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Saturday 7 March 2026
Qwen shake-up sparks AI talent war with Z.ai and DeepMind
According to TechWeb, on March 5, 2026, Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu formally approved Alibaba's core Qwen team member Jun-Yang Lin's resignation in an internal letter to Tongyi Lab, announcing the creation of a "foundation model support group" to coordinate resources and strengthen future LLM development
Friday 6 March 2026
Toyota Group's Denso bids up to US$8 billion to acquire Rohm

Japanese auto parts supplier Denso has made a takeover proposal for Kyoto-based chipmaker Rohm in a deal that could reach about JPY1.3 trillion (approx. US$8.3 billion), according to reports from Nikkei and Reuters

Friday 6 March 2026
Europe's automakers brace for energy and logistics shocks from Middle East tensions

Rising tensions in the Middle East are adding a new layer of uncertainty for the global automotive industry, raising the risk that geopolitical disruptions could once again ripple through production costs, energy supply and logistics networks

Friday 6 March 2026
Alibaba faces questions over Qwen continuity after sudden departures and structural shift
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s core team behind its Qwen large language model faced renewed turbulence after the abrupt resignation of its original technical lead prompted an emergency all-hands meeting on March 4. CEO Eddie Wu addressed the Qwen team in person as management sought to steady internal concerns
Friday 6 March 2026
South Korean Academia: NAND scaling nears ceiling; China seen closing gap
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is driving strong growth in the memory market. Compared with DRAM, which still has room for structural innovation, NAND flash has largely relied on vertical stacking for years and is now approaching the limits of its current architecture, according to South Korean academics. As a result, the segment faces increasing risk of being caught up by Chinese manufacturers
Friday 6 March 2026
Samsung Display's 4Q25 profit soars on BOE's KRW500 billion patent payment
Samsung Display (SDC) reportedly received over KRW500 billion (approx. US$340 million) in patent royalties from leading Chinese panel maker BOE in the fourth quarter of 2025, which would explain how the company's operating profit for the quarter exceeded market expectations by roughly KRW1 trillion
Friday 6 March 2026
AW 2026: Wonik Robotics redefines precision dexterity in humanoids

While the global humanoid race has largely focused on bipedal locomotion, Wonik Robotics is doubling down on a bottom-up strategy that prioritizes high-dexterity manipulation as the foundation of Physical AI. Following its showcase at Automation World (AW) 2026, the company is pivoting from a decade of research-led development towards a specialized hardware ecosystem for US big tech

Friday 6 March 2026
Hormuz tensions test Taiwan's energy security as government scrambles to shield chip industry
While the global economy pins its growth hopes on the rapid scaling of artificial intelligence (AI), the physical foundation of that technology is currently facing an existential threat in the narrow seaways of the Persian Gulf
Friday 6 March 2026
Unitree, Leju, and AgiBot showcase humanoid robots at AW 2026

China's leading humanoid robot developers gathered at Smart Factory and Automation World 2026 (AW 2026) in South Korea, where companies including Unitree Robotics, Leju Robot, and AgiBot showcased their technologies and outlined commercialization strategies for humanoid robots

Friday 6 March 2026
South Korea launches first physical AI data factory to catch up with China's robot data edge
As the robotics industry accelerates, data collection has become a critical factor in driving real-world industrial adoption and realizing true AI factories. South Korean startup Maum.AI inaugurated its first "Physical AI Data Factory" at its Seongnam headquarters in Gyeonggi-do province, aiming to accelerate the commercialization of physical AI in South Korea through a validation-centered learning infrastructure
Friday 6 March 2026
China chip leaders call for national effort to build 'Chinese ASML'

China's semiconductor industry leaders are calling for a nationwide effort to develop a domestic equivalent of ASML within five years, saying the country must move beyond fragmented development and build a more integrated industry capable of competing with global leaders

Friday 6 March 2026
Alibaba’s Qwen loses its architect, stirring questions about China’s AI drive
Alibaba's large language model ambitions have been jolted by an unexpected leadership departure. In the early hours of March 4, the head of Alibaba Group's Qwen artificial intelligence model division, Lin Junyang, posted a brief message on X: "me stepping down. bye my beloved Qwen.
Friday 6 March 2026
Taiwan refocuses nearly US$9.5bn chip program on drone, robotics and LEO satellite chips
US and Israeli strikes on Iran have sharply raised tensions in the Middle East. The operation seeks to weaken Iran's military capability and reshape the regional balance, but with no ground forces involved and attacks relying mainly on airstrikes, its political and military outcomes remain uncertain. Industry observers warn prolonged conflict could weigh on global economic growth. The situation has also reinforced concerns in Taiwan that independent design and manufacturing capabilities for defense technologies are increasingly critical
Friday 6 March 2026
South Korean OLED materials firm Lordin plans India expansion amid Chinese competition
South Korean OLED materials developer Lordin plans to seek a technology-special listing in the first half of 2027, with a US$25 million fundraising round targeted for completion in 2026, as it advances commercialization of its blue phosphorescent emitter technology and expands operations into India
Friday 6 March 2026
South Korea's approval for Google to export high-precision maps raises competition and security questions
South Korea's government has reversed a nearly 20-year policy and conditionally allowed Google to export high-precision map data abroad, a move that could shift the competitive landscape for domestic map services and emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles