The Trump administration has implemented reciprocal tariffs globally, leaving the notebook (NB) electronics manufacturing sector in shock. Production bases in Southeast Asia, which were initially thought to be safe from these measures, have also been affected.
Between 2019 and 2024, global GDP rose by about US$21 trillion. During this time, companies like AWS, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and Tesla saw their market values exceed US$1 trillion. These tech giants have not only focused on their main business areas but have also significantly invested in developing in-house chips.
In a remarkable power shift over the past decade, Xiaomi has transformed from an industry underdog to a dominant force. While CEO Lei Jun once waited hours to secure Samsung display panels, Samsung's chairman now visits Xiaomi's electric vehicle (EV) factory. Similarly, Xiaomi has surpassed Chinese home appliance giant Gree in revenue and market value, with its ecosystem strategy proving superior to Gree's single-product focus in today's digital economy.
Mitac Digital Technology (MDT), a subsidiary of Mitac Holdings, is gearing up for a public listing, with chairman Billy Ho likening the company's two decades of innovation to "sharpening a sword for 20 years." With discussions on edge AI development gaining traction, Mitac has expanded into smart mobility, smart telematics, and smart cities, projecting a double-digit compound annual growth rate over the next three years.
IP provider Ceva has been actively entering the edge AI sector in recent years. In an interview with DIGITIMES, CEO Amir Panush stated that edge AI presents significant market opportunities and will be a key growth engine for Ceva in the coming years.
Xiaomi made a strong entry into the electric vehicle (EV) market in 2024, selling 136,800 units of its debut model, the SU7. Founder Jun Lei has set an ambitious target of reaching 350,000 sales in 2025, positioning Xiaomi among China's top EV brands. The company's expansion into automotive manufacturing marks a significant shift from its smartphone business, differentiating it from many of its industry peers.
Every spring, Apple convenes its top 100 executives in an offsite meeting to chart the company's strategic direction. The 2025 meeting was focused on a critical issue—Siri, Apple's voice assistant, and its lagging performance in the rapidly advancing world of artificial intelligence (AI). Unlike many of its tech rivals, Apple has been slow to build out AI-focused data centers, but recent moves suggest the company is finally positioning itself to compete in the generative AI (GenAI) space.
Lens Technology reported CNY69.9 billion (approx. US$9.62 billion) in revenue for 2024, a 28.3% year-over-year increase, according to its annual results released on March 27. Net profit attributable to shareholders rose 19.9% to CNY3.62 billion, while adjusted net profit—excluding non-recurring items—jumped 46.3% to CNY3.29 billion.
Phison Electronics is accelerating its AI push through key partnerships, most notably with Ever Fortune.AI Co. The two companies have launched a joint venture, Chang Lian Technology, to develop AI-driven healthcare robots powered by Phison's proprietary aiDAPTIV+ platform. The first commercial unit is expected to debut as early as 2026, according to MarketScreener.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently attended the 2025 China Development Forum in Beijing and has arrived in Hangzhou, a prominent hub for artificial intelligence (AI) in China. He also pledged CNY30 million (US$4.13 million) to Zhejiang University, a local public research institution, to bolster support for the next generation of developers in China.
Chinese AI firm DeepSeek has quietly launched its latest large language model, V3, with no big announcement or white paper—just a simple upload to Hugging Face. The low-key release has nonetheless attracted widespread industry attention for one standout feature: it runs locally on Apple's consumer-grade hardware.
Goertek, a leading Chinese supplier of precision components and smart hardware, bucked the downturn in the global consumer electronics market with a strong 2024 earnings report. Annual revenue topped CNY100 billion (approx. US$13.8 billion) for the first time, while net profit soared nearly 145% year-over-year.
Since returning to the White House, US President Trump has imposed a cumulative 20% tariff on imports from China. However, looking at the export volume of Chinese TV for January and February 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, there has been an unexpected increase rather than a decrease, with export value also showing slight growth. Facing these tariffs, how exactly are Chinese TV exports able to perform?
The sudden passing of Samsung Electronics co-CEO Han Jong-hee has sent shockwaves through the company and the broader market, throwing the conglomerate into a potential crisis. Han, a key figure who oversaw Samsung's TV, home appliances, and smartphone businesses, also led the company's mergers and acquisitions (M&A) efforts in recent years. His death raises immediate concerns about succession and leadership continuity within Samsung.
Qualcomm recently hosted a media luncheon in Taiwan to commemorate its 40th anniversary. The chip vendor outlined technological trajectories for the AIoT industry in the AI era and presented its new Dragonwing product line while emphasizing key aspects of its local development in Taiwan.
The four leading notebook original design manufacturers (ODMs) share a consistent outlook for the second quarter of 2025, noting that shipments of consumer electronics are sluggish while demand for AI servers remains robust. The ODMs assess that growth opportunities for notebooks may arise in the latter half of the year, with expectations for overall performance in 2025 to remain flat or show slight growth. In contrast, AI servers are expected to experience exponential growth opportunities.
TCL founder and chairman Li Dongsheng said the company has no current plans to establish manufacturing operations in the US, calling the move economically unviable and lacking competitive advantage. He emphasized that TCL's global expansion is driven by long-term economic fundamentals rather than short-term policy changes.
Asus recently announced the recognition of a NT$5.35 billion (approx. US$161.9 million) bad debt for the fourth quarter of 2024, stemming from delayed payments by an Indian client. The company has reportedly recovered this payment, allowing them to reverse the bad debt, which could positively impact their profits for the full year of 2025.
The TV market in 2025 will be significantly influenced by political factors, particularly with US President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff policies and China's "trade-in" policy extending from 2024. These developments are causing shifts in the market while also impacting the inventory rhythm of upstream panel manufacturers. Observing the TV market in 2025 reveals five major changes.
BYD Electronics reported its full-year financial results for 2024, with revenue rising 36.43% year-over-year to CNY177.306 billion (approx. US$24.45 billion). Gross profit increased 17.9% to CNY12.3 billion, while net income attributable to shareholders reached CNY4.27 billion, up 5.55% from the previous year. EBITDA surged 45.21% to CNY11.66 billion. Earnings per share stood at CNY1.89, and the company proposed a final dividend of CNY0.568, slightly higher than last year's CNY0.538.
Luxshare Precision Industry announced on March 20 that it will acquire core assets from Wingtech Technology's consumer electronics system integration unit. The all-cash deal, executed via its subsidiary Luxshare Communication, aligns with Luxshare's broader strategy to expand global operations and enhance vertical integration in the electronics manufacturing ecosystem.
Since 2019, the Indian government has implemented the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for 14 industries to attract foreign investment in local manufacturing. Although it has positioned India as a key player in smartphone production, its benefits for other sectors are limited. As a result, India may explore offering subsidies for factory construction instead of linking incentives to production and investment levels.
Chinese electric vehicle maker XPeng Motors believes the robotics industry will eventually surpass the automotive sector in scale, though consumer adoption may take several years. The company plans to initially focus on commercial applications in factories and retail environments.
Two years after its launch, India's Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for IT hardware 2.0 has struggled to gain traction, as major brands hesitate to increase production and exports due to the absence of a strong local ecosystem for essential components.
