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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
Friday 11 July 2025
Samsung bets big on 2nm chips as foundry unit faces make-or-break moment

Samsung Electronics is placing a high-stakes bet on its 2nm chip manufacturing technology, as its foundry division works to reverse mounting losses and compete more effectively with global leader TSMC

Friday 11 July 2025
China lifts rare earth concentrate prices by 14% for 3Q25, escalating supply chain tensions
China Northern Rare Earth and Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union — two of China's top rare earth producers — announced a price hike for third-quarter 2025 rare earth concentrates to CNY19,109 (approx. US$2,665) per ton, excluding tax. The new rate reflects a 14.14% increase compared with the same period in 2024
Friday 11 July 2025
Korean carmakers prepare for Trump tariff-led price surge
Japanese and South Korean automakers are beginning to pass rising trade costs onto American consumers as hopes for a swift resolution to tariff negotiations with the US continue to fade
Friday 11 July 2025
IBM's business in China remains strong and commits to continued growth for next 40 years
As the US-China trade war intensifies, American businesses in China become increasingly uncomfortable. IBM announced massive layoffs in China and closed its Beijing R&D center, a major indicator that American companies are withdrawing. Despite that, IBM Asia Pacific general manager Hans Dekkers recently stated in an interview with DIGITIMES that IBM's footprint in China has actually grown in both staffing and business. He firmly stated that IBM has been in China for forty years and will continue to be there for the next forty years to come
Friday 11 July 2025
China's embodied AI race just got real — Robot Era, DEEP Robotics raises CNY1 billion

China's embodied AI and humanoid robotics market is experiencing a funding surge, with leading startups Robot Era and DEEP Robotics jointly securing nearly CNY1 billion (approx. US$140 million) in fresh capital on the same day, underscoring sustained investor interest in physical AI technologies

Friday 11 July 2025
Nissan to cut component lines and suppliers in the deepening crisis
In a bid to pull itself out of a deepening business crisis, Nissan Motor has announced sweeping structural reforms that could drastically reshape its production network and leave thousands of Japanese suppliers in peril
Friday 11 July 2025
Nissan shifts production of its Kicks SUV to Japan, taps Foxconn to revive underused Oppama plant
Nissan will start producing its compact SUV, the Kicks, at the Oppama plant in Kanagawa Prefecture in the second half of fiscal 2025 (October 2025 to March 2026), according to Nikkei. The decision targets raising plant utilization, which has dropped to approximately 40%, far below the 80% breakeven point
Friday 11 July 2025
China's 'trade-in' subsidy policy aims to stabilize panel prices amid funding crunch concerns
The Chinese government has been vigorously promoting the "trade-in" subsidy policy since the second half of 2024, positioning it as a key tool to stimulate consumption and stabilize the economic situation. However, recent reports indicate that funds for China's trade-in subsidies have been overspent, with some regions even suspending subsidies temporarily, raising concerns among industry observers
Friday 11 July 2025
Subsidy hangover? China's June auto sales surge may be last hurrah
China's auto sales reached 2.08 million units in June, marking the highest monthly total since June 2022. Analysts believe the spike was likely driven by consumers accelerating purchases in anticipation of cuts or shifts to government subsidy programs