Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Matt Garman has announced an additional US$5 billion investment in South Korea, bringing AWS's total commitment to US$9 billion to expand AI data centers. Garman highlighted South Korea as a prime market for AI innovation and positioned AWS as a key "AI innovation partner" for local enterprises, expressing particular optimism about the development of agentic AI
Samsung is reportedly manufacturing Nvidia's robot application processors (APs), a move that could accelerate its expansion in physical AI, the convergence of artificial intelligence and robotics. As this new era unfolds, industry watchers are questioning whether Samsung's robotics division, one of its four strategic pillars, can deliver concrete outcomes
China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has launched its largest recruitment campaign in nearly a decade, planning to add approximately sixty new officials in 2026. According to a MOFCOM announcement, the Bureau of Industry Security, Import and Export Control plans to recruit at least five new staff members in 2026, the highest number since 2022. Despite the current US-China trade war truce, MOFCOM's rare earth control division continues its expansion
SK Hynix has reportedly increased the price of its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) supplied to Nvidia by over 50% compared to the previous generation HBM3E. Industry sources say this successful pricing negotiation with Nvidia will further solidify SK Hynix's dominant position in the HBM market and drive revenue growth
Nvidia's evaluation of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) has sparked a fierce contest among suppliers. ETNews reports that the company plans to finish testing HBM4 chips from SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics, and Micron by mid-November 2025, a decision that will determine who secures orders for Nvidia's next-generation AI accelerator, Rubin, scheduled for launch in the second half of 2026
Nintendo has revised its sales forecast for the Switch 2 console for fiscal year 2025 (April 2025 to March 2026), projecting significantly higher overall performance. However, because hardware gross margins are lower than software, and software sales have yet to match the hardware's popularity, overall profit margins are expected to decline. Substantial profit gains will only materialize once the hit software titles are released
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has acknowledged the critical role of Taiwanese partners in domestic AI chip production in the US, while cautioning that China's technological progress has been underestimated. Huang highlighted the importance of supply chain collaboration during an interview with Fox News, as reported by Wccftech and FreeMalaysiaToday
Since US President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, his administration has escalated technology export restrictions with unprecedented aggression. Beyond raising overseas H-1B visa application fees to US$100,000 and demanding that Nvidia and AMD remit 15% of their advanced chip revenues from China to the US Treasury, Trump has now banned sales of Nvidia's cutting-edge Blackwell AI chips to China entirely
China has escalated its campaign to reduce dependence on foreign technology. The country now requires all new state-funded data centers to use domestically produced artificial intelligence chips, according to Reuters. The regulatory directive impacts projects worth tens of billions of dollars
Taiwan's Foxconn plans to transform Sharp's Kameyama No. 2 factory in Mie Prefecture, Japan, into an AI server production facility, while also pursuing collaborations with Japan's top 10 automakers in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, according to Foxconn chairman Young Liu
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced on November 5, 2025, that, effective November 10, 2025, it will end anti-circumvention measures on certain cut-off shifted single-mode optical fiber (G.654.C optical fiber) imported from the US. This change means that related products will no longer face anti-dumping duties ranging from 33.3% to 78.2%, restoring their standard import status
Samsung Electro-Mechanics is reportedly set to supply advanced semiconductor glass substrates to Broadcom. The move comes as Broadcom, a key chip supplier for tech giants like Google and Meta, secured a US$10 billion deal with OpenAI for next-generation AI accelerators. This partnership highlights Broadcom's aggressive push into AI hardware and signals a major opportunity for South Korean component makers
Chip supply disruptions at Nexperia continue to ripple through Japan's auto industry. Following Honda's partial production halt at some overseas plants on October 28, Nissan has become the latest automaker affected, with plans to scale back output at domestic factories
The easing of trade tensions between the US and China has prompted electronics manufacturers to reassess their supply chain strategies. Following recent tariff reductions implemented by President Donald Trump's administration and an extended tariff truce lasting another year, original design manufacturer (ODM) companies are now reconsidering the pace and scale of relocating production lines outside China. Industry sources suggest that the share of manufacturing outside China could decline from 60% to around 40%
Following the Trump-Xi summit in South Korea, US-China relations appear to have stabilized temporarily, avoiding immediate escalation in hostilities. However, senior Taiwanese officials emphasize that underlying structural contradictions remain unresolved and fundamental strategic competition between the two powers is expected to continue
