectural advances that improve performance, power efficiency, and scalability
Monday 14 July 2025
SK On partners with L&F to build North American LFP battery supply chain
SK On signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with South Korean battery cathode materials company L&F to promote its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery business targeting the North American energy storage system (ESS) market
Monday 14 July 2025
Weekly news roundup: China’s semiconductor setback, MediaTek gains on Qualcomm, and ongoing US-China chip tensions

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from July 7 to July 13, 2025. This week's top three highlights include China’s semiconductor ambitions facing setbacks as Jiangsu Advanced Memory Semiconductor cancels its restructuring amid investment delays. Meanwhile, MediaTek gains ground on Qualcomm in China’s premium smartphone market, signaling a notable industry shift. The US-China semiconductor standoff shows signs of tactical maneuvering, with both sides testing political and economic limits

Monday 14 July 2025
South Korea advances self-driving commuter bus with risk prediction model
South Korea's autonomous driving technology has entered the proof-of-concept stage. Their PanTa-G self-driving bus operates in Pangyo and has so far served over 55,000 passengers and accumulated over 52,000km of travel. Moving forward, South Korea plans to focus its research more on driving risk prediction and safety management, aiming to build a data-based intelligent traffic safety network
Monday 14 July 2025
Huawei’s HiSilicon debuts low-power Cat.1 chip to boost IoT reach
On July 10, 2024, Huawei's chip subsidiary HiSilicon launched its first Cat.1 IoT communication chip — the Hi2131 — officially entering the fast-growing cellular IoT market, which sees annual shipments exceeding 200 million units. Based on 4G LTE, Cat.1 offers a cost-effective, power-efficient, and widely deployable solution for mid-to-low-speed data scenarios, including shared mobility, smart security, wearables, and mobile payment devices
Monday 14 July 2025
Hyundai sets 2028 goal for AI-integrated software-defined vehicles

Hyundai Motor, South Korea's largest automaker, has announced plans to release its first production vehicle equipped with end-to-end (E2E) autonomous driving technology by 2027. The company also aims to launch a fully integrated software-defined vehicle (SDV), powered by artificial intelligence and cloud-based services, by 2028

Sunday 13 July 2025
China plots desert AI hub with 115,000 Nvidia chips, skirting US export bans
China plans to build at least 39 data centers in the desert regions of Xinjiang and Qinghai, outfitted with over 115,000 Nvidia H100 and H200 GPUs. These advanced chips have been under a US export ban since 2022, prompting concerns that they are being smuggled into the country, an issue now drawing heightened scrutiny from US officials
Saturday 12 July 2025
Japan's OSAT firms unite to cut costs and reclaim industry ground
Japan's outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) industry, long composed of small, regional firms with limited resources, is making a rare push for collective strength. In April 2025, about 30 companies joined forces to launch the Japan OSAT Federation (J-OSAT)—the country's first official industry group aimed at reviving its struggling backend chip manufacturing segment
Saturday 12 July 2025
Google brings Gemini AI to Wear OS, boosting Samsung's new smartwatch and foldables

Google is bringing its Gemini artificial intelligence model to smartwatches running Wear OS, marking a significant expansion beyond smartphones and tablets. Announced this week, the rollout will introduce a new generation of AI-powered features across wearables from major partners including Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, and OnePlus

Saturday 12 July 2025
Hyundai weighs 3rd EV factory in Europe to bypass tariffs, build local edge
Hyundai Motor is considering the construction of a third electric vehicle (EV) plant in Europe as part of its broader strategy to capitalize on the region's EV recovery and offset potential risks from rising US trade barriers. The automaker sees Europe as both a strategic growth market and a manufacturing base to navigate tariff-related headwinds through localized production
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Intel signals overhaul of IDM 2.0 and foundry strategy with Lip-Bu Tan's appointment, says DIGITIMES