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Wednesday 2 July 2025
VinFast opens second factory in Vietnam, plants in India and Indonesia to follow
VinFast has opened its second factory in Ha Tinh province, Vietnam, to ramp up compact EV production. The new facility will support the launch of models like the VF 3 and Minio Green, aiming to boost domestic supply and exports while reinforcing the company's regional expansion strategy
Wednesday 2 July 2025
Thailand's 70% local hiring rule challenges Taiwanese PCB expansion
Taiwanese PCB manufacturers expanding in Thailand face a challenge as new government rules require foreign-invested firms to have at least 70% local employees and no more than 30% foreigners, especially at mid- and senior levels. This policy, meant to boost local workforce development, may complicate hiring as companies ramp up production in the second half of 2025
Wednesday 2 July 2025
Taiwanese IC packaging and testing advances into Malaysia for auto and robotics
Since US President Donald Trump championed the "Made in America" initiative, technological competition between the US and China has intensified, rapidly escalating global geopolitical risks. Overseas customers have successively adopted "non-China" and "non-Taiwan" manufacturing policies, driving a new wave of semiconductor supply chain restructuring. The future division of regional manufacturing roles is becoming increasingly clear
Wednesday 2 July 2025
Singapore bets on AI governance and manufacturing to anchor tech giants
Singapore is positioning itself as a trusted AI hub through a US$740 million five-year investment plan while leveraging political neutrality and supply chain advantages to attract global manufacturers amid rising geopolitical tensions
Tuesday 1 July 2025
TPIsoftware, Ho Team Construction partner on Vietnam's first AI-powered carbon audit
As Vietnam prepares to roll out its carbon trading pilot program in 2025, TPIsoftware, a Taiwan-based technology firm, announced a strategic partnership with Ho Team Construction, the largest Taiwanese construction contractor operating in Vietnam. The collaboration will see Ho Team become the country's first construction company to adopt an AI-powered carbon inventory system, laying the groundwork for Vietnam's full-scale carbon trading regime anticipated in 2029
Monday 30 June 2025
TSMC affiliate VIS may expedite production at US$8 billion Singapore fab
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s smaller affiliate Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp. may accelerate the chip production schedule at its new US$7.8 billion joint venture in Singapore on greater customer demand for hedging against geopolitical risks.
VIS may be able to push production at the new plant, which makes mature chips, to as soon as late 2026 versus the originally announced schedule of the first half of 2027, VIS Chairman Fang Leuh told reporters at a company event on Saturday in Taoyuan, Taiwan. VIS broke ground for the facility in the fourth quarter of 2024
Monday 30 June 2025
CATL breaks ground on US$6B Indonesia battery venture
The world's top maker of electric-vehicle batteries broke ground on a US$6 billion battery material ecosystem in Indonesia as the government pushes ahead with commodity downstreaming goals
Thursday 26 June 2025
IC distributors pivot to Southeast Asia under trade turbulence

With US-China tariff tensions intensifying and global manufacturers racing to decentralize their supply chains, Southeast Asia is emerging as the new strategic hub for IC distributors. Beyond the geopolitical calculus, companies are increasingly drawn to the region's potential as a high-growth cluster for automotive electronics, IC testing and packaging, and emerging tech ecosystems

Wednesday 25 June 2025
Local investment momentum remains strong despite Chinese firms reportedly tapping Malaysian data centers to access US AI chips
Amid US export controls on advanced AI chips, Chinese firms are turning to Southeast Asia to maintain their AI development momentum. According to The Wall Street Journal, some Chinese companies have routed operations through subsidiaries in Singapore and Malaysia to rent Malaysian data centers equipped with Nvidia's high-end GPUs. These efforts reflect growing attempts to circumvent restrictions and meet surging demand for computing power
Tuesday 24 June 2025
Apollo Go eyes Southeast Asia expansion as Baidu pivots to light assets operation
Baidu's Apollo Go autonomous taxi service is poised to enter Singapore and Malaysia by 2025, expanding its reach beyond China. The company is currently in talks with potential partners to establish commercial partnerships in these Southeast Asian countries, according to Bloomberg
Tuesday 24 June 2025
Vietnam extends VAT reduction to end of 2026 to boost economy
The Vietnamese National Assembly has approved an extension of the value-added tax (VAT) cut, reducing the rate from 10% to 8% until the end of 2026 to support domestic economic growth. This measure, first introduced in 2022 to aid post-pandemic recovery, received over 90% approval for continuation, reports Reuters and The Investor
Tuesday 24 June 2025
China’s AI firms exploit Southeast Asia detour, weakening Huawei’s domestic chip ambitions
Chinese AI firms are reportedly utilizing AI compute resources in Southeast Asian nations to bypass US sanctions, exploiting regulatory frameworks that align with local laws and limit governmental intervention
Tuesday 24 June 2025
Coretronic's rapid southbound expansion drives shipment growth outlook for 2025
Coretronic held its shareholders' meeting on June 18, 2025, successfully passing all proposals. The company expects that under its display business group, shipments of energy-saving, imaging, and immersive products will increase by 10-15% in 2025 year-over-year
Friday 20 June 2025
GBM expands AI product line via Lincstech acquisition, focus on Singapore and Malaysia operations
Global Brands Manufacture (GBM), a PCB and EMS subsidiary of Walsin Technology, recently held a shareholders' meeting led by chairman Yu-Heng Chiao to discuss acquiring Japan's Lincstech. The deal aims to boost the company's presence in AI servers, semiconductors and expand production in Singapore
Friday 20 June 2025
Chinese automaker financial crisis threatens Thai EV ambitions
Chinese EV maker Neta Auto faces a severe financial crisis, raising concerns in Thailand, where it operates a local subsidiary. Neta claims its overseas operations remain unaffected, but Thai officials are monitoring the situation closely, according to the Bangkok Post and The Nation
Research Report Database
Intel signals overhaul of IDM 2.0 and foundry strategy with Lip-Bu Tan's appointment, says DIGITIMES