Xiaomi CEO Jun Lei recently announced the company's strongest-ever quarterly performance, a remarkable achievement given China's current economic climate. However, challenges are emerging for the tech giant.

Semiconductor Week in Review (Nov 10 - 16): In a week dominated by seismic shifts in the semiconductor landscape, TSMC's suspension of sub-7nm chip supply to Chinese AI firms and postponement of its Arizona fab opening bookended a series of industry-reshaping developments, as geopolitical tensions continue to redraw the global tech supply chain map.

For the global automotive industry, Donald Trump's upcoming return to the White House may create greater challenges not for China's emerging automakers but for Germany's leading automotive giants: Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. These three brands now find themselves in a "perfect storm," navigating pressures from multiple fronts.

The first two years under Donald Trump's second term could be "quite impactful" if policy changes are made on tax, deregulation, and crypto, according to Stefan Gratzer, managing director at J.P. Morgan Private Bank.

China's automotive industry is steering into an era of intelligent vehicles in 2024, propelled by advances in new energy technology. After years of hesitation, automakers are now forging partnerships with Huawei, encouraged by the tech giant's commitment to avoid manufacturing vehicles and its recent brand trademark sales. Major players like SAIC Audi, BYD, Changan, Dongfeng, and GAC have all aligned with Huawei.

The Telangana government has formed a partnership with Japanese technology firm Denso to establish the state as a premier hub for the automotive industry. This collaboration will integrate Denso's expertise into India's leading startup incubator, T-Hub.

With Donald Trump set to return to the White House, he's pledging a platform of low taxes, high tariffs, strict immigration policies, and opposition to the Green New Deal, raising concerns about economic disruption. Industry experts warn these moves could trigger global economic volatility, particularly affecting manufacturing sectors.

Toyota's major automotive component suppliers have revised their financial guidance downward for the fiscal year ending in March, according to their latest financial results.

In October 2024, the number of electric vehicles (EVs) registered in the Taiwan market reached 2,297 units, achieving a market share of 6.9%. However, this figure represents a significant decline of 46% compared to September's total of 4,252 units. Due to Tesla's typical end-of-quarter delivery pattern, BMW claimed the top spot with 554 units sold, while Luxgen secured third place with 382 units.

As ultra-wideband (UWB) technology matures and market demand increases, UWB is gradually entering the automotive and consumer electronics sectors. Its remarkable performance in digital key and safety functions for automobiles has garnered attention, despite facing challenges from Bluetooth technology and ecosystems like the Huawei-led SparkLink Alliance.

Software-defined vehicles (SDVs) are at the forefront of automotive electronic innovation, and the surge in generative AI further amplifies software's transformative power. Yet, as automotive technology and AI advance, a multitude of software and algorithms flood the field, prompting a fundamental question: which software genuinely defines and shapes the hardware's core?

Nikkei reports that dismantling EVs from brands like BYD and NIO reveals a strategic edge: component integration not only helps cut weight but also trims costs significantly. Component sharing and in-house manufacturing further amplify these gains.

Toyota Motor and Suzuki Motor have partnered to launch a new battery electric SUV in spring 2025. The vehicle, to be produced in India, will feature a 60-kilowatt-hour battery and a 500 km range. This collaboration marks a significant step in both companies' electrification efforts and their broader partnership.

As the European Union implemented tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles on October 31, both European and Chinese EV supply chains have begun executing contingency plans. The tariffs add a new layer of tension to the EV trade, as both governments embark on negotiations that could introduce further complexities.

Lilium, a German electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) company often called the Tesla of flying cars, is planning to file for insolvency and will seek self-administration proceedings.

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers are accelerating their European shipments ahead of potential anti-subsidy tariffs of up to 35% that could take effect from November 1. While recent EU-China negotiations have made progress on pricing terms, significant uncertainties persist in the evolving trade landscape.

\While smart cockpits and self-driving cars attract attention for their advanced features, cybersecurity remains the top concern. Industry insiders caution that companies should hold off on launching these technologies until robust cybersecurity measures are in place.

Sasken Technologies has taken a significant step forward in the automotive cybersecurity landscape through its recent partnership with Trustonic. This collaboration marks a new chapter in Sasken's efforts to offer advanced security solutions for automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) and BYD are making significant investments in Indonesia as the country seeks to establish itself in the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

Hyundai Motor's Indian subsidiary (HMIL) has officially listed in India, raising US$3.3 billion in the country's largest IPO to date. Hyundai plans to leverage India's position as the world's third-largest automotive market to establish it as a strategic export hub, targeting emerging markets such as Southeast Asia.

Tesla reported strong third-quarter results, reaffirming its commitment to expanding its vehicle lineup and launching affordable models in 2025, while also focusing on its energy business. CEO Elon Musk projected 20% to 30% growth in vehicle sales for 2025 and outlined plans for the Cybercab to begin production by 2026.

The significant expansion of Chinese manufacturers' SiC substrate production capacity in 2024 has led to oversupply and a sharp decline in prices, rapidly expanding the applicable market and squeezing the market for gallium nitride GaN. This has posed a double challenge for GlobalWafers, which has diversified from silicon wafers into SiC and GaN.

China has set its sights on US PC giant Intel, alleging through a third-party cybersecurity association that Intel's CPU backdoor contains security vulnerabilities potentially posing serious national security risks. This claim has been widely circulated among Chinese media outlets. In a related incident, national security agencies have implied that an unnamed company is engaging in illegal surveying and mapping activities with foreign entities.

Amid a wave of investment by Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers in Thailand, which aims to establish itself as an EV production hub, these manufacturers are requesting a reduction in their EV output targets due to a weak market.

As "end-to-end large models" sweep through the smart driving industry, China's automotive sector is gradually entering a new "AI battlefield." Zhang Yongwei, vice chairman and secretary-general of the China EV100 forum, emphasized even before the EU implemented tax increases that the key to Chinese automakers' competitiveness in the AI battlefield was not production capacity but rather AI computing power.