DIGITIMES Asia news

Monday 5 January 2026

Kawasaki banned by Japanese defense ministry over submarine engine fraud, raising export trust concerns

Japan's Ministry of Defense announced in December 2025 that it had suspended Kawasaki Heavy Industries from bidding on defense contracts until March 11, 2026, a 2.5-month ban following revelations of falsified fuel efficiency data for submarine engines supplied to the Maritime Self-Defense Force

Monday 5 January 2026

Samsung reportedly pitches bundled solutions to Google and AMD

As major corporations expand investments in artificial intelligence (AI), memory suppliers have seen a flood of orders. According to the latest reports from South Korean media, Samsung Electronics has not only demonstrated negotiation dominance but is also marketing a turnkey solution that bundles advanced packaging, DRAM, and foundry services to customers such as Google and AMD. This binding strategy aims to strengthen customer loyalty

Monday 5 January 2026

Nexchip Semiconductor launches US$5.1bn Hefei fab to scale 28nm mature-node capacity

China's domestic foundry expansion gained momentum this week as Nexchip Semiconductor broke ground on its Phase IV project in Hefei, committing CNY35.5 billion (approx. US$5.07 billion) to expand 12-inch wafer capacity and deepen its position in mature-node manufacturing

Monday 5 January 2026

iPhone 17 sales surge lifts Apple past 20% share in China

Apple's iPhone 17 series has driven a notable recovery in China, pushing the company's market share back above 20% and lifting monthly shipments beyond 6 million units in November 2025, according to industry estimates. The rebound marks Apple's strongest performance in the market in recent years after a period of declining share amid intense competition from domestic smartphone brands

Monday 5 January 2026

Weekly news roundup: TSMC widens 2 nm edge as South Korea boosts chip spending; Huawei eyes memory bottlenecks

These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of Dec 29 - Jan 4

Monday 5 January 2026

NAFCO posts record December revenue and is optimistic for 2026

The National Aerospace Fasteners Corporation (NAFCO) revenue for December 2025 hit a new record of NT$405 million (approx. US$12.9 million), up 7.84% month-over-month and 19.61% year-over-year. In response to customer demand, the company will continue to expand its Malaysia operations while pushing capacity at its Taiwan plant

Monday 5 January 2026

SK Telecom unveils South Korea's first 500-billion-parameter AI model A.X K1

South Korea's leading telecom operator SK Telecom (SKT) has introduced A.X K1, a 500-billion-parameter AI model developed under a national AI initiative to establish a foundational platform for the country, highlighting SKT's efforts to align AI technology with national strategy and industrial applications

Monday 5 January 2026

SK On slows investment and delays Seosan factory expansion with EV market uncertainty

SK On, a battery unit of SK Innovation, has scaled back its investment plans and postponed the expansion of its new factory in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, due to a slowdown in the electric vehicle (EV) market and uncertain battery demand. Initially planning to invest KRW17.534 trillion (approx. US$12.15 billion) to develop a third plant and upgrade the second plant, SK On has cut the committed investment to KRW936.3 billion so far, with around KRW820 billion to be spent later as part of the revised expansion schedule

Monday 5 January 2026

Trump orders divestment of EMCORE chip assets, tightening US scrutiny of foreign semiconductor deals

US President Donald Trump has ordered the divestment of certain semiconductor assets of EMCORE Corporation following a national security review that identified risks linked to foreign ownership, according to a White House executive order and a statement from the US Treasury Department

Monday 5 January 2026

South Korea steps up race to build sovereign AI foundation model

South Korea is intensifying competition to develop a sovereign AI foundation model, with five leading teams from industry and academia unveiling first-phase results. The contenders highlighted differences in parameter scale, multimodal capabilities, and vertical applications. By mid-January 2026, four teams will be selected to advance to the next stage

Monday 5 January 2026

India clears 22 electronics manufacturing proposals under ECMS, with Foxconn and Samsung among beneficiaries

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has approved an additional 22 proposals under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), marking a significant expansion of the country's push to expand electronics manufacturing. The newly cleared projects involve a projected investment of INR418/63 billion and an estimated production of INR2,581.52 billion, and are expected to generate 33,791 direct jobs

Monday 5 January 2026

India roundup: OSAT players claim legacy packaging price parity

Indian OSAT players aim for price competitiveness on par with Malaysian rivals, as L&T Semiconductor is scheduled to announce products at CES

Saturday 3 January 2026

Micron and GlobalFoundries strengthen Singapore's position in advanced AI chip manufacturing

Singapore is drawing a new wave of semiconductor investment as global chipmakers expand advanced manufacturing tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure, reinforcing the city-state's strategy of attracting investments to enable next-generation technologies and position Singapore higher up the semiconductor value chain

Saturday 3 January 2026

Analysis: Japan targets advanced packaging to crack TSMC's manufacturing edge

Japanese semiconductor firms are pivoting toward advanced packaging and alternative lithography as TSMC extends its scale advantage in artificial intelligence chips. TSMC's 3nm and 2nm capacity is largely locked in. Advanced packaging now contributes a growing share of sales. The company is on track to see annual revenue exceed US$250 billion around 2029 or 2030. That widening gap has pushed Japanese companies to focus on panel-level packaging and nanoimprint technologies. Both emerged at SEMICON Japan 2025 as key levers to bypass manufacturing bottlenecks and secure a foothold in the fast-expanding AI accelerator supply chain

Friday 2 January 2026

Global auto market faces turning point in 2026 as competition in China intensifies

The global automotive market reached a critical turning point in 2025 amid unprecedented pressures from tariffs, policies, and inflation, triggering preemptive buying before expected downturns. In China, domestic sales are estimated to have hit 27 million units in 2025, nearing the historic peak of 2017

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Jan 6, 16:39

MSI Unveils Full Lineup of AI Products at CES 2026

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