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Monday 5 January 2026
Samsung bets on smart driving, testing old alliances

Samsung Electronics' decision to acquire a major advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) business through its subsidiary Harman is...

Monday 5 January 2026
Lee Jae-myung's first China visit signals warming South Korea-China ties
According to Bloomberg and The Korea Economic Daily, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung made a four-day trip from January 4-7, 2026, to Beijing and Shanghai, including...
Monday 5 January 2026
Japan's Rapidus to launch advanced packaging pilot line in Hokkaido by spring 2026
Japanese chipmaker Rapidus is advancing its 2nm process technology while developing advanced packaging solutions tailored for AI chips. The company aims to officially start trial...
Monday 5 January 2026
TSMC's US fabs expose structural cost gap with Taiwan

The economics of advanced semiconductor manufacturing in the US differ sharply from those in Taiwan, and TSMC's experience in Arizona...

Monday 5 January 2026
Kawasaki banned by Japanese defense ministry over submarine engine fraud, raising export trust concerns
Japan's Ministry of Defense announced in December 2025 that it had suspended Kawasaki Heavy Industries from bidding on defense contracts until March 11, 2026, a 2.5-month ban following...
Monday 5 January 2026
Samsung reportedly pitches bundled solutions to Google and AMD
As major corporations expand investments in artificial intelligence (AI), memory suppliers have seen a flood of orders. According to the latest reports from South Korean media, Samsung...
Monday 5 January 2026
Weekly news roundup: TSMC widens 2 nm edge as South Korea boosts chip spending; Huawei eyes memory bottlenecks
These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of Dec 29 - Jan 4.
Monday 5 January 2026
NAFCO posts record December revenue and is optimistic for 2026
The National Aerospace Fasteners Corporation (NAFCO) revenue for December 2025 hit a new record of NT$405 million (approx. US$12.9 million), up 7.84% month-over-month and 19.61% year-over-year...
Monday 5 January 2026
SK Telecom unveils South Korea's first 500-billion-parameter AI model A.X K1
South Korea's leading telecom operator SK Telecom (SKT) has introduced A.X K1, a 500-billion-parameter AI model developed under a national AI initiative to establish a foundational...
Monday 5 January 2026
Taiwan fortifies silicon shield with 2026 push to set global chip agenda
As AI server and semiconductor companies look set to close out a profitable 2025, recent Chinese military encirclement exercises and live-fire drills around Taiwan have once again...
Monday 5 January 2026
DIGITIMES chair warns against head-on competition with China's strength
As global tech companies navigate increasingly complex geopolitical tensions and shifting supply chains, strategic positioning against Chinese competitors has become a critical question...
Monday 5 January 2026
SK On slows investment and delays Seosan factory expansion with EV market uncertainty
SK On, a battery unit of SK Innovation, has scaled back its investment plans and postponed the expansion of its new factory in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, due to a slowdown...
Monday 5 January 2026
South Korea steps up race to build sovereign AI foundation model
South Korea is intensifying competition to develop a sovereign AI foundation model, with five leading teams from industry and academia unveiling first-phase results. The contenders...
Monday 5 January 2026
Taiwan ramps up drone procurement in 2026, testing mass-production capacity
Taiwan is set to dramatically scale up its military drone production starting in 2026 as the Ministry of National Defense prepares to order nearly 50,000 units, a move intended to...
Monday 5 January 2026
Taiwan power chipmakers bank on AI data centers and auto orders for 2026 growth
Taiwan's power semiconductor suppliers are positioning for steady growth through 2026. The momentum comes from two fronts: artificial intelligence data centers adopting new power...