Before the Lunar New Year, HTC disclosed that a portion of its extended reality (XR) research and development team would be incorporated into Google during the first quarter of 2025. Furthermore, Google will acquire non-exclusive licensing rights to HTC's XR intellectual property for a sum of US$250 million.

The global IC design market is expanding rapidly, driven by the growth of AI. However, South Korea's system semiconductor sector, which currently holds a modest 2% market share, faces further decline due to inadequate government support. Projections indicate that the country's share could shrink to approximately 1% by 2027.

GigaDevice, a Chinese manufacturer of NOR flash memory and MCUs, recently disclosed its performance forecast for 2024. The company projects a net profit jump of over fivefold.

The Trump 2.0 era is set to reshape global geopolitics and supply chains, with Taiwanese manufacturers closely monitoring US interest and exchange rate policies. Experts warn that relocating Taiwan's semiconductor supply chain to the US could lead to a "tech talent drain."

A newly released semiconductor patent innovation ranking places ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC), and Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) at the forefront, showcasing their technological advancement within China's semiconductor industry amid US trade restrictions.

Taiwan Electronic Systems Design Automation Co., Ltd. (TESDA), an Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) Incubation Center startup, has secured NT$59.07 million (US$1.8 million) in its latest funding round. The capital will fund the development of the company's next-generation ASIC/SoC verification automation platform. With an estimated valuation of NT$490 million, TESDA aims to list on the emerging stock market by 2026.

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) of Taiwan recently announced that its scientific collaboration with Israel for 2026–2027 will focus on semiconductor design and next-generation materials. This marks a significant step forward following years of joint efforts in digital health, agricultural and marine biotechnology, cybersecurity, and biomedical engineering.

Chromebook shipments are forecast to grow 20% in 2025; despite that, Intel's market share in the Chromebook chip sector may decline to below 65%, according to industry sources.

Samsung Electronics has officially unveiled its flagship smartphone lineup—the Galaxy S25 series. This latest collection boasts three distinct models: the S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra. While Samsung has placed a strong focus on cutting-edge hardware advancements, it has equally prioritized the evolution of its software, particularly with the integration of advanced generative AI (GenAI) technologies. Among the standout innovations are its Human-like AI Agents, a unified AI platform, and a suite of personalized AI features.

Chinese foundries, despite their advanced process expertise and competitive pricing, remain less attractive to Taiwan-based IC design firms primarily due to intellectual property and geopolitical concerns.

The US intends to sustain its dominance in artificial intelligence (AI), and the market for HPC chips is expected to increase significantly for another four years, according to sources at IC design houses.

The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and Infineon Technologies have launched a vendor development program to enhance Malaysia's semiconductor industry.

While Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's recent comments at CES 2025--suggesting it may take at least 20 years to develop a "truly useful" quantum computer--have sparked widespread debate, Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Cheng-wen Wu has emphasized that quantum computing is a global competition, and Taiwan remains committed to advancing quantum research. Wu noted that whether it takes 3–5 years or 30–50 years, Taiwan will not be left behind.

On January 16, 2025, reports emerged that Muxi Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd. (MetaX), a Chinese GPU manufacturer, entered the IPO pipeline for the A-share market after completing its corporate restructuring and filing for listing guidance with Huatai United Securities.

Earlier this month, the Andhra Pradesh state government in India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indichip Semiconductors and its Japanese joint venture partner, Yitoa Micro Technology Ltd (YMTL), to set up a semiconductor manufacturing plant.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's recent low-profile visit to China has reaffirmed the company's strategic focus on this crucial market amid tightening US restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports.

Industry sources indicate that thermal issues associated with GB200 have prompted major clients including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Meta to reduce their orders, impacting not only Nvidia's product sales and revenue but also creating significant implications for its primary HBM supplier, SK Hynix.

Shortly after taking office, President Trump swiftly signed several executive orders to fulfill his campaign promises. A key focus for the business sector is his sweeping energy policy shift, which includes rolling back net-zero carbon emissions regulations and reinstating domestic oil production. The administration aims to alleviate the rising cost of living by boosting the local energy supply.

In 2024, Taiwan's IC design companies experienced mixed results, marked by uneven growth and setbacks. Performance varied based on the applications they served, with some benefiting from specific trends while others faced declining demand in their sectors.

The non-Intel sector is eroding Intel's market share in the PC CPU sector. Taiwanese high-speed transmission interface chip providers, like Parade and ASMedia, have emerged as beneficiaries of this trend and are poised to launch sustained growth momentum in the future.

Poland's aspirations to become a European AI leader have hit a significant roadblock following new US export controls on advanced technology. According to the Polish Press Agency (PAP), Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski had announced plans to establish an AI factory by 2025, positioning Poland as a leading force in European artificial intelligence. These plans now face uncertainty as Intel has suspended its intended construction of an advanced packaging facility in the country.

Europe has developed its response to the Biden administration's new strategy aimed at restricting China's access to artificial intelligence (AI) chips.

Nvidia's partnership with MediaTek is generating significant buzz in the semiconductor industry, attracting keen interest from analysts and stakeholders alike. The collaboration aims to bring the N1X and N1 platforms to market, targeting both commercial and consumer AI PC segments as part of Nvidia’s broader expansion strategy.

The explosive growth of ChatGPT has triggered unprecedented demand for artificial intelligence (AI) computing power, leading to industry-wide supply constraints. While Nvidia maintains its stronghold as the premier AI GPU provider, major cloud service providers (CSPs) like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are actively diversifying beyond Nvidia's solutions by accelerating their internal chip development initiatives.

Socionext, a Japanese IC design house, is advancing plans to develop semiconductor products utilizing 2nm process technology in North America. While the company considers Rapidus, currently developing 2nm mass production technology, as a potential manufacturing partner, it maintains a robust partnership with TSMC.