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Friday 10 July 2026
China's StepFun, ZTE's Nubia vie for 'world's first AI agent smartphone' at WAIC
Two Chinese technology players will use the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), running July 17-20 in Shanghai, to present what each bills as the world's first AI agent smartphone—a device whose on-device AI operates apps on the user's behalf rather than merely answering questions.
Friday 10 July 2026
Mitsubishi Chemical, JSW ramp GaN substrate capacity for EVs and data centers

Mitsubishi Chemical and Japan Steel Works are preparing a fresh capacity expansion in gallium nitride (GaN) substrates, aiming to capture growing demand from next-generation power semiconductors used in EVs, inverters and data center power systems.

Friday 10 July 2026
Xiaomi Auto launches new sub-brand for long-range SUVs

Xiaomi Auto has unveiled a new brand aimed at long-range SUVs, a move that could broaden its appeal beyond China and intensify competition in a global electric-vehicle market still shaped by range, charging access, and family-use demand. The startup also reported another month of strong deliveries, while continuing to expand production capacity in Beijing to support growth.

Friday 10 July 2026
How semiconductors are turning Gujarat into India's next electronics powerhouse

For years, India's electronics manufacturing has clustered in a handful of states — mobile-phone assembly around Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, and a broad electronics and EMS base across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where the iPhone was first built in Bengaluru. India's semiconductor push is now redrawing that map, pulling the center of gravity westward to Gujarat.

Friday 10 July 2026
Z.ai widens lead over MiniMax: China's AI model race shifts from scale to staying power

China's AI model race is moving beyond parameter size, benchmark rankings and user buzz. Investors are now asking which companies can turn model spending into durable revenue, pricing power and enterprise workflows.

Friday 10 July 2026
LG Innotek expands Vietnam footprint with new IC substrate plant
LG Innotek is moving ahead with a new semiconductor substrate manufacturing facility in Vietnam, marking its first overseas production base for IC substrates as the company seeks to expand capacity for advanced packaging products used in AI servers and high-end mobile devices.
Friday 10 July 2026
Out of the shadows, India's Northeast stakes its claim in electronics

For most of its modern history, India's Northeast — the eight states anchored by Assam — has sat at the margins of the country's industrial economy. That is beginning to change, as a mix of federal industrial incentives, a flagship semiconductor packaging plant in Assam, and deepening ties with Japan give the region a modest but real foothold in India's electronics ambitions.

Thursday 9 July 2026
CXMT seeks US$4.1bn in China's biggest 2026 IPO for DDR5, HBM

CXMT has launched a CNY29.5 billion (approx. US$4.1 billion) STAR Market IPO, giving China's top DRAM maker fresh capital to upgrade 17nm production, expand DDR5, and develop HBM for AI servers and high-performance computing.

Thursday 9 July 2026
CXMT IPO leaves HBM off the funding list, tempering China AI memory hype

CXMT's STAR Market IPO suggests China's largest DRAM maker is prioritizing commodity memory over an aggressive near-term push into high-bandwidth memory (HBM). This eases concerns that Chinese suppliers are about to challenge the dominance of Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron in AI memory.

Thursday 9 July 2026
Rebellions' IPO plan tests market appetite for inference chips
South Korean AI chip startup Rebellions is preparing for a domestic listing in the first half of 2027, offering a test of whether investor enthusiasm for inference chips can move from private funding rounds into public markets.
Thursday 9 July 2026
Lynas signs long-term partnership with JS Link for Malaysia magnet factory
Lynas Rare Earths has agreed to a long-term partnership with JS Link to develop a rare earth permanent magnet factory in Kuantan, Malaysia, a move that could reshape supply chains for electric vehicles, wind power, and electronics. The deal may help diversify global rare-earth processing, reduce dependence on China, and boost regional manufacturing capacity.
Thursday 9 July 2026
SK Hynix targets AI infrastructure role with Nasdaq ADR listing

SK Group chairman Tae-Won Chey is reportedly set to travel to the US for SK Hynix's American depositary receipt (ADR) listing on Nasdaq, where he will personally attend the celebration in New York. The move is being seen as more than a capital market event, as it marks an important moment in SK Hynix's effort to reposition itself from a traditional memory maker into a core company in AI infrastructure.

Thursday 9 July 2026
AI demand pushes TSMC, Samsung to raise foundry prices — Rapidus aims to undercut 2nm

Rising demand for AI chips is changing how foundries set prices, giving TSMC and Samsung Electronics more leverage while forcing new entrants such as Rapidus to compete carefully on cost.

Thursday 9 July 2026
China escalates scrutiny of Anthropic's Claude Code over alleged 'backdoor' risk

China has intensified its scrutiny of US AI software after issuing a security alert over Anthropic's AI coding assistant, Claude Code, further escalating technology tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Thursday 9 July 2026
Commentary: China's AI chip race leaves 15 chipmakers chasing SMIC's 7nm capacity
China's bid to replace Nvidia in AI chips faces a constraint more immediate than design capability: SMIC's limited 7nm-class manufacturing capacity.