Both Japan and South Korea are accelerating plans for Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), aiming to expand satellite-based communications beyond traditional ground infrastructure. In the early stages, both nations collaborated with Starlink, but Japan has outpaced South Korea in developing mobile direct-to-satellite services

Rare earth elements (REEs), comprising 17 chemical elements including the 15 lanthanides from lanthanum (La, atomic number 57) to lutetium (Lu, 71), plus scandium and yttrium, are essential materials with unique optical, electrical, magnetic, and catalytic properties. Often called "industrial vitamins" or "industrial gold," REEs are indispensable in many high-tech industries

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

After months of speculation, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on October 30, 2025, at South Korea's Gimhae Air Base in Busan. As many analysts predicted, the two leaders steered clear of the Taiwan question and instead focused on easing specific trade frictions, including restrictions on US soybean exports to China and Chinese rare earth shipments to the United States

On 30 October 2025, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met in Busan, South Korea, in a summit that could redefine the global trade and technology order. It marked their first meeting since Trump's return to the White House and their second in six years, a long-awaited rematch that drew worldwide attention

Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced a growth strategy prioritizing "crisis management investment" in AI, semiconductors, and quantum technology to address economic and security risks. Key officials have been appointed to lead these efforts

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the global semiconductor supply chain and accelerating transformation in IC packaging and testing. As Qualcomm moves into the AI data center space to challenge Nvidia, OSAT vendors are entering a new phase of technology upgrade and supply-chain reorganization

Over the past decade, China's tech sector has surged across chip design, foundry, and packaging. Yet beneath the slogan of "technological self-reliance", two corporate storms have laid bare the contradictions between global ambition and domestic control, exposing the limits of China's bid to lead the semiconductor world on its own terms

In the first half of 2025, China tightened rare earth export rules, affecting semiconductors and AI, straining global supply chains, and pushing Taiwan to diversify sourcing

The future development of Taiwan's battery industry must be grounded in the global competitive landscape and domestic industrial conditions, implementing differentiated, niche, and advantage-based strategies. The focus should be on developing small-volume, diverse, high-value, and cost-effective products to build technical barriers and avoid falling into price competition traps

Following an internal R&D overhaul, Intel has rolled out its application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) business to establish a fresh revenue stream beyond CPUs and GPUs. The company is banking on decades of x86 IP accumulation and its integrated device manufacturer (IDM) model to challenge top IC design rivals such as Nvidia, AMD, Broadcom, Marvell, MediaTek, and Alchip

As the APEC summit in late October approaches, US President Donald Trump aims to broker a historic China-US trade deal and push for a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire. However, stalled negotiations have raised concerns that Taiwan could become a bargaining chip between Washington and Beijing

Taiwan currently shines on the global stage with three standout industries: its healthcare system, electronics manufacturing services (EMS), and semiconductors. Though each sector's competitive edge stems from unique factors, they all share one crucial—and arguably most important—common denominator: the sustained, multi-generational commitment of the nation's social elites. This commitment is measured not in years, but in cycles of sixty years, known as a jiazi in the traditional Chinese calendar

As Google, AWS, Meta, and Microsoft keep ordering Nvidia's AI GPUs, they are simultaneously accelerating in-house application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) projects to cut reliance on Nvidia. Yet, according to supply chain insiders, Nvidia's five strategic pillars — ranging from product velocity to ecosystem control —continue to cement its dominance in AI computing

Samsung Electronics is expected to deliver a surprising performance in the third quarter of 2025, successfully reclaiming the top position in the global memory market, signaling a strong recovery in its semiconductor business. However, as its memory division expands shipments and market share rebounds, industry observers have shifted their attention to whether its stagnant non-memory businesses, namely foundry and system LSI, can stage a turnaround