Following the announcement of the reciprocal tariff policy by US President Donald Trump, South Korean companies are thoroughly reviewing their supply chains and formulating countermeasures. Enterprises with production bases in China and Vietnam may face direct impacts, raising public concern

As US-China tech tensions intensify and a new round of tariffs looms, Chinese semiconductor equipment makers are capitalizing on a rare growth opportunity. With US President Donald Trump advocating higher tariffs on Chinese goods, the cost of importing US semiconductor tools could jump by over 30%, speeding up China's pivot to homegrown alternatives

US's reciprocal tariffs targeting around 60 countries have sparked alarm across Asia and beyond, with Apple emerging as one of the policy's most exposed corporate giants. The tech giant's reliance on manufacturing hubs in Asia could cost it billions as average tariff rates in the region soar

Vietnam faces a 46% US tariff, prompting urgent negotiations and a 45-day delay request. The government seeks balanced trade, boosting US imports and reducing duties on key American goods while diversifying its export markets to mitigate economic impact, according to The Investor, Reuters, and Camodianess

While Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs have unleashed fear and fury around the world, there is one major economy that sees an "opportunity of a lifetime" in the disruptions

Alibaba Group's cloud division is upgrading its suite of artificial intelligence tools available overseas in a push for more global customers

The meteoric rise of generative AI has unleashed an insatiable demand for computational power, propelling the memory industry into a fierce technological crucible. While Samsung Electronics continues to catch up with competitors in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the company is proactively advancing its storage technologies. At its Xi'an facility in China, Samsung has constructed an in-house data center, embracing immersion cooling to validate the compatibility of solid-state drive (SSD) materials with cutting-edge coolants

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has teamed up with Tsinghua University researchers to develop a new reinforcement learning framework designed to cut training costs and boost the efficiency of large language models (LLMs)

On April 2, 2025, US President Donald Trump announced a new round of tariffs, imposing rates as high as 46% on products from Vietnam, 34% on those from China, 32% on Indonesia, and 26% on goods from India—key regions where many South Korean companies have production hubs. This escalation threatens to disrupt the complex global supply chains of these firms. However, for businesses like Hanwha Solutions and OCI, which run solar energy plants in the US, the changing geopolitical landscape could strengthen their competitive position

Samsung Electronics plans to increase DRAM and NAND Flash memory prices by 3-5% in response to potential new US semiconductor tariffs, according to reports from South Korean media. The global tech giant is currently negotiating these price adjustments with major clients, with some customers already beginning contract discussions based on the anticipated increases

US President Donald Trump said he has no plans to suspend tariffs to facilitate trade negotiations, calling this the country's only chance to rebuild its industrial base. He warned that if China does not roll back its 34% retaliatory tariffs on US goods, Washington will slap an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports, raising the total rate to 104%

On April 2, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order launching a new wave of "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariffs on major trading partners, including China, Taiwan, the EU, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, India, and Malaysia. Rates range from 10% to 46%, with Vietnam hit hardest. China's overall tariff will rise to 54% when a new 34% levy is added to the existing 20%. The measures take effect on April 9, 2025

Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura recently affirmed that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) commitment to its investments in Japan, particularly in Kumamoto Prefecture, remains steadfast despite tariff escalation threats from the Trump administration. Speaking to Nikkei, Kimura emphasized that the Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM) facility, a TSMC subsidiary, was established to cater to domestic Japanese demand. He further noted that assurances of continued investment have come directly from TSMC's headquarters, minimizing the impact of US tariffs on its Japanese operations