The US imposed export controls on Chinese entities, prompting China to retaliate against US semiconductor companies. In response, China has launched investigations into Nvidia and restricted the export of critical materials, highlighting the escalating tech war between the two nations. These actions could lead to significant fines and hinder foreign businesses' operations in China
Sharp and KDDI Corporation have announced a joint venture to develop an AI data center in Osaka. The two companies have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to transform Sharp's former Sakai facility into a state-of-the-art AI data center, marking a strategic initiative to address the growing demand for data infrastructure
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), aimed at bolstering renewable energy and electric vehicles, has drawn sharp criticism from Donald Trump, who dismissed it as a "green new scam." While Trump contemplates a White House return, China's decades-long investment in green industries is poised to deliver significant benefits by 2025, marking its shift away from oil dependency
LG Display (LGD) and Samsung Display (SDC) dominate high-end OLED technology, but their reliance on Apple orders faces pressure from cheaper Chinese OLED panels supplied to local IT firms
In a bid to enhance economic security and strengthen supply chains, the Japanese government is providing subsidies for domestic production in sectors such as semiconductors, advanced electronic components, and batteries
Despite the low profitability of SK Hynix's CMOS image sensor (CIS) business, the company has decided to retain this segment and reorganize its CIS development team under the Future Technology Research Institute, possibly hoping to replicate the successful narrative seen in high bandwidth memory (HBM)
The US House of Representatives is preparing to vote on the fiscal year 2025 national defense budget, which includes a US$3 billion provision aimed at helping US telecoms completely remove Chinese-supplied equipment. The measure specifically targets Huawei and SMIC equipment to prevent potential network communication attacks from Chinese hackers
China-based Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC) has dismissed speculation of a "backdoor listing," issuing a rare public statement on December 9, 2024, to refute rumors connecting it to All Ring Tech, another Hubei-based company
Samsung Electronics is exploring the development of discrete package low-power DRAM (LPDDR) for Apple's iPhones to meet the tech giant's evolving requirements, though Samsung has not confirmed these reports
Japan reportedly played a crucial role in keeping Chinese memory maker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) off the recently updated US Entity List, according to sources from China's supply chain
Amid heightened US-China chip tensions, Chinese regulators have launched an antitrust investigation into Nvidia, alleging that the US chip giant has violated the terms of its 2020 acquisition of Israeli networking company Mellanox Technologies
Taiwan's emerging drone sector shows promise but faces hurdles in catching up with China's established industry. Recent events demonstrate Taiwan's commitment to growing its drone sector, including the first specialized drone display at the Taipei International Electronics Show (TAITRONICS) in 2024 and the planned drone section at COMPUTEX in 2025
China's push for semiconductor self-sufficiency, spurred by US restrictions, is yielding dual-use technological advances that span both civilian and defense sectors. Several key developments highlight this trend
SK Hynix has announced a major organizational restructuring and executive appointments, highlighted by the creation of a new chief development officer (CDO) position to oversee DRAM and NAND Flash memory product development. The company has promoted Hyun Ahn, former head of the NAND solutions committee (N-S committee), to president and appointed him as the inaugural CDO
The US court has ruled that Samsung Electronics (Samsung) must pay US$118 million to American semiconductor company Netlist in a patent infringement lawsuit. This ruling has not only drawn attention to Netlist but also signals a potential trend towards stronger patent protections in the US, posing risks for South Korean companies like Samsung
