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Friday 11 July 2025
China tackles auto supplier payment crisis with complaint platform
Facing growing frustration from suppliers, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has launched a national complaint platform to address delayed payments by automakers — a widespread issue that has plagued small and medium-sized suppliers amid the country's ongoing automotive price wars. Whether the platform can offer effective relief, however, remains uncertain
Friday 11 July 2025
Manus AI flees China for Singapore following US$75 million Benchmark round
Chinese AI Agent startup Manus has relocated its headquarters to Singapore and slashed most of its China-based workforce, just four months after its global debut. The move reflects mounting geopolitical and investment pressures and highlights Manus's push to build a global presence in the AI application space
Friday 11 July 2025
GaN surge: Innoscience targets 20K/month 8-inch wafer milestone by year-end

Innoscience, a leading Chinese GaN specialist, plans to expand its monthly production of 8-inch (200mm) wafers from 13,000 to 20,000 by the end of 2025, advancing toward its five-year target of 70,000 wafers per month. As the first IDM to mass-produce 8-inch GaN-on-silicon wafers, Innoscience's expansion highlights the growing global pivot to GaN technologies in power electronics

Friday 11 July 2025
Korea’s Rebellions taps Taiwan alliance to challenge Nvidia in AI chip race
Seoul-based AI chip startup Rebellions is moving fast to stake its claim as South Korea's top domestic supplier of artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors. The company is ramping up production of its second-generation chip and forging new partnerships across Asia to grow its footprint
Friday 11 July 2025
Meituan fuels embodied AI ambitions while robot IPOs hit Hong Kong despite losses

Meituan has made another move in the robotics sector, investing US$100 million in Galaxea AI, its second major robotics deal in two months following a stake in Independent Variable Robot Technology (Jinan) Co., according to Yicai. The investment underscores Meituan's deepening commitment to embodied intelligence amid a broader robotics market challenged by slowing funding, mounting losses, and heightened competition

Friday 11 July 2025
Topco Scientific denies rumors of cooperation with Chinese firms, stresses compliance with export controls
In response to external allegations regarding collaboration with Chinese companies to develop chips and the involvement in exporting sensitive semiconductor materials to China, Topco Scientific Co. (TSC) issued a statement on July 10, 2025, to clarify the matter
Friday 11 July 2025
SK Hynix narrows gap with Samsung as AI boom fuels HBM chip sales in Q2
SK Hynix is rapidly closing the gap with Samsung Electronics in the global memory chip race, driven by surging demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI applications. According to a newly released report by Counterpoint Research, SK Hynix posted US$15.5 billion in combined DRAM and NAND revenue in the second quarter of 2025, placing it in a virtual tie with Samsung for the top spot in the global memory market
Friday 11 July 2025
Swancor divests materials unit to back smart robotics investors
Swancor Holding Co., Ltd. has approved the sale of a 60% stake in its Shanghai STAR Market-listed unit, Swancor Advanced Materials Co., Ltd., at CNY7.78 per share, valuing the deal at approximately CNY1.86 billion (approx. US$259.3 million). The transaction was cleared by the board and audit committee on July 8
Friday 11 July 2025
India's EMS giants pivot to East Asia partnerships for US$2.68 billion component push
Indian electronics makers are accelerating joint venture talks with South Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese partners as they prepare final bids for a component manufacturing scheme. The push reflects a strategic shift away from Chinese alliances amid foreign direct investment curbs and rising geopolitical tensions
Thursday 10 July 2025
Jim Keller to headline RISC-V Summit in Shanghai, highlighting China's open-source chip ambitions
Jim Keller, acclaimed semiconductor architect and Tenstorrent CEO, will deliver his first keynote at the fifth RISC-V Summit China from July 16 to 19 in Shanghai. His speech, "Open Hardware for Future Intelligence," highlights the event's growing importance amid US-China tech tensions and China's push for chip independence
Thursday 10 July 2025
Ford reboots US battery plant after tax shift clears CATL licensing path
Ford will move forward with its US$3 billion lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, after the Trump administration's US$3.4 trillion budget bill preserved key production tax credits. The change clears the way for Ford to use LFP technology licensed from China's CATL, which was previously restricted under US trade rules
Thursday 10 July 2025
Japan secures 'golden share' in Rapidus to safeguard chip tech, bolster 2nm push
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said it will condition public investment in chip startup Rapidus on the issuance of a "golden share" that grants the government veto power over critical corporate decisions. The move underscores Tokyo's efforts to strengthen state oversight in strategic sectors and prevent the outflow of sensitive semiconductor technologies, particularly in the face of potential foreign acquisitions
Thursday 10 July 2025
US auto market resets as Trump shuts door on Chinese electric cars
President Donald Trump's return to the White House may have dealt a blow to the clean energy subsidies championed under President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), but his administration is doubling down on "America First" manufacturing and mounting a fierce blockade against Chinese electric vehicles (EVs)
Thursday 10 July 2025
Samsung's foldable focus on high-end smartphones sparks chipmaker optimism
Samsung Electronics has introduced its latest flagship foldable smartphones, adding fresh momentum to what is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the foldable device market. While Samsung remains one of the pioneers in this category, it now faces intensifying competition from Chinese smartphone makers, which some industry executives believe could help grow the overall market, rather than diminish its prospects
Thursday 10 July 2025
Semes' semiconductor cleaning process designated as South Korea's National Core Technology
Semes, the semiconductor equipment subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, has had its semiconductor cleaning process technology recognized by the South Korean government as a National Core Technology (NCT). This recognition positions Semes as a global leader in advanced semiconductor cleaning processes
Research Report Database
Intel signals overhaul of IDM 2.0 and foundry strategy with Lip-Bu Tan's appointment, says DIGITIMES