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Tuesday 10 June 2025
South Korean industry optimistic about Samsung's potential Middle East expansion; AI chip orders seen as key
Following reports that TSMC is considering establishing a semiconductor wafer fab in the Middle East, some observers suggest that Samsung Electronics may also seek opportunities to expand its overseas footprint. Whether Samsung will consider setting up a plant in the Middle East could hinge on securing artificial intelligence (AI) chip orders
Tuesday 10 June 2025
Naver and Netflix to deepen global collab following South Korea success
South Korean internet giant Naver and US streaming powerhouse Netflix are exploring deeper ties, following the success of their joint initiatives in South Korea. In a recent high-level meeting at Netflix's Los Angeles headquarters, executives from both companies discussed expanding their collaboration across global markets
Tuesday 10 June 2025
SmartSens lands Huawei flagship win as China's CIS upstarts squeeze Samsung
Huawei will debut its flagship Pura 80 series on June 11, 2025, with sales starting June 14. The highlight is the premium Pura 80 Ultra, equipped with a new 1-inch CMOS image sensor (CIS) from China's SmartSens Technology, marking Huawei's first use of a domestically developed CIS in a high-end device
Monday 9 June 2025
China tightens rare earth curbs on EU, US, Japan auto sectors
China's rare earth export controls are disrupting auto production across Europe, the US, and Japan, with forced shutdowns already rippling through supply chains. Industry sources believe Beijing aims to pressure Europe to ease restrictions on Chinese EV imports and nudge Washington into more pragmatic tariff negotiations. However, the escalating curbs are instead accelerating Western efforts to cut reliance on China for critical raw materials
Monday 9 June 2025
Kioxia to double NAND memory production by 2029, next-gen SCM launch set for 2026
Kioxia, Japan's leading NAND flash memory manufacturer, is preparing for an aggressive expansion. The company has announced a bold plan to double its memory production capacity by fiscal year 2029, with a focus on increasing output to meet growing demand from sectors like artificial intelligence
Monday 9 June 2025
Shibaura takeover heats up as Yageo moves closer to Japan's regulatory green light
Taiwan-based Yageo Corporation has refiled its foreign investment application under Japan's Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (FEFTA) as of June 2, in a renewed bid to acquire Shibaura Electronics. The move signals Yageo's growing confidence in clearing regulatory scrutiny—a key barrier that has held back its unsolicited tender offer since February
Monday 9 June 2025
Toyota Group takes founding company private in bid for flexible transition
Toyota Motor Corporation is planning to take Toyota Industries Corporation private, through a tender offer (TOB) via its real estate company Toyota Fudosan, and personal funds from Toyota Motor President Akio Toyoda. The board of Toyota Industries has approved the TOB, which is expected to commence in early December 2025
Monday 9 June 2025
TSMC adjusts global growth plans as Washington ramps up demands

TSMC, under growing pressure from Washington to accelerate its American operations, is reconsidering its global capacity expansion plans. While it moves rapidly to scale up production in the US, sources within its supply chain confirm that plans for new fabs in Japan and Germany are being adjusted amid weakening global auto demand and rising geopolitical and economic uncertainty

Monday 9 June 2025
Coincidence? EDA access quietly restored to some Chinese companies following Xi-Trump call
Following a direct high-level phone call between China and the US on the evening of June 5, 2025, Beijing time, subtle shifts have emerged in semiconductor and electronic design automation (EDA) strategies within China. According to feedback from several local Chinese IC design engineers and companies, Synopsys' technical support platform "SolvNetPlus" and Cadence's "Support Portal," which had been inaccessible due to US export controls, are now accessible again
Monday 9 June 2025
China picking up in microLED production, challenging Taiwan's lead

The global race toward microLED mass production is heating up, with both Taiwanese and Chinese manufacturers accelerating efforts to carve out leading positions in the next-generation display technology market. While Taiwanese companies were early movers, Chinese players have also been ramping up their investments significantly in both speed and scale - particularly around microLED in package (MIP) products, which are expected to enter mass production between late 2025 and early 2026. These advancements are poised to drive growth in high-end display applications, including ultra-bright commercial displays larger than 90 inches

Monday 9 June 2025
Ford-CATL battery deal faces US political pushback
Two of China's largest battery makers are discovering that building factories in the United States is proving far more complicated than anticipated, particularly in the current political climate
Monday 9 June 2025
Samsung reportedly races to LPDDR6 with 1c DRAM by late 2025 to fend off Chinese rival
Samsung Electronics is accelerating its development of next-generation low-power memory technology, aiming to begin production of LPDDR6 using its advanced 1c DRAM process in the second half of 2025, according to a report by South Korean media outlet Businesspost. The company reportedly plans to supply major global tech firms such as Qualcomm, a strategic move to reinforce its leadership and counter rising competition from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT)
Monday 9 June 2025
Samsung union loses nearly 7,000 members amid leadership crisis
Samsung Electronics's largest labor union lost almost 7,000 members in two months following the mass resignation of its executive leadership, potentially disrupting negotiations with management as the South Korean chipmaker grapples with production challenges and intensifying competition from TSMC
Monday 9 June 2025
Rare earth reprieve: China grants licenses to US, EU suppliers ahead of high-stakes talks

Beijing has granted a limited number of rare earth export licenses, including to suppliers of the top three US automakers, in a bid to ease rising global supply-chain pressure ahead of high-level US-China trade talks scheduled for June 9 in London. China's Ministry of Commerce confirmed on June 7 that it had approved certain applications but did not specify the countries or sectors involved. It acknowledged the increasing demand for rare earths in robotics and electric vehicles and said reviews of additional qualifying applications would continue

Monday 9 June 2025
Chip distributor sees revenue surge despite US export curbs
US restrictions on advanced AI chip exports have hurt two major American semiconductor companies' China performance, but Taiwanese distributor Weikeng Industrial has bucked the trend with surging CPU sales in the world's second-largest economy
Research Report Database
Intel signals overhaul of IDM 2.0 and foundry strategy with Lip-Bu Tan's appointment, says DIGITIMES