China's semiconductor equipment industry posted a polarized first half of 2025, caught between a global downturn and intensifying US–China tech rivalry. A few national champions consolidated their lead, while smaller and mid-tier players pressed into specialized segments, advancing Beijing's agenda for domestic chip-tool substitution

China's solid-state battery sector is reaching a critical stage, driven by rapid technical advances and new standardization initiatives. On September 10–11, 2025, the China Society of Automotive Engineers will meet in Beijing to review ten proposed group standards, including assembly methods for evaluation cells, and to launch five projects covering topics such as hydrogen sulfide emissions from sulfide-based solid-state batteries

These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of September 1–September 7

China's chip-equipment industry now faces hurdles on par with its most storied national projects, said Gerald Yin, chairman and CEO of AMEC. Addressing the CSEAC 2025 exhibition in Wuxi on September 4, Yin argued that building advanced semiconductor tools has become even more daunting than the historic "Two Bombs, One Satellite" program of the 1960s

Shenzhen International Semiconductor & IC Exhibition, known as SEMI-e 2025, will take place September 10-12 at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. The event is expected to draw thousands of chipmakers, equipment suppliers, and technology companies as the semiconductor industry continues to expand globally

Semicon India 2025 was held during September 2 and September 4, as India unveiled plan to revamp consumption tax and recycle critical minerals

South Korea's multi-chip packaging (MCP) exports continued to climb sharply in August 2025, with the share of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) exports to Taiwan steadily increasing

China's sustained investment in its semiconductor equipment ecosystem is starting to alter the global balance of power. Markets once controlled by US and Japanese giants are now being reshaped by the rapid ascent of Chinese equipment makers

India showcased its semiconductor ambitions at Semicon India 2025 with the unveiling of its first homegrown chip and a flurry of local partnerships. While global players such as ASML, Tokyo Electron, and Fujifilm expressed support, their moves remain exploratory, underscoring India's challenge in securing concrete foreign investment

Chinese semiconductor equipment maker SiCarrier has booked over CNY10 billion (US$1.4 billion) in orders and is mobilizing upstream suppliers for large-scale production. With nearly 20,000 employees, the Shenzhen-based firm is emerging as a key force in China's drive to localize chipmaking gear as global export restrictions tighten

Samsung is rolling out its Galaxy S25 FE smartphone and Galaxy Tab S11 tablets a month early, unveiling the devices at the IFA 2025 tech show in Berlin. The move is aimed at filling a gap in its lineup ahead of the launch of its new tri-fold phones later this year

The South Korean government is reportedly pushing to reduce tariffs on key imported materials used in semiconductor wafer production to 0% by 2026. Amid the US' announcement of a potential 100% tariff on South Korean semiconductors, Seoul aims to enhance the foundational cost competitiveness of its domestic semiconductor industry

In response to security concerns over its Chinese founder's background, AI voice recording device maker Plaud issued a statement on September 2, 2024, clarifying that while hardware manufacturing is commissioned to Shenzhen Jizhi Connect Technology, data from Taiwanese users is stored exclusively on Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platforms in the US. The company emphasized that user data will not be leaked to the Chinese government

Japan's semiconductor materials suppliers are racing to expand capacity as the AI data center build-out drives unprecedented demand for advanced chips and packaging inputs. Nikkei reports that Asahi Kasei will invest JPY16 billion (US$108 million) to double production of PIMEL, its photosensitive insulating material used in GPUs and other high-end semiconductors, by fiscal 2030