South Korea's semiconductor sector anticipates that Donald Trump's presidential victory could intensify restrictions on China's high-tech industries, particularly affecting the semiconductor sector. This development may force strategic adjustments from South Korean semiconductor leaders Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, as they consider gradually reducing their operational presence in China to align with new US-China trade policies.

Taiwan continues to capitalize on opportunities for contract manufacturing of cutting-edge technology products as the trade disputes between the US and China intensify. The unrestricted access to the most advanced equipment and materials in the semiconductor industry enables Taiwan to produce products that are unparalleled in terms of technological advancements.

Memory module manufacturer Adata Technology anticipates memory contract prices will stay stable or see slight declines in the fourth quarter of 2024, with the company continuing to reduce inventory by year-end.

South Korea's thriving AI industry has catalyzed growth across its materials, components, and equipment sectors, particularly within the AI memory supply chain. South Korean manufacturer Doosan Electronics, a copper-clad laminate (CCL) supplier, recently began mass production of substrate materials for AI accelerators, while Nextin has supplied critical HBM inspection equipment to top clients. Meanwhile, International Safety Components Ltd. (ISC) is preparing to commercialize HBM test components by early 2025, expanding South Korea's influence in this sector.

India's semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem is experiencing rapid growth, with projections indicating the creation of 1 million jobs across various segments. According to a report by talent solutions provider NLB Services cited by the Press Trust of India, 300,000 positions will emerge in foundry operations and 200,000 in Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging (ATMP). The remaining positions will span chip design, software development, system circuits, and manufacturing supply chain management.

Maeil Business Newspaper reports that Samsung Electronics (Samsung) is set to finish the development of its sixth-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM4) by 2025 to secure orders for Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs).

Phison Electronics faced a 70% profit drop in the third quarter due to declining consumer demand and a substantial one-time loss. The company saw stable enterprise demands and a weak consumer market. As upstream NAND providers are expected to reduce production, the market will see tight supply in the second half of 2025.

Kioxia, a Japanese NAND flash manufacturer, forecasts a 2.7-fold increase in NAND memory demand by 2028, driven by AI, which is expected to impact SSD prices significantly. The company's new K2 plant will begin mass production of its latest NAND products in autumn 2025, aiming to capitalize on AI-driven demand.

Nvidia is gearing up to debut its next-gen "Rubin" GPU in 2025, featuring eight HBM4 chips, with a Rubin Ultra version to follow, packing twelve. In a strategic bid to reclaim HBM market share, Samsung Electronics is betting on sixth-generation HBM4 and has hinted at a potential production collaboration with foundry rival TSMC, according to South Korean media outlet Newsis.

Kioxia has announced plans to develop next-generation memory technology, Compute Express Link (CXL), to address the growing demands of AI, with support from the Japanese government.

Adata reported October 2024 revenue of NT$34.1 billion (approx. US$1.06 billion), driven by increased DRAM shipments. The company is nearing its 2023 revenue performance and targets NT$40 billion for 2024. Adata expects strong demand for HBM and server memory, with growth anticipated in AI-related applications by 2025.

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The competition in the high bandwidth memory (HBM) market intensifies between South Korea's two major DRAM giants, Samsung Electronics (Samsung) and SK Hynix. Meanwhile, US manufacturer Micron Technology (Micron) is poised to leverage government support, potentially gaining an edge in terms of access to government funding and US customers.

Kioxia has officially inaugurated its second building (K2) and a new management office at its Kitakami factory in Iwate Prefecture. While navigating through industry headwinds, the company maintains an optimistic outlook on growth prospects, particularly in the AI sector.

The memory module industry faces significant challenges in the fourth quarter of 2024, with Transcend Information experiencing substantial inventory depreciation losses amid plummeting spot prices. However, Peter Shu, chairman of the memory module maker, expects spot pricing decreases to moderate in the fourth quarter.

Donald Trump's potential return to the White House has done little to dispel Beijing's anxiety about the direction of US policies concerning China. The next Trump administration's policies are likely to follow the country's mainstream opinion that favors an even higher and wider trade barrier against China.

High client inventory levels and slower clearance rates contributed to a slowdown in GlobalWafers' silicon wafer shipments for 2024, resulting in a 38.9% drop in after-tax profit for the first three quarters year-over-year.

SK Hynix has strengthened its collaboration with TSMC, designating the foundry to manufacture its next-generation HBM4 logic die. The company's development of high-capacity Compute Express Link (CXL) memory solutions will leverage TSMC's advanced process capabilities, marking a strategic shift in high-performance memory manufacturing.

SK Hynix plans to reduce its legacy DRAM production to 20% by the fourth quarter of 2024, responding to increased supply and pricing pressure from Chinese memory manufacturers. The company will redirect resources toward meeting the growing demand for AI-focused memory and advanced DRAM products.

Memory intellectual property (IP) firm AP Memory Technology has seen AI drive an uptick in sales, even as its IoT business has yet to rebound. With quarterly gross margin back on the rise, the company anticipates steady performance going forward, as 2025 will see mass production of its new IoT solutions and stack silicon capacitors (S-SiCap) for use in high performance computing (HPC) applications, while high-power silicon capacitor and customizable, very high bandwidth memory stack (VHMStack) products will begin contributing to revenue in 2026–2027.

ChipMOS Technology has embraced a cautious approach to capital expenditures for 2025 and anticipates that the demand for display driver ICs will experience a more pronounced correction compared to that for memory chips.

Samsung Electronics plans to open its new semiconductor research and development campus in mid-November. The installation of advanced equipment is set to take place from November 2024 onwards, aimed at advancing the development of next-generation 1d DRAM and 3D NAND flash technology. This initiative strategically positions Samsung at the forefront of semiconductor innovation.

Following Nvidia's footsteps, AMD is set to establish an R&D center in Taiwan. The project has received approval from the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) under its "Global R&D Innovation Partner Program," with AMD slated to receive over NT$3.3 billion (approx. US$103 million) in subsidies. However, the first phase of the funding has been delayed for two months before being scheduled for review by the Legislative Yuan.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang emphasized during a video call at the SK AI Summit in Seoul's Coex that he aims to strengthen collaboration with SK Hynix in the high bandwidth memory (HBM) sector. Specifically, he requested an expedited supply of the sixth-generation HBM (HBM4).

SK Hynix plans to provide samples of its 48GB, 16-layer HBM product—the industry's largest capacity and highest layer count—in the first quarter of 2025. CEO Noh-Jung Kwak unveiled the company's vision of becoming a "Full Stack AI Memory Provider," pledging to lead the AI era with "World First and Beyond Best" technology through "Optimal Innovation."