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Friday 6 February 2026
The Kumamoto master plan: behind TSMC's strategic leap to 3nm supremacy
TSMC is doubling down on Japan. By upgrading its second Kumamoto facility to 3-nanometer production, the chipmaking giant has turned what was once a secondary supply-chain hedge into a cornerstone of its global strategy to dominate advanced AI silicon
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Monday 9 February 2026
Samsung boosts HBM4 DRAM investment to secure market leadership
Samsung Electronics is set to begin mass production of the world's first sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) chips later in February 2026, marking a major milestone in the race to supply critical components for next-generation AI hardware. Industry sources cited by the Yonhap News Agency say shipments could start as early as next week, following the Lunar New Year holiday, with Nvidia among the first customers
Monday 9 February 2026
Takaichi's election victory clears path for Japan's chip sovereignty, military buildup
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
Monday 9 February 2026
OpenClaw and Cowork spark desktop AI agent race in China
The AI agent sector intensified in early 2026 as the simultaneous arrival of Anthropic's Claude Cowork and Peter Steinberger's OpenClaw catalyzed significant interest across the global technology community. While both represent a shift toward independent desktop agents, they operate on different ends of the permission spectrum. OpenClaw grants deep system-level access to files, applications, and chat histories, whereas Claude Cowork functions within secure, user-authorized boundaries to manage file organization, data processing, and document generation
Monday 9 February 2026
LG CNS partners with FuriosaAI, bringing South Korea's NPU to enterprise AI services
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
Monday 9 February 2026
EMS Watch: USI profit climbs 12% in 2025 as consumer electronics offset weak comms sales
Universal Scientific Industrial (Shanghai) Co. (USI) posted higher earnings in 2025 despite a decline in revenue, reflecting improving profitability amid pricing pressure and uneven demand across key business segments
Monday 9 February 2026
Qualcomm's 2nm tape-out marks India's arrival in cutting-edge chip design
According to ANI and IANS, Qualcomm Technologies has completed the tape-out of its 2-nanometre semiconductor design with significant contributions from its engineering centres in India, underscoring the country's rising importance in the global race toward next-generation chip technologies and aligning with New Delhi's push to strengthen domestic semiconductor design capabilities
Monday 9 February 2026
India, Malaysia forge strategic pact on chips, energy and digital payments
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
Monday 9 February 2026
India-US trade deal offers tariff cuts, capital goods access to reshape supply chains
New Delhi and Washington have established an interim trade deal framework targeting electronics, intellectual property, and supply chains. The Economic Times reports that this move aims to enhance competitiveness and improve supply chain resilience. This agreement follows discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, focusing on reducing trade barriers between the two nations
Monday 9 February 2026
US and India agree framework for interim trade deal to advance bilateral pact talks
The US and India have agreed on a framework for an interim trade agreement aimed at expanding market access and strengthening supply chains, marking a step toward a broader bilateral trade agreement launched earlier this year by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Monday 9 February 2026
India's semiconductor push shifts focus under ISM 2.0 from fabs to design, equipment and IP
According to The Economic Times, India's Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0 will prioritise chip design companies and startups, followed by building a domestic ecosystem for semiconductor equipment and materials, and strengthening the talent pipeline to support end-to-end semiconductor development
Monday 9 February 2026
TSMC supports Japan's advanced packaging plant construction
TSMC chairman C.C. Wei recently visited Japan and appeared alongside Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to jointly announce that Kumamoto Fab 2 will be upgraded from a 6nm to a 3nm process, signaling Japan's plan to reclaim its semiconductor glory. However, according to supply chain sources, when the Japanese government first invited TSMC to build fabs in Kumamoto, it had already mapped out three major strategies that included advancing advanced packaging and constructing new facilities. Most importantly, Japan aims to leverage its strengths in equipment and materials to reinforce its critical position and bargaining power in the advanced packaging industry chain
Monday 9 February 2026
South Korea bets on AI and electric powertrains to shape cars of future

The South Korean government announced plans to invest KRW464.5 billion (approximately US$316 million) in the automotive sector in 2026, targeting research and development as well as infrastructure upgrades to accelerate the country's transition to next-generation vehicles. Key priorities will include end-to-end artificial intelligence (E2E AI) for autonomous driving, software-defined vehicle (SDV) standard systems, and extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrains

Monday 9 February 2026
India roundup: India's annual budget to boost AI and chip ecosystem
India unveils the latest Union Budget, which includes India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, to boost chip incentives. The Trump Administration announced a reduced 18% tariff on India as India diversifies trade partners
Monday 9 February 2026
China tightens regulations on EV battery recycling with digital ID system

As the global electric vehicle market grapples with mounting concerns over collapsing resale values, China—the world's largest and most experimentally regulated EV market—is moving decisively with a sweeping policy overhaul

Monday 9 February 2026
China pulls the plug on EV door-handle futurism

A single regulatory notice issued recently by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has made the country the first in the world to formally declare the end of what might be called the automotive industry's "era of invisibility." Under the new rules, beginning Jan. 1, 2027, all new vehicles sold in China will be prohibited from using fully electric hidden door handles. The regulation effectively applies the brakes to an industry-wide push toward ever more electronic, futuristic design, forcing automakers to return to a basic principle of physical safety