Amid uncertainties in the Chinese market and reduced spending by automotive chip and power semiconductor manufacturers, Japanese semiconductor equipment makers have revised their sales forecast for fiscal year 2025 (April 2025 - March 2026). Nevertheless, demand for advanced process chips, especially those needed for artificial intelligence (AI), is anticipated to lead to a 5% year-over-year sales growth in 2025

China's Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) has reportedly adopted the 1z process for its 10nm-class DDR5 production, prompting heightened concern at Samsung Electronics, which is now closely monitoring the status of advanced DRAM production in China

When Taiwanese media reported on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang dining with TSMC, supply chain partners, and AI server company executives, curiosity arose about the VIPs accompanying Huang during his visits to three Nvidia branch offices in China and his attendance at their lunar year-end partie

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, China's Vice Premier Xuexiang Ding stated that there are "no winners" in a trade war while acknowledging the numerous difficulties and challenges currently facing the Chinese economy

In the past two years, China's independent car brands have gained dominance in the Chinese automobile market, thanks to the rapidly rising popularity of new energy vehicles. Chinese independent brands are still expecting an increase in sales for 2025, but the outlook of China's new energy vehicle sector may not be as promising as they expect

Nissan Motor plans to cut approximately 9,000 jobs worldwide as part of a major restructuring effort, according to reports from Kyodo and Nikkei Asia. More than 70% of the layoffs—around 6,700 positions—will impact production staff, while the remaining cuts will affect administrative roles. The job reductions are part of Nissan's strategy to scale down global production capacity by 20% by the end of fiscal 2026, which runs from April 2026 to March 2027

On his first day back in the White House, President Donald Trump issued a series of orders, notably revoking electric vehicle (EV) subsidies and vowing to revive the glory of the American automotive industry

Shenzhen-based startup Engine AI recently released a demo video of its SE01 humanoid robot, highlighting its remarkably lifelike walking gait. The video earned praise from a senior Nvidia scientist. Engine AI aims to penetrate China's competitive robotics market by offering cost-effective solutions

China's wafer foundry industry will generate US$13.22 billion in revenue in 2024, representing a 16% year-on-year growth, slightly exceeding the global growth rate of 14%. The revenue momentum of China's wafer foundry industry stabilized in 2024, supported by the availability of new production capacities and sustained customer demand driven by geopolitical factors and the ramp-up of inventory stocking for the consumer electronics supply chain in preparation for the shopping season in the second half of 2024, according to DIGITIMES

With Donald Trump back in the White House, South Korean industry leaders are optimistic that their drones could become a viable alternative to Chinese-made models amid escalating US sanctions on China. In response, South Korean drone manufacturers are ramping up efforts to expand their presence in the US by setting up local subsidiaries, which could drive growth for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups in South Korea

Samsung unveiled its latest trio of flagship smartphones this week, with promotional campaigns set to roll out across major global markets in the coming weeks. However, persistent concerns about its chip strategy have placed Samsung in a challenging "triple dilemma" that remains unresolved

Huawei has recaptured the leading position in China's smartphone market for the first time since facing US sanctions, marking a significant shift in market dynamics. According to the latest report from Counterpoint Research, Huawei secured an 18.1% market share in the fourth quarter of 2024, primarily propelled by strong sales of its Nova 13 series and high-end Mate 70 series, achieving a 15.5% increase compared to the same period last year

As Samsung Electronics gears up to release its fourth-quarter 2024 financial results, industry observers are closely monitoring the company's progress in meeting its high bandwidth memory (HBM) business targets for the year. However, according to recent reports from South Korean media, Samsung's HBM shipments for the quarter are projected to exceed 20 billion gigabytes (GB), significantly below the company's original goal of 30 billion GB

The global IC design market is expanding rapidly, driven by the growth of AI. However, South Korea's system semiconductor sector, which currently holds a modest 2% market share, faces further decline due to inadequate government support. Projections indicate that the country's share could shrink to approximately 1% by 2027

GigaDevice, a Chinese manufacturer of NOR flash memory and MCUs, recently disclosed its performance forecast for 2024. The company projects a net profit jump of over fivefold