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Tuesday 2 September 2025
China’s AI chip hopefuls step into Nvidia’s void
The global AI surge has turned computing power into a core strategic resource. With Washington tightening curbs on advanced GPU exports, Nvidia's revenue in China has collapsed, opening a rare market window for domestic AI chipmakers
Tuesday 2 September 2025
BYD's quarterly revenue drops 30%, highlighting the growing importance of overseas markets
BYD's financial report reveals a 30% year-over-year decline in profit for the second quarter of 2025. This drop not only fell short of market expectations but also marked the first decline since 2021, underscoring how intense price competition in China's automotive market is affecting even industry leaders
Tuesday 2 September 2025
Korean media highlight Taiwan’s hard line in TSMC leak
Taiwan's prosecutors are pursuing a 14-year prison term in a high-profile TSMC trade secrets case, underscoring how Taipei views semiconductor technology leaks as threats to national security. The indictment, handed down on August 27, 2024, charged three suspects with violating the National Security Act and misusing core technology abroad. The defendants face potential sentences of 14, nine, and seven years, according to the Intellectual Property Branch of the Taiwan High Prosecutors' Office
Tuesday 2 September 2025
Hanwha Semitech advances fluxless bonding to address HBM packaging strains
As high-bandwidth memory (HBM) moves to taller stacks with denser chip-to-chip I/O connections, thermal compression bonding (TC bonder) technology is hitting bottlenecks. Hanwha Semitech aims to address the challenge with advanced fluxless bonding tools, targeting the market for HBM4 and beyond
Tuesday 2 September 2025
South Korea's Nextin lands SK Hynix deal, plans expansion in Japan, US, and Europe
South Korea-based optical wafer inspection equipment manufacturer Nextin has made strides in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) segment, gaining traction after launching its dedicated HBM inspection system, KROKY, in 2023. The company has already supplied the tool to SK Hynix, the world's leading HBM vendor, and plans to roll out more advanced systems tailored to Micron and other major players
Tuesday 2 September 2025
South Korean firms use AI to tackle social issues
South Korea recently hosted the second annual Social Value Festa, exploring ways to design a sustainable future. The event attracted over 300 major corporations, social enterprises, and venture capital firms, including SK Group, Kakao, and LG Chem. Leading companies showcased solutions leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies to address pressing social challenges
Tuesday 2 September 2025
China's GPU startup Lisuan secures US$70 million as Dosilicon deepens stake, despite heavy losses
Dosilicon Co. has doubled down on Lisuan Technology, a Chinese GPU startup with no revenue but soaring investor attention. The Shanghai firm raised CNY500 million (US$70 million) in new funding, lifting its valuation to CNY4.21 billion
Monday 1 September 2025
Taiwan's aging panel fabs face extinction as industry shifts
Innolux recently decided to close its fifth-generation fab, while AUO is also implementing a replacement plan. Industry insiders predict that all fifth-generation and below panel fabs in Taiwan will be completely shut down within the next two to three years. Even some sixth- or seventh-generation fabs may face closure after two to three years
Monday 1 September 2025
Rapidus 2nm chip matches TSMC's logic density, outpaces Intel in performance

Rapidus is preparing to launch its most advanced chip yet, a 2nm process called "2HP," that could put it nearly on par with TSMC's N2 node and significantly ahead of Intel's 18A, according to Wccftech

Monday 1 September 2025
South Korea's display industry rebounds to US$10 billion in 1Q25, mixed outlook for 2H25
The Korea Display Industry Association (KDIA) reported that the combined revenue of South Korean panel companies reached US$10 billion in the first quarter of 2025, marking a return to the billion-dollar milestone after three years. This growth was primarily driven by increased demand for high-end OLED panels and customers placing early orders due to concerns over US tariffs
Monday 1 September 2025
China's ICT push: embedding AI across smartphones, PCs, and wearables by 2026

The US has tightened controls on China's semiconductor and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors under the banner of national security. Yet the surge of generative AI is reshaping industries worldwide, and Beijing is pressing ahead with its ambitions, especially in embedding AI into consumer and industrial devices

Monday 1 September 2025
GM weighs South Korea exit as "Yellow Envelope" law passes
On August 24, 2025, South Korea's National Assembly officially passed amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, otherwise known as the "Yellow Envelope" bill. Spearheaded by South Korea's current ruling party, the bill has caused significant concern in the country's industrial sector, with potential unrest brewing in its aftermath
Monday 1 September 2025
Samsung and SK Hynix waiver revoked: Korean chipmakers hobbled, China memory benefits
The Trump administration has revoked long-standing exemptions that allowed Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to use US equipment freely at their chip plants in China, a move that has jolted South Korea's semiconductor industry. Analysts warn the decision could prevent the companies from migrating to advanced nodes and undermine their ability to expand or upgrade local operations
Monday 1 September 2025
SMIC tightens grip on Beijing unit in latest wave of China wafer fab mergers
China's SMIC said it will acquire the remaining 49% stake in its subsidiary, SMIC North Integrated Circuit Manufacturing (Beijing), also known as SMIC North, through an issuance of A-shares in renminbi. The deal will give SMIC full control of the Beijing-based unit and underscores the broader consolidation trend reshaping China's semiconductor foundry sector, according to a filing in late August
Monday 1 September 2025
Huawei launches AI SSDs to ease China's chip bottlenecks
China's drive for self-sufficiency in AI has taken a new turn with Huawei's launch of AI solid-state drives (SSDs), aimed at easing severe shortages of high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Industry analysts describe the shift as "storage-driven computing," where SSDs move beyond passive data storage to play an active role in AI workloads