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Tuesday 18 March 2025
With Samsung at make-or-break moment, chairman Lee Jae-yong issues blunt warning to top executives
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong has reportedly issued a blunt warning to top executives, acknowledging that the company is at a make-or-break moment. In a pre-recorded video message, Lee criticized the leadership for losing Samsung's competitive edge and urged them to adopt a "do-or-die" mindset to confront the crisis head-on
Tuesday 18 March 2025
Samsung races to close 2nm gap: first High-NA EUV deployed at Hwaseong
Samsung Electronics reportedly deployed its first high-NA Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machine at its Hwaseong Campus in early March. The move represents a key step in Samsung's push for sub-2nm semiconductor manufacturing. Despite lagging behind, Samsung remains driven to challenge TSMC and Intel in the next-generation foundry market
Tuesday 18 March 2025
Samsung SDI to raise US$1.38 billion for Hungarian plant expansion and solid-state battery investment
Samsung SDI, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, has announced plans to conduct a paid capital increase of KRW2 trillion (US$1.38 billion) to expand its Hungarian factory and invest in solid-state battery technology. The paid capital increase, a process where a company issues new shares to raise funds for strategic investments, will enable Samsung SDI to finance its ambitious expansion plans
Tuesday 18 March 2025
Tencent ramps up Nvidia H20 orders as DeepSeek's breakout spurs AI arms race
Tencent Holdings Ltd. has reportedly ordered tens of billions of yuan worth of Nvidia H20 AI chips to support its expansion into large-scale AI applications. Caijing Magazine reports that this surge in demand has created a short-term supply crunch for H20 chips. To meet Tencent's order, Nvidia is now reallocating resources to stabilize deliveries
Tuesday 18 March 2025
Baidu Ernie X1 undercut DeepSeek R1 with lower cost and matching performance
Baidu has introduced two new AI models, ERNIE 4.5 and ERNIE X1. Ahead of the originally scheduled April 1 release date, they have been made available to the public through the ERNIE Bot
Monday 17 March 2025
Samsung talent crisis: Corporate culture and decision-making to blame?
Samsung Electronics has struggled to retain the top-tier professionals it recruited in semiconductors, robotics, big data, and artificial intelligence (AI). The departure of these key talents points to a concerning pattern that industry watchers link to potential issues within Samsung's corporate culture and decision-making approach. As these specialized experts continue to leave, questions emerge about the company's ability to sustain innovation in critical technology sectors
Monday 17 March 2025
China's AI infrastructure surge fuels SSD boom, fast-tracks local memory supply chain
AI adoption is surging, with large-scale models like DeepSeek fueling a sharp rise in memory demand. Following DeepSeek's breakthrough during Lunar New Year, China has accelerated AI deployment across healthcare, finance, and government, driving the rapid expansion of its AI infrastructure
Monday 17 March 2025
Caught between US-Sino tech crossfire, Tesla deepens Baidu ties
Escalating trade tensions under President Trump's new tariff regime are forcing Tesla to recalibrate its China strategy, with deeper Baidu partnerships emerging as a crucial lifeline. The electric vehicle (EV) maker faces growing data restrictions as Chinese regulations prevent its 2 million vehicles from transmitting information back to the US for driving systems training, while US policy simultaneously blocks AI software training in China—effectively crippling Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) capabilities in the world's largest auto market
Monday 17 March 2025
India's electronics sector growth fuels Zetwerk's expansion, IPO plans
India-based EMS provider Zetwerk inaugurated its seventh plant in India over the weekend as an emerging electronics manufacturing ecosystem has benefitted local firms to raise funds and expand. However, proposed tariffs by the US may complicate its ambition
Monday 17 March 2025
Aurotek teams up with Pudu Robotics for next-gen service robots
Aurotek has announced a strategic partnership with leading Chinese service robot maker Pudu Robotics to launch a range of next-generation service robots in Taiwan. Initial products will focus on areas that rely heavily on manual labor, including retail, manufacturing and warehousing, and healthcare facilities, with customizable robotics solutions tailored to specific needs in Taiwan planned for the future
Monday 17 March 2025
Softbank to build world's first AI agent data center with OpenAI at Sharp's Sakai factory
SoftBank announced the acquisition of part of Sharp's Sakai Display Products (SDP) factory in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, for JPY100 billion (approx. US$6.7 million) on March 14, 2025. The company plans to transform the site into a large-scale AI data center, with operations expected to begin in 2026, reports NHK and Nikkei
Monday 17 March 2025
Gree bets big on smart homes: 10,000 'Dong Mingzhu Health Home' stores in pipeline
On March 13, Gree Electric opened its first "Dong Mingzhu Health Home" store in Beijing's Tongzhou district, signaling a major expansion beyond air conditioning into the broader home appliance market
Monday 17 March 2025
China pays uncapped PhD salaries to develop an ASML alternative
China's Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics, and Physics (CIOMP) is offering "uncapped" salaries to PhD researchers as the nation races to develop domestic semiconductor lithography capabilities amid escalating US technology restrictions
Monday 17 March 2025
Weekly news roundup: China's EUV breakthrough and Chinese lawmakers' proposal for anonymous semiconductor purchases
These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of March 10 – March 15
Monday 17 March 2025
Baidu releases reasoning AI model to take on DeepSeek
Baidu Inc. released a new artificial intelligence model that articulates its reasoning, in an apparent bid to regain momentum against up-and-coming rivals like DeepSeek
Research Report Database
Intel signals overhaul of IDM 2.0 and foundry strategy with Lip-Bu Tan's appointment, says DIGITIMES