Samsung Electro-Mechanics has reported robust financial results for the third quarter of 2025 and projects sustained strong demand for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) in 2026, driven by AI servers and automotive electronics. The company aims to achieve double-digit growth next year.

Panasonic Holdings has revised down its operating profit forecast for fiscal year 2025 by 13.5%, primarily due to reduced profitability in its energy business segment that includes electric vehicle (EV) battery operations. The company supplies batteries to automakers such as Tesla.

AUO's profits turned to losses in the third quarter of 2025, but the company still maintained profitability for the first three quarters. The second half of the year is expected to be weaker than usual, with the traditional off-season in the fourth quarter, but 2026 has the potential to bring positive developments.

China's expanded rare earth export controls, now including semiconductors, heighten global strategic risks while offering Taiwan's firms a chance to boost sustainable material recovery technologies.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in South Korea on October 30, 2025, to announce a trade agreement that paused months of escalating tensions between the two countries. The nearly two-hour meeting in Busan formalized a framework addressing tariffs, rare earth exports, and other key issues. Both leaders expressed cautious optimism about the future of economic relations.

Leading semiconductor packaging and testing company ASE expects that fourth quarter revenue in NTD will grow 1-2% quarter-over-quarter, while semiconductor assembly and test materials (ATM) revenue is expected to rise 3-5% sequentially. Full-year 2025 ATM revenue in USD is projected to increase more than 20%, with advanced packaging revenue reaching US$1.6 billion as planned, and full-year 2026 revenue anticipated to rise by an additional $1 billion.

Nvidia is reportedly preparing to invest up to US$1 billion in AI startup Poolside, potentially increasing the company's valuation to as high as US$12 billion. Poolside is currently in the midst of a US$2 billion funding round, with more than half of that amount already secured, according to Bloomberg sources familiar with the matter.

Samsung Electronics posted strong overall results for the third quarter of 2025, driven primarily by its semiconductor and mobile businesses. However, the home appliance and TV divisions showed weaker performance, with profits estimated at a mere KRW300 billion (US$209 million). To break through this slump, Samsung's Device eXperience (DX) division acting head Tae-moon Roh is aiming to replicate the mobile segment's successful AI and hyperconnectivity strategies in home appliances and TVs.

SK Hynix has taken the top spot of the global DRAM market for the third quarter of 2025 with a 35% market share, with Samsung just behind at 34%. This marks SK Hynix's third consecutive quarter as the world's leading DRAM supplier.

In April 2025, US President Donald Trump escalated the trade conflict with China by threatening tariffs as high as 145%, prompting a fierce response from Beijing, vowing to fight to the end. Following a rare direct meeting in Busan, South Korea, the two leaders reached a tentative agreement that could signal a pause in the hostilities, though doubts remain over its durability.