DIGITIMES Asia news

Tuesday 7 April 2026

Korean chip suppliers face second year of price cuts despite AI boom

Samsung and SK Hynix delivered record performance in 2025, driven by strong investment in AI infrastructure. Yet the gains have not flowed upstream. Materials and component suppliers are facing a second consecutive year of price cuts, with contract terms for 2026 again revised lower

Tuesday 7 April 2026

In-depth: How DeepSeek V4 strengthens Huawei's role in China's AI stack

China's push for a self-sufficient AI stack is no longer theoretical — it is entering deployment. DeepSeek's upcoming V4 model, expected within weeks, signals a shift from experimentation to execution, linking software, chips, and policy into a single system

Tuesday 7 April 2026

Price wars and vertical integration reshape China's auto industry

China's auto market is undergoing a structural shift in the first quarter of 2026. While joint-venture giants such as Volkswagen and Toyota have posted strong sales, a deeper divergence is emerging. Domestic manufacturers, adopting a development model closer to consumer electronics and emphasizing vertical integration, are charting a path fundamentally different from the traditional, foreign-led automotive system

Tuesday 7 April 2026

China's auto sales shift, but price war shows no sign of ending

China's auto market showed a notable shift in the first quarter of 2026, with Volkswagen, Geely, and Toyota returning to the top of the sales rankings in the first two months of the year. BYD, long the market leader, slipped to fourth place, drawing widespread attention

Tuesday 7 April 2026

Taiwan, Japan join forces on next-gen drones with core technology alliance

The "brain" of a drone plays a critical role in flight missions. While Taiwanese manufacturers have advantages in drone hardware production, integrating the core control systems remains a challenge

Tuesday 7 April 2026

China AI platforms compete for developer access via OpenClaw mirror

Open-source AI agent project OpenClaw, colloquially referred to as "raising lobsters," is gaining momentum in China. The launch of its official China mirror on April 1 is pushing activity beyond developer circles into cloud platforms and major tech firms, turning the project into a focal point for platform competition

Tuesday 7 April 2026

Weekly news roundup: China's special AI chip supply ends; TSMC plans 12 fabs in Arizona

Below are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories from the week of March 30-April 5, 2026

Tuesday 7 April 2026

China channels billions into space start-ups through IPO pipeline

In recent years, space has emerged as a central arena of global strategic competition, drawing heavy investment from the US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and India. Among them, China has moved aggressively to commercialize its space sector, encouraging private start-ups to develop rockets and satellites while building an independent ecosystem in low-Earth orbit. The aim is to narrow the gap with SpaceX

Monday 6 April 2026

China 2.5D packaging demand surges, supporting Korean backend equipment growth

China's semiconductor equipment market is emerging as a critical growth engine for South Korean suppliers, driven by accelerating AI deployment and tighter restrictions on US vendors. Demand for advanced packaging tools is running ahead of expectations, with high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and 2.5D packaging advancing in tandem as central pillars of future growth. At the same time, Beijing's push for supply chain localization is reshaping competitive dynamics and limiting foreign access

Sunday 5 April 2026

Samsung and SK Hynix to reportedly bolster helium supply chain as Iran conflict risks rise

Facing the risk of a prolonged Iran conflict, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have reportedly begun strengthening their helium supply chain management for semiconductor manufacturing. Both companies plan to diversify suppliers beyond the Middle East and adjust import ratios by country to maintain stable supply chains

Sunday 5 April 2026

China storage module maker Techwinsemi gains from AI-driven NAND cycle, expands smartphone ties

AI data center demand is tightening memory supply while NAND makers phase out low-capacity legacy nodes. Shenzhen Techwinsemi Technology said rising NAND prices are squeezing margins for devices priced near CNY1,000, even as supply shifts create new growth opportunities. The company has secured partnerships with leading Chinese smartphone vendors

Saturday 4 April 2026

Semco raises ABF substrate prices as AI server demand surges

The explosive growth in artificial intelligence (AI) servers and high-performance computing (HPC) is driving up the value of key components like ABF substrates. With ongoing bottlenecks in the global supply chain for advanced packaging substrates, South Korea's Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) has proactively restructured its product lineup and increased prices. This move reflects not only rising raw material costs but also a structural shift where demand far exceeds supply

Saturday 4 April 2026

Memory interface chip maker Montage sees DDR5 surge drive 2025 growth

Montage Technology reported full-year 2025 revenue of CNY5.46 billion (US$750 million), up 49.9% year on year, while net profit rose 58.4% to CNY2.24 billion, broadly in line with expectations. Adjusted net profit reached CNY2.02 billion, up 62.0%, reflecting solid underlying demand

Saturday 4 April 2026

Samsung strike threat clouds PMIC, mature-node outlook

Samsung Electronics reportedly faces renewed strike risk after union talks stalled, threatening already tight mature-node semiconductor supply chains. Power management ICs (PMICs) and display driver ICs (DDICs) are seen as the most exposed segments, given constrained capacity and firm demand

Friday 3 April 2026

US faces split Asia: allies build 'sovereignty walls' as digital tensions rise

The 2026 National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report signals a new era of digital friction between the US and its closest Asian allies

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