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Tuesday 21 January 2025
Speculation emerges over Xiaomi's potential acquisition of NIO
Chinese tech circles have been abuzz with news that Xiaomi is contemplating the acquisition of EV maker NIO, which will allow NIO to make major strides in battery swapping technology and operational scope, while Xiaomi can benefit from improved charging pile deployment
Tuesday 21 January 2025
China countermeasures target US mature process chips, TI underfire
In response to US sanctions and subsidies benefiting American chipmakers, China has announced countermeasures targeting the industry. Among the few American companies dominating this space, Texas Instruments (TI) stands at the forefront of China's investigation
Tuesday 21 January 2025
Chinese VP meets Musk before Trump takes office
Chinese Vice President Zheng Han met billionaire Elon Musk and other US business figures, underscoring Beijing's efforts to set a positive tone in ties with the US before Donald Trump returned to office
Tuesday 21 January 2025
Chinese autonomous-driving firm Inceptio is said to weigh US IPO
Inceptio Technology, a Chinese developer of self-driving technologies for heavy-duty trucks, is exploring an initial public offering in the US as soon as this year, people familiar with the matter said
Tuesday 21 January 2025
ByteDance outpaces Alibaba, Baidu: a deep dive into China's evolving AI chatbot market
ByteDance's Doubao has emerged as a leading contender in China's competitive AI chatbot landscape. In December 2024, Doubao achieved an impressive 29% growth in downloads, reaching 9.9 million—the highest among all AI chatbot apps in the country, according to Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) analysts Robert Lea and Jasmine Lyu
Tuesday 21 January 2025
Chinese mobile ODMs diverge amid industry headwinds
The mobile phone ODM industry continues to grapple with significant challenges, including pressure from both suppliers and customers, while being characterized by labor-intensive processes and low profit margins. In response to persistent losses, leading companies like Huaqin and Wingtech have begun pursuing new growth opportunities
Tuesday 21 January 2025
Socionext eyes 2nm chip development, weighs Rapidus as TSMC alternative
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
Tuesday 21 January 2025
LG targets 45% B2B revenue by 2030 through AI-driven expansion
LG Electronics has embarked on a strategic transformation in 2024, shifting its focus toward non-hardware businesses and B2B operations. The company has enhanced investments in automotive parts, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), embedded appliances, commercial displays, and the webOS platform. Through this strategic pivot, LG aims to achieve over 7% growth in revenue, operating profit margin, and EBITDA
Monday 20 January 2025
Is Broadcom Samsung's beacon of hope amid Nvidia's challenges?
At CES 2025, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated that Samsung Electronics (Samsung) must develop a "new design" to pass Nvidia's qualification, sparking discussions about whether Samsung can make a comeback with HBM3E in 2025. However, according to Chosun Biz, many industry insiders pointed out that if Samsung collaborates with Nvidia's competitor Broadcom, a different outcome may emerge
Monday 20 January 2025
Rise of China's memory chip industry challenges the market
New players are joining the supply chain competition as China's major memory chip manufacturers have rapidly developed. It seems to challenge the market positions of Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology
Monday 20 January 2025
US curbs on Chinese semiconductors seen benefiting South Korean firms
The US government has unveiled new semiconductor export restrictions aimed at China, potentially disrupting ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) while favoring Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron Technology. Bernstein's analysis, cited by Seeking Alpha and Business Post, suggests these measures will bolster South Korean chipmakers' competitiveness
Monday 20 January 2025
Rohm Semiconductor to replace president amid first projected loss since 2012
Rohm Semiconductor, a leading Japanese electronics company, is poised to incur a consolidated net loss of JPY6 billion (US$39 million) for fiscal year 2024 (April 2024 - March 2025), marking its first deficit since 2012. The anticipated downturn comes amid weakening demand for power semiconductors in the electric vehicle (EV) market, a key revenue driver. In response, the company is implementing significant leadership changes and operational adjustments
Monday 20 January 2025
Honor CEO George Zhao resigns, Jian Li appointed successor
Chinese smartphone brand Honor announced on January 17 that CEO George Zhao has resigned. Jian Li, a former Huawei executive, is set to take over the role. According to the company's statement, Zhao stepped down from both his director and CEO positions for personal reasons. Honor praised his significant contributions to the company's growth and development. Zhao also shared his decision on social media, describing it as "an extremely difficult decision.
Monday 20 January 2025
Apple slashes China iPhone prices ahead of trade-in subsidies launch
China's trade-in program officially begins on January 20, 2025, introducing subsidies for purchasing smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and fitness bands. In response, Apple has adjusted its pricing strategy in China, reducing the cost of several iPhone models to align with the subsidy threshold of CNY6,000 (US$820.17) per unit
Monday 20 January 2025
Nextin expands the 3D NAND testing equipment market
Recently, South Korean testing equipment provider Nextin is reportedly in discussions to supply testing equipment to Japanese NAND Flash manufacturer Kioxia. If the negotiations work out, it is expected that Nextin will be able to supply 3D NAND wafer testing equipment to both SK Hynix and Kioxia, two of the largest NAND producers
Samsung expands mobile phone production beyond Asian countries, says DIGITIMES Research
SLMs to increase presence in GenAI business opportunities, says DIGITIMES Research
Generative AI market to reach US$1.5 trillion by 2030 with Taiwan holds hardware advantage; software and services to see promising future, says DIGITIMES Research