King Yuan Electronics Co. (KYEC) held its year-end banquet, where chairman C.K. Lee said that collaboration with employees, customers, and suppliers has positioned the company as a major chip testing provider in the global semiconductor supply chain. Advanced chip testing has become the core driver of business growth. The company has expanded beyond being a major employer in Miaoli, with total headcount exceeding 8,600.

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of February 2-9, 2026.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's decisive victory in the lower house election has strengthened her government's ability to advance policies tied to economic security, bringing renewed attention to the future direction of Japan's semiconductor and defense technology agenda.

Taiwan-based test interface maker Chunghwa Precision Test Tech (CHPT) expects steady revenue growth through 2026, driven by rising AI ASIC orders and expanded capacity, as stronger visibility in AI demand helps offset pressures from memory shortages and higher component prices affecting smartphones and consumer electronics.

MediaTek president and chief operating officer Joe Chen stated that artificial intelligence (AI) computing is shifting from training to inference applications, with rapid growth expected across cloud data centers and various edge devices. He noted that following the rise of generative AI and agentic AI, physical AI is also anticipated to see more mature applications and development within the next two to three years.

To promote the formal deployment of South Korea's domestic NPU and reduce reliance on Nvidia, LG Consulting & Solutions (CNS), the IT services arm of South Korea's LG Group, has joined forces with local IC design company FuriosaAI. The two will jointly integrate FuriosaAI's second-generation RNGD NPU into LG CNS's enterprise agentic AI platform, targeting the public-sector digital transformation market.

IC design house PixArt held its earnings call on February 6, reporting that its fourth-quarter 2025 performance largely met expectations, with modest revenue growth. Gross margin, however, declined slightly due to a higher proportion of CMOS image sensor (CIS) shipments.

The smartphone industry is facing ongoing challenges from soaring memory prices, with many expecting the market to contract in 2026. Mid- and low-tier smartphones are projected to suffer the most significant impact. Retailers report that the persistent shortage and price surge of generic DDR memory remain unresolved. Smartphone manufacturers have responded with various strategic measures, including adjusting pricing and downgrading specifications for mid- and low-end models.

India and Malaysia used Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to Kuala Lumpur to signal a step-change in their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, unveiling wide-ranging cooperation across semiconductors, clean energy, digital finance, and security that carries implications for supply chains, the Indo-Pacific balance, and South–South economic integration.

Memory makers Macronix International and Winbond Electronics reported impressive revenue growth for January 2026, signaling a positive trend in the memory market despite the traditional seasonal slowdown.