Murata released its financial results for the second quarter of 2025, reporting consolidated operating profit of JPY61.6 billion (US$414.5 million), down 7.2% year-over-year; net profit was JPY49.7 billion, a decrease of 25% year-over-year. Although these figures exceeded market expectations, net profit declined for the first time in nearly two years due to yen appreciation and intense competition from Chinese manufacturers in the smartphone electronic components market

LG Energy Solution (LGES) has signed a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery supply deal worth KRW5.94 trillion (approx. US$4.25 billion). Although the customer was not named due to a confidentiality clause, industry sources widely identify Tesla as the likely buyer

Indian electronics manufacturer Amber Group's subsidiary, IL JIN Electronics India Pvt Ltd, has signed definitive agreements to acquire a controlling stake in Unitronics, an Israeli industrial automation company listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange

Amid rising US-China tech tensions, Taiwan-based PCB suppliers have accelerated factory expansions in Southeast Asia since 2022. However, despite new PCB clusters reaching full production, most PCBs for server orders remain manufactured in China, except for security-sensitive items such as low-earth orbit satellite parts. The server supply chain still depends largely on China's mature and cost-effective facilities

Nvidia's H20 chips were recently cleared for export to China again, but industry reactions vary. Some companies are actively stockpiling out of concern that renewed tensions between China and the US could lead to another supply cutoff. Others remain calm, as they had already secured sufficient inventory through existing channels. Notably, sources say companies have been instructed by both the US and China not to comment on H20 sales or shipment status

Chinese regulators have summoned Nvidia to address mounting concerns that its H20 artificial intelligence chip may contain backdoor vulnerabilities and tracking features, in a move that threatens to derail the company's sales prospects in the world's second-largest AI market

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun will visit Washington on July 30 to back South Korea's final-stage trade negotiations with the US, joining Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hanwha Vice Chair Dong-kwan (DK) Kim in lobbying efforts. The talks aim to reduce the 25% US import tariff on cars, a key issue for Korean automakers seeking to maintain price competitiveness

As the US deadline for reciprocal tariffs, set under the Trump administration, approaches on August 1, 2025, Taiwan's final tax rate remains unresolved. While Vietnam and the Philippines—now major production hubs for Taiwanese networking equipment manufacturers—face tariffs of 20% and 19% respectively, speculation has emerged over whether a more favorable rate for Taiwan could trigger a shift in production back home

Japanese chip equipment maker Screen Holdings reported a 12.2% year-over-year decline in operating profit for the second quarter of 2025, reaching JPY24.3 billion (US$163 million), as subdued demand from China and elevated fixed costs from growth-related investments weighed on earnings

Tensions are rising at South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix after wage negotiations between the company and its labor union collapsed, setting the stage for possible large-scale protests. At the heart of the dispute lies a disagreement over performance-based bonuses, which the union deems insufficient given the company's record-breaking earnings in 2024

The US Commerce Department imposed anti-dumping tariffs as high as 93.5% on Chinese graphite imports in mid-July 2024, bringing total duties to 160% when combined with existing countervailing measures and threatening to increase electric vehicle costs by US$1,000 to US$1,500 per unit

During its second quarter 2025 earnings call, Samsung Electronics addressed the outlook for its Mobile Experience (MX) division and unveiled strategic plans focused on AI innovation and advanced chip development, while acknowledging ongoing external headwinds such as potential US tariff increases and currency volatility

Samsung Electronics experienced a rebound in its memory business during the second quarter of 2025, driven by AI-led demand and rising legacy DRAM prices. The company expects further gains in the third quarter of 2025, with HBM3E sales surging and DRAM and NAND prices set to climb across key product segments

During the earnings call for second quarter results, Samsung Electronics declined to provide further information regarding its US$16.5 billion foundry deal with Tesla, while noting its competitiveness in advanced process technologies that is expected to significantly boost utilization at its new Taylor, Texas facility, which is set to ramp up operations in 2026