GeoWatch

Essential technology and geopolitical news recap.

Essential technology and geopolitical news recap, GeoWatch, focuses on the tech supply chain, providing effortless insights.

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IN THE NEWS

Wednesday 22 October 2025

Japan to appoint first female prime minister, pledges support for AI and chip industries

Sanae Takaichi, president of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was appointed as the country's new prime minister on October 21, 2025, with cabinet formation to follow. This...

Tuesday 21 October 2025

Nexperia meltdown jolts auto industry, triggers rush for power devices

Dutch chipmaker Nexperia has accused its suspended chief executive, Zhang Xuezheng (also known as Wing Zhang), of spreading "falsehoods"...

Tuesday 21 October 2025

SoftBank's ABB acquisition signals Asia's robotics dominance over Europe

SoftBank's plan to acquire ABB's robotics division for nearly US$5.4 billion by 2026 signals a significant shift in the global robotics landscape. The acquisition marks SoftBank's...

Tuesday 21 October 2025

Microsoft: Taiwan sees highest number of nation-state cyberattacks in Asia Pacific as AI accelerates threat evolution

More than half of cyberattacks worldwide are financially motivated, and AI is now accelerating the arms race between attackers and defenders, according to Microsoft in its latest...

Monday 20 October 2025

China's rare earth clampdown reopens fault lines in US trade relations

China's rare earth exports plunged in September 2025, reflecting deepening tensions between Beijing and Washington as the world's dominant supplier of strategic minerals tightens...

Monday 20 October 2025

Arrow Electronics regains US export license after delisting from Entity List

The US Department of Commerce has removed export restrictions on Arrow Electronics' China and Hong Kong units, taking the semiconductor distributor off the Entity List. Arrow Electronics...

Monday 20 October 2025

Intel CEO courts Saudi Arabia for chip manufacturing partnership

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan met recently with Saudi Arabia's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Abdullah Al-Swaha, to discuss potential collaborations in semiconductor...

Monday 20 October 2025

Weekly news roundup: Nvidia rises as TSMC's top customer; Netherlands seizes Nexperia; Google considers MediaTek for next Pixel

Below are the top DIGITIMES Asia stories from October 13 to 19, 2025.

Monday 20 October 2025

South Korea forms task force amid China's rare earth crackdown

South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) has launched a Rare Earth Supply Chain Task Force to shield domestic industries from China's tightened export controls.

Monday 20 October 2025

Micron exits China data center market amid policy restrictions

Micron Technology plans to stop supplying server chips to data centers in China but will continue selling chips to customers in the country's automotive and smartphone sectors, according...

Monday 20 October 2025

Exclusive: TSMC tightens China orders after US sanctions; Huawei proxy Sophgo cut off, Bitmain halved

Fueled by strong orders from Apple and Nvidia, TSMC posted record third-quarter results and raised its full-year US dollar revenue growth...

Friday 17 October 2025

Micron's alleged China exit signals accelerating G2 chip decoupling

Micron reportedly plans to stop supplying server chips to data centers in China, according to a Reuters report citing sources familiar with the decision. The move comes two...

Friday 17 October 2025

Alibaba Cloud deepens Middle East bet with new AI-powered Dubai data center

Alibaba Cloud, the cloud unit of Alibaba Group, has opened its second data center in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — its first in nearly a decade — as the Chinese tech...

Thursday 16 October 2025

How a viral Taiwan dinner photo put Nvidia and its partners under Washington’s microscope

A publicly shared photo from a private gathering in Taiwan has set off debate over whether US export rules on advanced technology are being skirted, putting Taiwanese hardware makers...

Thursday 16 October 2025

Dutch seizure of Nexperia raises stakes for Chinese tech assets abroad

In a dramatic escalation of the US-China tech war, the Dutch government has seized control of the Netherlands-based semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia, invoking a Cold War-era emergency...

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