Xiaomi highlighted mounting pressure from sharply rising memory prices even as its electric vehicle business continued its rapid expansion and achieved first-time quarterly profitability. Executives said the company is balancing cost challenges in smartphones with strong performance in EVs and IoT, while preparing for continued volatility into 2026

Xiaomi reported a sharp rise in net income for the third quarter of 2025, supported by strong momentum in its electric vehicle business and solid demand for its IoT and lifestyle products. The period, which ended on September 30, marked a significant milestone for the company as its EV division delivered its first quarterly profit. However, intensifying competition in the smartphone market and rising component costs continued to cloud its near-term outlook

Global memory-chip price increases continue to intensify, putting fresh pressure on the smartphone supply chain. With DRAM and NAND prices rising across the board, several brands have halted new procurement rounds as suppliers request increases approaching 50%

South Korea's memory chip industry is enjoying its strongest upturn in years, with soaring demand for high-bandwidth memory and AI-related DRAM pushing inventories at Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to multi-year lows

South Korea's KB Securities expects Samsung Electronics to capture as much as 40% of Nvidia's supply share for its next-generation HBM4 high-bandwidth memory by 2026, a shift that could reshape the competitive landscape of the AI memory market. Combined with projections that SK Hynix will sell out its memory lineup that year, the firm forecasts that the two Korean chipmakers' combined market capitalization could surpass KRW1,500 trillion (US$1.02 billion)

Samsung Electronics has created its first standalone mergers and acquisitions team within its newly reorganized Business Support Office, a move sparking speculation that the company is preparing for large transactions as it enters 2025

Samsung Electronics Co. has reportedly reached a 60% yield rate in producing its next-generation mobile application processor (AP), the Exynos 2600, using its 2nm GAA process technology. The company aims to price the chip US$20 to US$30 lower than Qualcomm's Snapdragon equivalent

South Korean President Jae-Myung Lee is coordinating a meeting with SoftBank chairman Masayoshi Son, expected to take place in 2025. The discussion is speculated to focus on AI investments and collaboration on the Stargate Project

Samsung's P5 plant at the second campus in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, will begin construction, with operations expected to start in 2028. Due to the weak memory market, P5 was previously put on hold. With the memory supercycle emerging, analysts state that the start of P5 construction means subsequent investment plans have also begun to take shape

Samsung Electronics has been in active discussions with Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco), Japan's Ibiden, and Shinko Electric Industries regarding collaboration on semiconductor glass substrates. However, reports indicate that they have not yet advanced to formal sample evaluation because of Samsung's assessment of the technology and market potential of glass substrates

South Korea-based JL Standard showcased its AI-driven video services for memorials, events, and digital content at the 2025 Pangyo Global Media Meet-Up. The presentation at Pangyo Techno Valley's startup campus highlighted the district's growing role as a launchpad for AI applications targeting niche markets across Asia

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has raised concerns about developing countries adopting Chinese AI models, mostly because of cost. According to Business Insider, Schmidt stated on a podcast that many US AI models are closed-source and expensive, pushing budget-conscious nations toward Chinese AI, which is often free and risks becoming the global standard

Chris Miller, the influential author of Chip War, is warning that while the West is focused on advanced AI, China is quietly weaponizing the market for older legacy semiconductors

Taiwan's National Security Bureau (NSB) has issued an urgent warning about several China-developed generative AI language models, saying they contain severe security vulnerabilities and politically steered outputs that could compromise users and distort information across global technology ecosystems