In a continued push to stimulate domestic demand, China is set to release an additional CNY138 billion (approx. US$19 billion) in the second half of 2025 to fund subsidies for its nationwide "old-for-new" consumer trade-in program. The policy covers a wide range of household and consumer electronics, including home appliances, kitchen and bathroom equipment, smartphones, and automobiles

South Korea's Dongjin Semichem has licensed its OLED material patents to major companies, including Germany's Merck and Japan's Idemitsu Kosan, highlighting its technological prowess and strong patent portfolio

Foxconn is preparing to manufacture iPhone enclosures in India for the first time, marking a significant expansion of its local operations. According to sources cited by the Economic Times, the company plans to set up a dedicated unit at the ESR Industrial Park in Oragadam, Tamil Nadu, adjacent to its upcoming display module assembly plant

The Semiconductor Assembly Test Automation and Standardization Research Association (SATAS), spearheaded by Intel Corporation in Japan, announced on June 19, 2025, that it has begun constructing a pilot semiconductor back-end production line at Sharp Corporation's Kameyama facility in Mie Prefecture. In addition to equipment installation, SATAS has initiated environmental preparation work for several buildings within the site

Samsung and SK Hynix are advancing vertical channel transistor (VCT) technology through 4F² DRAM prototypes as a transitional step toward 3D DRAM, while Micron is bypassing VCT entirely to focus directly on true 3D DRAM development, signaling a strategic divergence in next-generation memory architectures

The rapid growth of the global generative AI industry has sharply increased electricity demand, straining national power grids and energy security worldwide. South Korea faces particular challenges in maintaining a stable power supply amid rising consumption. President Lee Jae-myung's recent energy policies addressing this issue have drawn significant attention domestically

Chinese automakers are moving to align with government directives by planning to mass-produce vehicles equipped exclusively with domestically developed and manufactured automotive chips starting in 2026, as Beijing pushes to reduce its reliance on foreign semiconductor technologies

LG Display (LGD) has announced a KRW1.26 trillion (approx. US$918 million) investment aimed at strengthening its OLED technology portfolio. A large portion of the capital is expected to go toward 6th-generation small-to-mid-sized OLED production, a surprising move given the saturated competition in the smartphone display market

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

As competition intensifies in the high-end memory market, Micron has taken the lead over South Korean competitors by becoming the first memory supplier for Nvidia's next-generation memory module, SOCAMM. Industry sources reveal that SOCAMM uses LPDDR5X chip stacking technology. With Micron expanding its outsourced packaging and testing (OSAT) orders for LPDDR5X, leading memory OSAT provider PTI is a primary beneficiary. This partnership not only helped Micron win significant contracts but also boosted PTI's second quarter 2024 shipments of LPDDR5X packaging, greatly enhancing its operational performance and future growth prospects

China's sustained backing of new energy vehicles (NEVs) has hit a roadblock, as widespread subsidy abuse and escalating price competition have forced several local governments to suspend EV incentive programs

SK Hynix is doubling down on diversifying its supply chain for thermal compression bonding (TCB) equipment, crucial for producing high-bandwidth memory (HBM), while Samsung Electronics appears to be moving in the opposite direction, prioritizing internalization. The contrasting strategies are fueling debate across the semiconductor industry

Amid ongoing volatility in the global semiconductor landscape, China's chipmaking equipment sector is undergoing a dual transformation centered on intelligent manufacturing and "re-globalization." These shifts serve as both a countermeasure to geopolitical headwinds and a strategic pivot toward a more autonomous and resilient supply chain

Data center construction is accelerating in Malaysia's Johor state as Singapore charts a sustainable digital infrastructure strategy. Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority unveiled its Green Data Center Roadmap, targeting at least 300 megawatts of additional capacity in the near term while promoting energy-efficient technologies