Lynas Rare Earths has signed a binding letter of intent to supply rare earth oxides to the US Department of Defense (DOD) over the next four years. According to Lynas, the agreement is valued at US$96 million and covers both heavy and light rare earth products

Samsung Electronics' semiconductor division is concerned that the current memory supercycle, driven by supply shortages, could last only one to two years before the market turns downward again, according to a ChosunBiz report. Uncertainty surrounding demand forecasts following a surge in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure investment is complicating decisions on expanding production capacity

Alibaba Group Holding is reorganizing its artificial intelligence operations, creating a new business unit to integrate its AI services and development efforts as the Chinese technology giant looks to accelerate the commercialization of its AI technologies

As the Middle East conflict enters its third week, global energy supply and sea-air logistics networks are facing major disruptions. Because semiconductor and electronics supply chains rely heavily on air transport to meet strict delivery timelines, freight forwarders say the surge in oil prices triggered by the US-Iran conflict is pushing air freight costs sharply higher. At the same time, the heavy cargo volume normally handled by Dubai International Airport is being forced to shift to other regions

Generative AI is becoming a primary search gateway, but the credibility of its underlying content sources is under increasing scrutiny. China has exposed a grey market industry chain manipulating generative AI search through "content poisoning," where generative engine optimization (GEO) is used to mass-produce low-cost content that steers AI model recommendations, including surfacing fabricated products in AI-generated answers

South Korea's largest job platform Saramin has named SK Hynix the top "most desired large company" for the first time, displacing perennial leader Samsung Electronics. The shift reflects the explosive growth of the AI chip market and its growing influence on job seekers' priorities

Rapid growth in global electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage demand is accelerating shifts in the battery industry landscape. South Korea's three major battery makers, LG Energy Solution (LGES), SK On, and Samsung SDI, are facing pressure from Chinese competitors whose advantages in production capacity, cost, and market share continue to expand. At Inter Battery 2026, the Korean companies highlighted their respective technological strengths as they seek to maintain competitiveness

Chinese foundry Hua Hong Semiconductor is reportedly preparing a 7nm chip manufacturing process, a development that could mark a significant shift for China's second-largest contract chipmaker as Beijing accelerates efforts to strengthen domestic semiconductor capabilities and support AI chip development

India's Union Budget 2026 has introduced a comprehensive set of tax exemptions and duty-free incentives aimed at securing a larger share of the global technology supply chain, though the measures hold particular relevance for semiconductor and electronics manufacturers

DRAM and NAND flash prices have soared by as much as 180% since the Lunar New Year, amid worsening memory chip supply shortages that are expected to persist at least until late 2027. Industry analysts point to a fundamental shift in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market competition — from market share to profitability — as conditions tighten

Samsung Electronics is targeting one of the hardest engineering challenges in humanoid robotics: building a dexterous robotic hand. The company recently created Hand Lab, a dedicated robotics unit developing high-performance, high-degree-of-freedom robotic hands capable of delicate grasping, manipulation, and tactile sensing. Samsung believes replicating human-level dexterity will be essential to bringing humanoid robots into real commercial environments

The automation landscape showcased at Automation World (AW) 2026 marks a profound shift: security and safety are no longer merely compliance metrics, but the foundational layer of intelligence driving the next generation of industrial and urban environments

A core researcher behind Alibaba's Qwen large language model has left the company and is reportedly joining ByteDance's AI research unit Seed, Chinese media reported. The move underscores intensifying competition for AI talent as China's tech firms accelerate development of next-generation foundation models

AI agent technology is gaining momentum in China's tech sector, driven by the open-source platform OpenClaw and a trend known locally as "raising lobsters". The phenomenon is drawing attention from developers, policymakers, and industry leaders