Black Sesame Technologies has secured a rare regulatory breakthrough for a China-based automotive AI chip developer. On January 4, 2025, the company said its high-performance Huashan A2000 intelligent driving SoC had cleared reviews by the US Department of Commerce and the US Department of Defense, allowing global sales and deployment. The decision effectively moves the A2000 into large-scale commercialization, an outcome few peers have achieved under current regulatory conditions

According to Bloomberg and The Korea Economic Daily, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung made a four-day trip from January 4-7, 2026, to Beijing and Shanghai, including a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The heads of the four major South Korean conglomerates (Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai, and LG Group) also traveled with Lee as part of an economic delegation

Once confined to research labs, humanoid robots moved decisively into public view across China in 2025. Viral footage showed robots dancing at the Spring Festival gala, operating on factory floors, running marathons, and even sparring in boxing matches.​

Japan's Ministry of Defense announced in December 2025 that it had suspended Kawasaki Heavy Industries from bidding on defense contracts until March 11, 2026, a 2.5-month ban following revelations of falsified fuel efficiency data for submarine engines supplied to the Maritime Self-Defense Force

As major corporations expand investments in artificial intelligence (AI), memory suppliers have seen a flood of orders. According to the latest reports from South Korean media, Samsung Electronics has not only demonstrated negotiation dominance but is also marketing a turnkey solution that bundles advanced packaging, DRAM, and foundry services to customers such as Google and AMD. This binding strategy aims to strengthen customer loyalty

These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of Dec 29 - Jan 4

The National Aerospace Fasteners Corporation (NAFCO) revenue for December 2025 hit a new record of NT$405 million (approx. US$12.9 million), up 7.84% month-over-month and 19.61% year-over-year. In response to customer demand, the company will continue to expand its Malaysia operations while pushing capacity at its Taiwan plant

South Korea's leading telecom operator SK Telecom (SKT) has introduced A.X K1, a 500-billion-parameter AI model developed under a national AI initiative to establish a foundational platform for the country, highlighting SKT's efforts to align AI technology with national strategy and industrial applications

SK On, a battery unit of SK Innovation, has scaled back its investment plans and postponed the expansion of its new factory in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, due to a slowdown in the electric vehicle (EV) market and uncertain battery demand. Initially planning to invest KRW17.534 trillion (approx. US$12.15 billion) to develop a third plant and upgrade the second plant, SK On has cut the committed investment to KRW936.3 billion so far, with around KRW820 billion to be spent later as part of the revised expansion schedule

US President Donald Trump has ordered the divestment of certain semiconductor assets of EMCORE Corporation following a national security review that identified risks linked to foreign ownership, according to a White House executive order and a statement from the US Treasury Department

South Korea is intensifying competition to develop a sovereign AI foundation model, with five leading teams from industry and academia unveiling first-phase results. The contenders highlighted differences in parameter scale, multimodal capabilities, and vertical applications. By mid-January 2026, four teams will be selected to advance to the next stage

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has approved an additional 22 proposals under the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), marking a significant expansion of the country's push to expand electronics manufacturing. The newly cleared projects involve a projected investment of INR418/63 billion and an estimated production of INR2,581.52 billion, and are expected to generate 33,791 direct jobs

Singapore is drawing a new wave of semiconductor investment as global chipmakers expand advanced manufacturing tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure, reinforcing the city-state's strategy of attracting investments to enable next-generation technologies and position Singapore higher up the semiconductor value chain