Megvii Technology, a China-based artificial intelligence (AI) company, has finally received its notice of admission for listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR market). The approval in September 2021 comes after six months of waiting.

US chip vendors have increasingly shifted their orders away from China-based foundries to mitigate potential risks arising from the ongoing trade tensions between the US and China, according to industry sources.

China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) will be expanding production capacity for 28nm and above process technologies by 2024, which will considerably boost its overall production capacity, according to industry sources.

More China-based memory makers will receive cash injections from the government, as China's National IC Industry Investment Fund (Big Fund) steps up its investment in the country's homegrown memory sector, according to industry sources.

The penetration rate of new energy vehicles (NEV) in China has beat forecast this year, rising from 5% last year to 14% in August 2021. Although the likelihood is high that the penetration rate of EV in China could grow ahead of schedule to 30-35% by 2023, Chinese carmaker BYD said the future for the industry is still unpredictable, given the market's magnitude and rapid evolution, according to many different Chinese news sources.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics is investing US$230 million to build a R&D center in Hanoi, Vietnam, which is expected to start operation in 2022 and hire 2,200-3,000 employees, according to VIR.

BYD Semiconductor, a spinoff from China-based carmaker BYD, has acquired a 77.75% stake in Jinan Energen Semiconductor for CNY5 billion (US$774.8 million). Energen makes silicon (Si) and silicon carbide (SiC) power devices.

In light of the rising demand for electric vehicles (EV), car chips, and lithium batteries, Chinese lithium mining companies, and battery suppliers are ramping up investment and expanding production capacity. As shipments of new energy vehicles increase, prices of raw materials for lithium batteries are also on the rise.

Xiaomi has set up its electric vehicle (EV) business and completed company registration in China on September 1 with a registered capital of CNY10 billion (US$1.55 billion).

Apple is rumored to be visiting Asian suppliers and carmakers to prepare for the mass production of "Apple Car" by 2024. While details of the rumored visits remain unknown, battery supply could be a major focus.

Overall vapor chamber (VC) demand for handsets has been a disappointment thus far this year, according to Junichi Nagai, chairman for cooling module firm Nidec Chaun-Choung Technology (CCI), who expects demand to pick up driven by the upcoming roll-outs of new 5G models.

Tesla's project to build an energy storage facility in Hokkaido could spark an energy revolution in Japan, where development of green energy is lagging as the government scratches its head for a way to reduce carbon emissions without burdening local enterprises.

Mobile payment services are more commonly used in Asian countries than in other regions in the world. According to Statista's digital market outlook report, China has the highest percentage of mobile payment users in its total population - about 500 million users.

Honor sold four million handsets in China in July, becoming China's third-largest handset brand, according to CINNO Research.

AI speech recognition algorithm companies in China are crossing into the development of AI chips to further solidify their foothold in the market. Doing so will give the companies the ability to optimize algorithm and chip integration.