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Wednesday 18 March 2026
AMD's Lisa Su courts Korea: Samsung HBM4 sealed, Naver next
AMD CEO Lisa Su broadened the company's collaboration with Samsung Electronics on next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) memory and met with regional partners, including Naver, during a visit to South Korea
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Thursday 19 March 2026
China curbs, Middle East tensions drive surge in chip material risks from gallium to helium

Global semiconductor supply chains are facing rising pressure as Middle East geopolitical tensions and China's tightening export controls on strategic minerals converge, pushing up prices for key materials and raising uncertainty over critical industrial gas supplies, according to Chosun Biz and Reuters

Thursday 19 March 2026
SK Hynix posts record pay, R&D, and capex in 2025
Driven by the AI dividend and a robust semiconductor market, SK Hynix's average employee annual salary reached KRW185 million (approx. US$124,494) in 2025, up 58.1% year-over-year to set a new high. At the same time, the company also broke records for R&D investment and capital expenditure (capex)
Thursday 19 March 2026
China's photoresist push moves from lab wins to mass supply
China's semiconductor materials localisation is shifting into commercial scale, with domestic photoresist suppliers moving from pilot validation to mass supply, marking a turning point in one of the chip industry's most tightly controlled segments
Thursday 19 March 2026
Nexperia's China split sends orders to Taiwan
Nexperia's China unit has begun producing power semiconductors on 12-inch wafers. The move marks a decisive break from its Dutch headquarters and is sending ripple effects across global supply chains
Thursday 19 March 2026
US reveals Tesla battery deal with LG, lifting veil on supply chain
US government disclosures have shed unusual light on a closely guarded corner of the electric vehicle supply chain, confirming that LG Energy Solution signed a battery supply agreement worth KRW6 trillion (approx. US$4 billion) with Tesla in July 2025
Thursday 19 March 2026
Tencent to double AI spending on 13% revenue growth as chip curbs reshape capex
Tencent is preparing a sharp escalation in artificial intelligence investment, with plans to more than double spending to over CNY36 billion (US$5.2 billion) in 2026, even as chip export restrictions have disrupted its earlier capital expenditure strategy
Thursday 19 March 2026
AMD, Samsung deepen AI chip ties with HBM4 supply and foundry talks

AMD CEO Lisa Su met Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong on March 18, the same day the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand semiconductor cooperation, signalling a broader push into AI chips, memory, and foundry services

Thursday 19 March 2026
Column: OpenClaw pulls AI from cloud to the edge
OpenClaw's rapid rise has pushed "lobster-raising" from a niche developer trend into a cross-industry race spanning chips, hardware, and end devices
Thursday 19 March 2026
Column: OpenClaw ignites China's AI agent land grab
OpenClaw's "lobster-raising" wave is moving from developers into China's internet and software sectors at speed in early 2026. Unlike earlier large-model races centred on parameters and compute, this AI agent cycle is defined by a single question: who controls the user entry point
Thursday 19 March 2026
Intel to expand EMIB capabilities in Malaysia amid Section 232 probe uncertainty
Intel's advanced packaging complex in Malaysia is expected to begin operations later this year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said, as the company advances its assembly and testing capabilities and the government emphasises upskilling local talent
Thursday 19 March 2026
Analysis: China's on-device AI chipmakers rush to supply OpenClaw, race for edge AI silicon leadership
OpenClaw is forcing a rethink of the AI hardware stack, shifting the locus of deployment from cloud-based interaction to autonomous, always-on agents running locally on devices
Thursday 19 March 2026
China's mature-node push gathers pace: Nexchip, Silan, Hua Hong step up capacity and integration

China's semiconductor strategy is shifting from leading-edge competition to strengthening mature and specialty nodes. Facing geopolitical pressure and supply chain fragmentation, domestic foundries are accelerating investment in 28nm-class technologies, analog chips, and vertically integrated ecosystems

Thursday 19 March 2026
BYD slides as foreign automakers reclaim ground in China
China's auto market is undergoing a sharp realignment in early 2026, as the phaseout of government subsidies exposes deeper competitive strengths — and weaknesses — among the industry's leading players
Thursday 19 March 2026
Samsung strike vote nears, DS and DX divisions clash over bonuses
As Samsung Electronics' union members vote on whether to strike, market attention is shifting from the labor negotiations themselves to the disparities in benefits and potential conflicts of interest between the company's two core business groups: Device Solutions (DS) and Device Experience (DX)
Thursday 19 March 2026
Hormuz blockade triggers domino effect across semiconductor supply chain
Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has escalated from a regional shipping disruption into a systemic threat to the global semiconductor industry. Initial market fears centered on crude oil prices — but the real damage is upstream, in the chemical precursors that underpin advanced lithography