Zhao Weiguo, the former chairman of China's Tsinghua Unigroup and once a high-profile figure in China's semiconductor ambitions, was sentenced on May 14, 2025, to death with a two-year reprieve by the Jilin Intermediate People's Court for embezzlement and abuse of power. The court also imposed a lifelong revocation of his political rights and the confiscation of all personal assets
In the US-China trade war, the focus of US pressure has been on curbing the development of China's high-tech sectors—especially semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing, with the first two being closely intertwined
Huawei is now believed to operate at least 11 semiconductor fabrication plants across China, covering memory, logic, and foundry segments—underscoring its strategic shift toward becoming a fully integrated device manufacturer (IDM), similar to Intel or Samsung
Samsung Electronics is reportedly planning to outsource the production of photomasks used in memory manufacturing. To prevent technology leaks, Samsung has traditionally produced all photomasks in-house. However, due to multiple recent factors, the company intends to adjust this strategy
China, having solidified its dominance in the LCD panel market, is now intensifying its push into organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. A government-driven "trade-in" program has sparked a surge in the domestic smartphone market, with Chinese manufacturers rapidly expanding into the foldable device sector. This strategic focus has significantly accelerated OLED panel production
Venture Corp reported declining revenue in the first quarter, as improved product durability in its Lifestyle Consumer segment curbed replacement demand. Despite the dip, the Singapore-based EMS provider expanded margins and saw growth across other technology domains, including Networking & Communications and Advanced Industrials
India finally approved the chipmaking facility proposed by a joint venture between HCL and Foxconn, which will be the first such facility in Uttar Pradesh, as Foxconn continues to step up its semiconductor investments in India
The US-China tech conflict is intensifying even as leaders project a veneer of diplomacy. During trade talks in Geneva, President Donald Trump said the US was "not looking to hurt China," hinting at a tension pause. Yet, almost simultaneously, Washington imposed new export restrictions on AI chips, explicitly banning the global use of Huawei's Ascend processors
Chinese foundries SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor are reportedly stepping up efforts to expand their American presence, not by building fabs there, but by securing orders from US-based IC design companies under the local-for-local, China-for-China strategy amid intense chipmaking competition in China
Japan Display Inc. (JDI) confirmed plans on May 15 to lay off over 1,000 employees in Japan as part of a large-scale restructuring, according to reports from Nikkei Asia and Asahi Shimbun. With approximately 2,700 domestic employees as of March 2025, the move could slash the company's Japanese workforce by nearly half and reduce its global headcount—currently around 4,100—by nearly one-third
According to a press release on May 13, 2025, Renesas Electronics Corporation announced a partnership with India's Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) to support local startups and academic institutions in VLSI and embedded semiconductor systems. The company also opened and expanded offices in Bengaluru and Noida to accommodate its growing R&D teams, with inauguration ceremonies held on the same day
The US-China tariff agreement, reducing US tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30% and Chinese duties from 125% to 10% for 90 days, is creating both opportunities and challenges for India's economy, impacting currency valuation, trade dynamics, and market sentiment
VeriSilicon Holdings Co. launched the 15th Songshan Lake China IC Innovation Summit Forum on May 13, 2025, in Dongguan's Songshan Lake district. This year's forum highlights 10 domestically developed chips tailored for embodied intelligent robots, spanning machine vision, voice AI, and spatial computing. The event brings together key stakeholders across the semiconductor supply chain to examine emerging technologies and industry directions
DIGITIMES visited Singapore, Malaysia, and the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) to explore how Microsoft is shaping the AI landscape in Southeast Asia. The team spoke with Jeth Lee, Microsoft's Regional Legal Director for the Asia-Pacific, and Andrew Lau, Datacenter Launch Lead and Business Program Director for Microsoft Malaysia
China has granted rare earth export permits to domestic magnet manufacturers for the first time since introducing sweeping restrictions in April 2025, in a move reflecting a calibrated stance on mineral controls amid easing trade tensions with the US
