Jae-Yong Lee, chairman of Samsung Electronics, has been acquitted in the second trial concerning an improper merger case, marking the resolution of years of legal uncertainty. With his newfound freedom, speculation is mounting about whether he will soon meet with Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang

On February 1, 2025, the US government imposed a 10% tariff on all Chinese exports, citing fentanyl-related concerns. The new tariffs will take effect on February 4, escalating trade tensions between the world's two largest economies

Samsung Electronics (Samsung) has made pre-ordering for the Galaxy S25 series available in Taiwan. According to Jacob Chen, president of Samsung Taiwan's Mobile Communications Division, the Galaxy S25 is expected to achieve a 20% increase in overall sales and an over 25% increase in revenue compared to the Galaxy S24, driven by advancements in generative AI (GenAI) and enhanced marketing strategies

Samsung Electronics reported disappointing fourth-quarter 2024 results for its Mobile Experience (MX) and Network (NW) divisions, as new product sales failed to meet expectations. The South Korean tech giant plans to unveil the Galaxy S25 series on February 7, 2025, hoping to reverse the downward trend, according to local media reports

Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions (DS) division has reported weaker-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter of 2024, grappling with a series of challenges that have raised concerns within the semiconductor industry. Experts point to five major obstacles currently facing Samsung's semiconductor business: falling prices for general-purpose DRAM, delays in HBM deliveries, slowing demand for enterprise solid-state drives (eSSDs), widening losses in its foundry business, and escalating tensions between the US-China conflicts that may be difficult to resolve in the short term

DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup, has stirred industry discussion with the announcement of its new "high-efficiency AI" model. The company claims this new model delivers performance comparable to ChatGPT at a dramatically lower cost—generating significant interest across the industry. According to DeepSeek, the breakthrough stems from substantially reduced training costs, a development that could reshape the AI landscape. However, industry experts remain cautious, emphasizing that further validation is needed before drawing any conclusions

According to the latest Samsung Display financial results for 2024, the panel provider registered sales of KRW29.2 trillion (US$19.99 billion), marking only the second time since 2016 that its revenue dipped below KRW30 trillion, reflecting intensifying competition from Chinese manufacturers and declining demand for panels from both smartphones and IT products

China's AI startup DeepSeek has emerged as a significant player in the AI landscape. While some US government offices have restricted DeepSeek's use, Amazon's AWS and Microsoft have announced support for DeepSeek models. Recent earnings reports from Meta and Microsoft demonstrate continued investment in AI innovation and infrastructure, with capital expenditures showing no signs of deceleration. Google, set to release its earnings shortly, has yet to declare its position

Following the end of the Lunar New Year holidays in 2025, the Taiwan stock market opened with a sharp decline. Experts believe this is due to the unexpected introduction of China's DeepSeek and the aggressive imposition of tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China by the Trump administration, which led to retaliatory actions from these countries. This could potentially lead to a global economic recession, affecting the development of Taiwan's electronics manufacturing industry

China's AI sector is transitioning from massive model development to inference applications. While tech giants like ByteDance and Alibaba have constructed large GPU clusters, much of this computing power remains idle due to inefficient planning and technical limitations. Despite substantial investment in AI data centers, China's GPU utilization rate stands at only 30%, with hardware and software constraints further impeding efficiency

In 2024, China's solar power manufacturing sector faced its toughest year for profitability due to fierce internal competition and a relentless price war. These challenges are further compounded by a patent war that began earlier and is expected to intensify into 2025

President Trump's administration has escalated trade tensions since taking office, implementing a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on Chinese imports since February 1, 2025. The administration is considering additional tariffs targeting semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, steel, aluminum, copper, and oil and gas by mid-February. Potential tariff measures against the European Union are also under consideration

Samsung Electronics (Samsung) plans to release an enhanced version of HBM3E as it works to close the gap with SK Hynix in HBM supply and DRAM development. The company aims to double its HBM supply in 2025 compared to the previous year, raising questions about its ability to execute this ambitious turnaround

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, is making waves with its claim of rivaling OpenAI and Meta's large language models for a mere US$6 million. While this assertion has drawn skepticism, it has also heightened curiosity about DeepSeek's founder, Liang Wenfeng

Honda is expanding its US investment with an additional US$300 million, aligning with President Donald Trump's policies and the growing demand for EVs in North America. This investment brings Honda's total funding for its three Ohio plants—Marysville, East Liberty, and Anna—to US$1 billion, a 40% increase