For Apple CEO Tim Cook, returning to the White House in early August 2025 and announcing a US$600 billion investment plan over the next four years was a strategic move that pleased President Donald Trump. Trump responded by stating that any production or factory commitments made in the US would qualify for tariff exemptions, temporarily easing Apple's larger crisis
The Trump administration's tariff policy announced in April 2025 is reshaping global server supply chains, prompting Taiwan's leading EMS firms—Foxconn, Wistron, Quanta, Inventec, and Mitac—to accelerate US expansion. Concentrating investments in Texas and California, these companies aim to localize high-margin components while navigating rising costs and tariff-driven uncertainties
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has launched a public call for proposals to fund domestic chipmakers as part of a revised Information Processing Promotion Act. The initiative, which began on September 3, 2024, seeks to support Rapidus in its effort to bring cutting-edge semiconductors into mass production
Samsung Electronics' foundry business is showing early signs of a turnaround as it attempts to reclaim market share from its dominant rival, TSMC. Industry insiders indicate that Qualcomm may reconsider Samsung as a key chip supplier if the South Korean company successfully enters mass production on its advanced 2 nm process node
China's push to localize its memory supply chain is gathering momentum. YMTC has begun trial production at its first fully localized NAND flash fab, while market chatter indicates the company is now quietly investing in DRAM. The move underscores YMTC's ambition to extend beyond NAND dominance, using its patented Xtacking technology to break into DRAM and challenge the world's top three players
Fujifilm Electronic Materials is considering a significant investment in India as part of its strategy to expand in the fast-growing semiconductor sector, according to a report by the Times of India
In the second quarter of 2025, Southeast Asia's electric vehicle (EV) sales grew 102% year-over-year, driven by affordable battery electric vehicles, rising consumer awareness, government subsidies, and local production expansion. Chinese and Vietnamese brands like BYD and VinFast have become central forces, reshaping the regional EV ecosystem
Kaynes Semicon, a subsidiary of Kaynes Technology and India's first advanced OSAT and module manufacturer, has announced a series of strategic partnerships during Semicon India 2025, held from September 2-4, 2025. The collaborations underscore India's push to expand its semiconductor manufacturing and testing capabilities, while positioning Kaynes as a key industry player, according to multiple reports, including The Economic Times, Electronics Media, DQ India, and Devdiscourse
At the 13th China Semiconductor Equipment, Core Components and Materials Expo (CSEAC 2025) in Wuxi, Chinese equipment maker SiCarrier returned with another high-profile showcase. The firm exhibited images and scale models of semiconductor process tools, continuing the publicity blitz it began at SEMICON China earlier this year. But industry skepticism persists over whether its touted technological advances are genuine
The US Department of Commerce announced on August 29, 2025, that it will revoke the "Validated End-User" (VEU) status previously granted to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix for their semiconductor factories in China. Starting January 2026, South Korean companies will need to apply for case-by-case approval to introduce American equipment into their Chinese production lines
India has approved an incentive scheme worth INR15 billion (US$180 million) to expand the country's capacity to recycle critical minerals from secondary sources. The six-year program, part of the National Critical Mineral Mission, aims to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce dependence on imports for minerals vital to clean energy, electronics, and advanced manufacturing
Foreign chipmakers are partnering with Chinese firms as geopolitical tensions and supply chain risks reshape the global semiconductor industry. The push, known as a "China for China" strategy, aims to secure stable supply chains in China
Analysts say the US government's decision to revoke Verified End-User (VEU) authorizations for semiconductor equipment exports to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix's Chinese factories appears primarily aimed at gaining leverage in negotiations over rare earths with China. VEU permits allow pre-approved companies to import US technology without case-by-case license applications, and the withdrawal on August 31, 2025, has raised concerns about potential disruptions to semiconductor production in China
The US Commerce Department has told TSMC it will revoke the company's Verified End-User (VEU) status for its Nanjing factory by December 31, 2025. TSMC said on September 2 that the decision will not disrupt operations. The announcement follows Washington's decision to end similar exemptions for Samsung and SK Hynix in China
China's Ministry of Commerce has ruled that US optical fiber producers circumvented existing anti-dumping measures by altering trade patterns and exporting a different category of single-mode optical fibers to China. The decision expands current anti-dumping tariffs on US dispersion-unshifted single-mode optical fiber (G.652) to include cut-off shifted single-mode optical fiber (G.654.C)
