A former Samsung Electronics senior manager was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined KRW200 million (approx. US$138,820) by a South Korean court for allegedly leaking core semiconductor technology to China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT). Analysts warn that the breach could inflict substantial losses on both Samsung and South Korea
Samsung Electronics is evaluating significant changes to its smartphone supply chain in response to tariff measures implemented by the Trump administration. According to South Korean media reports, the tech giant is exploring options to move its smartphone manufacturing operations away from China
Alibaba Chairman Joseph Tsai recently confirmed a partnership with Apple to bring AI features to the Chinese version of the iPhone, drawing renewed focus on the AI smartphone race. As of February 17, 2025, nearly six Chinese smartphone makers—including Huawei, Honor, Oppo, Meizu, Nubia, and Vivo—had integrated DeepSeek, leaving Xiaomi as a notable holdout
Reports indicate that TSMC is contemplating acquiring a stake in Intel's foundry business, a development that could significantly impact Samsung Electronics. This speculation arises amid ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to revitalize the US semiconductor manufacturing sector
The proposed merger between Honda and Nissan has taken an unexpected turn, with reports emerging that talks, initially called off, could be revived. In a surprising move, Honda is reportedly leveraging the situation to push for the resignation of Nissan's president, Makoto Uchida, before any further negotiations can proceed. At the same time, Renault is exploring options to sell its 36% stake in Nissan while deepening its ties with Geely—seen by many as a potential alternative to its long-standing relationship with Nissan
Japanese NAND Flash manufacturer Kioxia unveiled its latest advancement in NAND flash memory technology on February 20, featuring an impressive increase to 332 layers, up from the previous 218 layers. This innovation not only enhances data transfer speeds by 33% but also improves power efficiency during read operations, positioning the company to meet the growing demands of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and similar applications
Lenovo posted strong third-quarter results for the 2024/25 fiscal year, with revenue reaching US$18.796 billion, up 19.6% year-over-year, marking its best quarterly sales in three years and the second-highest in company history. The growth was largely fueled by AI-driven demand and expanding enterprise solutions
Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has published breakthrough research findings on enhancing AI model efficiency in processing large-scale data. Sources indicate that the company is maintaining its focus on research activities rather than pursuing immediate financing or business expansion
A recent summit for private entrepreneurs in Beijing, attended by tech leaders including Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Huawei founder Zhengfei Ren, has drawn attention to the notable absence of Baidu founder Robin Li. Market observers speculate this absence may be linked to the mounting challenges facing Baidu
The Chinese computing power market has experienced significant growth following the debut of DeepSeek R1. According to market sources, the end of the Lunar New Year holidays has increased activity as Internet and cloud service providers integrate with DeepSeek, driving heightened demand for Nvidia H-series GPUs
China plans to prohibit non-state companies from mining rare earths, further tightening its control over a strategic sector that has emerged as a battleground in its trade war with the US
Samsung Display (SDC) and China's BOE are targeting Apple's next-generation OLED device market through investments in 8.6-generation IT OLED production lines. However, South Korean market analysts predict that SDC will likely become the exclusive supplier of OLED panels for Apple's MacBook series launching in 2026, citing BOE's potential challenges in achieving satisfactory initial yield rates
Baidu's fourth-quarter revenue fell 2% to CNY34.1 billion (approx. US$4.68 billion) as China's search giant grapples with intensifying competition in artificial intelligence and a weakening digital advertising market
SMIC is advancing the second phase of its Beijing wafer fab, set to break ground in early 2025. The project, expected to be the city's largest logic IC foundry, comes with a total investment of at least CNY50 billion (approx. US$6.86 billion)
AZAPA, a Japanese automotive development and design startup, is set to launch its semi-solid-state battery system by 2025, primarily aimed at electric vehicles (EVs) technology. This innovative system combines AZAPA's proprietary control technology with semi-solid batteries produced by the Chinese battery manufacturer Anwa, whose technology is licensed from the American startup 24M Technologies
